New data to improve flood modelling
25/11/2016
GEOSCIENCE AUSTRALIA AND BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY JOINT RELEASE
Flood modelling across Australia is easier to access and more accurate, following the first major upgrade of the Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) Guidelines in 30 years.
Geoscience Australia and Engineers Australia worked over four years on the comprehensive upgrade, which is now complete with the addition of nearly 30 extra years of rainfall data from the Bureau of Meteorology.
Geoscience Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Chris Pigram said while the Guidelines had been revised a number of times since they were first published in 1958, there had not been a substantial update since 1987. The review into a series of floods in the summer of 2010-11, including the flooding of Brisbane in January 2011, called for a complete upgrade.
“We’ve undertaken a complete revision of the Guidelines to ensure they are a comprehensive and truly national product.
“For the first time, the Guidelines are completely based on Australian data. They include data from an extra 30 years of observations from across the continent, including at least 100,000 storm events.”
“It’s not just the data we’ve updated and improved, we have also made the Guidelines available for free online,” said Dr Pigram.
The upgrade of the ARR Guidelines was officially completed on 24 November 2016 following the inclusion of the Bureau of Meteorology’s new Intensity–Frequency–Duration (IFD) design rainfall estimates.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Chief Executive Officer and Director, Dr Andrew Johnson said the new estimates include observations from over 10,000 rainfall gauging stations, including 2300 extra rainfall stations and nearly three decades of additional rainfall data.
“We’ve also used statistical analysis techniques that weren’t available 30 years ago.”
“The new IFDs more accurately estimate rainfall intensity, frequency and duration in specific locations, which helps Australia to reduce the potential damaging impact of future floods,” Dr Johnson said.
Engineers and town planners use the ARR Guidelines to develop accurate and consistent flood studies and mapping across Australia; these are then used to design dams, stormwater drainage, improve floodplain management and assist land managers with soil conservation strategies.
Engineers Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Stephen Durkin said that engineers and town planners had been using the ARR Guidelines for almost sixty years and that the comprehensive revision will be invaluable today and into the future.
“More accurate, consistent datasets and guidance means more accurate and consistent flood studies and mapping. This is not only good news for engineers and town planners, but for also for Australians living in areas with a flood risk,” said Mr Durkin.
Ownership of the ARR Guidelines has now transferred from Engineers Australia to Geoscience Australia, on behalf of the Australian Government.
The ARR Guidelines are publicly available for free from arr.ga.gov.au.
The Intensity–Frequency–Duration design rainfall estimates are available from www.bom.gov.au/water/designRainfalls/ifd/
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