Abstract
This study is concerned with the relationship between the statistical parameters of rainfall intensity and peak runoff and the influence of basin and rainfall characteristics on the relationship. Laboratory watersheds are used under a rainfall generator to develop the characteristics of the equation transforming uniform rainfall intensity into peak runoff. The input (rainfall intensity) is then treated as a random series with known statistical parameters. Using the characteristics of the transformation process, the statistical parameters of the output (peak runoff) are calculated and compared with those of the input. The results indicate that the output has a probability distribution which is of a more general form that that of the input. The major factors influencing the input-output relationship are the average watershed slope, the bifurcation ratio of the basin and the duration of the rainfall. It has also been shown that the Pearson Type III distribution, the parameters of which are calculated from the input and basin characteristics, can accurately describe the output distribution for the experimentally simulated conditions.
Bibliography: p. 145-149.
