USE OF RADAR TO DERWE A STORM INTENSITY-DURATION CURVE1

ABSTRACT: Rainstorms which exceed the design capacity of conveyance systems and cause extensive damage to structures and property, occur frequently in Alberta. After such a severe storm, an early and quick assessment of the storm's location and magnitude and the corresponding frequency for various duration (storm intensity-duration curve) is often required to estimate the damage. The storm intensity-duration curve is produced with information obtained from a sparse network of recording raingages, thus, creating a high degree of uncertainty in the result. Short-duration precipitation is usually quite variable in Alberta; hencea very dense network of recording precipitation stations would be required to provide precise measurements of the storm intensity-duration curve at all locations. Such a dense network does not exist in Alberta; it would be very expensive to install, maintain, and thus difficult to justify financially. One solution for obtaining a large amount of closely spaced in-intensity-duration values is to use weather radar. Using weather radar data, intensity-duration curves could be produced routinely for any set of prespecified locations. The radar data thus have the potential for facilitating the identification of the return period of rainfall events quickly, cheaply, and precisely when the long-term intensity-duration curves are available. As a pilot project to demonstrate the feasibility of the method and the potential of the radar data, computer software was developed to derive from archived radar data, intensity-duration values for up to a 2,500 2 area for a given storm.     

PRECIPITATION CHANGES FROM 1956 TO 1996 ON THE WALNUT GULCH EXPERIMENTAL WATERSHED1

ABSTRACT: The climate of Southern Arizona is dominated by summer precipitation, which accounts for over 60 percent of the annual total. Summer and non‐summer precipitation data from the USDA‐ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed are analyzed to identify trends in precipitation characteristics from 1956 to 1996. During this period, annual precipitation increased. The annual precipitation increase can be attributed to an increase in precipitation during non‐summer months, and is paralleled by an increase in the proportion of annual precipitation contributed during non‐summer months. This finding is consistent with previously reported increases in non‐summer precipitation in the southwestern United States. Detailed event data were analyzed to provide insight into the characteristics of precipitation events during this time period. Precipitation event data were characterized based on the number of events, event precipitation amount, 30‐minute event intensity, and event duration. The trend in non‐summer precipitation appears to be a result of increased event frequency since the number of events increased during nonsummer months, although the average amount per event, average event intensity, and average event duration did not. During the summer “monsoon” season, the frequency of recorded precipitation events increased but the average precipitation amount per event decreased. Knowledge of precipitation trends and the characteristics of events that make up a precipitation time series is a critical first step in understanding and managing water resources in semiarid ecosystems.     

Agenda setting and acid precipitation in the United States

The objective of this research was to analyze the retention of acid precipitation as a viable policy issue on the Congressional agenda during the 1980s. Issue maintenance (a term borrowed from Barbara Nelson's discussion of the four stages associated with agenda decision making) was examined in relation to a set of issue characteristics originally developed by Roger Cobb and Charles Elder, i.e., concreteness, social significance, temporal relevance, complexity, and categorical precedence. Each issue attribute was found to be somewhat useful in explaining the longevity of acid rain as an agenda item although the direction of influence for two factors, complexity and temporal relevance, was contrary to expectations. It was suggested that a conceptual merger of this sort could contribute to the comparative analysis of agenda policy decisions by providing a clearer and more restricted set of decision points to be explained.     

PROBABLE MAXIMUM PRECIPITATION FOR THE LOWER RIO GRANDE1

To aid in planning and design of additional flood protection on the Lower Rio Grande, the Hydroraeteorological Branch prepared a probable maximum precipitation study for the International Boundary and Water Commission (United States and Mexico) and the Republic of Mexico. Five drainages from 2,000 to over 17,000 square miles in area between Falcon and Anzalduas Dams including Rio San Juan and Rio Alamo in Mexico are the areas of concern. The great rains of hurricane Beulah, September 19–24, 1967 verified that additional protection is needed. Procedures for estimating probable maximum precipitation (PMP) are described. A particular problem was to estimate rainfall potential for the Sierra Madre Oriental in Rio San Juan and Alamo drainages. These mountains form a north-south windward-facing slope and barrier of over 7000 feet in elevation. A detailed study was made of rains from hurricane Beulah. The storm produced the greatest known rain depths in North America for 50,000 square miles or greater, and durations longer than 48 hours.     

CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION IN THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS1

A study of the relationship among cloudiness, precipitable water vapor, stability and precipitation is presented for the Texas High Plains. A study of clouds during periods of above-normal rainfall indicates that precipitation during late fall and winter is associated with stratiform clouds which develop in conjunction with cyclonic activity. Spring and summer precipitation is most highly correlated with cumuliform clouds characteristic of convective activity. Investigation of other macroscale atmospheric features indicates that wet periods are further characterized by atmospheric instability and above-normal amounts of precipitable water vapor and water-vapor flux. Dry periods are associated with atmospheric circulation patterns which either serve to cut off the supply of low-level moisture, produce subsidence and consequent atmospheric stability, or both.     

西昌-攀枝花高速公路弃土场土壤侵蚀预报

为探讨高速公路施工期弃土场边坡的水土流失规律,对西昌—攀枝花高速公路一弃土场边坡进行了天然降雨条件下水土流失观测试验,结果表明,弃土场边坡的主要侵蚀形式是沟蚀,主要侵蚀因子是次降雨量和汇水平台宽度。最后提出了预测西昌—攀枝花高速公路弃土场边坡土壤侵蚀量的土壤侵蚀模型。     

GAGE DENSITY AND LOCATION FOR ESTIMATING MEAN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION IN MOUNTAINOUS AREAS1

ABSTRACT: Data from a network of 45 shielded precipitation gages on the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in Southwestern Idaho were analyzed to determine the optimum gage density for estimating mean annual precipitation. Four subsets of the 45 gage network were used to derive a curve of mean annual precipitation versus number of gages with a confidence band at the 95 percent level. When less than 20 gages were used in the estimate, the confidence interval widens rapidly. Estimates were improved by stratifying gages on the basis of plant cover class or by elevation bands. Sixty-four percent of the variation in mean annual precipitation was accounted for by elevation and cover class. The aspect and hydrologic soil classification were not statistically significant.     

FOG DRIP IN THE BULL RUN MUNICIPAL WATERSHED,OREGON1

ABSTRACT: Net precipitation under old growth Douglas fir forest in the Bull Run Municipal Watershed (Portland, Oregon) totaled 1739 mm during a 4Cbweek period, 387 mm more than in adjacent clearcut areas. Expressing data on a full water year basis and adjusting gross precipitation for losses due to rainfall interception suggest fog drip could have added 882 mm (35 in) of water to total precipitation during a year when precipitation measured 2160 mm in a rain gage in a nearby clearing. Standard rain gages installed in open areas where fog is common may be collecting up to 30 percent less precipitation than would be collected in the forest. Long term forest management (Le., timber harvest) in the watershed could reduce annual water yield and, more importantly, summer stream flow by reducing fog drip.     

High acidity tolerance in lichens with fumarprotocetraric, perlatolic or thamnolic acids is correlated with low pKa1 values of these lichen substances

The depsidone fumarprotocetraric acid as well as the depsides perlatolic and thamnolic acids are lichen secondary metabolites. Their first dissociation constants (pK_a1) in methanol were determined to be 2.7 for perlatolic acid and 2.8 for fumarprotocetraric and thamnolic acids by UV spectroscopy. Lower pK_a1 values are, so far, not known from lichen substances. Several lichens producing at least one of these compounds are known for their outstanding tolerance to acidic air pollution. This is demonstrated by evaluating published pH preferences for central European lichens. The low pK_a1 values suggest that strong dissociation of the studied lichen substances is a prerequisite for the occurrence of lichens with these compounds on very acidic substrata, as protonated lichen substances of different chemical groups, but not their conjugated bases, are known to shuttle protons into the cytoplasm and thereby apparently damage lichens.