Runoff from a small mountain basin due to soil water oversaturation

Analysis of runoff in a small mountain basin enables better understanding of the mechanisms of extreme runoff formation in small watersheds. Especially the proportion of old (soil) and new (rain) water in various stages of runoff is evaluated. The paper describes a method to determine when the new rainwater flows in a stream. The method is based on measurements of water conductivity and the concentration of K+ ions in the flowing water. The aim is to distinguish between old and new water flow in the closing profile of a small mountain basin. As new water is called water, which was in contact with the soil only a short time - several minutes or hours. The term old water refers to water that was retained in the soil for many days or weeks. In the growing season, the K+ concentration in soil water decreases with the duration of contact of water with soil and plant roots, thus the K+ concentration in the water is an indicator of its age,ie. of the length of the delay of water in the soil