An integrated approach to the estimation of streamflow drought quantiles

An approach was developed for combining streamflow drought information from synthetic (generated) data with data reconstructed based on palaeoclimatic information (tree ring widths). The tree ring data were used to reconstruct streamflow in periods when no strearnflow data were collected. The reconstructed data were then used as a source of historical data for estimating drought severity quantiles. The generated data were obtained using a nearest neighbour resampling method while the tree ring reconstruction was accomplished using a regression model. The application of the approach was to data from the Athabasca River in Alberta, Canada. The results demonstrate the feasibility and the utility of the approach for obtaining more accurate and precise estimates of extreme drought severity quantiles.