Definition
Cascade system is defined as a system in which the flow of energy and/or matter from one element passes to next element in the series. The concept of cascade system is used in the distributed hydrological modeling for simulating runoff from a basin. In this concept, a basin is divided into number of sub-basins say, Tank 1, Tank 2, Tank 3, …, Tank n, from upstream to downstream as shown in Figure 1. The inflow on the starting tank, Tank 1, in the upstream end of the basin will be rainfall and after evapotranspiration, infiltration, and other initial losses, the remaining water (outflow of Tank 1) will be inflow to the lower tank, Tank 2. Similarly, outflow of the Tank 2 will be will become the inflow to Tank 3 in the series and so on. This process will continue to the lowermost tank of the basin which will give the actual runoff from the basin.
Cascade system in runoff modeling.
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Kayastha, R.B. (2011). Cascade System. In: Singh, V.P., Singh, P., Haritashya, U.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_53
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_53
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