Does most rainfall soak into the soilhow much rain runs off?

Answer 1

This strongly depends on the kind of soil and on the vegetation on it. When rain hits rocky ground in a desert, a very large part of the water will just run off quickly. Earthy soil that is kept in place by the roots of trees, bushes, grass, etc., and the vegetation itself growing on it, can of course absorb a much larger part of the water, and keep it stored for a longer time. Very rough average numbers could be given as follows: Of the overall precipitation, about a quarter runs off quickly, around a tenth sinks down to the ground water and then runs off slowly, and the rest, somewhat more than half, stays in the soil and the vegatation longer and is finally reemitted by evaporation and plant transpiration.