Modified CN Method for Small Watershed Infiltration Simulation
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 20, Issue 9
Abstract
Infiltration is an essential process in watershed hydrology. The curve number (CN) method has been widely used to calculate watershed infiltration for a given rainfall input but does not consider steady infiltration. This study develops a modified CN (MCN) method that included a term for the steady infiltration amount (). Observed rainfall–runoff data for 14 rainfall events from a typical small watershed on the Loess Plateau of China were used to derive the watershed final infiltration rate (). Watershed infiltration after runoff initiation was then calculated by both the MCN and CN methods using initial abstraction values that were either observed () or calculated () based on the calibrated . Three criteria [relative error (), model efficiency coefficient (), and root mean square error (RMSE)] and visual assessments of graphed results were used to evaluate the methods’ simulation performances. The MCN method generally outperformed the CN method when using either of the initial abstractions for infiltration calculations. Moreover, infiltration calculated by the MCN method was more accurate when using (; ) than when using (; ). The CN method using either initial abstraction tended to underestimate infiltration, especially higher values, which were always lower than the MCN method estimates. In addition, watershed runoff was calculated by both methods using only . The MCN method ( and ; excluding 3 outliers) outperformed the CN method ( and ; excluding 3 outliers) but not to the same extent as when calculating infiltration. The theoretical analyses and practical application results indicated that the MCN method is more appropriate than the CN method for predicting infiltration in small watersheds on the Loess Plateau.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This work was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China: “A geometric model of the key hydraulic parameters for the typical small watersheds on the Loess Plateau of China,” project number 41401307; the Foundation of Hebei Provincial Education Office: “The application study of NRCS–CN model in the Daqinghe river basin,” project number SZ133014; and the Doctoral Starting up Foundation of Hebei University of Science and Technology: “Study on key hydraulic parameters of the geometric relation model of mountain areas in Daqinghe River basin in Hebei Province,” project number 010100.
References
Addiscott, T., Smith, J., and Bradbury, N. (1995). “Critical evaluation of models and their parameters.” J. Environ. Qual., 24(5), 803–807.
Arnold, J. G., Williams, J. R., Srinivasan, R., and King, K. W. (1996). “SWAT, soil and water assessment tool.” USDA-ARS Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX.
Aron, G., Lakatos, D. F., and Miller, A. C. (1977). “Infiltration formula based on SCS curve number.” J. Irrig. Drain. Div., 103(IR4), 419–427.
Bhunya, P., Jain, S., Singh, P., and Mishra, S. (2010). “A simple conceptual model of sediment yield.” Water Resour. Manage., 24(8), 1697–1716.
Chen, C. L. (1982). “Infiltration formulas by curve number procedure.” J. Hydraul. Div., 108(HY7), 823–829.
Du, J., Xie, H., Hu, Y., Xu, Y., and Xu, C. (2009). “Development and testing of a new storm runoff routing approach based on time variant spatially distributed travel time method.” J. Hydrol., 369(1–2), 44–54.
Esteves, M., Faucher, X., Galle, S., and Vauclin, M. (2000). “Overland flow and infiltration modelling for small plots during unsteady rain: Numerical results versus observed values.” J. Hydrol., 228(3–4), 265–282.
Hillel, D. (1998). Fundamentals of soil physics, 2nd Ed., Academic Press, New York, 1–771.
Hjelmfelt, J. A. T. (1980). “Curve number procedure as infiltration method.” J. Hydraul. Div., 106(HY6), 1107–1111.
Holtan, H. N. (1961). “A concept of infiltration estimates in watershed engineering.”, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Horton, R. E. (1933). “The role of infiltration in the hydrologic cycle.” Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 14(1), 446–460.
Huang, M. B., Gallichand, J., Dong, C. Y., Wang, Z. L., and Shao, M. A. (2007). “Use of soil moisture data and curve number method for estimating runoff in the Loess Plateau of China.” Hydrol. Processes, 21(11), 1471–1481.
Huang, M. B., Gallichand, J., Wang, Z. L., and Goulet, M. (2006). “A modification to the soil conservation service curve number method for steep slopes in the Loess Plateau of China.” Hydrol. Processes, 20(3), 579–589.
Huang, M. B., Li, Y. S., and Kang, S. Z. (1999). “Analysis of unit rainfall-runoff theory and calculation of average infiltration ration on slope land.” J. Soil Erosion Soil Water Conserv., 5(1), 63–68 (in Chinese).
Jiang, D. S., Fan, X. K., and Huang, G. J. (1990). “Study on the evaluation of soil and water conservation measures of sloping farmland on the Loess Plateau: (I) Effects of soil and water conservation measures of sloping farmland on the infiltration of the rainfall events.” J. Soil Water Conserv., 4(2), 1–10 (in Chinese).
Kliment, Z., Kadlec, J., and Langhammer, J. (2008). “Evaluation of suspended load changes using AnnAGNPS and SWAT semi-empirical erosion models.” Catena, 73(3), 286–299.
Knisel, W. G. (1980). “CREAMS: A field-scale model for chemical, runoff and erosion from agricultural management systems.”, Vol. 26, South East Area, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Lado, M., Ben-Hur, M., and Shainberg, I. (2004). “Soil wetting and texture effects on aggregate stability, seal formation, and erosion.” Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 68(6), 1992–1999.
Li, Y. Y., and Shao, M. A. (2004). “Experimental study on characteristics of water transformation on slope land.” J. Hydraul. Eng., (4), 48–53 (in Chinese).
Liu, C. M., and Wei, Z. Y. (1989). Agricultural hydrology and water resources in the north China Plain, Chinese Scientific Press, Beijing, 22–34 (in Chinese).
Liu, H., Lei, T. W., and Zhao, J. (2009). “Effects of initial soil water content and rainfall intensity on Loess infiltration capacity.” Sci. Soil Water Conserv., 7(2), 1–6 (in Chinese).
Liu, X. Z., Kang, S. Z, Liu, D. L., and Zhang, X. P. (2005). “SCS model based on geographic information and its application to simulate rainfall-runoff relationship at typical small watershed level in Loess Plateau.” Trans. Chin. Soc. Agric. Eng., 21(5), 93–97 (in Chinese).
Loague, K., and Green, R. E. (1991). “Statistical and graphical methods for evaluating solute transport models: Overview and application.” J. Contam. Hydrol., 7(1–2), 51–73.
Luo, L. F., Zhang, K. L., and Fu, F. H. (2002). “Application of runoff curve number method on the Loess Plateau.” Bull. Soil Water Conserv., 22(3), 58–61 (in Chinese).
Mbagwu, J. S. C. (1993). “Testing the goodness of fit of selected infiltration models on soils with different land use histories.”, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy.
Melesse, A. M., and Graham, W. D. (2004). “Storm runoff prediction based on a spatially distributed travel time method utilizing remote sensing and GIS.” J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc., 40(4), 863–879.
Michel, C., Andréassian, V., and Perrin, C. (2005). “Soil conservation service curve number method: How to mend a wrong soil moisture accounting procedure?” Water Resour. Res., 41(2), 1–6.
Mishra, P. K., Do, C., and Hilton, K. (2013). “Water infiltration and its redistribution in unsaturated soil.” American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2013, San Francisco.
Mishra, S. K., Jain, M. K., Bhunya, P. K., and Singh, V. P. (2005). “Field applicability of the SCS-CN-based Mishra-Singh general model and its variants.” Water Resour. Manage., 19(1), 37–62.
Mishra, S. K., and Singh, V. P. (2004). “Validity and extension of the SCS-CN method for computing infiltration and rainfall-excess rates.” Hydrol. Processes, 18(17), 3323–3345.
Mishra, S. K., Tyagi, J. V., and Singh, V. P. (2003). “Comparison of infiltration models.” Hydrol. Processes, 17(13), 2629–2652.
Mockus, V. (1949). “Estimation of total (and peak rates of) surface runoff for individual storms.” Interim Survey Rep. Grand (Neosho) River Watershed, Exhibit A of Appendix B, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Nash, J. E., and Sutcliffe, J. V. (1970). “River flow forecasting through conceptual models. Part I—A discussion of principles.” J. Hydrol., 10(3), 282–290.
Overton, D. E. (1964). “Mathematical refinement of an infiltration equation for watershed engineering.”, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Pilgrim, D. H., Chapman, T. G., and Doran, D. G. (1988). “Problems of rainfall-runoff modelling in arid and semiarid regions.” Hydrol. Sci. J., 33(4), 379–400.
Ponce, V. M., and Hawkins, R. H. (1996). “Runoff curve number: Has it reached maturity?” J. Hydrol. Eng., 11–19.
Reshmidevi, T. V., Jana, R., and Eldho, T. I. (2008). “Geospatial estimation of soil moisture in rain-fed paddy fields using SCS-CN-based model.” Agric. Water Manage., 95(4), 447–457.
SCS (Soil Conservation Service). (1972). “Estimation of direct runoff from storm rainfall//soil conservation service.”, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, DC, 1–30.
Sharpley, A. N., and Williams, J. R. (1990). “EPIC—Erosion/productivity impact calculator: 1. Model documentation.”, Vol. 1768, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.
Shi, Z. H., Chen, L. D., Fang, N. F., Qin, D. F., and Cai, C. F. (2009). “Research on the SCS-CN initial abstraction ratio using rainfall-runoff event analysis in the three gorges area, China.” Catena, 77(1), 1–7.
Tang, L. Q., and Chen, G. X. (1997). “A dynamic model of runoff and sediment yield from small watershed.” J. Hydrodyn., 12(2), 164–174 (in Chinese).
Tyagi, J. V., Mishra, S. K., Singh, R., and Singh, V. P. (2008). “SCS-CN based time-distributed sediment yield model.” J. Hydrol., 352(3–4), 388–403.
Wang, Y. K., Wang, Z. L., and Zhou, P. H. (1991). “Test and analysis of runoff generation process on hill slopes of the Loess Plateau.” J. Soil Water Conserv., 5(2), 25–31 (in Chinese).
Young, R. A., Onstad, C. A., Bosch, D. D., and Anderson, W. P. (1989). “AGNPS: A nonpoint-source pollution model for evaluating agricultural watersheds.” J. Soil Water Conserv., 44(2), 168–173.
Yu, X. X., and Chen, L. H. (1989). “Experimental research on the infiltration under artificial rainfall simulation.” J. Soil Water Conserv., 3(4), 15–22 (in Chinese).
Yuan, J. P., and Jiang, D. S. (2001). “Research on transforming relation from point to area of infiltration rate on small watershed for hilly and gully the Loess region.” Scientia Geographica Sinica, 21(3), 262–266 (in Chinese).
Zhou, S. M., and Lei, T. W. (2011). “Calibration of SCS-CN initial abstraction ratio of a typical small watershed in the Loess hilly-gully region.” Scientia Agricultura Sinica, 44(20), 4240–4247 (in Chinese).
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 28, 2014
Accepted: Oct 13, 2014
Published online: Dec 23, 2014
Discussion open until: May 23, 2015
Published in print: Sep 1, 2015
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.