In this figure, soil moisture content is plotted in abscissa and loss of soil moisture in ordinate. In the very wet soil condition (i.e. 𝜃 ≥ 𝜃𝑓𝑐), drainage is dominant, and the loss function (L(𝜃)) follows power law. This portion is termed as gravity drainage of the soil moisture. Thus, it basically falls in the energy limited regime. In the intermittent wetting condition (𝜃𝑤 < 𝜃 < 𝜃𝑓𝑐), contribution from the drainage reduces and evapotranspiration starts dominating in the loss function. Abundant supply of radiation limits the evaporation efficiency, rather than the water supply. Thus, evaporation can occur at its maximum rate. This condition is referred as ‘Stage - I’ evapotranspiration (ET-I). In the transitional regime (𝜃𝑤 < 𝜃 < 𝜃∗), loss function is again dominated by the evapotranspiration, and limited by the soil moisture content. In this phase soil moisture decreases with increasing ET and it is termed as Stage – II evapotranspiration (ET-II). 

The spatial rainfall distribution in the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) domain is primarily determined by orographic barriers and their orientation. The Western Ghats (for example), situated along the west coast of India is a prominent escarpment that act as orographic barrier. Incoming moisture from the Arabian Sea leads to some of the highest global rainfall rates on the windward side of the escarpment. High degree of association between topographic parameters (elevation, hillslope, and relief) and rainfall distribution and their impact on vegetation along the orogen is observed. The rainfall gradients significantly influence tree heights: higher canopies cluster around rainfall peaks. The forced orographic lifting at these elevations is sufficient to create rainfall maxima and is often the cause of flooding. It is observed that rainfall peaks generally correlate with high topographic relief, but this relation varies in magnitude along the strike. This topographic-rainfall coupling is also apparent in the locations of landslides.