Identifying Flood Events and Causes Based on Their Hydrograph Characteristics

ABSTRACT In glacierized river basins, floods having disaster-causing ability are usually significantly different in magnitudes of flood peaks and the speeds and magnitudes of runoff increase during flood events on flow hydrographs. Identifying flood events and their causes is the first step in conducting in-depth studies on flood changes, mechanisms, prediction, and projection. In this study, we proposed a flood event and cause identification model based on their hydrograph characteristics (FECIM). The transferability of the FECIM model was demonstrated by applying the model calibrated for the Kunmalike River Basin to the Hunza River Basin in Pakistan and the Yarkant River Basin in China. It indicates that the FECIM model can be successfully applied to identify flood events and their causes in glacierized river basins. Thence, the events of water generation in the upstream, which were not observed, can also be inverted by running the FECIM model.