Spatial Variability of Runoff

Forty contiguous plots (each $27.5m\times 3.2m$) were maintained in a cultivated fallow condition during spring and summer 1981. Twenty‐six runoff events were measured during that period. The runoff variability as expressed by differences between plots was analyzed. The coefficient of variation for individual events in which all plots exhibited runoff ranged from 0.65–0.07. Individual plots did not react consistently throughout the series of storms, but were seen to shift between producing more and less than the average volume of runoff. The implication of these results to rainfall‐runoff modeling is discussed.