William H. Asquith
William has more than 28 years at the USGS encompassing a wide range of algorithms and statistical and extreme value frequency studies of meteorology, surface water hydrology, and other water resources topics such as data acquisition, hydraulics, and hydrologic regionalization.
Present (2016–2021) research includes exceptionally low annual exceedance probability (AEP) flood events, regulated flood-frequency, documentable climate-cycle impacts on flood-risk assessment, statistics of USGS discharge measurements, recent technical advisor on probable maximum precipitation in Texas, small watershed hydrometeorological stations, missing record estimation, real-time uncertainty forecasting for hydrometeorological stations, and groundwater level informatics and machine learning applications.
Recent cooperators include Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi via USGS Office of International Programs, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Department of Transportation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and USGS Office of Quality Assurance.
Thrice featured four-city speaker in 2016, 2017, and 2018 in Bolivia for Universidad Catolica Boliviana and U.S. State Department.
Education and Certifications
Institution: Texas Tech University (TTU), College of Engineering, Lubbock, 2008–2011
Degree: Ph.D. (Civil Engineering, May 2011)Institution: University of Texas at Austin, Jackson School of Geosciences, Geoscience, 1998–2003
Degree: Ph.D. (Geosciences, May 2003)Institution: University of Texas at Austin, College of Engineering, 1988–1994
Degrees: B.S. (Civil Engineering, Dec. 1992); M.S. (Civil Engineering, May 1994)
Affiliations and Memberships*
Professional Geoscientist no. 1494, State of Texas 2003–present
Science and Products
Atlas of depth-duration frequency of precipitation annual maxima for Texas
Atlas of interoccurrence intervals for selected thresholds of daily precipitation in Texas
Effects of regulation on L-moments of annual peak streamflow in Texas
Areal-reduction factors for the precipitation of the 1-day design storm in Texas
Site-specific estimation of peak-streamflow frequency using generalized least-squares regression for natural basins in Texas
Depth-Duration Frequency of Precipitation for Oklahoma
Digital data sets of depth-duration frequency of precipitation for Oklahoma
Method to estimate effects of flow-induced vegetation changes on channel conveyances of streams in central Arizona
Floods in south-central Texas, June 1997
Depth-duration frequency of precipitation for Texas
Peak-flow frequency for tributaries of the Colorado River downstream of Austin, Texas
Extreme precipitation depths for Texas, excluding the Trans-Pecos region
Science and Products
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Atlas of depth-duration frequency of precipitation annual maxima for Texas
The objective of this Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cooperatively funded project was to develop a simple-to-use atlas of precipitation depths in Texas for selected storm durations and frequencies on the basis of the research results and unpublished digital archives of Asquith (1998). The selected storm durations are 15 and 30 minutes; 1, 2, 3, 6, andAuthorsWilliam H. Asquith, Meghan C. RousselAtlas of interoccurrence intervals for selected thresholds of daily precipitation in Texas
A Poisson process model is used to define the distribution of interoccurrence intervals of daily precipitation in Texas. A precipitation interoccurrence interval is the time period between two successive rainfall events. Rainfall events are defined as daily precipitation equaling or exceeding a specified depth threshold. Ten precipitation thresholds are considered: 0.05, 0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.AuthorsWilliam H. Asquith, Meghan C. RousselEffects of regulation on L-moments of annual peak streamflow in Texas
Several techniques exist to estimate annual peak-streamflow frequency for streamflows that have recurrence intervals ranging from 2 to 500 years for natural (unregulated) drainage basins in Texas. Unfortunately, such techniques have limited applicability in regulated basins. There are numerous regulated basins throughout Texas, which has more than 7,000 dams that are identified by Texas Natural ReAuthorsWilliam H. AsquithAreal-reduction factors for the precipitation of the 1-day design storm in Texas
The reduction of the precipitation depth from a design storm for a point to an effective (mean) depth over a watershed often is important for cost-effective design of hydraulic structures by reducing the volume of precipitation. A design storm for a point is the depth of precipitation that has a specified duration and frequency (recurrence interval). The effective depth can be calculated by multipAuthorsWilliam H. AsquithSite-specific estimation of peak-streamflow frequency using generalized least-squares regression for natural basins in Texas
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation, has developed a computer program to estimate peak-streamflow frequency for ungaged sites in natural basins in Texas. Peak-streamflow frequency refers to the peak streamflows for recurrence intervals of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 years. Peak-streamflow frequency estimates are needed by planners, managers, and desAuthorsWilliam H. Asquith, R.M. SladeDepth-Duration Frequency of Precipitation for Oklahoma
A regional frequency analysis was conducted to estimate the depth-duration frequency of precipitation for 12 durations in Oklahoma (15, 30, and 60 minutes; 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours; and 1, 3, and 7 days). Seven selected frequencies, expressed as recurrence intervals, were investigated (2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 500 years). L-moment statistics were used to summarize depth-duration data and toAuthorsRobert L. Tortorelli, Alan Rea, William H. AsquithDigital data sets of depth-duration frequency of precipitation for Oklahoma
These geospatial data sets were produced as part of a regional precipitation frequency analysis for Oklahoma. The data sets consist of surface grids of precipitation depths for seven frequencies (expressed as recurrence intervals of 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, 100-, and 500-years) and 12 durations (15-, 30-, and 60-minutes; 1-, 2-, 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-hours; and 1-, 3-, and 7-days). Eighty-four depth-dAuthorsAlan Rea, Robert L. TortorelliMethod to estimate effects of flow-induced vegetation changes on channel conveyances of streams in central Arizona
No abstract available.AuthorsJeff V. Phillips, Dawn S. McDoniel, Joseph P. Capesius, William H. AsquithFloods in south-central Texas, June 1997
Severe flooding in parts of 18 south-central Texas counties resulted from heavy rainfall during June 21-22, 1997. Of the 18 counties in the study area (fig. 1), all except Kimble, Gillespie, and Travis were declared Federal disaster areas. Kimble and Gillespie Counties were later declared eligible for disaster assistance. The majority of the property damage occurred along Cibolo Creek in Kendall aAuthorsTimothy H. Raines, William H. Asquith, David S. BrownDepth-duration frequency of precipitation for Texas
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation, conducted a study of the depth-duration frequency of precipitation for Texas. Depth-duration frequency is an estimate of the depth of precipitation for a specified duration and frequency or recurrence interval. For this report, precipitation durations of 15, 30, and 60 minutes; 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours; andAuthorsWilliam H. AsquithPeak-flow frequency for tributaries of the Colorado River downstream of Austin, Texas
A procedure to estimate the peak discharge associated with large floods is needed for tributaries of the Colorado River downstream of Austin, Texas, so that appropriate peak discharges can be used to estimate floodplain boundaries and used for the design of bridges and other structures. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Lower Colorado River Authority, studied flood peaks for streAuthorsWilliam H. AsquithExtreme precipitation depths for Texas, excluding the Trans-Pecos region
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation, conducted a study of extreme precipitation depths for various durations and storm areas for Texas, excluding the Trans-Pecos region. The extreme precipitation depth is an estimate, from documented storms, of the largest precipitation depth expected to occur over a given area. The extreme precipitation depth excAuthorsJennifer Lanning-Rush, William H. Asquith, Raymond M. Slade - Software
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government