An updated hydrological review on recent advancements in soil conservation service-curve number technique

Abstract

Although many hydrologic models are available for the estimation of direct runoff from storm rainfall, most models are limited because of their intensive input data and calibration requirements. The Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number (SCS-CN) technique has been applied successfully throughout the entire spectrum of hydrology and water resources, even though originally it was not intended to deal with and solve certain issues such as erosion and sedimentation and environmental engineering. This manuscript includes an updated review of this popular technique with its critical performance analysis under various hydrological applications. The study highlights its provenance and its conceptual and empirical foundations followed by relative significance of the parameter CN and various estimation methods and issues related to the Ia and S relationship. Finally, notable recent advancements available in the literature are discussed for their structural strengths and applicability in real world problems.