Hydrological Analysis Of A Drained Peat Basin Using Time Series Correlation And Crosscorrelation Functions

Abstract

A simple algebraic correlation and cross-spectral approach was applied to study the stream flow hydrograph of peat basin. The analysis involved the transformations of input variables (rainfall) and output variables (stream flow and water table). Analogous to the input-output signal in electronics, the peat aquifer is considered as a filtering system. The filter is able to transform, retain or eliminate the input variables (input signal) before the output variables (output signal) are created. The behaviour of flow through basin aquifer system is deduced from the degree of the transformation of the input signal. Several important aquifer parameters were deduced from the transformation process. They are the response time, the distinction between flows (quick-flows, intermediate flow or base-flow) and the delay. These hydrological parameters are required as design parameters for a water resource project within a basin-underlain peat soil aquifer.