Project title
Where Does Storm Runoff Begin? Shallow Storage, Near-Surface Pathways and Flood Response in Upland Headwaters
Project abstract
Upland rivers can rise quickly during heavy rain, but the water driving those flood peaks does not always come straight from rain rushing over the surface. In many headwaters, it is shaped by less visible processes, as water is held, displaced and redirected through shallow soils, peat, superficial deposits and near-surface pathways before it reaches the stream. This PhD investigates where storm runoff begins in temperate upland catchments, focusing on how hidden storage controls the timing, source and speed of water delivered during rainfall events. Based in the Scottish Borders, the project uses field monitoring and targeted tracer experiments to compare how different hillslope settings store and release water. By showing when upland landscapes behave as fast runoff generators and when subsurface storage reshapes the flood response, the research aims to improve how these processes are understood, measured and modelled, with practical value for more targeted natural flood management.