Scale-wise evolution of rainfall probability density functions fingerprints the rainfall generation mechanism
Abstract
© 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.The cross-scale probabilistic structure of
rainfall intensity records collected over time scales ranging from hours to decades
at sites dominated by both convective and frontal systems is investigated. Across
these sites, intermittency build-up from slow to fast time-scales is analyzed in terms
of heavy tailed and asymmetric signatures in the scale-wise evolution of rainfall
probability density functions (pdfs). The analysis demonstrates that rainfall records
dominated by convective storms develop heavier-Tailed power law pdfs toward finer
scales when compared with their frontal systems counterpart. Also, a concomitant marked
asymmetry build-up emerges at such finer time scales. A scale-dependent probabilistic
description of such fat tails and asymmetry appearance is proposed based on a modified
q-Gaussian model, able to describe the cross-scale rainfall pdfs in terms of the nonextensivity
parameter q, a lacunarity (intermittency) correction and a tail asymmetry coefficient,
linked to the rainfall generation mechanism.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4105Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1029/2010GL042634Publication Info
Molini, A; Katul, GG; & Porporato, A (2010). Scale-wise evolution of rainfall probability density functions fingerprints the rainfall
generation mechanism. Geophysical Research Letters, 37(1). pp. L07403. 10.1029/2010GL042634. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4105.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Gabriel G. Katul
Theodore S. Coile Distinguished Professor of Hydrology and Micrometeorology
Gabriel G. Katul received his B.E. degree in 1988 at the American University of Beirut
(Beirut, Lebanon), his M.S. degree in 1990 at Oregon State University (Corvallis,
OR) and his Ph.D degree in 1993 at the University of California in Davis (Davis, CA).
He is currently the Theodore S. Coile Professor of Hydrology and Micrometeorology
at the Nicholas School of the Environment and the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering at Duke University (Durham,
Amilcare Porporato
Adjunct Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Amilcare Porporato earned a Master Degree in Civil Engineering (summa cum laude) in
1992 and his Ph.D. in 1996 from Polytechnic of Turin. He was appointed Assistant Professor
in the Department of Hydraulics of the Polytechnic of Turin, and he moved to Duke
University in 2003, where he is now Full Professor in the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering with a secondary appointment with the Nicholas School of
the Environment.
In June 1996, Porporato received the Arturo Parisatti
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