Flood characteristic description using the singularity method

Abstract

Abstract An advanced understanding of the flood mechanism will provide scientific evidence for decision makers for assessing water resources and development planning. Mathematical models can be used to develop new indices for flood characteristics description and forecasting. In this study, a singularity index (fractal model) was developed by using peak flow and flow discharge data with time to describe flooding events in the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) area, especially for characterizing flow change properties. It was found that the singularity index can be used to describe flood characteristics, which describes the changing behaviour around the peak of the flood flow. The higher the singularity index, the more quickly the flood process changes, and vice versa. It was also observed that the singularity index is higher when more watersheds have urban land cover, and it is lower when fewer watersheds have urban land cover and more have agricultural land cover.