Effects of climate and soil moisture characteristics on the probability distribution of floods

The influence of climate and soil moisture characteristics on the flood generation process is here discussed with particular regard to the probability distribution of floods in the theoretical framework proposed by Iacobellis and Fiorentino (2000). The variability of the coefficient of variation of annual flood series with respect to basin characteristics is also investigated, and a link between these characteristics and the chance of a basin to yield floods is found. In addition, the probability distribution of partial areas contributing to the peak discharge is analyzed with regard to its link to prevailing runoff generation mechanisms in different climates and soils. All these issues are developed with particular attention to arid basins.