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Development of a contour map showing generalized skew coefficients of annual peak discharges of rural, unregulated streams in New York, excluding Long Island

Water-Resources Investigations Report 2000-4022
Prepared in cooperation with the New York State Department of Transportation
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/wri004022

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Abstract

Flood-frequency relations that are developed by fitting the logarithms of annual peak discharges to a Pearson Type-III distribution are sensitive to skew coefficients. Estimates of population skew for a site are improved when computed from the weighted average of (1) the sample (station) skew, and (2) an unbiased, generalized skew estimate. A weighting technique based on the number of years of record at each of 226 sites was used to develop a contour map of unbiased, generalized skew coefficients for New York. An attempt was made to group (regionalize) the station skew coefficients into five hydrologically similar areas of New York, but the statewide version proved to be as accurate as the regionalized version and therefore was adopted as the final generalized skew-coefficient map for New York. An error analysis showed the statewide contour map to have lower MSE?s (mean square errors) than those computed from (1) the five regional skewcoefficient contour maps, (2) a previously used (1982) nationwide skew coefficient map, and (3) the weighted mean of skew coefficients for sites within each of five hydrologically uniform, but distinct areas of New York.

Suggested Citation

Lumia, Richard, and Baevsky, Y.H., 2000, Development of a contour map showing generalized skew coefficients of annual peak discharges of rural, unregulated streams in New York, excluding Long Island: U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Investigations Report 2000–4022, 11 p., https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/wri004022.

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Station skew coefficients
  • Generalized skew coefficients
  • Summary
  • References cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Development of a contour map showing generalized skew coefficients of annual peak discharges of rural, unregulated streams in New York, excluding Long Island
Series title Water-Resources Investigations Report
Series number 2000-4022
DOI 10.3133/wri004022
Year Published 2000
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) New York Water Science Center
Description iii, 11 p.
Country United States
State New York
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details