  The multifractal properties of daily rainfall time series at the stations in
Pearl River basin of China over periods of up to 45 years are examined using
the universal multifractal approach based on the multiplicative cascade model
and the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA). The results from
these two kinds of multifractal analyses show that the daily rainfall time
series in this basin have multifractal behavior in two different time scale
ranges. It is found that the empirical multifractal moment function $K(q)$ of
the daily rainfall time series can be fitted very well by the universal
mulitifractal model (UMM). The estimated values of the conservation parameter
$H$ from UMM for these daily rainfall data are close to zero indicating that
they correspond to conserved fields. After removing the seasonal trend in the
rainfall data, the estimated values of the exponent $h(2)$ from MF-DFA indicate
that the daily rainfall time series in Pearl River basin exhibit no long-term
correlations. It is also found that $K(2)$ and elevation series are negatively
correlated. It shows a relationship between topography and rainfall
variability.
