• Water for future
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.45-54
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• 1994

Basic theory of fractal dimension is introduced and performed for the generated time series using the water balance model. The water balance equation over a large area is analyzed at seasonal time scales. In the generation and modification of mesoscale circulation local recycling of precipitation and dynamic effects of soil moisture are explicitly included. Time delay is incorporated in the analysis. Depending on the parameter values, the system showed different senarios in the evolution such as fixed point, limit cycle, and chaotic types of behavior. The stochastic behavior of the generated time series is due to deterministic chaos which arises from a nonlinear dynamic system with a limited number of equations whose trajectories are highly sensitive to initial conditions. The presence of noise arose from the characterization of the incoming precipitation, destroys the organized structure of the attractor. The existence of the attractor although noise is present is very important to the short-term prediction of the evolution. The implications of this nonlinear dynamics are important for the interpretation and modeling of hydrologic records and phenomena.