Modeling Seasonal Surface Runoff And Base Flow Based On The Generalized Proportionality Hypothesis

Keywords

Proportionality hypothesis; SCS curve number method; Seasonal base flow; Seasonal runoff

Abstract

The proportionality hypothesis, originating from the curve number method at the event scale, is extended for modeling runoff in the water-limited and energy-limited seasons, respectively. The proposed seasonal runoff model includes three parameters for two separate seasons, which are wetting capacity, initial wetting and initial evaporation. The parameters for 203 watersheds from the United States are estimated, and the empirical relationships between the parameters and watershed properties, which include duration of the season, duration, intensity and frequency of rainfall events, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and soil saturated hydraulic properties, are obtained for applications in ungauged watersheds. These empirical equations present physical controls on runoff at the seasonal scale besides climate seasonality. The Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency coefficient of the seasonal runoff simulation for total runoff is higher than 0.5 in 86% (77%) of the study watersheds; while the surface runoff is 38% (46%) and the base flow is 92% (78%) in the energy-limited seasons (water-limited seasons). This paper shows the potential application of the proportionality hypothesis for estimating seasonal runoff, which is valuable for water resources planning and management.

Publication Date

8-1-2015

Publication Title

Journal of Hydrology

Volume

527

Number of Pages

367-379

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.04.059

Socpus ID

84929305253 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84929305253

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