| Abstract: | ABSTRACT: There are unpublished reports of rapid and large rises in the water table which are out of proportion to the infiltrated volumes of water. The phenomenon seems to result from the conversion of a tension saturated zone to phreatic water by one of several mechanisms. The effect could be triggered when the tension saturated zone intersects: the ground surface, a saturated soil horizon, or a coarse zone. The phenomenon could prove to be a common link in explaining several seemingly diverse phenomena which characterize non-Hortonian runoff in a humid environment. Under certain conditions storm peaks are dominated by flow from small, restricted, “variable source” areas that contributed runoff when saturated from below by rising water tables; for other streams, ground water input forms the major part of the flood peak. The explanation for these observations could lie in an understanding of the rapid water table rise phenomenon. Such a mechanism. if widespread, would provide the means for producing saturation at or near the surface shortly after rainfall commences. The phenomenon should be documented and closely analyzed from a number of perspectives to define its true role in the hydrology of humid environments. |
