Runoff and Surface Water Hydrology
The chapter provides a detailed overview of runoff and surface water hydrology, including the various types of runoff, methods for estimating runoff volume, and important curves for analyzing streamflow. Additionally, it covers factors affecting runoff and hydrograph shapes, effective rainfall, and unit hydrographs, along with environmental flow implications for ecological sustainability.
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1.2Runoff Volume Q
This section covers the concept of runoff volume (Q), including its types,...
What we have learnt
- Runoff is the portion of precipitation that flows over land into water bodies after other losses.
- The SCS Curve Number method uses land use, soil type, and moisture conditions to estimate runoff.
- Environmental flows are essential for maintaining healthy freshwater and estuarine ecosystems.
Key Concepts
- -- Runoff Volume
- The total quantity of runoff from a watershed after a storm, calculated after accounting for losses such as infiltration.
- -- SCS Curve Number Method
- A method developed to estimate direct runoff from rainfall based on land use, soil type, and antecedent moisture conditions.
- -- Hydrograph
- A plot of streamflow (discharge) versus time for a specific point in a river, illustrating how flow changes over time.
- -- Effective Rainfall
- The portion of rainfall that contributes to direct runoff, excluding losses like interception and initial infiltration.
- -- Unit Hydrograph
- A hydrograph resulting from one unit depth of effective rainfall over a specified duration, used for predicting runoff based on rainfall excess.
- -- Environmental Flows
- The water flows necessary to maintain ecosystems, including quality, quantity, and timing.
Additional Learning Materials
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