Assessing spatially distributed infiltration capacity to evaluate storm runoff in forested catchments: Implications for hydrological connectivity.

We assessed spatial distribution of infiltration capacity under forest canopies to simulate runoff processes in a steep small catchment in Japan. High resolution LiDAR data were used to assess light availability to understory vegetation, which in turn was converted into an understory vegetation cover ratio. Spatially distributed infiltration capacities based on data from field rainfall-runoff experiments were incorporated into the TopoTube model using a relationship between infiltration capacity and vegetation cover.