HR: 0830h
AN: NG51A-0826    [PDF]
TI: Characterization of Monthly Streamflow Dynamics in the Western United States
AU: * Sivakumar, B
EM: sbellie@ucdavis.edu
AF: University of California, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, Davis, CA 95616 United States
AU: Wallender, W W
EM: wwwallender@ucdavis.edu
AF: University of California, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, Davis, CA 95616 United States
AU: Puente, C E
EM: cepuente@ucdavis.edu
AF: University of California, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, Davis, CA 95616 United States
AB: The present study attempts to characterize the dynamics of monthly streamflow in the western United States. Specifically, the question of whether the streamflow dynamics are (dominantly) governed by a large number of parameters (i.e., high-dimensional) or only a very few parameters (i.e., low-dimensional) is addressed. The analysis follows two important steps: (1) Representation of the underlying dynamics through reconstruction of the single-dimensional streamflow series in a multi-dimensional phase-space (i.e., phase-space reconstruction); and (2) Determination of the number of dominant parameters through a (neighbor searching) dimension algorithm (i.e., parameter estimation). Monthly streamflow series over a period of 62 years observed at 79 stations across 11 states in the western United States are analyzed. The outcomes are mixed in regards to the number of dominant parameters, as some series suggest low-dimensionality while others suggest high-dimensionality. An attempt to determine the dimensionality of flow series in terms of different flow regimes (i.e., low-flow, medium-flow, and high-flow), based on the magnitude of mean flow, also yields similar mixed interpretations. Efforts towards verification of the present results and investigation of the forecastability of these streamflow series are underway.
DE: 1800 HYDROLOGY
DE: 1860 Runoff and streamflow
DE: 3210 Modeling
DE: 3220 Nonlinear dynamics
DE: 3240 Chaos
SC: Nonlinear Geophysics [NG]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting