An extension of three-parameter Burr III distribution for low-flow frequency analysis

In this paper we propose an extension of the three-parameter Burr III distribution with the consideration of both theoretical and practical reasons. The research is motivated by low-flow frequency analysis in water resources research. Three commonly used parameter estimation methods were evaluated, including the method of moments, probability-weighted moments (or L-moments) and maximum likelihood method. The computing issues in the parameter estimation are also discussed. The performance of the proposed distribution is examined using a simulation study and real data from large number of catchments from Australia.