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ERDC TR-04-1
detailed review of hydrologic and hydraulic methods that might be useful in the
arid Southwest is presented in Chapter 2, so only a consideration of the potential
value of gauge records in desert regions is provided here.
Desert regions are characterized by wide, shallow channels (Fig. 13) or
sheetflood zones (Fig. 14), where dramatic increases in discharge will have little
effect on river stage. Consequently, gauges in such localities would be inaccurate
measures of discharge. Gauges placed in narrow bedrock canyons are far more
sensitive to variations in discharge, but gauge readings from mountain sites are of
little utility along alluvial channels several miles from the mountain front, given
the significant transmission losses that occur in drylands. Mountain gauges are
potentially useful for establishing the ratio between record peak and average
annual peak discharges and thereby identifying drainages that might be particu-
larly sensitive to change by large floods (i.e., high peak:average ratio).
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