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Multifractal analysis of the rainfall time distribution on the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain)

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Abstract

In most of the studies on scale properties in the rainfall process, multifractal behavior has been investigated without taking into account the different rain generation mechanisms involved. However, it is known that rain processes are related to certain scales, determined by climatological characteristics as well as regional and local meteorological features. One of the implications derived from these correspondences is the possibility that the multifractal parameters of the rainfall could depend on the dominant precipitation generation mechanism. Fractal analysis techniques have been applied in this work to rainfall data recorded in the metropolitan area of Barcelona in the period 1994–2001, as well as to a selection of synoptic rainfall events registered in the same city in the period 1927–1992. The multifractal parameters obtained have been significantly different in each case probably showing the influence of the rain generation mechanisms involved. This influence has been revealed also in the analysis of the effects of seasonality on the multifractal behavior of rainfall in Barcelona.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under Grant CGL2007-65891-C05-03. The authors are also grateful to Clavegueram de Barcelona S.A. (CLABSA) for providing the rainfall data used in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Física i Enginyeria Nuclear (FEN), EPSEVG, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (UPC), Campus Vilanova i la Geltrú-Edif. VG2, Avda. Víctor Balaguer, s/n, 08800, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain

    R. Rodríguez & M. C. Casas

  2. Departament d’Astronomia i Meteorologia (DAM), Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Martí i Franqués, 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    A. Redaño

Authors
  1. R. Rodríguez
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  2. M. C. Casas
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  3. A. Redaño
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Correspondence to M. C. Casas.

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Responsible editor: B. Ahrens.

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Rodríguez, R., Casas, M.C. & Redaño, A. Multifractal analysis of the rainfall time distribution on the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain). Meteorol Atmos Phys 121, 181–187 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-013-0256-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-013-0256-6

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