A Novel Approach for Estimating the Recurrence Intervals of Channel-Forming Discharges

Andy Ward,Molly Moran

doi:10.3390/w8070269

Abstract

Channel-forming discharges typically are associated with recurrence intervals less than five years and usually less than two years. However, the actual frequency of occurrence of these discharges is often several times more frequent than the statistical expectation. This result was confirmed by using the Log-Pearson Type 3 statistical method to analyze measured annual series of instantaneous peaks and peak daily means for 150 catchments in six states in the North Central Region of the United States. Discharge records ranged from 39 to 102 years and catchment sizes ranged from 29 to 6475 km2. For each state, mean values of the ratio of the calculated to the expected occurrences exceeded 1.0, for recurrence intervals from two years to 100 years with R-squared values varying from 0.64 to 0.97, respectively. However, catchment-by-catchment variability was too large for the relationships for each state to be useful. We propose a method, called Full Daily Distribution (FDD), which used all of the daily values for the available period of records. The approach provided ratios of calculated to expected occurrences that were approximately 1.0. For recurrence intervals less than five years, the FDD calculated discharges were much greater than those obtained by using the Log-Pearson Type 3 approach with annual series of instantaneous peaks or peak daily means. The method can also calculate discharges for recurrence intervals less than one year. The study indicates a need to enhance the Log-Pearson Type 3 method to provide better estimates of channel-forming discharges and that the proposed FDD could be a useful tool to this purpose.

Highlights

Based on an analysis of the 37,099 projects in the National River Restoration Science Synthesis (NRRSS) database, Bernhardt et al [1] estimated that annual expenditures on stream restoration in the United States exceeded one billion dollars and was increasing exponentially
Full Daily Distribution (FDD) approach we developed provided a method for determining a bin size whose magnitude was related to the period of record
The evidence from this study suggests that the frequency of channel-forming discharges that have a recurrence interval less than five years are likely to occur much more frequently than statistical expectations

Summary

Introduction

Based on an analysis of the 37,099 projects in the National River Restoration Science Synthesis (NRRSS) database, Bernhardt et al [1] estimated that annual expenditures on stream restoration in the United States exceeded one billion dollars and was increasing exponentially. They identified the most common goals of river restoration as enhancing water quality; managing riparian zones; and improving in-stream habitat and improving fish passage and stabilizing banks. Since the mid-1990s, the controversial Natural Channel Design approach that was developed by Dave Rosgen has seen widespread application in the United States [2,3,4]. Simon et al [5] argued that a fundamental problem with the approach was that it was based on channel form and did not adequately consider

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