What is runoff and how does it occur?
Understand the Problem
The question presents information about runoff, explaining its occurrence when there's more water than the land can absorb and detailing where this excess water flows. It aims to clarify the concept of runoff and its sources.
Answer
Runoff is excess water flowing over the land into water bodies, due to insufficient absorption.
Runoff occurs when there is more water than the land can absorb, causing excess water to flow across the land into nearby water bodies. It results from both natural processes, like snowmelt, and human activities.
Answer for screen readers
Runoff occurs when there is more water than the land can absorb, causing excess water to flow across the land into nearby water bodies. It results from both natural processes, like snowmelt, and human activities.
More Information
Runoff is a key component of the water cycle and affects water quality by transporting pollutants. It can lead to erosion and flooding.
Tips
Common mistakes include misunderstanding that runoff only occurs from rainfall and not recognizing the impact of human activities.
Sources
- Runoff - National Geographic - education.nationalgeographic.org
- Surface Runoff - Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org
- Surface and Overland Water Runoff - U.S. Geological Survey - usgs.gov
AI-generated content may contain errors. Please verify critical information
