CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Alila, Y.; Adamowski, K.; Pilon, P.J.; and Kowalchuk, M.Z.
Date : 1994
Title : A regional approach in the identification, estimation, and hypothesis testing of probability distributions of annual maximum flows.
Publication : Stochastic and Statistical Methods in Hydrology and Environmental Engineering
Issue : 1:
Page(s) : 27-40.
Abstract
Statistical analyses of hydrologic data involve the identification of the probability distribution from which the sample was drawn, and the estimation of the parameters of the distribution. Standard approaches involve the selection of a distribution by fit or by reference to one or more standard at-site goodness-of-fit tests. The parameters of the distribution are estimated by procedures such as the method of moments or maximum likelihood. It has, however, long been recognized that the statistical distributions cannot be reliably delineated from small data sample sizes commonly available in hydrology using this at-site approach. Recent studies (Hosking, 1990; Hosking and Wallis, 1993) have shown that the method of L-moments (data analysis using linear combinations of an ordered sample) provides a unified, efficient, and convenient approach to all the stages of identification, estimation, and hypothesis testing of probability distributions. The apparent advantages of the L-moments is that they suffer less from the effects of sampling variability than does the conventional moments, they are more robust to outliers in the data, and by providing information on the regional variability of statistics, they enable more secure inferences to be made from samples about the underlying probability distribution. The purpose of this study is to investigate the statistical distribution(s) associated with annual maximum flows in a region of the Saskatchewan-Nelson River Basin utilizing the method of L-moments. The results of the study indicate that the study area can be delineated into three hydroclimatically distinct homogeneous zones. The success of the approach may have significant implications on the current understanding of hydrologic network data, as well as on the broader aspects of water planning and management that rely upon statistical information.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology