Probabilistic analysis of extreme regional meteorological droughts by L-moments in a semi-arid environment

Regional extreme value analyses of drought characteristics provide information on probabilistic nature of drought occurrence, viewed as an essential tool in drought mitigation and planning. In this paper, L-moments are used to investigate the regional characteristics and probabilistic behavior of drought severity levels, represented by the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) annual minima (the minimum monthly SPI value). Rainfall data of 3, 6, 12, and 24 month time scales are investigated. A regional watershed in southwestern Iran is used as a case study area. The semi-arid nature of the study area requires appropriate selection of rainfall data. The boxplot approach is used to select those months with adequate data time series for the SPI analysis. Appropriateness of the suggested data time series is discussed in the context of the research by Wu et al. (2007). Based on the results, all of the suggested time scales are found appropriate for SPI investigations. For each time scale of interest regional homogeneity is evaluated and the best regional/sub-regional probability distribution function is selected. Regional quantiles are estimated for different time scales and their variability with respect to return period is discussed.