Evaluation of GEV model for frequency analysis of annual maximum water levels in the coast of United States

The three-parameter generalized-extreme-value (GEV) model has been recommended by FEMA [FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency of the United States), 2004. Final Draft Guidelines for Coastal Flood Hazard Analysis and Mapping for the Pacific Coast of the United States. http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=2188] for frequency analysis of annual maximum water levels in the Pacific coast of the United States. Yet, the GEV model's performance in other coastal areas still needs to be evaluated. The GEV model combines three types of probability distributions into one expression. The probability distributions can be defined by one of the three parameters of the GEV model. In this study, annual maximum water levels at nine water-level stations with long history data (more than 70 years) were chosen for analysis in five coastal areas: Pacific, Northeast Atlantic, East Atlantic, Southeast Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Parameters of the GEV model are estimated by the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method. Results indicate that probability distributions are characterized by the GEV Type III model at stations in the Pacific, Northeast, and East Atlantic coastal areas, while they are described by GEV Type II in stations of the Southeast Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastal areas. GEV model predictions of extreme water levels show good correlation to observations with correlation coefficients of 0.89 to 0.99. For predictions of 10% annual maximum water levels, the GEV model predictions are very good with errors equal to or less than 5% for all nine stations. Comparison of observations and GEV model estimations of annual maximum water levels for the longest recorded return periods, close to 100 years, revealed errors equal to or less than 5% for stations in the Pacific and Northeast Atlantic coastal areas. However, the errors range from 10% to 28% for other stations located in the East and Southeast Atlantic coasts as well as Gulf of Mexico coastal areas. Findings from this study suggest caution regarding the magnitudes of errors in applying the GEV model to the East and Southeast Atlantic coasts and Gulf of Mexico coast for estimating 100-year annual maximum water levels for coastal flood analysis.