Understanding the Depth-Duration Relationships in Rainfall and Irrigation Dynamics
This article explores the relationship between rainfall depth and duration, focusing on how these factors influence the experience of getting wet during rain events. It discusses the measurement of rainfall in terms of duration (time) and depth (volume), highlighting how rainfall intensity varies from light drizzle to heavy downpours. The variability of both natural rainfall and irrigation systems is examined, along with methods for simulating rainfall for agricultural purposes. Readers will also learn how to develop a depth-duration relationship for recorded data.
Understanding the Depth-Duration Relationships in Rainfall and Irrigation Dynamics
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Presentation Transcript
Depth-vs-Duration Relationships observed in rainfall and irrigation
Living with Rainfall • Where were you the last time you got caught out in the rain? • How wet did you get? Damp hair? Soaked to the skin? • How did the amount of time you spent in the rain impact how wet you got?
Describing Rainfall • Rainfall duration– how long did it rain? • Measured in units of time (minutes or hours) • Rainfall depth—how much water fell? • Measured in units of length (inches or cm) • Rainfall intensity—how hard is it raining? • Light drizzle versus pouring “cats and dogs” • Depth received over a period of time • Measured in units of length/time (in/hr or cm/hr)
Measuring Depth • Radar Estimates tamarisk.nmsu.edu www.wunderground.com • Rain Gages www.sws.uiuc.edu
Variability of Depth • Natural rainfall varies over time and space • Over time—changing intensity • Over space—storm coverage, cloud patterns, etc.
“Simulated” Rainfall • We simulate rainfall with irrigation systems ga.water.usgs.gov www.magicirrigation.com
Variability of Irrigation • Lower variability over time– we control delivery of water to the system • Still have some variability over space • Spray patterns of different equipment • Wind
Today’s Activity • Develop a depth-duration relationship for simulated rainfall • Be prepared to share your collected data in both tabular and graphical form