Also known as overland flow; this is the flow of water that occurs when excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the earth's surface.

Also known as overland flow; this is the flow of water that occurs when excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the earth's surface.

• A. Surface runoff
• B. Channel flow
• C. Drainage basin
• D. Precipitation

Answer: (A)

Water flowing over the land after rainfall or snowmelt when the soil can’t absorb or infiltrate all the water is surface runoff. This overland flow happens because the rainfall intensity or meltwater exceeds the soil’s infiltration capacity, or the ground is already saturated, so water moves across the surface rather than entering channels right away. It may spread as a sheet across plains or gather into small concentrated flows that eventually join rivers. This is different from water moving inside a river or stream channel (channel flow), and it’s not the whole area that collects water (drainage basin) or the process that adds water to the system (precipitation). So the described flow is surface runoff.

Water flowing over the land after rainfall or snowmelt when the soil can’t absorb or infiltrate all the water is surface runoff. This overland flow happens because the rainfall intensity or meltwater exceeds the soil’s infiltration capacity, or the ground is already saturated, so water moves across the surface rather than entering channels right away. It may spread as a sheet across plains or gather into small concentrated flows that eventually join rivers. This is different from water moving inside a river or stream channel (channel flow), and it’s not the whole area that collects water (drainage basin) or the process that adds water to the system (precipitation). So the described flow is surface runoff.