World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018
A Study on Regional Frequency Analysis of Annual and Seasonal Rainfall in Mississippi and Alabama
Publication: World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018: Watershed Management, Irrigation and Drainage, and Water Resources Planning and Management
ABSTRACT
The study objective was to develop rainfall frequency estimates for seasonal (3-month) and annual duration for the Tombigbee River Basin (TRB) in Mississippi and Alabama and implement results to determine the probability to end a drought in the study area. Research goal was accomplished by following the procedure outlined by Hosking and Wallis and using the International Center for Integrated Water Resources (ICIWaRM) Regional Analysis Frequency Tool (ICI-RAFT). Regional frequency methods based on L-moment were derived for the Pearson type III (PE3), log-Pearson type III (LPE), log-normal (LNO), and the general extreme value (GEV) distributions. For the winter season and the 12-month duration dataset, the PE3 distribution clearly provided best fit when the TRB was considered a homogeneous region. For the summer and fall seasons duration analysis, the LNO and the GEV distributions, respectively, met the criterion of |z|≤1.64, which corresponds to the failure to reject the hypothesized distribution at a confidence interval of 90%. The determination of the probability of precipitation to end a drought was based on the published maps and datasets from the NOAA-NCDC. A regional index flood model was developed for the four 3-month seasonal duration and for the 12-month duration. One regional scheme (TRB as one homogeneous region) was validated and used to the performance of the complete analysis. The regional frequency method and the use of ICI-RAFT are convenient for delivering reliable and reproducible estimates of rainfall frequencies over areas with big extension such as the TRB. Combining the evaluated methodology and computational tools, producing rainfall intensity-frequency-duration estimates would help in updating existing estimates, which are considered for use in the design of storm water management facilities and water supply. Research results can be used as an aid in decisions regarding implementation of water conservation or allocation.
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REFERENCES
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018: Watershed Management, Irrigation and Drainage, and Water Resources Planning and Management
Pages: 509 - 519
Editor: Sri Kamojjala, Las Vegas Valley Water District
ISBN (Online): 978-0-7844-8140-0
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: May 31, 2018
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