Variable power‐law scaling of hillslope Hortonian rainfall–runoff processes

Hydrological studies focused on Hortonian rainfall–run‐off scaling have found that the run‐off depth generally declines with the plot length in power‐law scaling. Both the power‐law proportional coefficient and the scaling exponent show great variability for specific conditions, but why and how they vary remain unclear. In the present study, the scaling of hillslope Hortonian rainfall–run‐off processes is investigated for different rainfall, soil infiltration, and hillslope surface characteristics using the physically based cell‐based rainfall‐infiltration‐run‐off model. The results show that both temporally intermittent and steady rainfalls can result in prominent power‐law scaling at the initial stage of run‐off generation. Then, the magnitude of the power‐law scaling decreases gradually due to the decreasing run‐on effect. The power‐law scaling is most sensitive to the rainfall and soil infiltration parameters. When the ratio of rainfall to infiltration exceeds a critical value, the magnitude of the power‐law scaling tends to decrease notably. For different intermittent rainfall patterns, the power‐law exponent varies in the range of ?1.0 to ?0.113, which shows an approximately logarithmic increasing trend for the proportional coefficient as a function of the run‐off coefficient. The scaling is also sensitive to the surface roughness, soil sealing, slope angle, and hillslope geometry because these factors control the run‐off routing and run‐on infiltration processes. These results provide insights into the variable scaling of the Hortonian rainfall–run‐off process, which are expected to benefit modelling of large‐scale hydrological and ecological processes.     

Spatio‐temporal variability of piezometric response on two steep alpine hillslopes

Information on the main drivers of subsurface flow generation on hillslopes of alpine headwater catchments is still missing. Therefore, the dominant factors controlling the water table response to precipitation at the hillslope scale in the alpine Bridge Creek Catchment, Northern Italy, were investigated. Two steep hillslopes of similar size, soil properties and vegetation cover but contrasting topography were instrumented with 24 piezometric wells. Sixty‐three (63) rainfall‐runoff events were selected over three years in the snow‐free months to analyse the influence of rainfall depth, antecedent moisture conditions, hillslope topographic characteristics and soil depth on shallow water table dynamics. Piezometric response, expressed as percentage of well activation and water peak magnitude, was strongly correlated with soil moisture status, as described by an index combining antecedent soil moisture and rainfall depth. Hillslope topography was found to be a dominant control only for the convex‐divergent hillslope and during wet conditions. Timing of water table response depended primarily on soil depth and topographic position, with piezometric peak response occurring later and showing a greater temporal variability at the hillslope bottom, characterized by thicker soil. The relationship between mean hillslope water table level and standard deviation for all wells reflected the timing of the water table response at the different locations along the hillslopes. The outcomes of this research contribute to a better understanding of the controls on piezometric response at the hillslope scale in steep terrain and its role on the hydrological functioning of the study catchment and of other sites with similar physiographic characteristics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Regional patterns of postwildfire streamflow response in the Western United States: The importance of scale‐specific connectivity

Wildfires can impact streamflow by modifying net precipitation, infiltration, evapotranspiration, snowmelt, and hillslope run‐off pathways. Regional differences in fire trends and postwildfire streamflow responses across the conterminous United States have spurred concerns about the impact on streamflow in forests that serve as water resource areas. This is notably the case for the Western United States, where fire activity and burn severity have increased in conjunction with climate change and increased forest density due to human fire suppression. In this review, we discuss the effects of wildfire on hydrological processes with a special focus on regional differences in postwildfire streamflow responses in forests. Postwildfire peak flows and annual water yields are generally higher in regions with a Mediterranean or semi‐arid climate (Southern California and the Southwest) compared to the highlands (Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest), where fire‐induced changes in hydraulic connectivity along the hillslope results in the delivery of more water, more rapidly to streams. No clear streamflow response patterns have been identified in the humid subtropical Southeastern United States, where most fires are prescribed fires with a low burn severity, and more research is needed in that region. Improved assessment of postwildfire streamflow relies on quantitative spatial knowledge of landscape variables such as prestorm soil moisture, burn severity and correlations with soil surface sealing, water repellency, and ash deposition. The latest studies furthermore emphasize that understanding the effects of hydrological processes on postwildfire dynamic hydraulic connectivity, notably at the hillslope and watershed scales, and the relationship between overlapping disturbances including those other than wildfire is necessary for the development of risk assessment tools.     

Decadal‐scale change of infiltration characteristics of a tephra‐mantled hillslope at Mount St Helens,Washington

The cataclysmic 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens radically reduced the infiltration characteristics of ∼60 000 ha of rugged terrain and dramatically altered landscape hydrology. Two decades of erosional, biogenic, cryogenic, and anthropogenic activity have modified the infiltration characteristics of much of that devastated landscape and modulated the hydrological impact of the eruption. We assessed infiltration and runoff characteristics of a segment of hillslope thickly mantled with tephra, but now revegetated primarily with grasses and other plants, to evaluate hydrological modifications due to erosion and natural turbation. Eruptive disturbance reduced infiltration capacity of the hillslope by as much as 50‐fold. Between 1980 and 2000, apparent infiltration capacities of plots on the hillslope increased as much as ten fold, but remain approximately three to five times less than the probable pre‐eruption capacities. Common regional rainfall intensities and snowmelt rates presently produce little surface runoff; however, high‐magnitude, low‐frequency storms and unusually rapid snowmelt can still induce broad infiltration‐excess overland flow. After 20 years, erosion and natural mechanical turbation have modulated, but not effaced, the hydrological perturbation caused by the cataclysmic eruption. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of antecedent moisture and macroporosity on infiltration and water flow in frozen soil

Infiltration into frozen soil plays an important role in soil freeze–thaw and snowmelt-driven hydrological processes. To better understand the complex thermal energy and water transport mechanisms involved, the influence of antecedent moisture content and macroporosity on infiltration into frozen soil was investigated. Ponded infiltration experiments on frozen macroporous and non-macroporous soil columns revealed that dry macroporous soil produced infiltration rates reaching 10³ to 10⁴ mm day⁻¹, two to three orders of magnitude larger than dry non-macroporous soil. Results suggest that rapid infiltration and drainage were a result of preferential flow through initially air-filled macropores. Using recorded flow rates and measured macropore characteristics, calculations indicated that a combination of both saturated flow and unsaturated film flow likely occurred within macropores. Under wet conditions, regardless of the presence of macropores, infiltration was restricted by the slow thawing rate of pore ice, producing infiltration rates of 2.8 to 5.0 mm day⁻¹. Reduced preferential flow under wet conditions was attributed to a combination of soil swelling, due to smectite-rich clay (that reduced macropore volume), and pore ice blockage within macropores. In comparison, dry soil column experiments demonstrated that macropores provided conduits for water and thermal energy to bypass the frozen matrix during infiltration, reducing thaw rates compared with non-macroporous soils. Overall, results showed the dominant control of antecedent moisture content on the initiation, timing, and magnitude of infiltration and flow in frozen macroporous soils, as well as the important role of macropore connectivity. The study provides an important data set that can aid the development of hydrological models that consider the interacting effects of soil freeze–thaw and preferential flow on snowmelt partitioning in cold regions.     

Effective run‐off flow length over biological soil crusts on silty loam soils in drylands

Surface hydrological behaviour is important in drylands because it affects the distribution of soil moisture and vegetation and the hydrological functioning of slopes and catchments. Microplot scale run‐off can be relatively easily measured, i.e. by rainfall simulations. However, slope or catchment run‐off cannot be deduced from microplots, requiring long‐time monitoring, because run‐off coefficients decrease with increasing drainage area. Therefore, to determine the slope length covered by run‐off (run‐off length) is crucial to connect scales. Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are good model systems, and their hydrology at slope scale is insufficiently known. This study provides run‐off lengths from BSCs, by field factorial experiments using rainfall simulation, including two BSC types, three rain types, three antecedent soil moistures and four plot lengths. Data were analysed by generalized linear modelling, including vascular plant cover as covariates. Results were the following: (i) the real contributing area is almost always much smaller than the topographical contributing area; (ii) the BSC type is key to controlling run‐off; run‐off length reached 3 m on cyanobacterial crust, but hardly over 1 m on lichen crust; this pattern remained through rain type or soil moisture; (iii) run‐off decreased with BSC development because soil sealing disappears; porosity, biomass and roughness increase and some changes occur in the uppermost soil layer; and (iv) run‐off flow increased with both rain type and soil moisture but run‐off coefficient only with soil moisture (as larger rains increased both run‐off and infiltration); vascular plant cover had a slight effect on run‐off because it was low and random. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using an inverse modelling approach with equifinality control to investigate the dominant controls on snowmelt nutrient export

There is great interest in modelling the export of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from agricultural fields because of ongoing challenges of eutrophication. However, the use of existing hydrochemistry models can be problematic in cold regions because models frequently employ incomplete or conceptually incorrect representations of the dominant cold regions hydrological processes and are overparameterized, often with insufficient data for validation. Here, a process‐based N model, WINTRA, which is coupled to a physically based cold regions hydrological model, was expanded to simulate P and account for overwinter soil nutrient biochemical cycling. An inverse modelling approach, using this model with consideration of parameter equifinality, was applied to an intensively monitored agricultural basin in Manitoba, Canada, to help identify the main climate, soil, and anthropogenic controls on nutrient export. Consistent with observations, the model results suggest that snow water equivalent, melt rate, snow cover depletion rate, and contributing area for run‐off generation determine the opportunity time and surface area for run‐off–soil interaction. These physical controls have not been addressed in existing models. Results also show that the time lag between the start of snowmelt and the arrival of peak nutrient concentration in run‐off increased with decreasing antecedent soil moisture content, highlighting potential implications of frozen soils on run‐off processes and hydrochemistry. The simulations showed TDP concentration peaks generally arriving earlier than NO₃ but also decreasing faster afterwards, which suggests a significant contribution of plant residue Total dissolved Phosphorus (TDP) to early snowmelt run‐off. Antecedent fall tillage and fertilizer application increased TDP concentrations in spring snowmelt run‐off but did not consistently affect NO₃ run‐off. In this case, the antecedent soil moisture content seemed to have had a dominant effect on overwinter soil N biogeochemical processes such as mineralization, which are often ignored in models. This work demonstrates both the need for better representation of cold regions processes in hydrochemical models and the model improvements that are possible if these are included.     

Sub‐grid scale parameterization of hillslope runoff and erosion processes for catchment‐scale models of semi‐arid landscapes

The processes of hillslope runoff and erosion are typically represented at coarse spatial resolution in catchment‐scale models due to computational limitations. Such representation typically fails to incorporate the important effects of topographic heterogeneity on runoff generation, overland flow, and soil erosion. These limitations currently undermine the application of distributed catchment models to understand the importance of thresholds and connectivity on hillslope and catchment‐scale runoff and erosion, particularly in semi‐arid environments. This paper presents a method for incorporating high‐resolution topographic data to improve sub‐grid scale parameterization of hillslope overland flow and erosion models. Results derived from simulations conducted using a kinematic wave overland flow model at 0.5 m spatial resolution are used to parameterize the depth–discharge relationship in the overland flow model when applied at 16 m resolution. The high‐resolution simulations are also used to derive a more realistic parameterization of excess flow shear stress for use in the 16 m resolution erosion model. Incorporating the sub‐grid scale parameterization in the coarse‐resolution model (16 m) leads to improved predictions of overland flow and erosion when evaluated using results derived from high‐resolution (0.5 m) model simulations. The improvement in performance is observed for a range of event magnitudes and is most notable for erosion estimates due to the non‐linear dependency between the rates of erosion and overland flow. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hillslope run‐off thresholds with shrink–swell clay soils

Irrigation experiments on 12 instrumented field plots were used to assess the impact of dynamic soil crack networks on infiltration and run‐off. During applications of intensity similar to a heavy rainstorm, water was seen being preferentially delivered within the soil profile. However, run‐off was not observed until soil water content of the profile reached field capacity, and the apertures of surface‐connected cracks had closed >60%. Electrical resistivity measurements suggested that subsurface cracks persisted and enhanced lateral transport, even in wet conditions. Likewise, single‐ring infiltration measurements taken before and after irrigation indicated that infiltration remained an important component of the water budget at high soil water content values, despite apparent surface sealing. Overall, although the wetting and sealing of the soil profile showed considerable complexity, an emergent property at the hillslope scale was observed: all of the plots demonstrated a strikingly similar threshold run‐off response to the cumulative precipitation amount. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil moisture states,lateral flow,and streamflow generation in a semi‐arid,snowmelt‐driven catchment

Hydraulic connectivity on hillslopes and the existence of preferred soil moisture states in a catchment have important controls on runoff generation. In this study we investigate the relationships between soil moisture patterns, lateral hillslope flow, and streamflow generation in a semi‐arid, snowmelt‐driven catchment. We identify five soil moisture conditions that occur during a year and present a conceptual model based on field studies and computer simulations of how streamflow is generated with respect to the soil moisture conditions. The five soil moisture conditions are (1) a summer dry period, (2) a transitional fall wetting period, (3) a winter wet, low‐flux period, (4) a spring wet, high‐flux period, and (5) a transitional late‐spring drying period. Transitions between the periods are driven by changes in the water balance between rain, snow, snowmelt and evapotranspiration. Low rates of water input to the soil during the winter allow dry soil regions to persist at the soil–bedrock interface, which act as barriers to lateral flow. Once the dry‐soil flow barriers are wetted, whole‐slope hydraulic connectivity is established, lateral flow can occur, and upland soils are in direct connection with the near‐stream soil moisture. This whole‐slope connectivity can alter near‐stream hydraulics and modify the delivery of water, pressure, and solutes to the stream. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Role of epikarst in near‐surface hydrological processes in a soil mantled subtropical dolomite karst slope: implications of field rainfall simulation experiments

Epikarst exerts a strong control on run‐off generation in karst regions, but it is still unclear in karst regions. Our study aimed to demonstrate the effect of epikarst on near‐surface hydrological processes in a subtropical cockpit karst region of southwest China, using plot‐scale rainfall simulation experiments with different rainfall intensities (low and high) and antecedent moisture conditions (dry and wet). A trench excavated to the epikarst lower boundary allowed identification of flow pathways in the entire soil–epikarst architecture system, thus facilitating the water balance calculations using a conceptual model with the assumption of a two‐stage hydrological evolution. More than 70% of the total rainfall water moved vertically through the shallow soil layer and then was redistributed by the epikarst as subsurface flow occurring on the soil–epikarst interface, depression filling on epikarst surface, water held by epikarst and deep percolation. Epikarst water regulation capacity, defined as the sum of depression filling on epikarst surface, water held by epikarst, epikarst seepage flow and deep percolation, was 58 mm (wet antecedent condition) and 223 mm (dry antecedent condition). Total run‐off from the soil–epikarst system was dominated by saturated subsurface flow showing a threshold process controlled by epikarst storage capacity (storing as much as 181 mm of rainfall water under dry antecedent condition). Our study proved that despite the epikarst being relatively poorly developed and covered by a soil mantle, it still exerted a strong influence on near‐surface hydrological processes and thus should be adequately considered in future modelling of water recharge and depletion dynamics in this integrated soil–epikarst system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Water flux and sediment transport within a forested landscape: the role of connectivity,subsurface flow,and slope length scale on transport mechanism

The connectivity and upscaling of overland runoff and sediment transport are important issues in hillslope hydrology to identify water flux and sediment transport within landscape. These processes are highly variable in time and space with regard to their interactions with vegetation and soil surface conditions. The generation of overland runoff and its spatial connectivity were examined along a slope to determine the variations in the transport mechanism of runoff and soil particles by rain splash and overland runoff. Field experiments were conducted by erosion plots on a steep hillslope at lengths of 5, 10, and 15 m. The overland runoff connectivity and flow transport distance decreased with the slope length, while spatial variability of infiltration increased significantly with the slope length. Observation of subsurface flow revealed that surface soil and litter layer could have important role in water transport. However, the surface soil water content and water flux transport along the slope was highly variable for different storm events; the variability was related to the complexity of the system, mainly by way of the initial wetness conditions and infiltration characteristics. Only net rain‐splashed soil was measurable, but examination of the water flux, overland runoff and sediment transport connectivity, characteristics of sheetwash, and the variability in spatial infiltration indicated an increase in the contribution of the rain splash transport mechanism along the slope. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Responses of soil moisture at different topographic positions to rainfall events along a steep subtropical forested hillslope

Understanding the dynamic response of soil moisture to rainfall is crucial for describing hydrological processes at the hillslope scale. However, because of sparse monitoring coupled with the complexity of water movement and steep topography, the findings of rainfall-related soil moisture dynamics have not always been consistent, indicating a need for systematic investigations of soil moisture dynamics and infiltration patterns following rainfall inputs at multiple topographic positions along a hillslope. This study aimed to examine the nature of these responses by characterizing and quantifying the response amplitude, rate and time for 37 large rainfall events at 25 combinations of topographic positions and soil depths along a steep forested hillslope. Our results showed that soil moisture responses under different rainfall patterns could be attributed to one or the other rainfall characteristics, such as rainfall intensity and amount. However, soil moisture dynamics at different hillslope positions after rainfall varied widely due to the controls of soil properties, topography, and non-equilibrium flow. Preferential flow was more evident under dry initial soil conditions than under wet initial soil conditions. Findings of this study reveal that the dynamic response patterns of soil moisture to rainfall do not always follow topographic controls, which can improve our understanding of water cycling related to the infiltration process at the hillslope scale, and support water resources management in subtropical mountain ecosystems.     

Integrating observations and models to determine the effect of seasonally frozen ground on hydrologic partitioning in alpine hillslopes in the Colorado Rocky Mountains,USA

This study integrated spatially distributed field observations and soil thermal models to constrain the impact of frozen ground on snowmelt partitioning and streamflow generation in an alpine catchment within the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research site, Colorado, USA. The study area was comprised of two contrasting hillslopes with notable differences in topography, snow depth and plant community composition. Time-lapse electrical resistivity surveys and soil thermal models enabled extension of discrete soil moisture and temperature measurements to incorporate landscape variability at scales and depths not possible with point measurements alone. Specifically, heterogenous snowpack thickness (~0–4 m) and soil volumetric water content between hillslopes (~0.1–0.45) strongly influenced the depths of seasonal frost, and the antecedent soil moisture available to form pore ice prior to freezing. Variable frost depths and antecedent soil moisture conditions were expected to create a patchwork of differing snowmelt infiltration rates and flowpaths. However, spikes in soil temperature and volumetric water content, as well as decreases in subsurface electrical resistivity revealed snowmelt infiltration across both hillslopes that coincided with initial decreases in snow water equivalent and early increases in streamflow. Soil temperature, soil moisture and electrical resistivity data from both wet and dry hillslopes showed that initial increases in streamflow occurred prior to deep soil water flux. Temporal lags between snowmelt infiltration and deeper percolation suggested that the lateral movement of water through the unsaturated zone was an important driver of early streamflow generation. These findings provide the type of process-based information needed to bridge gaps in scale and populate physically based cryohydrologic models to investigate subsurface hydrology and biogeochemical transport in soils that freeze seasonally.     

Testing the influence of topography and material properties on catchment‐scale soil moisture patterns using remotely sensed vegetation patterns in a humid temperate catchment,northern Britain

In order to evaluate the relationship between the apparent complexity of hillslope soil moisture and the emergent patterns of catchment hydrological behaviour and water quality, we need fine‐resolution catchment‐wide data on soil moisture characteristics. This study proposes a methodology whereby vegetation patterns obtained from high‐resolution orthorectified aerial photographs are used as an indicator of soil moisture characteristics. This enables us to examine a set of hypotheses regarding what drives the spatial patterns of soil moisture at the catchment scale (material properties or topography). We find that the pattern of Juncus effusus vegetation is controlled largely by topography and mediated by the catchment's material properties. Characterizing topography using the topographic index adds value to the soil moisture predictions relative to slope or upslope contributing area (UCA). However, these predictions depart from the observed soil moisture patterns at very steep slopes or low UCAs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Snowmelt runoff and soil moisture dynamics on steep subalpine hillslopes

Snowmelt water supplies streamflow and growing season soil moisture in mountain regions, yet pathways of snowmelt water and their effects on moisture patterns are still largely unknown. This study examined how flow processes during snowmelt runoff affected spatial patterns of soil moisture on two steep sub‐alpine hillslope transects in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, USA. The transects have northeast‐facing and east‐facing aspects, and both extend from high‐elevation bedrock outcrops down to streams in valley bottoms. Spatial patterns of both snow depth and near‐surface soil moisture were surveyed along these transects in the snowmelt and summer seasons of 2008–2010. To link these patterns to flow processes, soil moisture was measured continuously on both transects and compared with the timing of discharge in nearby streams. Results indicate that both slopes generated shallow lateral subsurface flow during snowmelt through near‐surface soil, colluvium and bedrock fractures. On the northeast‐facing transect, this shallow subsurface flow emerged through mid‐slope seepage zones, in some cases producing saturation overland flow, whereas the east‐facing slope had no seepage zones or overland flow. At the hillslope scale, earlier snowmelt timing on the east‐facing slope led to drier average soil moisture conditions than on the northeast‐facing slope, but within hillslopes, snow patterns had little relation to soil moisture patterns except in areas with persistent snow drifts. Results suggest that lateral flow and exfiltration processes are key controls on soil moisture spatial patterns in this steep sub‐alpine location. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Capabilities and limitations of detailed hillslope hydrological modelling

Hillslope hydrological modelling is considered to be of great importance for the understanding and quantification of hydrological processes in hilly or mountainous landscapes. In recent years a few comprehensive hydrological models have been developed at the hillslope scale which have resulted in an advanced representation of hillslope hydrological processes (including their interactions), and in some operational applications, such as in runoff and erosion studies at the field scale or lateral flow simulation in environmental and geotechnical engineering. An overview of the objectives of hillslope hydrological modelling is given, followed by a brief introduction of an exemplary comprehensive hillslope model, which stimulates a series of hydrological processes such as interception, evapotranspiration, infiltration into the soil matrix and into macropores, lateral and vertical subsurface soil water flow both in the matrix and preferential flow paths, surface runoff and channel discharge. Several examples of this model are presented and discussed in order to determine the model's capabilities and limitations. Finally, conclusions about the limitations of detailed hillslope modelling are drawn and an outlook on the future prospects of hydrological models on the hillslope scale is given.The model presented performed reasonable calculations of Hortonian surface runoff and subsequent erosion processes, given detailed information of initial soil water content and soil hydraulic conditions. The vertical and lateral soil moisture dynamics were also represented quite well. However, the given examples of model applications show that quite detailed climatic and soil data are required to obtain satisfactory results. The limitations of detailed hillslope hydrological modelling arise from different points: difficulties in the representations of certain processes (e.g. surface crusting, unsaturated–saturated soil moisture flow, macropore flow), problems of small‐scale variability, a general scarcity of detailed soil data, incomplete process parametrization and problems with the interdependent linkage of several hillslopes and channel–hillslope interactions. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling Canadian prairie wetland hydrology using a semi‐distributed streamflow model

A hydrological model (SLURP) that was designed for simulating hydrological processes taking place in large river basins was, with minimal modification, used successfully to simulate water level variations over a 28‐year period (1969–1996) for a 3‐ha prairie wetland in Saskatchewan. The model calculates a water balance based on precipitation, snowmelt, evaporation, surface runoff and subsurface flow on a daily time‐step. The model was first calibrated for two periods (1969–1973 for cropland and 1987–1990 for grassland), then it was applied to records outside the calibration periods. The model reproduced the wetland water level variations during a 28‐year period with good accuracy. The wetland water levels were most sensitive to the infiltration coefficient of surface soil under frozen conditions and to maximum soil moisture storage. The applicability of the model and the calibrated parameters to a smaller wetland, with an area of 0·24 ha, was examined. This simulation indicated that scale effects are important, probably largely in relation to snow redistribution by wind. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamics of stormflow generation—A hillslope‐scale field study in east‐central Pennsylvania,USA

A 40 m × 20 m mowed, grass hillslope adjacent to a headwater stream within a 26‐ha watershed in east‐central Pennsylvania, USA, was instrumented to identify and map the extent and dynamics of surface saturation (areas with the water table at the surface) and surface runoff source areas. Rainfall, stream flow and surface runoff from the hillslope were recorded at 5‐min intervals from 11 August to 22 November 1998, and 13 April to 12 November 1999. The dynamics of the water table (0 to 45 cm depth from the soil surface) and the occurrence of surface runoff source areas across the hillslope were recorded using specially designed subsurface saturation and surface runoff sensors, respectively. Detailed data analyses for two rainfall events that occurred in August (57·7 mm in 150 min) and September (83·6 mm in 1265 min) 1999, illustrated the spatial and temporal dynamics of surface saturation and surface runoff source areas. Temporal data analyses showed the necessity to measure the hillslope dynamics at time intervals comparable to that of rainfall measurements. Both infiltration excess surface runoff (runoff caused when rainfall intensity exceeds soil infiltration capacity) and saturation excess surface runoff (runoff caused when soil moisture storage capacity is exceeded) source areas were recorded during these rainfall events. The August rainfall event was primarily an infiltration excess surface runoff event, whereas the September rainfall event produced both infiltration excess and saturation excess surface runoff. Occurrence and disappearance of infiltration excess surface runoff source areas during the rainfall events appeared scattered across the hillslope. Analysis of surface saturation and surface runoff data showed that not all surface saturation areas produced surface runoff that reached the stream. Emergence of subsurface flow to the surface during the post‐rainfall periods appeared to be a major flow process dominating the hillslope after the August rainfall event. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.