Runoff, in the context of environmental and Earth system topics, refers to the portion of precipitation, snowmelt, or irrigation water that does not infiltrate into the soil or evaporate but instead flows over the land surface or through shallow subsurface pathways to streams, rivers, lakes, or coastal waters. It is a central component of the hydrological cycle, governed by factors such as soil permeability, land cover, topography, antecedent moisture, and rainfall intensity. Runoff mediates fluxes of sediments, nutrients, pollutants, and dissolved organic and inorganic constituents, strongly influencing watershed biogeochemistry, aquatic ecosystem function, flood regimes, and water resource availability.
Forest loss does more than reduce tree cover. A new global study involving UBC Okanagan researchers shows it can fundamentally change how watersheds hold and release water. The research, published in the Proceedings of the ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 19, 2026
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50
Researchers from the University of British Columbia argue that a widely used method to understand and predict flood risk has led scientists to miscalculate how forests can prevent major flooding. The paper, published in Ambio, ...
Environment
Feb 19, 2026
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48
A man has gone missing in the Loire River in the flood-hit west of France, an official said, as the country on Wednesday marked a record-breaking streak of 35 consecutive days of rain.
Environment
Feb 18, 2026
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19
On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA) at the Universitat Politècnica de València highlights the importance of these ecosystems as key tools for improving water ...
Environment
Feb 13, 2026
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15
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA)—the statutory agency responsible for planning the Basin's water resources—has just shared the starkest news yet about the Basin's future: the Basin is almost certainly going to get ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 11, 2026
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13
Plastic pollution has become a major global environmental concern as modern societies rely increasingly on plastic products. Much of this plastic waste eventually reaches the ocean, with rivers acting as the main transport ...
Environment
Feb 10, 2026
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15
A team of researchers has demonstrated how biological systems could transform the way sustainable urban drainage systems manage polluted soils, pointing to a future in which urban infrastructure is greener, cheaper and more ...
Environment
Feb 10, 2026
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13
Dalhousie researchers have revealed how Arctic aquifers—permeable layers of the ground that store and transmit water to rivers, lakes and terrestrial ecosystems—behave today and how these vital resources will change with ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 2, 2026
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62
Limpopo, in northern South Africa, home to 6.6 million people, several large mines and the Kruger National Park (one of Africa's largest game reserves), experienced unusually severe floods in mid-January 2026. Rural villages ...
Environment
Jan 28, 2026
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26
Snow has returned to the Philadelphia region, and along with it the white residues on streets and sidewalks that result from the over-application of deicers such as sodium chloride, or rock salt, as well as more modern salt ...
Environment
Jan 27, 2026
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