Abstract
The curve number (CN) model was originally developed to estimate the total runoff resulting from a given rainfall event. However, the CN model has a limited ability to estimate realistic incremental rainfall excesses within rainfall events. This limitation is problematic because incremental rainfall excesses during a rainfall event are usually the input data required for calculating runoff hydrographs. In contrast to the CN model, the -index model provides more realistic estimates of incremental rainfall excesses during a rainfall event. This study investigated the relationship between the curve number and the -index at 10 different catchments in the United States. The results show that, for any given rainfall event, the -index can be directly related to the curve number, and there is a fair degree of consistency in the relationship between catchments.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during this study are available in a repository online in accordance with funder data retention policies. Rainfall and stream discharge data can be found on USGS National Water Information System at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt.
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Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 145 • Issue 11 • November 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 27, 2018
Accepted: Jul 9, 2019
Published online: Sep 10, 2019
Published in print: Nov 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Feb 10, 2020
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