ABSTRACT
The average altitude is not representative of reality. However, it is sometimes used in the evaluation of certain hydro-meteorological parameters or in developing hydrological models.
The median altitude corresponds to the altitude read on the x-axis of the hypsometric curve corresponding to 50% of the total area of the watershed (Figure 3.11). This figure is almost equal to the average altitude when the hypsometric curve of the watershed has a regular slope: in other words, when the probability density of the watershed slopes presents a symmetrical distribution.
