Dania Chicas Polanco L. Song GEOL 3328-60 February 7, 2024 Module 1- Drought Assignment Read Chapter 1 from Carle and answer the following questions. 1.
What does the book mean by “There is no average”?
The statement "There is no average" implies that the normal climate of California experiences significant fluctuations, including droughts and extremely wet years, making it rare for weather conditions to align with long-term averages. The variability in annual runoff and precipitation, influenced by phenomena like El Niño and La Niña, results in a diverse range of conditions, challenging the concept of a fixed or predictable average. 2. When was the largest flood disaster in California’s history?
January 1997 event was the largest flood disaster in CA history. 3. What does the “100 year flood” concept really mean?
The "100-year flood" concept signifies a flood with a 1% chance of occurring in a given year, rather than happening precisely every 100 years. It serves as a statistical measure indicating the severity of a flood event and its relatively low annual probability. Basically, it indicates the likelihood of a severe flood happening in any given year. 4. Answer the following questions using Figure 17 from your book: a. What is the minimum and maximum amount of precipitation California has experienced? The minimum is about 9 inches, and the maximum is about 40 inches according to the chart provided. b. Does there appear to be a regular, repeatable pattern of precipitation? No. According to this chart, from 1898-2009, there is no true repeatable patterns besides the line on the graph which symbolizes the 11-year running mean. CA average rainfall mean fluctuates throughout the years. c. Could you use the 11-year running mean to predict the precipitation for any given year? An 11-year running mean represents the standardized average of 11 years of precipitation at a particular location. To determine the precipitation for a specific year, one can compute the average of precipitation means recorded in that area over the past 30 years or more.
