Droughts and Floods Related to Solar Sunspot Cycles

by Ralph L. Chantrill, UNIDO, UNIDO,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Water Forum '86: World Water Issues in Evolution

Abstract:

In the late 1920s research engineers of the Indian Engineering Service found that the past occurences of floods and droughts of rivers in the Punjab could be related to the records of tree rings; this showed that droughts occurred about every 20/22 years, and catastrophic droughts and floods about 80-90 years. The research scientists of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are reasonably satisfied that cyclic 20/22 year magnetic rhythm of the occurrence of sunspots (the Hale Cycle) can be related to the periodicity of droughts. This paper presents some typical examples of historic streamflows in North America which support the NOAA conclusions together with examples of similar drought periodicity in other basins, and confirms the insistence of many engineers that planning and management of basin water resources be based preferably on 100 years, but not less than 25 year periods.

Subject Headings: Droughts | Water resources | Floods | Federal government | Water shortage | Water management | Streamflow | Punjab | India | Asia | North America

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