| Abstract: | ABSTRACT: In current hydrologic practice flood frequency estimates are usually based upon either the annual or the partial duration series of floods. Recurrence intervals generated by each series are not equivalent, however, and conversion of recurrence intervals from one series to the other is usually achieved by reference to a mathematical function developed by Langbein in 1949. Data collected on the Murrumbidgee River in New South Wales suggest, however, that the Langbein conversion function does not always provide a reliable means of comparing recurrence intervals. For discharges more frequent than the three year annual flood the Langbein function understates the discrepancy between the two sets of recurrence interval by approximately 35 percent. Langbein's own North American data appear to be consistent with those collected on the Murrumbidgee River. |
