A Universal Multifractals perspective into the link between rainfall variability and temperature
Abstract
The link between rainfall extremes, usually defined as a given percentile or for a given return period, and temperature has been widely investigated using measurement data and/or climate model outputs and notably convection permitting model outputs. A focus was notably on whether findings are consistent with Clausius-Clapeyron relation.
Here we investigate more generally how rainfall variability across scales change with temperature, relying on the scale invariant framework of the Universal Multifractals. Extremes, which can be derived from multifractal features are embedded in the study. Rainfall and temperature data from three high resolution measurement campaigns that took place in Northern France between 2016 and 2025 are used. Scaling behaviour is confirmed on two distinct ranges of scales, first at event scale (30 s -1 h) and then up to synoptic scale (roughly 11 d). Then we find that across both ranges of scales, the scale invariant maximum observable singularity is positively associated with sample-mean surface temperature, with weak individual-sample correlations and with seasonality that cannot be fully disentangled from temperature. This provides a scale-invariant observational complement to the existing multifractal-extremes literature on climateforced rainfall changes. It provides a framework to interpret previously commonly reported trends of a scale dependence of the rate of increase of extremes with temperature.
Related
- Assessment of Rainfall Variability and Its Impact on Soil Erosion Risk Using Rainfall Erosivity in Kwara State, Nigeria
- Dynamics of rainfall extremes over India: A new perspective
- Neglecting spatiotemporal rainfall variability misrepresents flood hazard and risk
- A 256-year daily rainfall record reveals multiscale rainy-season variability and emerging hydroclimatic hazard over northern East Asia
- Rainfall isotopic variability in northern Central America driven by regionally-organized deep atmospheric convection and airmass rainout
BibTeX
@article{gires2026universal,
title = {{A Universal Multifractals perspective into the link between rainfall variability and temperature}},
author = {Auguste Gires and Yann Torres},
journal = {Hydrology and Earth System Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.5194/hess-30-4741-2026},
url = {https://enpc.hal.science/hal-05839730v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Universal Multifractals perspective into the link between rainfall variability and temperature
AU - Auguste Gires
AU - Yann Torres
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/28
JO - Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
DO - 10.5194/hess-30-4741-2026
UR - https://enpc.hal.science/hal-05839730v1
AB - The link between rainfall extremes, usually defined as a given percentile or for a given return period, and temperature has been widely investigated using measurement data and/or climate model outputs and notably convection permitting model outputs. A focus was notably on whether findings are consistent with Clausius-Clapeyron relation. Here we investigate more generally how rainfall variability across scales change with temperature, relying on the scale invariant framework of the Universal Multifractals. Extremes, which can be derived from multifractal features are embedded in the study. Rainfall and temperature data from three high resolution measurement campaigns that took place in Northern France between 2016 and 2025 are used. Scaling behaviour is confirmed on two distinct ranges of scales, first at event scale (30 s -1 h) and then up to synoptic scale (roughly 11 d). Then we find that across both ranges of scales, the scale invariant maximum observable singularity is positively associated with sample-mean surface temperature, with weak individual-sample correlations and with seasonality that cannot be fully disentangled from temperature. This provides a scale-invariant observational complement to the existing multifractal-extremes literature on climateforced rainfall changes. It provides a framework to interpret previously commonly reported trends of a scale dependence of the rate of increase of extremes with temperature.
SN - 1027-5606
SN - 1607-7938
ER -