GIS and Remote Sensing in Hydrology, Water Resources and Environment (Proceedings of ICGRHWE held at the Three Gorges Dam, China, September 2003). IAHS Publ. 289, 2004, 169-177

M. TU¹, M. J. HALL¹, P. J. M. DE LAAT¹ & M. J. M. DE WIT²

Abstract Long records (>1911) of discharge and precipitation in the Meuse basin have been investigated by statistical methods for detection of non-homogeneity (trends and jumps) in the data series. Over the past century, annual total precipitation (November to October) in the basin has significantly increased since 1980 as well as k-day extreme precipitation depths (e.g. over 5 days and 10 days). No significant trend or change-point was identified for the annual average discharge of the Meuse River. However, a significant increase since 1984 was found for the annual and winter half-year maximum daily discharges, while a significant downward trend was identified for the low flows (e.g. annual minimum 10-day moving average), with an obvious decrease since 1933. The annual runoff coefficient of the river has also significantly decreased since 1933. The preliminary results suggest that the increase of flood peaks in the Meuse River since the early 1980s can broadly be ascribed to climatic variability.