Abstract
This study used rainfall and runoff records from Northern California watersheds with distinct wet and dry seasons to quantify dynamic storage changes during a rainy season based on a simple water balance analysis. Our findings suggested that the watersheds store significant amounts of rainfall with little corresponding runoff in the beginning of the wet season and then release considerably more water after they reach their storage capacities. The amount of rainfall required to fill the storages was the order of a few hundred millimeters (200-500 mm). According to the topographic analysis for each subwatershed, median gradients and maximum storage changes showed the positive correlation. We explained the observation findings with a hydrologically active bedrock hypothesis.
