Precipitation Depth-Duration-Frequency Analysis for the Nevada National Security Site and Surrounding Areas
- Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States). Division of Hydrologic Sciences
Accurate precipitation frequency data are important for Environmental Management Soils Activities on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). These data are important for environmental assessments performed for regulatory closure of Soils Corrective Action Unit (CAU) Sites, as well as engineering mitigation designs and post-closure monitoring strategies to assess and minimize potential contaminant migration from Soils CAU Sites. Although the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 (Bonnin et al., 2011) provides precipitation frequency data for the NNSS area, the NNSS-specific observed precipitation data were not consistent with the NOAA Atlas 14 predicted data. This is primarily due to the NOAA Atlas 14 products being produced from analyses without including the approximately 30 NNSS precipitation gage records, several of which approach or exceed 50 year of record. Therefore, a study of precipitation frequency that incorporated the NNSS precipitation gage records into the NOAA Atlas 14 dataset, was performed specifically for the NNSS to derive more accurate site-specific precipitation data products. Precipitation frequency information, such as the depth-duration-frequency (DDF) relationships, are required to generate synthetic standard design storm hydrographs and assess actual precipitation events. In this study, the actual long-term NNSS precipitation gage records, some of which are the longest gage records in southern and central Nevada, were analyzed to allow for more accurate precipitation DDF estimates to be developed for the NNSS. Gridded maps of precipitation frequency for the NNSS and surrounding areas were then produced.
- Research Organization:
- Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- NA0000939
- OSTI ID:
- 1326673
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/NV/0000939-35; DOE/NV/0000939-35
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
NNSS Soils Monitoring: Plutonium Valley (CAU366) FY2012
Monitoring Potential Transport of Radioactive Contaminants in Shallow Ephemeral Channels: FY 2012