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Precipitation - Methods of Calculation

This document discusses three common methods for determining areal average rainfall over a catchment: the arithmetic mean method, Thiessen polygon method, and isohyetal method. The arithmetic mean method simply averages rainfall measurements from rain gauges. The Thiessen polygon method weights rain gauge measurements based on the area represented by each gauge. The isohyetal method is the most accurate as it divides the catchment into zones of equal rainfall and calculates averages between isohyets. Examples are provided for each method.

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Pearl Mae Angus
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268 views8 pages

Precipitation - Methods of Calculation

This document discusses three common methods for determining areal average rainfall over a catchment: the arithmetic mean method, Thiessen polygon method, and isohyetal method. The arithmetic mean method simply averages rainfall measurements from rain gauges. The Thiessen polygon method weights rain gauge measurements based on the area represented by each gauge. The isohyetal method is the most accurate as it divides the catchment into zones of equal rainfall and calculates averages between isohyets. Examples are provided for each method.

Uploaded by

Pearl Mae Angus
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DRAINAGE DESIGN:

PRECIPITATION
AREA RAINFALL
Since precipitation is a very crucial part of the hydrologic cycle, it is necessary to understand how
we measure and quantify actual precipitation.

Commonly used methods:


1. Arithmetic Mean Method
2. Thiessen Polygon Method
3. Isohyetal Method
ARITHMETIC MEAN METHOD
The simplest method in determining areal average rainfall.

P=
∑ P i
n
ARITHMETIC MEAN METHOD
Problem 1: Using Arithmetic Average Method, find the average rainfall over a catchment. The rain
gauge data is 12.6, 18.8, 14.8, 10.4 and 16.2 mm.

Solution:

P=
∑ P i
n
12.6 + 18.8 + 14.8 + 10.4 + 16.2
P=
5

𝐏 =𝟏𝟒 . 𝟓𝟔 𝐦𝐦
THIESSEN POLYGON METHOD
This method is a more common method of weighing the rain-gauge observation according to the
area.

P=
∑ ( A x P )
∑ A
THIESSEN POLYGON METHOD
Problem 2: Using Thiessen Polygon Method, find the average rainfall over a catchment. The data is:

Rain Gauge Station A B C D E


Polygon Area, A (km2) 40 45 38 30 43
Precipitation, P (mm) 30.8 33.4 34.6 32.6 24.6

Solution:

P=
∑ ( A x P )
∑ A
40 (30.8 )+ 45 (33.4 )+38 (34.6 )+30 (32.6 )+ 43 (24.6 )
P=
40 + 45 +38 +30 + 43

𝐏 =𝟑𝟏 . 𝟎𝟓 𝐦𝐦
ISOHYETAL METHOD
This method is the most elaborate and accurate than other methods.

P=
∑ [ A ( P1 + P2
2 )]
∑ A
ISOHYETAL METHOD
Problem 3: Using Isohyetal Method, find the average rainfall over a catchment. The data is:

Isohyets (cm) 12 13 14 15 16 17
Area between Isohyets (km2) 22 80 110 89 70
Average Precipitation (cm) 12.5 13.5 14.5 15.5 16.5

Solution:

P=
∑ [ A ( P1 + P2
2 )]
∑ A
22 (12.5 )+80 (13.5 )+110 (14.5 )+ 89 (15.5 )+70 (16.5 )
P=
22 + 80 +110 +89 +70

𝐏 =𝟏 𝟒 . 𝟕𝟖 𝐜𝐦

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