Flood hazard delineation combining geomorphological and hydrological methods: an example in the Northern Iberian Peninsula

Flood mapping requires the combination and integration of geomorphological and hydrological-hydraulic methods; however, despite this, there is very little scientific literature that compares and validates both methods. Two types of analysis are addressed in the present article. On the one hand, maps of flood plains have been elaborated using geomorphological evidence and historical flood data in the mountainous area of northwestern Spain, covering an area of more then 232 km² of floodplains. On the other hand, a hydrometeorological model has been developed (Clark semidistributed unit hydrograph) in the Sarria River basin (155 km², NW Spain). This basin is not gauged, hence the model was subjected to a goodness-of-fit test of its parameter (curve number) by means of Monte Carlo simulation. The peak flows obtained by means of the hydrological model were used for hydraulic modeling (one-phase, one-dimensional and steady flow) in a 4 km² urban stretch of the river bed. The delineation of surface areas affected by floods since 1918, as well as those analyzed subsequent to the geomorphological study, reveals a high degree of reliability in the delineation of the flooded areas with frequent recurrence intervals (<50 years). If we compare these flooded surface areas with the estimate obtained by the hydrological-hydraulic method we can see that the latter method overestimates the extent of the surface water by 144% for very frequent recurrence intervals (>10 years) and underestimates it as the recurrence interval increases, by up to 80% less floodplain for exceptional events (>500 years). Finally, a management map is put forth combining the most reliable results available by integrating both methods. Originally presented at the Sixth International Conference on Geomorphology.     

甘肃平凉地区正地闪特征分析

利用雷电定位和雷达观测资料对甘肃平凉地区正地闪特性进行了分析。结果表明：正、负地闪回击的上升时间分布范围基本一致，大约在3—20μs之间，其平均值负地闪为8．33μs，正地闪为10．7μs。负地闪回击后的过军时间分布范围较广，在10-130μs之间，其平均值为51μs；正地闪回击后的过军时间分布范围比负地闪要小得多，在10一50μs之间，其平均值为19．67μs。负地闪的反冲深度dp为32％，正地闪为55％。在正负地闪的日变化中，负地闪有两个峰值分别出现在01：00和13：00(北京时，下同)，而正地闪在下午18：00出现一个极大值，正负地闪数的分布呈反相关。降雹时间的峰值与正地闪峰值时间有比较好的一致性，正地闪的发生与云中固态水成物粒子的沉降有关。     

北京连续降雪过程分析

该文对2002年12月份北京出现的1841年以来历史上最长的连续6天的降雪天气进行了合成分析和诊断分析。北半球合成环流形势显示，连续降雪发生在东亚稳定的纬向环流形势下，其上游地区强大经向环流和阻塞高压使中纬度东亚和西太平洋纬向环流得以维持。东亚合成环流的垂直结构表明，连续降雪期间华北地区始终处于锋区中，并存在低空辐合、高空辐散的散度场垂直分布结构。卫星水汽云图显示出有水汽通道向河套倒槽云系输送水汽。华北地区的诊断分析表明，地面和边界层中山东地区分裂高压南侧向北回流的偏南气流是造成降雪的主要水汽通道。变形场的流场结构使水汽在北京附近辐合。垂直剖面展现了华北回流降雪天气近地面层的浅薄的冷空气垫，和暖湿空气回流在冷空气垫上的爬升，并在其上形成一个浅薄的饱和层。     

我国东部极端降水时空分布及其概率特征

利用我国105°E以东地区210个测站近50年(1953—2002年)逐日降水资料,在REOF客观分区的基础上,确定各分区的极端降水最佳采样期为1~2日。进而研究了日极端降水量的气候特征。采用具有优良特性的L-矩参数估计方法对我国东部极端降水拟合Gumbel分布。结果表明,L-矩参数估计方法的拟合优度比其它方法有进一步提高,近50年来,极端降水趋势虽无明显变化,但其时空差异较大。符合Gumbel分布的极端降水重现期的地理空间分布,大致特征是,东南大、西北小,两湖盆地、黄海海湾及辽东半岛也有高值区。     

A joint distribution of significant wave height and characteristic surf parameter

The paper provides a joint distribution of significant wave height and characteristic surf parameter. The characteristic surf parameter is given by the ratio between the slope of a beach or a structure and the square root of the characteristic wave steepness in deep water defined in terms of the significant wave height and the spectral peak period. The characteristic surf parameter is used to characterize surf zone processes and is relevant for e.g. wave run-up on beaches and coastal structures. The paper presents statistical properties of the wave parameters as well as an example of results corresponding to typical field conditions.     

Automated threshold selection methods for extreme wave analysis

The study of the extreme values of a variable such as wave height is very important in flood risk assessment and coastal design. Often values above a sufficiently large threshold can be modelled using the Generalized Pareto Distribution, the parameters of which are estimated using maximum likelihood. There are several popular empirical techniques for choosing a suitable threshold, but these require the subjective interpretation of plots by the user.In this paper we present a pragmatic automated, simple and computationally inexpensive threshold selection method based on the distribution of the difference of parameter estimates when the threshold is changed, and apply it to a published rainfall and a new wave height data set. We assess the effect of the uncertainty associated with our threshold selection technique on return level estimation by using the bootstrap procedure. We illustrate the effectiveness of our methodology by a simulation study and compare it with the approach used in the JOINSEA software. In addition, we present an extension that allows the threshold selected to depend on the value of a covariate such as the cosine of wave direction.     

A comparison of channel-base currents and optical signals for rocket-triggered lightning strokes

A comparative analysis has been performed of the channel-base current and light waveforms for four rocket-triggered lightning strokes. It has been found that the current and light signals at the bottom of the channel exhibit a linear relationship (direct proportionality) in their rising portions. However, just after the peaks the linearity disappears, and the light signals usually decrease faster than the currents during the next several microseconds. Later, this trend is reversed and in some cases the light signals show another rising trend, even when the currents continue to decrease. The linear light/current relationship for the rising portions of the waveforms appears to be the same for different strokes. The findings support the idea of evaluating the variation of return stroke current along the lightning return stroke channel using light signals, provided that evaluation is limited to the rising portions of those signals and assuming that the light/current relationship observed at the bottom of the channel holds at other heights.     

Triggered-lightning properties inferred from measured currents and very close electric fields

Triggered-lightning properties, including dart-leader charge density, return-stroke propagation speed, dart-leader electric potential, dart-leader propagation speed, and dart-leader current, inferred from return-stroke current and very close electric field measurements, are presented. Although most of the estimates are based on relatively crude models, they are all generally in good agreement with independent measurements and/or theoretical considerations found in the literature. The results are likely to be applicable to subsequent strokes in natural lightning.     

中国内陆高原地闪特征的统计分析

利用微秒级时间分辨率的宽带慢天线电场变化仪首次在中国内陆高原地区对雷暴过程中的正、负地闪特征进行了测量和系统分析 ,发现每次雷暴过程中正闪的比例有随总闪频数增大而减少的趋势 ,弱雷暴过程更有利于正地闪的产生。平均来讲 ,正地闪占闪电总数的 16 % ,介于美国夏季雷暴和日本冬季雷暴之间。负地闪闪击间隔的算术平均值和几何平均值分别为 6 4.3ms和 46 .6ms。 5 4%的负地闪有至少一次继后回击强度大于首次回击 ,而且有 2 0 %的继后回击其强度大于首次回击强度。继后回击强度与首次回击强度的比例几何平均值为 0 .46 ,算术平均值为 0 .70 ,平均回击数为 3.76 ,39.8%为单次回击地闪。正地闪的多次回击只占 13.0 % ,且闪击之间的时间间隔也较大 ,算术平均值为 91.7ms。     

汕头市历史地震影响烈度的分析

本文将所论地震事件视为随机事件。按全概率定理分析了地震对场地的地震动影响(A)和超越给定值的概率P:对地震烈度序列进行了极值统计分析,得到汕头市地震平均重现期及其对应的烈度值。