Assessment of Hydro-Meteorological Data in the Karak Plateau

Abstract

The present paper evaluates the consistency and validity of archived hydro-meteorological data in the Karak Plateau. Maximum annual one day precipitation data for 53 years were obtained and assessed from a first class meteorological station along with archived flood records of four major wadies draining the plateau. To assess the archived flood record., a spatially distributed transient model with a resolution of 1 km2 in one of the catchment areas was run on a daily time basis to simulate rainfall runoff dynamics The results have shown significant deviations in the hydro-meteorological record. For instance, the maximum annual one day precipitation value as archived by the Department of Meteorology during the 53 year period indicates was 108 mm/day, whereas the actual value was 136.5 mm/day. Likewise, archived hydrological measurements of the four wadies in the plateau were inconsistent with the precipitation events and suffered serious errors. The spatially distributed model was able to simulate rainfall runoff dynamics adequately and reproduced the major floods that took place during the simulation period. The poor quality of hydro-meteorological data brings the question of the validity of such records for planning and management of water resources of the plateau. These erroneous records have far reaching ramifications that influence decisions concerning the construction of dams, bridges and culverts. Results presented in this paper call for an urgent need to reconstruct the archived hydro-meteorological data for better management of water resources in the country.