The great February 1986 flood [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): There were many similarities between the February 1986 storm and that of December 1964 and also December 1955. The 1964 storm hit hardest a little further north and the North Coast took the brunt of that storm. December 1955 also produced higher north coastal area runoff. December 1955 produced greater peaks in the central part of the state than the 1964 flood and is perhaps more comparable south of the Lake Tahoe-American River area. But the real surprise this time was the volume. Four reservoirs, Folsom, Black Butte, Pardee, and Comanche, were filled completely and became surcharged (storing more water than the designed capacity). The 10 day total rainfall amounted to half the normal annual totals at many precipitation stations. The February 1986 flood is a vivid reminder of the extremes of California climate and the value of the extensive system of flood control works in the state. Before the storm, especially in January, there was much concern about the dryness of the water year. Then with the deluge, California's flood control systems were tested. By and large the system worked preventing untold damage and misery for most dwellers in the flat lands.

CLADP - THE CAMBRIDGE LINEAR ANALYSIS AND DESIGN PROGRAMS USER REFERENCE MANUAL (4TH ISSUE: APRIL 1983).

CLADP is an engineering software program developed at Cambridge University for the interactive computer aided design of feedback control systems. CLADP contains a wide range of tools for the analysis of complex systems, and the assessment of their performance when feedback control is applied, thus enabling control systems to be designed to meet difficult performance objectives. The range of tools within CLADP include the latest techniques in the field whose central theme is the extension of classical frequency domain concepts (well known and well proven for single loop systems) to multivariable or multiloop systems, and by making extensive use of graphical presentation information is provided in a readily understood form.

CLADP: THE CAMBRIDGE LINEAR ANALYSIS AND DESIGN PROGRAMS.

An interactive software facility for designing multivariable control systems is described. The paper discusses the desirable characteristics of such a facility, the particular capabilities of CLADP and the numerical algorithms which lie behind them.