Accessing and Using Meteorological Data to Evaluate Wetland Hydrology
Abstract
The Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual recommends that "preceding weather conditions must be considered" when interpreting observations of water at possible wetland sites. Sources of meteorologic information are described in this report, and suggestions for analysis of relationships between local and regional weather and site hydrology are provided. Monthly precipitation data from more than 8,000 National Weather Service (NWS) stations have been analyzed, compiled, and made available on the Internet by the USDA National Water and Climate Center in the format of WETS Tables. These tables report 30th and 70th percentile exceedence frequencies for monthly precipitation, which generally define the range of normal precipitation. Suggestions for presentation of WETS Table data are provided. A method for calculating rolling sums of daily rainfall to enhance the accuracy of hydrologic assessments of sites is presented. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has devised a method for systematically assessing antecedent weather conditions at a site; this method is described and suggestions to enhance the accuracy of this approach are provided. Regional patterns of drought and precipitation excess can be tracked using the Palmer drought indices, the Standardized Precipitation Index, and/or real-time gauge data. Contemporary conditions are standardized as percentiles of long-term records at Web sites reporting these analyses for climate divisions in each state.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA378910
Entities
People
- Andrew G. Warne
- Steven W. Sprecher
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center