Can annual streamflow volumes be characterised by flood events alone?

Abstract

Can total annual streamflow in any given year be largely characterised by a relatively small number of high flow events? A comprehensive assessment of this is of high value as there is evidence to suggest that as flood events increase in rarity a more consistent response between streamflow extremes and temperatures increases can be established — providing greater reliability in projections of rare events. We propose here a novel methodology to characterise streamflow regimes in the context of total annual streamflow for water supply. Using the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Hydrologic Reference Station database, we developed annual event flow distributions that standardise the relationsh..