What happens to the flow and rate of penetration of water as the slope gradient increases?

As the slope gradient increases, the flow of water accelerates due to the steepness of the slope. Water is driven by gravity, and a steeper angle allows gravity to exert a stronger force on the water, which results in faster movement downhill.

However, as the slope steepens, the soil or material that is present often has limited ability to absorb water. This is primarily because the faster-moving water has less time to penetrate into the ground and can instead result in increased surface runoff. Consequently, the rate of penetration of water into the soil decreases as the slope becomes steeper. So, while the flow of water increases due to gravity, the ability of that water to infiltrate the soil diminishes, leading to a situation where flow accelerates while the rate of penetration decreases.