Rainfall-discharge relationships for monsoonal climates

Steenhuis, T.; Taylor, J.; Collick, A.; van de Giesen, N.; Liebe, J.; Andreini, Marc; Easton, Z. 2009. Rainfall-discharge relationships for monsoonal climates. In Andreini, Marc; Schuetz, Tonya; Harrington, Larry (Eds.). Small reservoirs toolkit, theme 2 b: hydrology and physical measures of performance. Colombo, Sri Lanka: CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF); Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Brasilia, DF, Brasil: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Cerrados Center); Harare, Zimbabwe: University of Zimbabwe (UZ); Accra, Ghana: Ghana Water Research Institution (WRI); Delft, The Netherlands: Delft University of Technology (TUD); Stockholm, Sweden: Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI); Marseille, France: Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD); Bonn, Germany: Center for Development Research, University of Bonn; Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell University. 10p.

Methods for estimating runoff that have been developed for temperate climates may not be suitable for use in the monsoonal climates of Africa, where there is a distinct dry season in which soils dry out to a considerable depth. Water balance models have been shown to better predict river discharge in regions with monsoonal climates than alternative methods based on rainfall intensity, or on the USDA-SCS curve number. This tool can be used to develop a simple water balance model for predicting river discharge.