AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The total land area that contributes surface runoff to a river or lake is called a watershed, drainage basin, or catchment area.

Detailed explanation-2: -Surface runoff (also known as overland flow) is the flow of water occurring on the ground surface when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other sources, can no longer sufficiently rapidly infiltrate in the soil.

Detailed explanation-3: -Runoff, for instance, describes a variety of ways liquid water moves across land. Snowmelt, for example, is an important type of runoff produced as snow or glaciers melt and form streams or pools.

Detailed explanation-4: -Overview. Runoff is nothing more than water “running off” the land surface. Just as the water you wash your car with runs off down the driveway as you work, the rain that Mother Nature covers the landscape with runs off downhill, too (due to gravity). Runoff is an important component of the natural water cycle.

Detailed explanation-5: -Runoff occurs when there is more water than land can absorb. The excess liquid flows across the surface of the land and into nearby creeks, streams, or ponds. Runoff can come from both natural processes and human activity. The most familiar type of natural runoff is snowmelt.