An examination of the anomalous runoff regime of the Obed-Emory basin of the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee

Despite a number of basin characteristics which are generally believed to produce stable streamflow regimes, floods on the Emory River and its tributaries are extremely high and baseflow is minimal. The streamflow regime of the Obed-Emory system is described in detail and Thornthwaite's water budget is used to show input, depletion, and outflow of water from the basin. Streamflow characteristics and basin characteristics of the study area are compared to those of two other basins to emphasize the peculiarity of the study basin. It is concluded that the highly permeable soils and impervious bedrock of the Obed-Emory basin force surplus water to move laterally through the soil and into stream channels, while precluding large amounts of subsurface storage which would stabilize streamflow.