🌊 Daily Rhine River Discharge and Water Level Report

This report provides an up-to-date overview of the Rhine River's discharge and water level at the Basel-Kleinbasel measurement point (near the confluence with the Birs River). It is generated only, if the discharge is above the 95th or or below 5th percentile of flows for the given month. The analysis compares the current values with multiple statistical baselines to identify anomalies, deviations, and trends.

🔍 Comparative Analysis

Each day, the report includes:

• The measured discharge and water level of the previous day
• A comparison to the same day in the previous year
• A comparison to seasonal statistics for the current month
• A comparison to the same season across all years
• A comparison to historical extremes (minimum, maximum, percentiles)

By analyzing these comparisons, the report identifies whether the current hydrological conditions are typical, unusually high, or unusually low. This helps to understand both short-term fluctuations and long-term shifts in river dynamics.

💡 Suggestions for Deeper Analysis

To enhance your report's analytical value, consider incorporating the following:

📈 1. Percentile-based classification

• Indicate if the current value is in the top/bottom 5%, 10%, or 25% of historical records.
• Label values as "very low", "typical", or "exceptionally high".

🔄 2. Rolling trends

• Include 7-day or 30-day moving averages to smooth short-term variability.
• Compare short-term trends with long-term seasonal trends.

📆 3. Event detection

• Flag rapid increases or decreases in water level/discharge (e.g., >20% in 24h) as potential indicators of flood or drought dynamics.
• Highlight crossings of critical thresholds (e.g., navigation limits, ecological concern levels).

🗓️ 4. Seasonal anomaly scores

• Quantify how far current values deviate from the expected seasonal median using z-scores or standardized anomalies.

🔗 5. Contextual integration

• If possible, correlate anomalies with weather events (heavy rain, snowmelt), infrastructure impacts, or regulatory actions (dam release, maintenance). ```