The role of storm movement in controlling flash flood response: an analysis of the 28 September 2012 extreme event in Murcia, southeastern Spain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Amengual ◽  
M. Borga ◽  
G. Ravazzani ◽  
S. Crema
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Flash Flood ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Hydrological Response ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Flash Flooding ◽  
Southeastern Spain ◽  
Flood Response

AbstractFlash flooding is strongly modulated by the spatial and temporal variability in heavy precipitation. Storm motion prompts a continuous change of rainfall space-time variability that interacts with the drainage river system, thus influencing the flood response. The impact of storm motion on hydrological response is assessed for the 28 September 2012 flash flood over the semi-arid and medium-sized Guadalentín catchment in Murcia, southeastern Spain. The influence of storm kinematics on flood response is examined through the concept of ‘catchment-scale storm velocity’. This variable quantifies the interaction between the storm system motion and the river drainage network, assessing its influence on the hydrograph peak. By comparing two hydrological simulations forced by rainfall scenarios of distinct spatial and temporal variability, the role of storm system movement on the flood response is effectively isolated. This case study is the first to: (i) show through the catchment-scale storm velocity how storm motion may strongly affect flood peak and timing; and (ii) assess the influence of storm kinematics on hydrological response at different basin scales. In the end, this extreme flash flooding provides a valuable case study of how the interaction between storm motion and drainage properties modulate hydrological response.

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal variability of rainfall and their effects on hydrological response in urban areas – a review

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 3859-3878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Cristiano ◽  
Marie-Claire ten Veldhuis ◽  
Nick van de Giesen
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Hydrological Processes ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Hydrological Response ◽  
Weather Radars ◽  
New Instruments

Abstract. In urban areas, hydrological processes are characterized by high variability in space and time, making them sensitive to small-scale temporal and spatial rainfall variability. In the last decades new instruments, techniques, and methods have been developed to capture rainfall and hydrological processes at high resolution. Weather radars have been introduced to estimate high spatial and temporal rainfall variability. At the same time, new models have been proposed to reproduce hydrological response, based on small-scale representation of urban catchment spatial variability. Despite these efforts, interactions between rainfall variability, catchment heterogeneity, and hydrological response remain poorly understood. This paper presents a review of our current understanding of hydrological processes in urban environments as reported in the literature, focusing on their spatial and temporal variability aspects. We review recent findings on the effects of rainfall variability on hydrological response and identify gaps where knowledge needs to be further developed to improve our understanding of and capability to predict urban hydrological response.

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal variations of winter discharge under climate change: Case study of rivers in European Russia

2015 ◽  
Vol 368 ◽  
pp. 245-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Telegina
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
European Russia ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
Underground Waters ◽  
Winter Runoff ◽  
First Time

Abstract. An important problem in hydrology is the re-evaluation of the current resources of surface and underground waters in the context of ongoing climate changes. The main feature of the present-day changes in water regime in the major portion of European Russia (ER) is the substantial increase in low-water runoff, especially in winter. In this context, some features of the spatial–temporal variations of runoff values during the winter low-water period are considered. Calculations showed that the winter runoff increased at more than 95% of hydrological gauges. Changes in the minimum and average values of runoff during winter low-water period and other characteristics are evaluated against the background of climate changes in the recent decades. The spatial and temporal variability of winter runoff in European Russia is evaluated for the first time.

scholarly journals Links between East Coast Lows and the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall along the eastern seaboard of Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 162
Author(s):  
Anthony S. Kiem ◽  
Callum Twomey ◽  
Natalie Lockart ◽  
Garry Willgoose ◽  
George Kuczera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variability ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Rainfall Simulation ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Drought Risk ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Duration Magnitude ◽  
Eastern Seaboard

East Coast Lows (ECLs) are intense low-pressure systems which occur over the subtropical east coasts of southern and northern hemisphere continents. ECLs are typically associated with gale force winds, large seas, storm surges, heavy rainfall and flooding. While ECL impacts are typically seen as negative the rainfall associated with ECLs is also very important for urban water security within the heavily populated eastern seaboard of Australia (ESA). This study investigates historical ECLs to gain insights into the timing, frequency, intensity and location of ECL occurrence as well as the magnitude and spatial extent of ECL impacts on rainfall. The different characteristics and impacts associated with different ECL sub-types are highlighted and it is proposed that this spatial and temporal variability in ECL behaviour at least partially explains why the ESA is hydroclimatically different to the rest of Australia and why different locations within the ESA have such different rainfall patterns—and therefore different levels of flood and drought risk. The-se insights are critical to the objectives of the New South Wales government funded Eastern Seaboard Climate Change Initiative (ESCCI), in particular Project 5 which focuses on the water security impacts of ECLs. The results of this work will be used to produce climate-informed stochastic daily rainfall simulations that are more realistic than existing stochastic rainfall simulation methods at preserving the statistics important for catchment-scale hydrology (e.g. clustering of extreme events, long-term persistence, frequency/duration/magnitude of wet and dry spells). These simulated rainfall sequences, that incorporate the spatial and temporal hydroclimatic variability caused by ECLs and other climate phenomena, are important inputs into the hydrological models used to determine current and future urban water security within the ESA.

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