Unit Hydrographs - II (Synthesis)

Synthesis does not use rainfall-runoff data.

  • Uses measurements on the watershed to postulate parameters of a parametric unit hydrograph.

Parametric Unit Hydrographs (in HEC-HMS)

HEC-HMS has several different UH models available (eg. NRCS DUH, Clark, etc.). These models are described by “parameters”

  • NRCS (Tp or Tc)

  • Clark (Tc, R) Selection of the parameters selects the shape of the UH and the time base (or time to peak). The analyst can also enter an empirical (user specified) unit hydrograph.

Useful parametric models along with their parameters include:

  • NRCS DUH : Tlag (Timing only)

  • Clark : Tc, and R (Timing and a storage-delay)

  • Snyder : Tlag, Cp (Timing and a peak rate factor)

  • Gamma : (User-Specified) Tc, K (Timing and a shape factor)

Note

Aalysis uses data (rainfall and runoff observations) to develop unit hydrograph models. Choices include:

Follow FHWA methods

  • Essentially back-substitution or OLS

Use HEC-HMS and parametric UH, adjust values of parameters to fit observed runoff

  • Less tedious than back-substitution or OLS

Use HEC-HMS and a user supplied UH, adjust values of UH ordinates (and re-scale to maintain a unit response) to fit observed runoff

  • Less tedious than back-substitution or OLS

References

  1. Gupta pp 343-372