Trend analysis of annual maximum flood series in South East Australia using most up-to-date flood data

![CDATA[Water resources scientists and policy makers from all over the world have been concerned about the potential impacts of climate change on water resources management. It has been recognized that climate change will have a significant impact on various aspects of hydrologic cycle and can lead a significant shift in extreme drought and flood risks in many parts of the world. This paper presents results of preliminary trend analysis of annual maximum flood series data from States of Victoria and New South Wales in Australia. A non-parametric, Mann-Kendall trend test was carried out to investigate the trends at 10%, 5% and 1% level of significance. This used an up-dated annual maximum flood series data till 2011, which had been prepared as a part of Australian Rainfall and Runoff Revision Project 5. A total of 249 catchments from Victoria and New South Wales States were selected for the study. It has been found that about 28% of the selected catchments show a negative trend at 10% level of significance. Interestingly, none of the stations showed positive trend. The demonstrated trend is much higher than mere chance. The outcomes of this study support the results of previous studies. Finally, the paper also explores the relationship of the identified trends with streamflow record lengths and catchments areas.]]