Initial Abstraction (Hydrology)
08/15/25
“How can we quantify the initial rainfall losses before runoff begins?”
Rainfall will lead to water hitting the ground. Before anything happens, some of the rainfall will get intercepted by vegetation or infiltrate into the ground and get lost from the system. Hydrologists represent this value as the Initial Abstraction. Initial abstraction is an important quantity in hydroshed and stormwater studies.
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