---
DOAJ_listed: '1'
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: gold
_id: '22489'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: The performance of urban drainage systems is typically examined using hydrological
    and hydrodynamic models where rainfall input is uniformly distributed, i.e., derived
    from a single or very few rain gauges. When models are fed with a single uniformly
    distributed rainfall realization, the response of the urban drainage system to
    the rainfall variability remains unexplored. The goal of this study was to understand
    how climate variability and spatial rainfall variability, jointly or individually
    considered, affect the response of a calibrated hydrodynamic urban drainage model.
    A stochastic spatially distributed rainfall generator (STREAP – Space-Time Realizations
    of Areal Precipitation) was used to simulate many realizations of rainfall for
    a 30-year period, accounting for both climate variability and spatial rainfall
    variability. The generated rainfall ensemble was used as input into a calibrated
    hydrodynamic model (EPA SWMM – the US EPA's Storm Water Management Model) to simulate
    surface runoff and channel flow in a small urban catchment in the city of Lucerne,
    Switzerland. The variability of peak flows in response to rainfall of different
    return periods was evaluated at three different locations in the urban drainage
    network and partitioned among its sources. The main contribution to the total
    flow variability was found to originate from the natural climate variability (on
    average over 74 %). In addition, the relative contribution of the spatial rainfall
    variability to the total flow variability was found to increase with longer return
    periods. This suggests that while the use of spatially distributed rainfall data
    can supply valuable information for sewer network design (typically based on rainfall
    with return periods from 5 to 15 years), there is a more pronounced relevance
    when conducting flood risk assessments for larger return periods. The results
    show the importance of using multiple distributed rainfall realizations in urban
    hydrology studies to capture the total flow variability in the response of the
    urban drainage systems to heavy rainfall events.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Nadav
  full_name: Peleg, Nadav
  last_name: Peleg
- first_name: Frank
  full_name: Blumensaat, Frank
  last_name: Blumensaat
- first_name: Peter
  full_name: Molnar, Peter
  last_name: Molnar
- first_name: Simone
  full_name: Fatichi, Simone
  id: cf8e546b-a9b0-11f0-a43b-aa89ed1b56d6
  last_name: Fatichi
- first_name: Paolo
  full_name: Burlando, Paolo
  last_name: Burlando
citation:
  ama: Peleg N, Blumensaat F, Molnar P, Fatichi S, Burlando P. Partitioning the impacts
    of spatial and climatological rainfall variability in urban drainage modeling.
    <i>Hydrology and Earth System Sciences</i>. 2017;21(3):1559-1572. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017">10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017</a>
  apa: Peleg, N., Blumensaat, F., Molnar, P., Fatichi, S., &#38; Burlando, P. (2017).
    Partitioning the impacts of spatial and climatological rainfall variability in
    urban drainage modeling. <i>Hydrology and Earth System Sciences</i>. Copernicus
    Publications. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017">https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017</a>
  chicago: Peleg, Nadav, Frank Blumensaat, Peter Molnar, Simone Fatichi, and Paolo
    Burlando. “Partitioning the Impacts of Spatial and Climatological Rainfall Variability
    in Urban Drainage Modeling.” <i>Hydrology and Earth System Sciences</i>. Copernicus
    Publications, 2017. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017">https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017</a>.
  ieee: N. Peleg, F. Blumensaat, P. Molnar, S. Fatichi, and P. Burlando, “Partitioning
    the impacts of spatial and climatological rainfall variability in urban drainage
    modeling,” <i>Hydrology and Earth System Sciences</i>, vol. 21, no. 3. Copernicus
    Publications, pp. 1559–1572, 2017.
  ista: Peleg N, Blumensaat F, Molnar P, Fatichi S, Burlando P. 2017. Partitioning
    the impacts of spatial and climatological rainfall variability in urban drainage
    modeling. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 21(3), 1559–1572.
  mla: Peleg, Nadav, et al. “Partitioning the Impacts of Spatial and Climatological
    Rainfall Variability in Urban Drainage Modeling.” <i>Hydrology and Earth System
    Sciences</i>, vol. 21, no. 3, Copernicus Publications, 2017, pp. 1559–72, doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017">10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017</a>.
  short: N. Peleg, F. Blumensaat, P. Molnar, S. Fatichi, P. Burlando, Hydrology and
    Earth System Sciences 21 (2017) 1559–1572.
das_tickbox: '1'
date_created: 2026-07-27T12:30:23Z
date_published: 2017-03-14T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-08-12T13:13:18Z
day: '14'
doi: 10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017
extern: '1'
intvolume: '        21'
issue: '3'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1559-2017
month: '03'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 1559-1572
publication: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1607-7938
  issn:
  - 1027-5606
publication_status: published
publisher: Copernicus Publications
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Partitioning the impacts of spatial and climatological rainfall variability
  in urban drainage modeling
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
  short: CC BY (3.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd
volume: 21
year: '2017'
...