A hydrograph may be used to show how the water flow in a drainage basin (particularly river runoff)

responds to a period of rain.

This type of hydrograph is known as a storm or

flood hydrograph and it is generally drawn with
two vertical axes. One is used to plot a line
graph showing the discharge of a river in
cumecs (cubic metres per second) at a given
point over a period of time.
The second is used to plot a bar graph of the
rainfall event which precedes the changes in
discharge.

The scale on the horizontal axis is usually in

hours/days and this allows both the rain event to
be recorded and the subsequent changes in
river discharge to be plotted.

The shape of the hydrograph varies according to

a number of controlling factors in the drainage
basin but it will generally include the following
features.

The baseflow of the river represents the normal

day to day discharge of the river and is the
consequence of groundwater seeping into the
river channel. The rising limb of the hydrograph
represents the rapid increase in resulting from
rainfall causing surface runoff and then later
throughflow. Peak discharge occurs when the river reaches its highest level. The time difference between the
peak of the rain event and the peak discharge is known as the lag time or basin lag. The falling limb (or
recession limb as it is sometimes known) is when discharge decreases and the rivers level falls. It has a gentler
gradient than the rising limb as most overland flow has now been discharged and it is mainly throughflow which
is making up the river water.

A number of factors (known as drainage basin

controls) influence the way in which a river
responds to precipitation and have an effect on
the shape of the hydrograph.

The size, shape and relief of the basin are

important controls. Water takes longer to reach
the trunk stream in a large, round basin than in
does in a small, narrow one.
 Where gradients are steep, water runs off faster,
reaches the river more quickly and causes a
steep rising limb. Prolonged heavy rain causes
more overland flow than light drizzly rain.

Areas of permeable rocks and soil allow more

infiltration and so less surface run off.

The way in which the land is used will also have an influence on the hydrograph vegetation intercepts
precipitation and allows evaporation to take place directly into the atmosphere so reducing the amount of water
available for overland flow while the large number of impermeable surfaces in urban areas encourages run off
into gutters and drains carrying water quickly to
the nearest river