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Lecture 05

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15 views3 pages

Lecture 05

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dummymain99
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Areal Rainfall

The arithmetic-mean method is the simplest method of determining areal average


rainfall. It involves averaging the rainfall depths recorded at a number of gages
[Fig.3.4.3(c)]. This methodis satisfactoryif the gagesare uniformly_distributed
over the area and the individual gage measurementsdo not vary greatfy about the
mean.
If some gages are considered more representativeof the area in question
than others, then relative weights may be assignedto the gagesin computing the
areal average. The Thiessenmethod assumesthat at any point in the watershed
the rainfall is the same as that at the nearestgage so the depth recordedat a given
gage is applied out to a distance halfway to the next station in any direction.
The relative weights for each gage are determined from the correspondingareas
of application in a Thiessenpolygon network, the boundaries of the polygons
being formed by the perpendicular bisectors of the lines joining adjacent gages
tFig.3.4.3(b)1. If there are -/ gages,and the area within the watershedassigned
to each is A;, and P; is the rainfall recorded at theith gage, the areal average
precipitation for the watershedis
J
F: -l s
) AJ' PJ' (3.4.l)
A?.

wherethe watershedareaA :2l:rA:. The Thiessenmethodis generallymore

. pl

Station Observedrainfall within


or closeto the area
(mm or in)

P2 20.o
o P l
P3 30.0.

Pa 40.0

P5 50.0

r40.0
Average rainfall = l40.Ol4 = 35.0 mm or in

FIGLJRE3.4.3(a\
method.
Computationof arealaveragbrainfall by the arithmetic-mean
. accurate than the arithmetic mean method, but it is inflexible, because a new
Thiessen network must be constructed each time there is a change in the gage
network, such as when datais missingfrom one of the gages.Also, the Thiessen
method does not directly account for orographic influences on rainfall.
The isohyetal method overcomessome of these difficulties by constructing
isohyets, using observeddepths at rain gagesand interpolation between adjacent
gages [Fig.3.a.3@)1. Where there is a dense network of raingages,isohyetal
maps can be constructed using computer programs for automated contouring.
Once the isohyetalmap is constructed,the areaA; betweeneachpair of isohyets,
within the watershed,is measuredand multiplied by the averageP; of the rainfall
depthsof the two boundary isohyetsto compute the areal averageprecipitation by
Eq. (3.a.1). The isohyetalmcthodis flexible, and knowledgeof the storm pattern
can influence the drawing of the isohyets, but a fairly densenetwork of gages is
neededto correctly construct the isohyetal map from a complex storm.
Other methods of weighting rain gage records have been proposed, such
as the reciprocal-distance-squaredmethod in which the influence of the rainfall
at a gaged point on the computation of rainfall at an ungagedpoint is inversely
proportionalto the distancebetweenthe two points(Wei and McGuinness,1973).
Singh and Chowdhury (1986) studied the various methods for calculating areal
averageprecipitation, including the ones described here, and concluded that all
the methodsgive comparableresqlts, especiallywhen the time period is long;

Observed Weighted
Station rainfall Area rainfall
(mmor in) (km2or mi2) (mm or in)

P; 10.0 o.22 2.2


rPj
P2 20.0 4.O2 80.4
)p'
/ \ p" 30.0 1.35 40.5
( \
', Pa 40.0 l.60 64.O
,(^
P5 50.0 1.95 97.5
.-J p:

9.14 284.6

Averaserainfall= 284.619.14
= 3l.l mm or in

FIGURE3.4.31b1
Computationof arealaveragerainfall by the Thiessenmethod.
Isohyets Area Average Rainfall
enclosed rainfall volume
(mm or tn) 1km2ormi2) (mm or in)

0.88 ,4.4
l0
l.59 15 23.9
20
2.24 25 s6.0
30
3.01 35 105.4
40
r.22 45 54.9
50
0.20 53* 10.6

9.14 255.2

*Estimated.

Averagerainfall = 255.2 19.14= 27 9 mm or in

FIGURE 3.4.3(c)
Computation of areal average rainfall by the isohyetal method'

to
that is, the different methods vary more from one to another when applied
daily rainfall data than when applied to annual data'

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