Is ‘Centre of Volume’ a robust indicator of changes in snowmelt timing?

摘要

The centre of volume (COV), or the hydrograph centroid, is a measure ofstreamflow timing that is a widely used indicator of the effects of warmertemperatures on the hydrology of snowmelt streams. The COV was originallydeveloped as a measure of land-use effects, and its response is affected by severalfactors other than temperature, particularly total run-off. A ‘toy’ model is used todemonstrate some of these effects, and these effects are also shown for streamflowdata from Canada’s Reference Hydrologic Basin Network. These deficienciesindicate that COV is neither specific nor robust as an indicator. Although theseeffects might be overcome by streamflow decomposition, the use of COV as anindicator of snowmelt timing should be avoided. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley &Sons, Ltd.