Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

6224

Date

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Civil Engineering

Concentration

Water Resources Engineering

Committee Chair

Claudio Meier

Abstract

Even though rainfall is a continuous process, we are only able to measure it over discrete aggregation periods. This temporal discretization introduces negative biases when extracting rainfall maxima for short durations, similar to the instrument’s resolution. Empirically-derived correction factors known as Hershfield or rainfall sampling adjustment factors (SAF) have been widely used to correct this bias. Nevertheless, there are conflicting definitions for SAFs in the literature, and no one has looked in detail at how they vary spatially, between seasons, and as function of storm type. Concurrent, 34-yr long rainfall records from 52 weather stations distributed throughout Switzerland were used to study SAF variability. It was found that SAFs display a large variation both across and within stations, the latter because of the different ways of totalizing. On average, SAFs are higher for convective storms and during the warm season. There is no clear spatial pattern across Switzerland, nor any relationship with elevation.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

Download

Share

COinS