Abstract
Data from 2042 rainstorm events occurring from 1983 to 2003 in the Rustaq watershed and surrounding area in Oman were used to develop hyetographs, or temporal distribution curves characteristic of arid climates. Orographic effects on rainfall were also investigated by separating the data into two regions, mountainous and coastal, and hyetographs were developed for both regions. The curves for both regions are similar and display a very high intensity at the beginning of the storm, which is known to be a characteristic of storms in arid regions. The new distributions were compared to other standard established distributions derived for regions in Canada and the United States. In addition, curves were developed for an area of southern Alberta which has a similar climate. From all the comparisons, the greatest similarity was found between the Oman and Calgary curves but there was significantly higher intensity earlier in the storm in the Oman curves. Significant differences between the mountainous and coastal regions in terms of rainfall amount were found but there was only a minor difference in rainstorm temporal distribution.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 318-326 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Hydrology |
| Volume | 376 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sep 30 2009 |
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Keywords
- Arid regions
- Hyetograph
- Precipitation
- Rainfall temporal distribution
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Water Science and Technology
Cite this
Characteristics of rainstorm temporal distributions in arid mountainous and coastal regions. / Al-Rawas, Ghazi Ali; Valeo, Caterina.
In: Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 376, No. 1-2, 30.09.2009, p. 318-326.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Characteristics of rainstorm temporal distributions in arid mountainous and coastal regions
AU - Al-Rawas, Ghazi Ali
AU - Valeo, Caterina
PY - 2009/9/30
Y1 - 2009/9/30
N2 - Data from 2042 rainstorm events occurring from 1983 to 2003 in the Rustaq watershed and surrounding area in Oman were used to develop hyetographs, or temporal distribution curves characteristic of arid climates. Orographic effects on rainfall were also investigated by separating the data into two regions, mountainous and coastal, and hyetographs were developed for both regions. The curves for both regions are similar and display a very high intensity at the beginning of the storm, which is known to be a characteristic of storms in arid regions. The new distributions were compared to other standard established distributions derived for regions in Canada and the United States. In addition, curves were developed for an area of southern Alberta which has a similar climate. From all the comparisons, the greatest similarity was found between the Oman and Calgary curves but there was significantly higher intensity earlier in the storm in the Oman curves. Significant differences between the mountainous and coastal regions in terms of rainfall amount were found but there was only a minor difference in rainstorm temporal distribution.
AB - Data from 2042 rainstorm events occurring from 1983 to 2003 in the Rustaq watershed and surrounding area in Oman were used to develop hyetographs, or temporal distribution curves characteristic of arid climates. Orographic effects on rainfall were also investigated by separating the data into two regions, mountainous and coastal, and hyetographs were developed for both regions. The curves for both regions are similar and display a very high intensity at the beginning of the storm, which is known to be a characteristic of storms in arid regions. The new distributions were compared to other standard established distributions derived for regions in Canada and the United States. In addition, curves were developed for an area of southern Alberta which has a similar climate. From all the comparisons, the greatest similarity was found between the Oman and Calgary curves but there was significantly higher intensity earlier in the storm in the Oman curves. Significant differences between the mountainous and coastal regions in terms of rainfall amount were found but there was only a minor difference in rainstorm temporal distribution.
KW - Arid regions
KW - Hyetograph
KW - Precipitation
KW - Rainfall temporal distribution
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=69849109787&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.07.044
DO - 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.07.044
M3 - Article
VL - 376
SP - 318
EP - 326
JO - Journal of Hydrology
JF - Journal of Hydrology
SN - 0022-1694
IS - 1-2
ER -