A modular class of multisite monthly rainfall generators for water resource management and impact studies

SummaryThis study introduces a class of stochastic multisite monthly rainfall generators devised for application in water resources management problems, such as the sensitivity analysis of droughts and extreme rainfall scenarios under external climatic and non-climatic forcing mechanisms. The modelling framework relies on three elements: (1) a classical deseasonalisation scheme based on log-transformed observations, (2) the nonparametric bootstrap resampling approach and (3) parametric Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS). As the bootstrap and GAMLSS modules are alternative techniques for simulating each month, the free choice between them makes the structure of the model modular and flexible, so that it can be easily adapted to different climatic conditions, and can be customized based on the specific water resource problem. The model was set up and calibrated to simulate monthly rainfall from six locations in England and Wales to produce a suitable input for drought analysis. The results of the case study point out that the model can capture several characteristics of the rainfall series. In particular, it enables the simulation of low and high rainfall scenarios more extreme than those observed as well as the reproduction of the distribution of the annual accumulated rainfall, and of the relationship between the rainfall and circulation indices such as North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Sea Surface Temperature (SST), thus making the framework well-suited for sensitivity analysis under alternative climate scenarios and additional forcing variables.

► A class of hybrid multisite monthly rainfall generators is introduced. ► Deseasonalisation, nonparametric bootstrap and GAMLSS are combined. ► The modelling framework can capture the main characteristics of the rainfall series. ► Upscaled properties, extreme values and drought characteristics are well reproduced. ► The relationship between the rainfall and circulation indices is accounted for.