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Floods and droughts

Definitions
Flood: Floods occur when a
drainage basin experiences an
unusually intense or prolonged water
input. Flood is usually viewed as an
event in which the streamflow
exceeds the channel capacity,
resulting on overland flow (the
floodplain is inundated), but the http://www.11terra.com/rising_seas
terms is also often applied more
generally to unusually high
discharge events.

Drought: A drought is an extended


period (months, years) that a region
experiences a deficiency in water
supply, generally because of
reduced precipitation. http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00477/NatDisasterPages/Heidi
%20Draught/drought/droughtclassification.htm.htm
Floodplain

A floodplain is nearly flat land adjacent to a mature stream or river


extending from the stream channel to the base of the enclosing
valley. As the name implies, floodplains are water covered during
floods. Of course not all streams and rivers have floodplains.

Floodplains are fertile land for


agriculture (sediments are
deposited by floods) and they
can support rich ecosystems.
They are not particularly smart
places for human settlements.
Flood frequency
analysis

Goal: Using a given record of stream


flows, such as a left, find the
exceedence probability and return period
of discharge events of a given size.
Flood frequency analysis useful for
developing floodplain management
strategies and informing infrastructure
design.

http://www.ceh.ac.uk/data/nrfa/data/timeseries_plots.html
Getting exceedence probability
Exceedence probability EP(Q) is the probability of discharge Q exceeding a
specified value of discharge Qsp

EP(Q) = Probability {Q > Qsp} = 1 – F(Q)

Where F(Q) is the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of discharge:

F(Q) = Probability {Q ≤ Qsp}


Below: Probability density function (PDF) and cumulative distribution
function (CDF) for a normal distribution

http://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/eda/section3/eda362.htm
Return period
If EP(Q) stays constant with time, then the interval between
occurrences of the event Q > Qsp is 1/EP(Q). Thus
exceedance probability can be expressed in terms of a return
period TR(Q), also know as a recurrence interval.

TR(Q) = 1/EP(Q) = 1/(1-F(Q))

If we consider the statistics using the largest discharge for each


year (as is typically done), then TR(Q) is the average number of
years between intervals when Q > Qsp.

Hence, by definition, the 100 year flood is the annual peak


discharge with an event probability of 0.01:

TR(Q) = 1/EP(Q)
TR(Q) = 1/0.01 = 100 years
Z-score transformation
Assume for the moment that the largest discharge events for each year are drawn from
a normal distribution hence having the characteristics depicted in the figure below. For
each discharge value, we can compute a Z-score:

Z = [Q - <Q>]/SD

Where <Q> is the average of all of the largest annual discharge values, Q is the largest
discharge for a given year, and SD is the standard deviation of <Q>.

As seen in the figure:

For Q = <Q>, Z=0, EP(Q)=50%


For Q = <Q> + SD, Z=1, EP(Q) =16%
For Q = <Q> + 2.SD, Z=2, EP(Q) = 2.3%
For Q = <Q> + 3.SD, Z=3, EP(Q) = 0.01%

http://www.thefullwiki.org/Z_scores
Dealing with non-normal distributions
Problem: The distribution of highest annual flows will
probably not be a normal distribution. It is more
likely to be log normal distribution (example at right).
A log normal distribution is probability distribution
whose logarithm is normally distributed.

Solution 1: Non-parametric – make no assumptions


about the distribution:

•Rank the flows from lowest (i=1) to highest (i=N)


•Estimate the quantile value (exceedence frequency)
for each flow: qi = i/(N+1)
•Make a plot of qi versus Qi (discharge) and http://www.danvk.org/wp/category/boggle/
interpolate through the points.

Solution 2: Parametric - fit an appropriate PDF to The log Pearson III distribution is
the discharge data (e.g., a log normal distribution). used by federal agencies to
The advantage of this approach is that one can model flood flows.
extrapolate beyond the bounds of the actual data to
estimate the high (floods) and low (droughts)
exceedence probability values. However, one must
be sure that the assumed distribution is the correct
one (see Section C-5 in Dingman, 2002).
Flow frequency curve

At right is the flow frequency


curve for the Virgin River at
Littlefield AZ (gauging station
09415000) based on different
estimates. The 100 year
flood (annual exceedence
probability of 1%) is about
750 m3s-1. Half of the time
(exceedence probability of
50%) , the discharge
exceeds about 150 m3s-1

http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri974073/report.html
Front Range Colorado: Mixed Population Floods

In the Front Range, the largest floods are due to rain


events, though snowmelt floods are more common

In the Alpine, rain storms are not large enough to create


significant floods, and the hydrology is dominated by snowmelt

Source: USGS
Predicting flow at un-gauged sites

The techniques just discussed apply to gauged streams.


However, we may want to get exceedence probability relations
for ungauged streams:

•Get magnitude exceedence probability relations at gauging


stations from the surrounding area.

•Use multiple linear regression to relate the magnitude of floods


with specified exceedence probabilities at those gauging
stations to characteristics of their drainage basins (e.g., area,
slope, location, forest cover, elevation, geology, channel size).

•Apply the equation to the ungauged stream based on the


characteristics of its drainage
Regional equations for
predicting flood peaks

Source: USGS
Floodplain management

Flood control dams: These reduce


the peak flood discharge associated
with a given exceedence probability
at locations downstream of the dam.
Their effects decrease rapidly with
downstream distance and tend to be
less effective for larger floods.

Dikes and levees: Designed to


prevent flooding behind them. They
http://www.uwsp.edu/geO/faculty/ozsvath/images/flood_control_dam.htm
can increase flood levels
downstream. Overtopping of dikes
and levees can have catastrophic
consequences (e.g., New Orleans
after Hurricane Katrina, see
photograph at bottom right)

http://www.hurricanekatrina.com/
Floodplain management (cont.)
Channelization: This involves straightening,
deepening or lining a stream channel to enable
the channel to carry larger discharge without
overtopping its banks. Channelization turns out
to have only temporary beneficial effects and
environmental impacts can be severe.

http://www.streamteamok.net/projects/Pictures%20113.jpg

Floodproofing: Floodproof buildings


(through retrofit or as part of new
construction) so that they can handle
flooding without much damage.

http://www.wbdg.org/resources/env_flood.php
Floodplain management (cont.)

Removal of structures: Remove buildings in


harm’s way

Flood warning: Provide enough advance warning


of a flood (e.g., with a siren, as in Boulder) for
people to get out of the area anticipated to be
affected. Flood warming works best on large rivers
that respond relatively slowly an predictably of water
input events. Warning systems are less effective
http://www.rcscomm.net/floodwarning.html when it comes to flash floods that require rapid
response time (e.g., Big Thompson River 1976, ,
we’ll look at this shortly).

Floodplain zoning: Land use controls that limit


development on flood prone areas

http://www.co.washington.wi.us/departments.iml?Detail=147
Boulder Creek, 1894
Bridge at 4th St.

Between May 30-June 1, heavy rains fell in


the Boulder and South Boulder Creek
basins. Rainfall records for a 96-hour
period showed that the mountain drainage
area received from 4.5 to 6 inches of
precipitation which combined with
snowmelt runoff. The estimated flow on
Boulder Creek at 4th Street was 11,000 to
13,500 cfs, similar to the flow of a 100- Near 7th St., looking east
year flood of 12,000 cfs (from US Army
Corps of Engineers).

http://www.boulderfloods.org/Mapviewer/bo
ulder_centrall_floodhazardzone.htm

Denver Public Library


South Boulder Creek, 1938
Closeup of Dance Hall.

The storm produced general rains over all


of eastern Colorado, with over 6 inches
reported west of Eldorado Springs. Boulder
reported 3.62 inches of precipitation from
31 August to 4 September with 2.32 inches
falling during 2 September. Eldorado
Springs had 4.42 inches of rainfall.
Approximately 80 % of the total
precipitation falling in the South Boulder Houses on the brink
Creek basin fell in the late afternoon and
evening of 2 September. The resulting
flood, with a peak discharge of 7390 cfs
arrived at Eldorado Springs at 10 PM on 2
September.

http://bcn.boulder.co.us/basin/history/1938flood.html

Both Denver Public Library


Big Thomson River, 1976

Denver Post, David Buresh

Denver Post, Dave Cupp

The flood was set off by a severe rainstorm (convection with easterly flow) that stalled
between Estes Park and Loveland on July 31, 1976. The storm dumped nearly 8 inches of
rain in one hour, and up to 12 inches of rain in four hours . The flood claimed 144 lives and
destroyed more than 400 homes. The peak flood flow on the Big Thompson was computed
to be just over 30,000 cfs. A 100 year flood? 1000 year? 10,000 year? There is debate.
Source:
USGS
Source:
USGS
Water Resources Research
Bijou Creek

Big
Thompson

Source: O’Connor and Costa


Source: O’Connor and Costa
Source: O’Connor and Costa
Source: O’Connor et al., The Geology and Geography of Floods
Source: O’Connor et al., The Geology and Geography of Floods
The Missoula Floods – a glacial outburst : One of the largest floods known in geologic record

http://www.nwcreation.net/articles/missoulaflood.htm
Lake Bonneville flood, 15,000 BP
http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/
Lake Bonneville was the precursor of the Great Salt Lake
hydr/lkbflood/lbf.htm
and once covered an area of more than 19,000 square
miles. Approximately 15,000 years ago, the lake suddenly
discharged to the north. This flood is thought to be caused
by capture of the Bear River which greatly increased the
supply of water to the Bonneville Basin. The flood waters
flowed over Red Rock Pass (where the failure occurred) in
southeastern Idaho and continued westward, following the
approximate path of the present Snake River. Peak flow
may have been 15 million cfs. The Melon Gravels
deposited by the flood average three feet in diameter, but
some well-rounded boulders range up to 10 feet in
diameter. Boulders were dumped in unsorted deposits up
to 300 feet thick.
(http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/hydr/lkbflood/lbf.htm)

http://travellogs.us/Miscellaneous/Geology/Melon%20R
ocks/Melon%20Rocks.htm
The Younger Dryas, 11,500 BP, initiated by a massive flood?

The Laurentide Ice Sheet and the


routing of overflow from the Lake
Aggasiz basin (dashed line) to the
Gulf of Mexico just before the
Younger Dryas (a) and routing of
overflow from Lake Aggasiz
through the Great Lakes to the St.
Lawrence and northern North
Atlantic during the Younger Dryas
(b) [from Broecker et al., 1989, by
permission of Nature]. Massive
discharge of freshwater into the
North Atlantic from the melting
Laurentide Ice Sheet could have
disrupted the ocean thermohaline
circulation, initiating the YD cold
event.
Open channel flow and flood waves
Stream discharge Q can be expressed as follows:

Q = U.Y.B (Eq. 1)

Where U is the average flow velocity (m s-1), Y is the average depth of the flow (m) and
B is the water surface width (m).

Open channel velocity U can be given by the Manning Equation :

U = (um.Y2/3.S1/2)/n (Eq. 2)

S is the water surface slope, Manning’s “n” is a factor characterizing channel


conductance/resistance (it depends on channel roughness and irregularity) and um is
a unit conversion factor.

Dignman (1984) has shown that the velocity of a flood wave UF is:

UF = 1/B.∂Q/∂Y (Eq. 3)

Where B is the water surface width (channel width), Q is the discharge, and Y is the
average depth of the flow.
Open channel flow and flood waves (cont.)
Q = U.Y.B (Eq. 1)
U = (um.Y2/3.S1/2)/n (Eq. 2)

Rearrange and combine the above two equations:

U = Q/(Y.B)
U = (um.Y2/3.S1/2)/n

Q/(Y.B) = (um.Y2/3.S1/2)/n
Q = Y3/3.B.(um.Y2/3.S1/2)/n

Q = B.(um.Y5/3.S1/2)/n (Eq. 4)

Differentiate with respect to Y Dingman 2002, Figure 9-2

∂Q/ ∂Q = 5/3.(um.Y2/3.S1/2.B)/n (Eq. 5)

Substitute the Manning Equation (Eq. 2) and Eq. 4 into the equation for flood wave
velocity (Eq. 3) and we get

UF = 5/3.U

Meaning that the flood wave moves faster (1.67 times) the the water itself!
Open channel flow and flood waves (cont.)
Q = B.(um.Y5/3.S1/2)/n

UF = 5/3.U

These two equation work for flood waves that remain within the river channel. The
relationship between flow velocity and flood wave velocity may be altered of the stream
overtops the channel banks and inundates the flood plain.
Velocities tend to be lower in the overbank
portion of the flood because they the water is
shallower and encounters higher resistance due
to vegetation (e.g., trees get in the way). The
flood wave velocity equation can be adjusted to
account for such effects.

Dingman 2002, Figure 9-2


http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/148021
Example: Glen Canyon Dam release
In April 2009 there was a large water release
from the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado
River, intended to improve stream habitat by
mimicking the spring discharge peak that
would have naturally occurred without the
dam in place.

Consider the travel time of the flood wave


associated with the release from Lee’s Ferry
(in Glen Canyon) to the Grand Canyon.

http://www.glencanyon.org/library/bureauhistory.php

http://www.grandcanyonairlines.com/gca/gcaimg/fulls/glencanyon4.jpg
Glen Canyon example (cont.)

Peak discharge Q at Lee’s Ferry: about 12,000


cfs at 2200h, 4/18/09

Peak discharge Q at Grand Canyon: was about


12,500 cfs at 1600h, 4/19/09

Travel time of flood wave = 18 hours = 64,800 s

Distance travelled = 87 miles = 459,360 feet

UF = 459,360 ft/64,800 sec ≈ 7 ft s -1

U = 2.5 feet s-1


Hence UF ≈ 2.7.U
http://www.sangres.com/dimages/arizona/coconino-
county/Glen-Canyon-Dam.gif
Question: Why higher than 1.67?
Primary answer: Channel morphology

Channel width at Lee’s Ferry: 415 ft


Channel width at Grand Canyon: 290 ft
Glen Canyon example (cont.)
Go back to the equation for flood wave velocity from Dingman
(1984):

UF = 1/B.∂Q/∂Y (Eq. 3)

Where B is the water surface width (channel width), Q is the


discharge, and Y is the average depth of the flow. Hence, because
the channel narrows, the flood wave propagates faster than
predicted.

290 ft/415 ft = 70%, i.e., Grand Canyon channel width is 70% of the
channel width at Lee’s Ferry

70% of 2.7 =1.9, closer to 1.67 but still high.

Explanation: Water velocity increases slightly downstream.


Drought

Drought is part of natural climate


variability. There are three basic
sequences of drought and associated
impacts:

Meteorological drought: Deficit in


precipitation, often (not always)
accompanied by above average
temperatures, high winds, low humidity
and high solar radiation.

Agricultural drought: Continued


precipitation deficit, leading to a soil water
deficit, hindering agriculture and natural
plant growth.

Hydrologic drought: The precipitation


deficit continues, and stream discharge, http://www.drought.unl.edu/whatis/concept.htm
lake wetland and reservoir levels drop,
with impacts on wildlife habitat.
Low flow analysis: Flow duration curve

The flow duration curve is a useful


tool for streamflow analysis; it gives
the flow associated with any
exceedence or non-exceedence
probability. The flow which is
exceeded 95% of the time is an
index of water availability used for
design purposes. In the example at
right, for the Alsea River at
Tidewater (WY), the 95%
exceedence flow is about 80 cfs.
Flow duration curves are computed
using daily streamflow data.

http://streamflow.engr.oregonstate.edu/analysis/flow/tutorial.htm
Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI)

The Palmer Drought Severity


Index is a measure of dryness
based on recent precipitation
and temperature, developed by
Wayne Palmer in 1965. It is
based on a supply and demand
model of soil moisture. NOAA
prepares weekly PDSI maps
for the United States, the
example at right is for the week
ending 21 September 2002,
during the drought the gripped
much the western part on the
nation.
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/r
egional_monitoring/palmer/2010/
Calculating PDSI
“Computation of PDSI begins with the determination of monthly departure of moisture
from normal by estimating the gaps between actual precipitation and precipitation that
is climatically appropriate for existing conditions (CAFEC-P).

The CAFEC-P can be obtained from the basic terms of the water balance equation,
which deducts the expected supply from the expected demand factors to get the
water demand that must be met by precipitation.

Parameters of the CAFEC include evapotranspiration, soil recharge, runoff, and


moisture loss from the surface layer. The monthly moisture anomalies are then
converted into the indices of moisture anomaly by multiplying by a weighting factor.

Finally, dryness or wetness severity is deduced from the moisture anomaly index and
the PDSI of the previous month. Theoretically, PDSI is a standardized measure,
ranging from about −6.0 to +6.0”

From: Spatial Variation and Trends in PDSI and SPI Indices and Their Relation to
Streamflow in 10 Large Regions of China, Jianqing Zhai, Journal of Climate, 23,
649-663.
Palmer Drought Severity Index (cont.)

PDSI for July 1934, during the “Dust Bowl”


Dust Bowl
The dust bowl of the 1930s was named for
immense dust storms which at times
reached east coast cities. The dust bowl
resulted from a combination of extended
drought and poor farming practices. Plowing
the topsoils of the plains eliminated deep-
rooted grasses that would normally have
kept soils in place during drought conditions
and high wind events. There were at least 4 June 4 1937, at Goodwell, Oklahoma. (Mrs. Emma
distinct drought events: 1930–31, 1934, Love, Goodwell, Oklahoma)
1936, and 1939–40 (Riebsame et al., 1991).

Dust storm approaching Stratford, Texas Dust bowl


surveying in Texas
Image ID: theb1365, Historic C&GS Collection
Location: Stratford, Texas
Photo Date: April 18, 1935
Credit: NOAA George E. Marsh Album
Temperature and precipitation anomalies, 1998-2002
While Western U.S. drought was extreme in 2002, it was preceded by prolonged
below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures during 1998–2002 over
an extensive swath of the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes spanning the United
States, the Mediterranean, southern Europe, and Southwest and Central Asia

M Hoerling, A Kumar Science 2003;299:691-694


A n unusual pattern of sea surface temperatures

M Hoerling, A Kumar Science 2003;299:691-694

The figure above shows observed, standardized 4-year–averaged SST anomalies for June
1998 through May 2002 (top), and monthly anomalies for the climatological warm pool region of
the tropical Indian and west Pacific (left) and the climatological cold tongue region of the
equatorial east Pacific (right)
Modeling temperature and precipitation anomalies

M Hoerling, A Kumar Science 2003;299:691-694

Global climate models (GCMs) driven by the observed monthly varying anomalies in sea
surface temperature were able to reproduce the basic pattern of annual averaged surface
temperature (left) and precipitation (right) anomalies observed over the 4-year period June
1998–May 2002. Conclusion: the drought was largely driven by ocean conditions.
Atmospheric circulation anomalies

M Hoerling, A Kumar Science 2003;299:691-694

The observed pressure height anomaly field at the 200 hPa level over the 4-year period June
1998–May 2002 (left) shows an almost uninterrupted zonal belt of unusually high pressure
spanning the middle latitudes. The anomaly field as simulated by atmospheric GCMs forced
with the observed, monthly varying SST and sea ice anomalies of the period is similar. Drying
of the lower atmosphere is consistent with this pattern.
Drought feedback processes

Drought can be exacerbated by


feedback processes. The figure
at right conceptualizes processes
in the Sahel of Africa. If the land
dries out, there will be less
vegetation, meaning less
evaporation from the land, and
more solar radiation will be
reflected from the surface
These processes weaken the
monsoon that brings rainfall to
the area. The feedback can
involve land degradation due to
human activities.
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/environment-
book/desertificationinsahel.html , from Dryland Systems in
Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Current State and Trends
Rain follows the plow?
“Rain follows the plow” refers to a late 19th century theory of climatology, popular in
the American West and Australia. It finds it origin with Charles Dana Wilber, a land
speculator, journalist, author and champion of the American West as a site of
agricultural development. From his 1881 book The Great Valleys and Prairies of
Nebraska and the Northwest:
"Suppose (an army of frontier farmers) 50 miles,
in width, from Manitoba to Texas, could acting in
concert, turn over the prairie sod, and after deep
plowing and receiving the rain and moisture,
present a new surface of green growing crops
instead of dry, hard baked earth covered with
sparse buffalo grass. No one can question or http://homesteadcongress.blogspot.com/2009/10/
doubt the inevitable effect of this cooling homestead-myth-rain-follows-plow.html
condensing surface upon the moisture in the
atmosphere as it moves over by the Western
winds. A reduction of temperature must at once
occur, accompanied by the usual phenomena of
showers. The chief agency in this transformation
is agriculture. To be more concise. Rain follows
the plow."
http://science.discovery.com/top-ten/2009/science-
mistakes/science-mistakes-07.html
Rain follows the plow?
The basis of the theory is that agriculture would affect the climate of these semi-arid
and arid lands, increasing rainfall and hence making them lush and productive. The
theory was promoted as a justification for the settlement of the “Great American
Desert” (the Great Plains). It was also used to justify the expansion of wheat growing
in marginal lands in Australia.

Today, we would view the argument in terms of precipitation recycling (discussed


earlier in the semester). Precipitation recycling is the fraction of precipitation that
falls within a watershed (or region) due to water that is evapotranspirated from that
region and then falls back within the same region.

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7t.html http://severe-wx.pbworks.com/w/page/
15957990/Thunderstorms
Rain follows the plow?
P = Total precipitation
PL = Precipitation of local origin
ET = Evapotranspiration
A = Area of watershed
F+ = Vertically integrated vapor flux
directed into the watershed (advective
moisture term)
http://www.bopmyspace.com/image_50/thunderstorm
F+
From the formulation of
Brubaker et al. (2003): P E
T
PL/P = 1/(1+ 2.F+/ET.A)

To get a high recycling ratio (P/PL) F+


you want a large ET rate
and a small advective moisture term.

Dingman 2002 Figure 2-3


Rain follows the plow?

The problem: For most regions, including the American west, the bulk of precipitation is
“imported” in that the water vapor associated with the precipitation comes from outside
of the region.

Hence:

Plow the fields and plant crops.


Transpiration and bare soil
evaporation take soil moisture and put
it into the atmosphere as water vapor.
While some of the water vapor may
fall back as rain within the same
general region, most is carried away
downstream.

Rain does not follow the plow. The


plow needs to follow the rain.

http://memory.loc.gov/award/nbhips/lca/107/10785r.jpg

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