Premium
Estimation of flood frequency: An evaluation of two derived distribution procedures
Author(s) -
Moughamian Matthew S.,
McLaughlin Dennis B.,
Bras Rafael L.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr023i007p01309
Subject(s) - flood myth , frequency distribution , environmental science , watershed , distribution (mathematics) , hydrology (agriculture) , statistics , sample (material) , mathematics , geography , geology , computer science , geotechnical engineering , mathematical analysis , chemistry , archaeology , chromatography , machine learning
The derived distribution approach for predicting flood frequency distributions provides a potentially attractive way to analyze flood hazards in ungaged watersheds. This paper examines the performance of two typical derived distribution techniques (Hebson and Wood, 1982; Diaz‐Granados et al., 1984). Flood frequency distributions obtained with each technique are compared to sample distributions estimated from measured discharge records. The comparison is based on over 40 years of discharge data from each of three different watersheds. Input parameters required by the derived distribution methods are estimated from limited data sets to simulate conditions encountered in watersheds where rainfall and discharge records are available for only a few years. Both of the derived flood frequency methods performed poorly in every watershed when compared to sample distributions. The results of the comparison suggest that fundamental improvements are needed before the derived distribution approach can be applied with any confidence.