Curve Numbers for Olive Orchard Catchments: Case Study in Southern Spain

Abstract

The curve number (CN) method is widely applied around the world to estimate direct runoff and the corresponding hydrograph of a rainfall event. However, there is no information on its performance in olive orchards on the catchment scale. In this work, the CN method was applied in three small catchments in southern Spain with different soil types, topography, and management. A rainfall-runoff data set of six years was used to test the usefulness of the method and the accuracy of its reference parameterization (CNs) and of the initial abstraction (