Intensity-Duration-Frequency curves at the global scale

This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. The published version of this Preprint is available: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab370a. This is version 2 of this Preprint.

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Authors

Laurent Courty, Robert L. Wilby, John Hillier, Louise J. Slater

Abstract

Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curves usefully quantify extreme precipitation over various durations and return periods for engineering design. Unfortunately, sparse, infrequent or short observations hinder the creation of robust IDF curves in many locations. This paper presents the first global, multi-temporal (1 to 360 hours) dataset of Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) parameters at 31 km resolution dubbed PXR-2 (Parametrized eXtreme Rain). Using these data we generalize site-specific studies to show that that GEV parameters typically scale robustly with event duration (r²>0.88). Thus, we propose a universal IDF formula that allows estimates of rainfall intensity for a continuous range of durations (PXR-4). This parameter scaling property opens the door to estimating sub-daily IDF from daily records. We evaluate this characteristic for selected global cities and a high-density rain gauge network in the United Kingdom. We find that intensities estimated with PXR-4 are within ±20% of PXR-2 for durations ranging between 2 to 360 hours. PXR is immediately usable by earth scientists studying global precipitation extremes as well as engineers designing infrastructure in data-scarce regions.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31223/osf.io/w56b8

Subjects

Civil and Environmental Engineering, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Hydraulic Engineering, Hydrology, Meteorology, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Water Resource Management

Keywords

Precipitation, rainfall, ERA5, reanalysis, Design rainfall, IDF curves

Dates

Published: 2018-12-18 03:55

Last Updated: 2019-04-04 03:44

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License

CC BY Attribution 4.0 International