Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version. If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options. WATERSHED–SCALE AMC SELECTION FOR HYDROLOGIC MODELINGPublished by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org Citation: Transactions of the ASAE. 46(2): 303–310. (doi: 10.13031/2013.12981) @2003Authors: S. J. Bhuyan, K. R. Mankin, J. K. Koelliker Keywords: AGNPS, CN method, Soil moisture, Watershed modeling The Natural Resources Conservation Service curvenumber (CN) method commonly uses three discrete levels (1, 2, and 3) of antecedent moisture condition (AMC) to describe soil moisture at the time of a runoff event. However, this may not adequately represent soil water conditions for watershed modeling purposes. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the use of individualevent watershedscale AMC values to adjust fieldscale CN, and to assess which hydrologic parameters would provide the best estimate of individualevent AMC. Landsat Thematic Mapper images from 1997 and 1998 were used to obtain 10 landcover classes for Red Rock Creek watershed, Kansas. The canopy growth of crops was used to provide temporal adjustment of CNs in the watershed. Streamflow data for 19971999 was collected from a U.S. Geological Survey gaging station near the watershed outlet, and base flow was separated to obtain surfacerunoff amounts. Watershedaverage AMC factors were estimated from measured rainfall and surface runoff amounts for each of 23 events and used to adjust CNs in the AGNPS watershed model. For individual runoff events, calibration was achieved with AMCs that averaged 1.5 and ranged from 0.9 to 2.4. Therefore, an AMC of 2, as used in many hydrologic models, would overestimate the surface runoff amounts in this subhumid Kansas watershed. Generally, AMC increased with 5-day antecedent rainfall above 5 mm. Soil moisture and 5day antecedent rain were found to be significantly correlated to AMC. (Download PDF) (Export to EndNotes)
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