Section 4: Soil and Water Conservation Engineering
Hydrology
Subtopic: Hydrograph analysis, unit hydrograph theory and application
Question Statement:
The S-curve addition method is primarily used in hydrology to:
Options:
(A) Derive a Unit Hydrograph of different duration from a given Unit Hydrograph
(B) Separate baseflow from direct runoff in a complex hydrograph
(C) Calculate the infiltration capacity of agricultural soils
(D) Determine the storage coefficient of an unconfined aquifer
Answer Key:
A
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
The S-curve (summation hydrograph) represents the hydrograph resulting from continuous effective rainfall of $1\text{ cm}$ per $D$ hours. It is standardly used to convert a $D$-hour Unit Hydrograph into an arbitrary $T$-hour Unit Hydrograph.