Analysis on Decomposition Models of Univariate Hydrologic Time Series for Multi-Scale Approach

Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is applied to analyze time series characterized with nonlinearity and nonstationarity. This decomposition could be utilized to construct finite and small number intrinsic mode functions (IMF) that describe complicated time series, while admitting the Hilbert transformation properties. EMD has the capability of being adaptive, capture local characteristics, and applicable to nonlinear and nonstationary processes. Unlike discrete wavelet transform (DWT), IMF eliminates spurious harmonics and retains meaningful instantaneous frequencies. Examples based on data representing natural phenomena are given to demonstrate highlight the power of this method in contrast and comparison of other ones. A presentation of the energy-frequency-time distribution of these signals found to be more informative and intuitive when based on Hilbert transformation.