Linear spectral unmixing algorithm for modelling suspended sediment concentration of flash floods,upper Tekeze River,Ethiopia

Flash floods are the highest sediment transporting agent,but are inaccessible for in-situ sampling and have rarely been analyzed by remote sensing technology.Laboratory and field experiments were done to develop linear spectral unmixing(LSU) remote sensing model and evaluate its performance in simulating the suspended sediment concentration(SSC) in flash floods.The models were developed from continuous monitoring in the laboratory and the onsite spectral signature of river bed sediment deposits and flash floods in the Tekeze River and in its tributary,the Tsirare River.The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the variability of correlations between reflectance and SSCs.The coefficient of determination(R2) and root mean square of error(RMSE) were used to evaluate the performance of the generated models.The results found that the Pearson correlation coefficient between SSCs and reflectance varied based on the level of the SSCs,geological colors,and grain sizes.The performance of the LSU model and empirical remote sensing approaches were computed to be R2=0.92,and RMSE=±0.76 g/1 in the Tsirare River and R2=0.91,and RMSE=±0.73 g/1 in the Tekeze River and R2=0.81,RMSE=±2.65 g/l in the Tsirare river and R2=0.76,RMSE=±10.87 g/l in the Tekeze River,respectively.Hence,the LSU approach of remote sensing was found to be relatively accurate in monitoring and modeling the variability of SSCs that could be applied to the upper Tekeze River basin.     

Entropy inference of recurrence models for variability analysis of extreme events

A complete methodology is developed to analyze the recurrence of extreme environmental events and its variability as time without further events elapses. Firstly we investigate the conditioned recurrence inference problem consisting in the selection of a probability model for the interarrival time between extreme events, given a contexto-factual evidence conditioned by the time elapsed since the last of such events. Two ways to include this condition can be considered, which yield alternative conditioned evidences and convert the former problem into two distinct ones, thus giving rise to a possible consistency violation. These problems are formalized within the logical probability framework, in a plausible logic language that allows a suitable expression of the available observational data. They are solved using the REF relative entropy method with fractile constraints, and their solutions are compared at all inference levels. It is concluded that the two conditioning ways are not really mutually exclusive and that a unique global solution to the conditioned inference can be obtained using this procedure. An example illustrates an application of the methodology to the variability analysis of the recurrence time between historical inundations of the Guadalquivir river in Spain, as time elapses with no new floods.Acknowledgments. Support for this work was provided by DGI of Spain as the grant REN2000-2988-E/CLI and the research project REN2002-01337/CLI.     

Prévision des crues éclair

Flash-flood events resulting from paroxystic meteorological events concentrated in time and space are insufficiently documented as they produce destructive effects. They are hardly measurable and present single features that are not transposable to another event. In the South of France, the flash flood of November 1999 gives a perfect illustration of these characteristics. The physical complexity of the process and consequently the volume and the variety of the data to take into account are incompatible with the real time constraint allocated to the forecasters confronted to the occurrence of such phenomena. So, we have to make choices to afford acceptable simplifications to the complete mechanical model. MARINE (‘Modélisation de l'Anticipation du Ruissellement et des Inondations pour des évéNements Extrêmes’) is the operational and robust tool we developed for flash-flood forecasting. This model complies with the criterions of real-time simulation. It is a physically based distributed model composed of two parts: first the flood runoff process simulation in the upstream part of the basin modelled from a rainfall–runoff approach, then the flood propagation in the main rivers described by the Saint-Venant equations. It integrates remote sensed data – Digital Elevation Model, land-use map, hydrographic network for the observations from satellites and the rainfall evolution from meteorological radar. The main goal of MARINE is to supply real time pertinent information to the forecasters. Results obtained on the Orbieu River (Aude, France) show that this model is able to supply pertinent flood hydrograph with a sufficient precision for the forecasting service to take the appropriate safety decisions. Furthermore, MARINE has already been tested in the French National Flood Forecasting Service of Haute-Garonne in real conditions. To cite this article: V. Estupina Borrell et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Use of Systematic, Palaeoflood and Historical Data for the Improvement of Flood Risk Estimation. Review of Scientific Methods

The catastrophic floods recently occurring in Europe warn of the critical need forhydrologic data on floods over long-time scales. Palaeoflood techniques provideinformation on hydrologic variability and extreme floods over long-time intervals(100 to 10,000 yr) and may be used in combination with historical flood data (last1,000 yr) and the gauge record (last 30–50 yr). In this paper, advantages anduncertainties related to the reconstruction of palaeofloods in different geomorphologicalsettings and historical floods using different documentary sources are described.Systematic and non-systematic data can be combined in the flood frequency analysisusing different methods for the adjustment of distribution functions. Technical toolsintegrating multidisciplinary approaches (geologic, historical, hydraulic and statistical)on extreme flood risk assessment are discussed. A discussion on the potential theoreticalbases for solving the problem of dealing with non-systematic and non-stationary data ispresented. This methodology is being developed using new methodological approachesapplied to European countries as a part of a European Commission funded project (SPHERE).     

Evidence for Holocene megafloods down the Tsangpo River gorge, southeastern Tibet

Lacustrine and alluvial terraces and sediments record the extent of at least two Holocene glacially dammed lakes immediately upstream of the Tsangpo River gorge at the eastern syntaxis of the Himalaya. The larger lake covered 2835 km², with a maximum depth of 680 m and contained an estimated 832 km³ of water; the smaller lake contained an estimated 80 km³ of water. Radiocarbon dating of wood and charcoal yielded conventional radiocarbon ages of 8860 ± 40 and 9870 ± 50 ¹⁴C yr B.P. for the higher set of lake terraces, and 1220 ± 40 and 1660 ± 40 ¹⁴C yr B.P. for sediments from the lower terraces. Catastrophic failure of the glacial dams that impounded the lakes would have released outburst floods down the gorge of the Tsangpo River with estimated peak discharges of up to 1 to 5 × 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹. The erosive potential represented by the unit stream power calculated for the head of the gorge during such a catastrophic lake breakout indicates that post-glacial megafloods down the Tsangpo River were likely among the most erosive events in recent Earth history.     

概论伊吾河洪水成因及其防御对策

根据伊吾河流域洪水类型及特点,分析了伊吾河暴雨的水汽来源、环流特征以及暴雨所形成的洪水灾害,并对伊吾河洪水的防御提出了工程性措施和非工程性措施。     

热带副热带高度异常对长江流域和华北旱涝影响的数值模拟与分析

前期南亚高压的异常增强或者减弱,热带、副热带地区100 hPa高度的异常增高或者降低,热带西风的异常增强或者减弱,对长江流域和华北地区夏季的降水异常具有预示作用。文中设计了一系列的数值试验进行模拟研究,包括控制试验、敏感试验和4组合成试验。合成试验模拟结果表明,前期热带、副热带高度异常分布,能够再现长江流域、华北旱涝情况。前期南亚高压、热带、副热带高度、风异常对长江流域和华北地区夏季降水的异常均有预示作用。100 hPa叠加高度、风异常的敏感试验结果表明:前期南亚高压、热带与副热带地区100 hPa高度场和环流场的异常不仅可以预示、事实上能够引起长江流域和华北夏季降水的异常———前期南亚高压异常增强、热带、副热带地区100 hPa高度场异常增高、西风异常增强,易引起长江流域降水偏多、华北降水偏少;反之,则容易引起长江流域降水偏少、华北降水偏多。     

距平模式月际旱涝异常的诊断及预测试验

用地气耦合非定常距平模式对２４个夏季旱涝月个例进行了诊断和预测试验。结果表明,用这种动力与统计外部结合的ＭＯＳ方法进行旱涝预测比较简易可行,并且达到一定的准确率,便于在短期气候预报的业务中推广应用。     

Hydroclimatic fluctuations of the Upper Narmada catchment and its association with break-monsoon days over India

In this paper, hydroclimatic fluctuations of the Upper Narmada catchment (upto Narmadasagar damsite) have been studied by examining the time series (1901–80) of (i) 1-to 10-day annual extreme rainfall; (ii) seasonal total rainfall between May and October; (iii) the precipitation concentration index (PCI); (iv) a modified version of PCI(MPCI); and (v) parameters of the periods contributing specified percentages of rainfall to annual total. Most of these parameters followed the normal distribution and did not show any significant long-term trend. However, some dominant long period oscillations have been noticed in extreme rainfall, seasonal rainfall, PCI and MPCI series. Influence of break-monsoon days over India during July and August on the rainfall activities of the Upper Narmada catchment has also been investigated and salient findings discussed.     

我国长江、黄河两流域旱涝规律成因与预测研究的进展、成果与问题

The advances obtained by the project "Investigation on Laws, Causes and Predictions of Droughts And Floods In The Yellow River valley And The Yangtze River valley of China" for this three years are reviewed in this paper. The laws of decadal scale, interannual and Intraseasonal variations and circulation conditions of droughts and floods in these two valleys are analysed in detail. Moreover, the preliminary views of the causes of droughts and floods in these two valleys are put forward. The investigations of the project have pointed out that the thermal state in the western Pacific warm pool and the connective activities over the warm pool and the connective activities over the Tibetan Plateau may be siganificant causes of droughts and floods caused in these two valleys. Besides, the numerical simulation of occurance and circulation condition of droughts and floods resulted in these two valleys and their prediction experiments have been made by using the atmospheric general circulation model.
In this paper, the problems in research of the project are also analysed so that to obtain the investigated results in more higher level.