Research Goals

In order to better manage my research efforts, I am going to post and continue to update a series of research goals for my research efforts with Dr. David Maidment and his research group here at the University of Texas.


Purpose
    The purpose of this research is to develop of GIS-based methodology to estimast regional flood frequency curves on tributary rivers and the mainstem Mississippi that are consistent. The methodology will adjust design discharge for the effects of drainage area across the basin. This adjustment will account for both the depth-area reduction in observed rainfall and the tributary peak flow coincidence effects on flow frequencies.

Objectives

Finished

1. Establish a base map of the Mississippi and her associated tributaries in the upper Midwest using ARCVIEW/ARCINFO. This map will contain multiple data layers to ease its use as a research tool. It will be constructed using the topographic information available and will be at the 1:2,000,000 scale.

2. Develop a 500m DEM and river reach layout in a GIS. Determine the drainage areas at specific gages locations.

3. Develop and test a relationship between daily discharge and drainage area as a function of return interval. Test the relationship using the Des Moines River basin as the test watershed.

4.  Develop graphs of flood peaks and volumes in the test area. Graph flood peaks and discharge vs drainage area for the Des Moines River.

In Progress

5.  Apply the relationships found in Step 3 to test design hydrographs for the incremental areas and major tributaries in the study area.

6.  Assess routing methodolgy for routing and combining the tributary hydrographs to reproduce the relationships shown above.

7. Display results using a GIS

Web page authored by: Ben Bigelow
Last Revised on 15 October 1998
Questions? Send email to my mailbox at bjb2@aol.com or bbigelow@mail.utexas.edu

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