ABSTRACT
The sediment transfer system is normally laid bare for us to see; regulators of the system, both spontaneous (natural) and imposed are observable even if we choose to ignore their influence, but it is more difficult to apply the ecosystem concept to patterns and processes of runoff. Hydrology is a young science and, while its early days were preoccupied with surface processes, hydrologists now admit that many of the key points of the runoff system are hidden-in soil, in rock or in plants. Hydrological process studies are a feature of the last thirty years and we remain in ignorance about many of the key controls; we may assert the obvious-that land use and land management influence runoff and water quality-but proving the point remains difficult, especially when another human influence (the direct one of damming and piping water) is less subtle. Few hydrologists are prepared to take an ecological or ‘land/water’ approach to their publications (with some exceptions, for example, Falkenmark and Chapman, 1989).
