An approach for the determination of precipitation input for worst-case flood modelling

ABSTRACT

There is a lack of suitable methods for creating precipitation scenarios that can be used to realistically estimate peak discharges with very low probabilities. On the one hand, existing methods are methodically questionable when it comes to physical system boundaries. On the other hand, the spatio-temporal representativeness of precipitation patterns as system input is limited. In response, this paper proposes a method of deriving spatio-temporal precipitation patterns and presents a step towards making methodically correct estimations of infrequent floods by using a worst-case approach. A Monte Carlo approach allows for the generation of a wide range of different spatio-temporal distributions of an extreme precipitation event that can be tested with a rainfall–runoff model that generates a hydrograph for each of these distributions. Out of these numerous hydrographs and their corresponding peak discharges, the physically plausible spatio-temporal distributions that lead to the highest peak discharges are identified and can eventually be used for further investigations.

Editor A. Castellarin; Associate editor E. Volpi     

中国60城市站1901—2019年日降水数据集的构建

近年来中国区域降水的极端化问题得到学术界的广泛关注,有关研究也获得了大量成果。但是,目前国内外常用的高分辨率降水资料序列多从1951年左右开始,普遍缺少20世纪早期中国的逐日降水资料,对于近一百多年中国极端降水变化特征及其机理,目前还不清楚。基于多来源的1901—1950年原始观测报表数字化逐日降水资料,补充先前未录入的“无降水”和缺测数据,研发质量控制方案并开展质量控制,补充录入检出的缺失和错误数据并再次质控,结合1951年以来的现代降水日值资料,建立中国60个城市站1901—2019年降水日值数据集。数据集评估结果显示,早期中国东部地区的台站较为密集,数据完整性和正确性较好,但中国西部的台站数量少且完整性和正确性偏低。本数据集构建的年总降水量累积值序列与已有的月降水量数据基本一致。基于该数据集,研究发现重庆站近百年来的降水未出现显著的趋势性变化。该数据集使后续分析研究中国极端降水的百年尺度长期变化特征成为可能。     

The increasing predominance of extreme precipitation in Southwest China since the late 1970s

Extreme precipitation events cause severe environmental and societal damage worldwide. Southwest China (SWC) is sensitive to such effects because of its overpopulation, underdevelopment, and fragile ecosystems. Using daily observations from 108 rain-gauge stations, the authors investigated the frequency of extreme precipitation events and their contribution to total precipitation in SWC since the late 1970s. Results indicate that total precipitation is decreasing insignificantly, but rainfall-events frequency is decreasing significantly, whereas the region is experiencing more frequent and intense extreme precipitation events. Note that although fewer stations are statistically significant, about 60% of the rain-gauge stations show an increasing trend in the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation. Furthermore, there is an increasing trend in the contribution of total extreme precipitation to total precipitation, with extreme precipitation becoming dominant in the increasingly arid SWC region. The results carry important implications for policymakers, who should place greater emphasis on extreme precipitation and associated floods and landslides when drafting water-resource management policies.摘要本文分析了中国西南20世纪70年代末以来极端降水事件的频率, 强度及其对总降水的贡献. 结果表明, 该地区约60%的降水站点极端降水的频率和强度正在增加, 而大多数站点总降水频率明显减少. 同时极端降水总量对总降水量的贡献有显著增加的趋势, 极端降水在日益干旱的中国西南地区变得更具主导性. 研究结果提醒应更加重视极端降水及其可能引发的次生灾害, 如洪水, 山体滑坡等.     

A note of caution when interpreting parameters of the distribution of excesses

In climatology and hydrology, univariate Extreme Value Theory has become a powerful tool to model the distribution of extreme events. The Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) is routinely applied to model excesses in space or time by letting the two GPD parameters depend on appropriate covariates. Two possible pitfalls of this strategy are the modeling and the interpretation of the scale and shape GPD parameters estimates which are often and incorrectly viewed as independent variables. In this note we first recall a statistical technique that makes the GPD estimates less correlated within a Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimation approach. In a second step we propose novel reparametrizations for two method-of-moments particularly popular in hydrology: the Probability Weighted Moment (PWM) method and its generalized version (GPWM). Finally these three inference methods (ML, PWM and GPWM) are compared and discussed with respect to the issue of correlations.     

南京极值温度长期变化及其与平均温度的关系

利用1951—2009年南京日平均气温、日最高气温以及日最低气温等资料,分析了南京日最高气温和最低气温的长期演变趋势及其与平均温度的关系。结果表明：近60 a来,南京年平均气温、年平均最高气温、年平均最低气温均呈变暖趋势,20世纪90年代增温尤为明显;日最高气温,除夏季表现为降温趋势外,其他季节均为升温趋势;而四季平均气温和平均最低气温均为增温趋势;夏季气温日较差下降趋势明显,导致夏季昼夜温差减小;极端高温、低温的发生日数均呈下降趋势。极端气温与平均气温之间存在明显的相关性,且极端低温对平均气温影响更为明显。     

南京极值温度长期变化及其与平均温度的关系

利用1951-2009年南京日平均气温、日最高气温以及日最低气温等资料,分析了南京日最高气温和最低气温的长期演变趋势及其与平均温度的关系。结果表明：近60a来,南京年平均气温、年平均最高气温、年平均最低气温均呈变暖趋势,20世纪90年代增温尤为明显;日最高气温,除夏季表现为降温趋势外,其他季节均为升温趋势;而四季平均气...     

On the long-term response of marine structures

This paper addresses some important issues related to the estimation of long-term extreme responses of marine structures. Several convolution models to establish the long-term distribution of a marine structure response parameter are available in the literature. These methods are typically based either on all short-term peaks, all extreme short-term peaks or all short-term upcrossing rates. The main assumptions and simplifications of the five models most usually found in the literature are discussed in this paper. A linear single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system along with a bi-lognormal probability model for significant wave heights and zero-crossing wave periods have been used for numerical tests. An improved approach to efficiently evaluate the long-term convolution integrals is also proposed in this paper. It is shown that a combination of the Inverse First Order Reliability Method (IFORM) and an Importance Sampling Monte Carlo Simulation (ISMCS) approach can be used to obtain a very good result for the exact solution of long-term integrals.     

Effects of an exceptional drought on daily activity patterns, reproductive behaviour, and reproductive success of reintroduced Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx)

Activity patterns, social behaviour, and reproductive success of Arabian oryx were monitored in a reintroduced population in Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area, Saudi Arabia. During the first year of the study, precipitation was 38% lower than the long-term average, whereas rainfall in the following year resulted in precipitation that was 92.8% of the long-term average. These dramatically different rainfall conditions corresponded with distinct patterns in various environmental parameters (air and soil temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, air pressure). Daily activity patterns, the frequency of social behaviours, and foraging activity were significantly reduced during the drought period. The frequency of reproductive behaviour was significantly related to daytime, air temperature and radiation, with a pronounced reduction of reproductive activities during the drought. Monthly rates of conceptions were considerably lower during the drought. Our results substantiate the idea that extended dry periods affect the population development of Oryx, but also raise questions about habitat suitability and carrying capacity. Future management of Arabian oryx should consider extreme climatic events as factors influencing various aspects of the ecology and behaviour of this species. This aspect may become even more important in the face of climate change, including a future increase of extreme climatic events.     

冬季北太平洋风暴轴纬向变化特征及其与我国极端低温频次的可能联系

采用NCEP/NCAR和ERA40再分析资料,分析了垂直方向上冬季北太平洋风暴轴纬向结构的时空演变特征,揭示了北太平风暴轴纬向结构具有显著年际、年代际变化特征。冬季北太平洋风暴轴纬向结构主要呈现出全区一致、东西反相两种分布型("A"型和"B"型),细分为整体一致性强型("A+"型)、整体一致性弱型("A-"型)、东弱西强型("B+"型)和东强西弱型("B-"型)。研究表明:冬季北太平洋风暴轴的纬向结构与我国极端低温频次的关系密切,风暴轴呈"A+"("A-")型纬向结构时,我国整体区域极端低温频次偏少(多);风暴轴呈"B+"("B-")纬向结构时,我国全区极端低温频次偏多(少)。     

Truncation of the distribution of ground-motion residuals

Recent studies to assess very long-term seismic hazard in the USA and in Europe have highlighted the importance of the upper tail of the ground-motion distribution at the very low annual frequencies of exceedance required by these projects. In particular, the use of an unbounded lognormal distribution to represent the aleatory variability of ground motions leads to very high and potentially unphysical estimates of the expected level of shaking. Current practice in seismic hazard analysis consists of truncating the ground-motion distribution at a fixed number (ε _max) of standard deviations (σ). However, there is a general lack of consensus regarding the truncation level to adopt. This paper investigates whether a physical basis for choosing ε _max can be found, by examining records with large positive residuals from the dataset used to derive one of the ground-motion models of the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) project. In particular, interpretations of the selected records in terms of causative physical mechanisms are reviewed. This leads to the conclusion that even in well-documented cases, it is not possible to establish a robust correlation between specific physical mechanisms and large values of the residuals, and thus obtain direct physical constraints on ε _max. Alternative approaches based on absolute levels of ground motion and numerical simulations are discussed. However, the choice of ε _max is likely to remain a matter of judgment for the foreseeable future, in view of the large epistemic uncertainties associated with these alternatives. Additional issues arise from the coupling between ε _max and σ, which causes the truncation level in terms of absolute ground motion to be dependent on the predictive equation used. Furthermore, the absolute truncation level implied by ε _max will also be affected if σ is reduced significantly. These factors contribute to rendering a truncation scheme based on a single ε _max value impractical.