Skip to main content
Log in

A Rain Duration and Modified AMC-dependent SCS-CN Procedure for Long Duration Rainfall-runoff Events

  • Published:
Water Resources Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper presents a rain duration-dependent procedure based on the popular Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) methodology for computation of direct surface runoff from long duration rains. Curve numbers are derived from long-term daily rainfall-runoff data, and antecedent moisture condition (AMC) related with antecedent duration. Analysis of data from five Indian (large, in terms of area) watersheds reveals the calculated curve numbers to decrease with the considered duration, showing the existence of a characteristic value of minimum CN or maximum initial abstraction to occur in a watershed for a pre-selected AMC. The testing of the proposed procedure on the separate (measured) rainfall-runoff event data sets from the same watersheds suggests satisfactory workability of the method.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bhunya PK, Mishra SK, Berndtsson R (2003) Discussion on estimation of confidence interval for curve numbers. J Hydrologic Engrg ASCE 8(4):232–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonta JV (1997) Determination of watershed curve number using derived distributions. J Irrig and Draing Engrg ASCE 123(1):28–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunne T, Black RD (1970). Partial area contributing to storm runoff in a small New England watershed. Water Resources Res 6(5):1286–1311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins RH (1993) Asymptotic determination of runoff curve numbers from data. J Irrig and Drain Engrg ASCE 119(2):334–345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins RH, Woodward DE, Jiang R (2001) Investigation of the runoff curve number abstraction ratio. Paper presented at USDA-NRCS Hydraulic Engineering Workshop, Tucson, Arizona

  • Hewlett JD, Hibbert AR (1967) Factors affecting the response of small watersheds to precipitation in humid area. In: Sopper WE, Lull HW (eds) Proc., Int. Symp. on Forest Hydrology. Pergamon, Oxford, England, pp 275–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Hjelmfelt AT Jr (1982) Closure to empirical investigation of the curve number technique. J Hydraulics Div ASCE 108(HY4)

  • Hjelmfelt AT Jr (1991) Investigation of curve number procedure. J Hydraulic Engrg 117(6):725–737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hjelmfelt AT Jr, Kramer KA, Burwell RE (1982) Curve numbers as random variables. In: Singh VP (ed) Proc. Int. Symp. on Rainfall-Runoff Modeling., Water Resources Publication, Littleton, Colo., pp 365–373

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs JM, Myers DA, Whitfield BM (2003) Improved rainfall/runoff estimates using remotely sensed soil moisture. J Am Water Resources Association 39(2):313–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jain MK, Mishra SK, Babu PS, Venugopal K, Singh VP (2006a) An enhanced runoff curve number model incorporating storm duration and a non-linear Ia-S relation. J Hydrologic Engineering ASCE 11(6):631–635

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jain MK, Mishra SK, Singh VP (2006b) Evaluation of AMC-dependent SCS-CN-based models using watershed characteristics. J. Water Resources Management, Vol. 20, No. 4:531–552. DOI 10.1007/s11269-006-3086-1

  • Kim Y, Engel BA, Lim KJ, Larson V, Duncan B (2002) Runoff impacts of land use changes in Indian River Lagoon watershed. J Hydrologic Engineering 7(3):245–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirpich PZ (1940) Time of concentration of small agricultural watersheds. Civil Engineering 10(6):362

    Google Scholar 

  • Marquardt DW (1963) An algorithm for least-squares estimation of nonlinear parameters. J Soc Indust Appl Math 11(2):431–441

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCuen RH (1982) Hydrologic Analysis and Design. Prentice Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • McCuen RH (2002) Approach to confidence interval estimation for curve numbers. J Hydrologic Engineering ASCE 7(1):43–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, Singh VP (1999a) Another look at the SCS-CN method. J Hydrologic Engrg ASCE 4(3):257–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, Singh VP (1999b) Behaviour of SCS-CN method in \( C - I^{*}_{a} - \lambda \) Socio-economics, and Health Engineering spectrum. Submitted to Int. Conf. Water, Environment, Ecology, Socio-economics, and Health Engineering, Oct. 18–21, Korea

  • Mishra SK, VP Singh (2002a) SCS-CN method: Part-I: Derivation of SCS-CN based models. Acta Geophysica Polonica 50(3):457–477

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, VP Singh (2002b) SCS-CN-based hydrologic simulation package Ch. 13. In: Singh VP, Frevert DK (eds) Mathematical models in small watershed hydrology. Water Resources Publications, P.O. Box 2841, Littleton, Colorado 80161, pp 391–464

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, Singh VP (2003a) Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) Methodology. Kluwer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, ISBN 1-4020-1132-6

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, Singh VP (2003b) SCS-CN method Part-II: analytical treatment. Acta Geophys Pol 51(1):107–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, Singh VP (2003c) Derivation of SCS-CN parameter S from linear Fokker-Planck equation. Acta Geophys Pol 51(2):180–202

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, Singh VP (2004) Validity and extension of the SCS-CN method for computing infiltration and rainfall-excess rates. Hydrol Process 18(17):3323–3345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, Sansalone JJ, Singh VP (2004a) Partitioning analog for metal elements in urban rainfall-runoff overland flow using the Soil Conservation Service curve number concept. J Environmental Engg ASCE 130(2):145–154 (Feb)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, Jain MK, Singh VP (2004b) Evaluation of SCS-CN-based model incorporating antecedent moisture. Water Resour Manag 18(6):567–589

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra SK, Sahu RK, Eldho TI, Jain MK (2006) An improved Ia-S relation incorporating antecedent moisture in SCS-CN methodology. J Water Resources Management 20(5):643–660. DOI 10.1007/s11269-005-9000-4

    Google Scholar 

  • Michel C, Andre´assian V, Perrin C (2005) Soil Conservation Service Curve Number method: how to mend a wrong soil moisture accounting procedure? Water Resour. Res., 41, W02011, DOI 10.1029/2004WR003191

  • Neitsch SL, Arnold, JG Kiniry JR, Williams JR, King KW (2002) Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT): Theoretical documentation, Version 2000,’ Texas Water Resources Institute, College Station, Texas, TWRI Report TR-191

  • Ponce VM (1989) Engineering Hydrology: Principles and practices. Prentice Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Ponce VM, Hawkins RH (1996) Runoff curve number: has it reached maturity? J Hydrolog Engrg ASCE 1(1):11–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SCS (1956) Hydrology. National Engineering Handbook, Supplement A, Section 4, Chapter 10, Soil Conservation Service, USDA, Washington, D.C.

  • SCS (1964) Hydrology. National Engineering Handbook. USDA, Washington, D.C.

  • SCS (1971) Hydrology. National Engineering Handbook. USDA, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • SCS (1985) Hydrology. National Engineering Handbook. USDA, Washington, D.C.

  • SCS (1993) Hydrology. National Engineering Handbook. USDA, Washington, D.C.

  • Schaake JC, Koren VI, Duan Qing-Yun, Mitchell K, Chen F (1996) Simple water balance model for estimating runoff at different spatial and temporal scales. J Geophys Res 101(D3):7461–7475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svoboda A (1991) Changes in flood regime by use of the modified curve number method. Hydrol Sci J 36(5/10):461–470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • USACOE (1998) HEC-1 flood hydrograph package user’s manual,’ Tech. Rep. CPD-1A, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hydrologic Engineering Center 609 Second Street, Davis, CA 95616–4687

  • Young RA, Onstad CA, Bosch DD, Anderson WP (1987) AGNPS:an Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Model: a large water analysis model. U.S. Dept. of Agri., Cons. Res. Report No. 35, p 77

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. K. Jain.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mishra, S.K., Pandey, R.P., Jain, M.K. et al. A Rain Duration and Modified AMC-dependent SCS-CN Procedure for Long Duration Rainfall-runoff Events. Water Resour Manage 22, 861–876 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-007-9196-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-007-9196-6

Keywords

Navigation