Inland water bodies in Chile can locally increase rainfall intensity

SummaryAnalysis of precipitation observations from Chile indicated that man-made water reservoirs might be affecting the intensity of extreme precipitation events. Fifty rain gauges were used to evaluate rainfall intensities under different climates, using the Gumbel method (T = 5 and 100 years) and average maximum recorded rainfall intensities to construct IDF curves for each station. A spatial analysis of the stations was undertaken to establish graphical relationships on documented maximum annual rainfall intensities for 1 h and those obtained by the Gumbel method as a function of latitude, longitude, elevation, and the distance from water bodies. The Mann–Whitney U test was applied with an error of 5%. Values obtained from stations located close to water bodies were compared to those located away from them. The results show significant changes in dryer climates.

► We evaluated possible effects of water bodies on rainfall intensity.
► We considered different climates for our study.
► We considered return periods of 5 and 100 years.
► We compared locations near and away from water reservoirs.
► Our results indicate strong influences of water bodies on dryer climates.