Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves at Ungauged Sites in a Changing Climate for Sustainable Stormwater Networks

Panagiota Galiatsatou and Christos Iliadis
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Panagiota Galiatsatou: Hydraulics Laboratory, School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Christos Iliadis: School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: Intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves representing the variation of the magnitude of extreme rainfall events with a return period and storm duration are widely used in hydrologic infrastructure design, flood risk management projects, and climate change impact studies. However, in many locations worldwide, short-duration rainfall-observing sites with long records do not exist. This paper introduces a new methodological framework for extracting IDF curves at ungauged sites transferring information from gauged ones with a relatively homogeneous extreme rainfall climate. This methodology is grounded on a simple scaling concept based on the multifractal behaviour of rainfall. A nonstationary Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution fitted to annual rainfall monthly maxima at the ungauged site using a moving-time window approach is also applied to consider effects of a changing climate on IDF curve construction. An application is presented at the study site of Fourni, Crete, to derive IDF curves under changing climate conditions and present implications of the proposed methodology in the design of a sustainable stormwater network. The methodology introduced in this work results in increased rainfall extremes up to 20.5%, while the newly designed stormwater network is characterised by increased diameters of its primary conduits, compared to the ones resulting under fully stationary conditions.

Keywords: IDF curves; simple scaling; nonstationarity; ungauged site; stormwater network design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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