Olusola et al. (2025) Beyond the Flow: Multifractal Clustering of River Discharge Across Canada Using Near-Century Data

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Hydrology
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-12-22
• Authors: Adeyemi Olusola, Samuel Ogunjo, Christiana Olusegun
• DOI: 10.3390/hydrology13010005

Research Groups

Not available from the provided text.

Short Summary

This study investigates multiple scaling regimes in river discharge and introduces a novel multifractal clustering framework to classify river dynamics. It found that distinct clusters of rivers with similar dynamical structures can be identified using multifractal parameters, particularly the asymmetry index, providing a powerful method for regime classification.

Objective

• To investigate the existence of multiple scaling regimes in river discharge and introduce a novel framework for clustering river discharge using multiscale fractal characteristics.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: 38 stations across continental Canada
• Temporal Scale: 80-year period (daily discharge data)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Multifractal characterization using singularity exponent (α0), multifractal strength (α), and asymmetry index (r); K-means clustering; Generalized Hurst exponent analysis.
• Data sources: Daily discharge data from 38 observational stations.

Main Results

• K-means clustering using multifractal parameters (α−r, α0−r, and α−α0 planes) revealed distinct clusters of river discharge.
• The asymmetric parameter (r) was identified as the strongest distinguishing factor for these clusters.
• The α−r clusters categorize discharge based on scaling strength and fluctuation influence, representing groups of rivers with similar dynamical structures.
• Analysis of the generalized Hurst exponent indicated anti-persistent behavior at most stations, with five specific exceptions.

Contributions

• Introduces a novel framework for clustering river discharge using multiscale fractal characteristics.
• Provides a powerful method for classifying river regimes based on intrinsic multifractal characteristics.
• Offers a new approach for identifying the physical drivers of discharge fluctuations.

Funding

Not available from the provided text.

Citation

@article{Olusola2025Beyond,
  author = {Olusola, Adeyemi and Ogunjo, Samuel and Olusegun, Christiana},
  title = {Beyond the Flow: Multifractal Clustering of River Discharge Across Canada Using Near-Century Data},
  journal = {Hydrology},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.3390/hydrology13010005},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology13010005}
}