Runoff Diurnal Peak Lag Calculator

Compare actual peak phases on caller common diurnal cycle, reporting forward lag and shortest signed offset with negative half-cycle tie; not time-zone conversion, physical causal routing delay or inferring peaks from absent series.

Description

Peak phases on a common cycle support both forward lag and shortest signed offset.

Peak phases on a common cycle support both forward lag and shortest signed offset. A half-cycle tie requires a convention.^[1]

Enter positive cycle hours and finite phases in [0,cycle). Return forward lag and signed shortest offset; half-cycle maps negative.

When to use Runoff Diurnal Peak Lag Calculator

Use Runoff Diurnal Peak Lag Calculator when you need to evaluate the supplied records under the calculation and evidence rules below. No time-zone conversion, peak extraction or causal routing delay is inferred.

Prepare the observed ice, snow, water or geometry measurements and explicit calibration parameters requested. Keep coordinates, datum, density and time units consistent.

How to use Runoff Diurnal Peak Lag Calculator and understand its results

Prepare the observed ice, snow, water or geometry measurements and explicit calibration parameters requested. Keep coordinates, datum, density and time units consistent.
Enter meltPeakHourOnCallerCycle, runoffPeakHourOnCallerCycle, callerDiurnalCycleHours using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
Read forwardCircularPeakLagHours, signedShortestPeakOffsetHours. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.

Input field	Meaning	Value type; see rules below	Requirement
meltPeakHourOnCallerCycle	Melt peak hour on caller cycle	number	Required
runoffPeakHourOnCallerCycle	Runoff peak hour on caller cycle	number	Required
callerDiurnalCycleHours	Caller diurnal cycle hours	number	Required

Enter positive cycle hours and finite phases in [0,cycle). Return forward lag and signed shortest offset; half-cycle maps negative.

forward=(runoff−melt) mod cycle; shortest=forward−cycle if forward≥cycle/2

Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.

Output field	Meaning	Value type
forwardCircularPeakLagHours	Forward circular peak lag hours	number
signedShortestPeakOffsetHours	Signed shortest peak offset hours	number

json

{
  "input": {
    "meltPeakHourOnCallerCycle": 23,
    "runoffPeakHourOnCallerCycle": 2,
    "callerDiurnalCycleHours": 24
  },
  "output": {
    "forwardCircularPeakLagHours": 3,
    "signedShortestPeakOffsetHours": 3
  }
}

Limitations and assumptions

No time-zone conversion, peak extraction or causal routing delay is inferred.

Numeric inputs, where present, must be finite. Follow the calculation-specific rules for overflow, underflow and exceptional cases. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.

Alternative or Complementary methods

Use Surge Front Advance Rate Calculator: A surge-activation front is a tracked threshold location. Its motion differs from the velocity of individual ice particles. For a complementary task, use Ablation River Discharge Contribution Calculator: A meltwater budget can compare modeled delivered flow with measured river discharge. Ratios above one reveal inconsistency rather than confirmed attribution.

References

Runoff Diurnal Peak Lag Calculator — tool.io

Similar or alternative tools

Surge Front Advance Rate Calculator
A surge-activation front is a tracked threshold location. Its motion differs from the velocity of individual ice particles.
Ablation River Discharge Contribution Calculator
A meltwater budget can compare modeled delivered flow with measured river discharge. Ratios above one reveal inconsistency rather than confirmed attribution.