Use of a Gaussian copula for multivariate extreme value analysis: Some case studies in hydrology

Risk assessment requires a description of the probabilistic properties of hydrological variables. In a number of cases, this description is made on a single variable, whereas most hydrological events are intrinsically multivariate. In this context, copulas have recently received attention in order to derive a multivariate frequency analysis. After a reminder of the general results in the field of multivariate extreme value theory, the paper gives a description of a very simple copula, the Gaussian copula. Four case studies demonstrate its usefulness in the contexts of field significance determination, regional risk analysis, discharge-duration-frequency (QdF) models with design hydrograph derivation and regional frequency analysis. The limitations and potential errors related to this statistical tool are also highlighted.