Final answer:
Surface runoff is water that flows over land rather than infiltrating into the soil, often increased by hardscape surfaces. It's a significant part of the water cycle, affected by factors such as soil permeability, vegetation, and topography. The process can lead to management challenges related to flooding and water pollution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that describes the phenomenon where water promotes runoff instead of infiltration into the subsurface, often associated with hardscape surfaces, is surface runoff. Surface runoff is an integral part of the water cycle and is described as the flow of fresh water over land. This can occur due to various reasons, with common ones being rain or melting ice.
When rain falls on natural terrestrial environments, a significant amount of it may be intercepted by vegetation, resulting in evaporation from plant surfaces, or percolation into the soil where it can contribute to groundwater after potentially being utilized for plant metabolism.
In contrast, hardscape surfaces, such as parking lots, lead to an increase in surface runoff, as water is unable to infiltrate and instead flows over these surfaces potentially joining streams or rivers. Soil permeability, vegetation, and topography play significant roles in the amount of water that infiltrates versus runs off.
In areas with heavy rainfall where the soil becomes saturated, or in areas where impermeable surfaces are prevalent, runoff is much more likely to occur, contributing less to groundwater and raising concerns about water management, flooding, and pollution.