A Review of Empirical Methods for Runoff Estimation and Their GIS Applications

Abstract

Abstract: Irregularities in rainfall patterns, frequent floods, and droughts in different parts of the world result from the effects of global climate change. In such dynamic climatic conditions, sustainable management of water resources is a challenging task under a river basin's complex process response system. In this perspective, hydrological studies are being carried out to estimate the runoff water yield and understand physico-climatic controls require further development in methodologies. Research criteria have advanced and empirical method's development and applications have advanced significantly. Empirical methods quantify the runoff volume by correlating the amount of rainfall with the number of influencing basin factors. In recent times, empirical runoff estimation has become popular because of its simplicity and correlation assessment capacity with multiple associate factors. This study aims to have an overview of the empirical runoff estimator SCS-CN method and other empirical equations. This study has covered the primary areas in hydrological analysis are runoff estimation, groundwater recharge, and runoff-soil erosion estimation using empirical methods. The authors have suggested the advantages, disadvantages, and possible areas of development of the widely used SCS-CN method and other empirical methods of runoff estimation.