Strupczewski Method for Parametric Design Hydrographs in Ungauged Cross-Sections

Abstract Nonparametric hydrographs, constructed by the method suggested by Archer, are usually used for developing parametric design hydrographs. Flow changes in time are described by the UPO ERR Gamma complex function, which denotes a Gamma curve reformulated to have a Unit Peak at the Origin (abbreviated to UPO), supplemented by the Exponential Replacement Recession (ERR) curve. It may be observed, that this solution does not work in some areas of the upper Vistula and middle Odra catchments when the times of the rising limb of a hydrograph are higher than the times of the falling limb, i.e. when the skewness coefficient approximates 0.5 or higher values. Better results can be achieved with the function suggested by Strupczewski in 1964. It is a solution which uses two parameters of the flood hydrograph. The objective of the present paper is to assess the Strupczewski method by comparing it with a complex UPO ERR Gamma function for gauged cross-sections in the upper Vistula and middle Odra catchments. The assessment was carried out for 30 gauged cross-sections (15 in each river catchment). The parameters were optimized for width-hydrograph descriptors W75 and W50, designed by the Archer method, and for the skewness coefficient s. Optimization using only two width-hydrograph descriptors aims to test how the Strupczewski method works for cross-sections for which the values of width-hydrograph descriptors W75 and W50 are known. The assessment of both methods was carried out with reference to a nonparametric hydrograph constructed by the Archer method. The results of these assessments suggest that the Strupczewski method may be used not only for gauged cross-sections, but also for ungauged ones.