A Probabilistic Approach for Characterization of Sub-Annual Socioeconomic Drought Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Relationships in a Changing Environment

Abstract

Changes in climate, land use, and population can increase annual and interannual variability of socioeconomic droughts in water-scarce regions. This study develops a probabilistic approach to improve characterization of sub-annual socioeconomic drought intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) relationships under shifts in water supply and demand conditions. A mixture Gamma-Generalized Pareto (Gamma-GPD) model is proposed to enhance characterization of both the non-extreme and extreme socioeconomic droughts. Subsequently, the mixture model is used to determine sub-annual socioeconomic drought intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) relationships, return period, amplification factor, and drought risk. The application of the framework is demonstrated for the City of Fort Collins (Colorado, USA) water supply system. The water demand and supply time series for the 1985–2065 are estimated using the Integrated Urban water Model (IUWM) and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), respectively, with climate forcing from statistically downscaled CMIP5 projections. The results from the case study indicate that the mixture model leads to enhanced estimation of sub-annual socioeconomic drought frequencies, particularly for extreme events. The probabilistic approach presented in this study provides a procedure to update sub-annual socioeconomic drought IDF curves while taking into account changes in water supply and demand conditions.

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