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INSTRUCTOR: 
Richard Koehler, Ph.D., PH

Purpose and Background

Flow duration curves (FDCs) are a mainstay analysis technique examining the composition of streamflow using an exceedance percentage approach. But despite the multiple versions developed over the past 100 years, FDCs have never been able to display day-to-day discharge information…until now. Presented is a technique to add temporal sequence information to the fundamental FDC by incorporating a lag(1) autocorrelation scatterplot. This modification shows regions of discharge increases (dQ/dt > 0), discharge persistence (dQ/dt = 0), discharge decreases (dQ/dt < 0) and the number and degree of daily discharge changes. The result is a more informative visual representation of streamflow.

Benefits and Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Recognize the limitations and misuse of traditional flow duration curves
• Visually determine the autocorrelation of a river system across stage and time
• Identify magnitude and temporal outliers
• Quantify the temporal configuration of the streamflow record

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Achievement of the learning outcomes by attendees will be assessed through a short post test.

Who Should Attend?

• Water resources planners
• Hydrologists
• Water resource engineers
• Stream restoration professionals
• Construction contractors that work in rivers

Outline

• Discuss the history of flow duration curves (FDCs)
• Demonstrate how traditional FDCs can be combined with lag-1 autocorrelation scatterplots
• Provide instructions to create enhanced flow duration curves along with interpretation
• Discuss applications and future developments of this methodology

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs

This course is worth .1 CEU / 1 PDH. To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 30 days of the course.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]