Relating Streamflow Recession to Soil and Watershed Properties

By exploring the empirical relationship between streamflow recession data from USGS streamgauges and soils data from the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) Database, we test the general hypothesis that a relationship exists between soil properties derived from soil data integrated across a watershed and streamflow recession parameters. This empirical study provides a background for developing a priori parameters with SSURGO soil survey data for parameterizing watersheds for distributed hydrologic modeling and streamflow prediction. Using a random sample of 48 watersheds from across the continental United States, we found a significant correlation between streamflow recession parameters and soil sensitivity, which we define as a combination of hydraulic conductivity, porosity, and soil depth. Our work improves the understanding of streamflow generation processes by exploring how this correlation changes between different geographic regions and climate regimes.