Multifractal characterisation of overland flow of nature-based solutions scenarios

ABSTRACT

The standard method for characterizing the variability of overland flow focuses primarily on a single scale, usually the smallest scale available (i.e. the highest resolution). However, the extremes of overland flow are generally variable over a wide range of scales. Thus, the smallest scale has no specific hydrological significance, and a scale-independent characterization is more physically relevant. This study investigated the spatial variability of overland flows and evaluated the hydrological performance of the Nature-Based Solutions scenarios in terms of a possible improvement of the morphological functioning of the catchment at several scales.

KEYWORDS:

• universal multifractals
• Nature-Based Solutions
• overland flow
• hydrological modelling
• morphological variability

Editor A. Fiori Associate editor M. Batalini de Macedo

Editor A. Fiori Associate editor M. Batalini de Macedo

Acknowledgements

The first author greatly acknowledges the financial support by the China Scholarship Council (grant number [2017]3109). All the authors acknowledge the Chair “Hydrology for Resilient Cities” (endowed by VEOLIA), for partial financial support, and express gratitude to their colleagues at SIAVB and Veolia, particularly Bernard Willinger, for many stimulating discussions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the China Scholarship Council [grant number [2017]3109].