scholarly journals Performance of rainfall–runoff models in reproducing hydrological extremes: a case of the River Malaba sub-catchment

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambrose Mubialiwo ◽  
Adane Abebe ◽  
Charles Onyutha
Keyword(s):  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Automatic Calibration ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Return Periods ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Low Flows ◽  
Hydrological Extremes ◽  
Better Than

AbstractDaily River Malaba flows recorded from 1999 to 2016 were modelled using seven lumped conceptual rainfall–runoff models including AWBM, SACRAMENTO, TANK, IHACRES, SIMHYD, SMAR and HMSV. Optimal parameters of each model were obtained using an automatic calibration strategy. Mismatches between observed and modelled flows were assessed using a total of nine “goodness-of-fit” metrics. Capacity of the models to reproduce historical hydrological extremes was assessed through comparison of amplitude–duration–frequency (ADF) relationships or curves constructed based on observed and modelled flow quantiles. Generally, most of the hydrological models performed better for high than low flows. ADF curves of both high and low flows for various return periods from 5 to 100 years were well reproduced by AWBM, SAC, TANK and HMSV. ADF curves for high and low flows were poorly reproduced by SIMHYD and SMAR, respectively. Overall, AWBM performed slightly better than other models if both high and low flows are to be considered simultaneously. The deviations of these models were larger for high than low return periods. It was found that the choice of a “goodness-of-fit” metric affects how model performance can be judged. Results from this study also show that when focusing on hydrological extremes, uncertainty due to the choice of a particular model should be taken into consideration. Insights from this study provide relevant information for planning of risk-based water resources applications.

scholarly journals Influence of Hydrological Model Selection on Simulation of Moderate and Extreme Flow Events: A Case Study of the Blue Nile Basin

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Onyutha
Keyword(s):  
Model Selection ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Nile Basin ◽  
Blue Nile ◽  
Low Flows ◽  
Blue Nile Basin ◽  
Extreme Flow

Five hydrological models were applied based on data from the Blue Nile Basin. Optimal parameters of each model were obtained by automatic calibration. Model performance was tested under both moderate and extreme flow conditions. Extreme events for the model performance evaluation were extracted based on seven criteria. Apart from graphical techniques, there were nine statistical “goodness-of-fit” metrics used to judge the model performance. It was found that whereas the influence of model selection may be minimal in the simulation of normal flow events, it can lead to large under- and/or overestimations of extreme events. Besides, the selection of the best model for extreme events may be influenced by the choice of the statistical “goodness-of-fit” measures as well as the criteria for extraction of high and low flows. It was noted that the use of overall water-balance-based objective function not only is suitable for moderate flow conditions but also influences the models to perform better for high flows than low flows. Thus, the choice of a particular model is recommended to be made on a case by case basis with respect to the objectives of the modeling as well as the results from evaluation of the intermodel differences.

scholarly journals The HYDROMED model and its application to semi-arid Mediterranean catchments with hill reservoirs 2: Rainfall-runoff model applications to three Mediterranean hill reservoirs

2001 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 554-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Ragab ◽  
D. Moidinis ◽  
J. Albergel ◽  
J. Khouri ◽  
A. Drubi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Significant Events ◽  
Reliable Parameter ◽  
Rainfall Runoff Model ◽  
Parameter Values ◽  
Runoff Model

Abstract. The objective of this work was to assess the performance of the newly developed HYDROMED model. Three catchments with hill reservoirs were selected. They are El-Gouazine and Kamech in Tunisia and Es Sindiany in Syria. The rainfall, the spillway flow and volume of water in the reservoirs were used as input to the model. Events that generated spillway flow were preferred for calibration. The results confirmed that the HYDROMED model is capable of reproducing the runoff volume at all the three sites. In calibrating single events, the model performance was high as measured by the Nash-Sutcliffe criterion for goodness of fit. In some events this value was as high as 98%. In simulation mode, the highest Nash-Sutcliffe criterion value was close to 70% in the El-Gouazine and Kamech catchments and close to 50% in the Es Sindiany catchment. Given the limited information available, especially on the unrecorded releases in the three catchments, the hydrological impact of site geology (e.g. Kamech), the unrecorded operator intervention during the spillway flow (e.g. Es Sindiany) and other unaccounted factors (e.g siltation, evaporation, etc.), these results are by and large very encouraging. However, they could be further improved as and when more information on the unrecorded parameters becomes available. Additionally, the results of this work highlighted the need for long term records with a large number of significant events that are able to generate spillway flow to obtain more consistent and reliable parameter values. It also highlights the need for more accurately recorded releases for irrigation and other uses. As these results are encouraging, more tests on those three and other sites are planned. Keywords: HYDROMED, rainfall-runoff model, Mediterranean, conceptual model

An experimental approach to reduce the parametric dimensionality for rainfall–runoff models

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Chen ◽  
Richard Arsenault ◽  
François P. Brissette
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Efficiency Criterion ◽  
Performance Loss ◽  
The Past ◽  
Multi Objective Genetic Algorithm

Sobol’ sensitivity analysis has been used successfully in the past to reduce the parametric dimensionality for hydrological models. However, the effects of its limitation, in that it assumes an independence of parameters, need to be investigated. This study proposes an experimental approach to assess the commonly used Sobol’ analysis for reducing the parameter dimensionality of hydrological models. In this approach, the number of model parameters is directly pitted against an efficiency criterion within a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA), thus allowing both the identification of key model parameters and the optimal number of parameters to be used within the same analysis. The proposed approach was tested and compared with the Sobol’ method based on a conceptual lumped hydrological model (HSAMI) with 23 free parameters. The results show that both methods performed very similarly, and allowed 11 out of 23 HSAMI parameters to be reduced with little loss in model performance. Based on this comparison, Sobol’ appears to be an effective and robust method despite its limitations. On the other hand, the MOGA algorithm outperformed Sobol’ analysis for further reduction of the parametric space and found optimal solutions with as few as eight parameters with minimal performance loss in validation.

On runoff generation and the distribution of storage deficits

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 673-689
Author(s):  
A. Wood ◽  
K. J. Beven
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Function ◽  
Beta Function ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Slow Pathway ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Runoff Generation ◽  
Small Advantage ◽  
Better Than

A number of hydrological models use a distribution function to develop the non-linear rainfall–runoff catchment response. In this study the beta function is applied to represent a distribution of soil moisture storages in conjunction with a fast and slow pathway routing. The BETA3 and BETA4 modules, presented in this paper, have a distribution of discrete storage elements that have variable and redistributed water levels at each timestep. The PDM-BETA5 is an analytical solution with a similar structure to the commonly used probability distribution model (PDM). Model testing was performed on three catchments in the Northern Pennine region in England. The performances of the BETA models were compared with a commonly used formulation of the PDM. The BETA models performed marginally better than the PDM in calibration and parameter estimation was better with the BETA models than for the PDM. The BETA models had a small advantage in validation on the hydrologically fast responding test catchments.

scholarly journals Calibration of hydrological model parameters for ungauged catchments

2007 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 703-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bárdossy
Keyword(s):  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Ungauged Catchments ◽  
Rainfall Runoff Model ◽  
Climate Statistics ◽  
Runoff Model ◽  
German Part

Abstract. The parameters of hydrological models for catchments with few or no discharge records can be estimated using regional information. One can assume that catchments with similar characteristics show a similar hydrological behaviour and thus can be modeled using similar model parameters. Therefore a regionalisation of the hydrological model parameters on the basis of catchment characteristics is plausible. However, due to the non-uniqueness of the rainfall-runoff model parameters (equifinality), a workflow of regional parameter estimation by model calibration and a subsequent fit of a regional function is not appropriate. In this paper a different approach for the transfer of entire parameter sets from one catchment to another is discussed. Parameter sets are considered as tranferable if the corresponding model performance (defined as the Nash-Sutclife efficiency) on the donor catchment is good and the regional statistics: means and variances of annual discharges estimated from catchment properties and annual climate statistics for the recipient catchment are well reproduced by the model. The methodology is applied to a set of 16 catchments in the German part of the Rhine catchments. Results show that the parameters transfered according to the above criteria perform well on the target catchments.

scholarly journals Comparing model performance of two rainfall-runoff models in the Rhine basin using different atmospheric forcing data sets

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 4325-4360 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. te Linde ◽  
J. C. J. H. Aerts ◽  
R. T. W. L. Hurkmans ◽  
M. Eberle
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Meteorological Forcing ◽  
Lumped Model ◽  
Distributed Models ◽  
Rhine Basin ◽  
Physically Based

Abstract. Due to the growing wish and necessity to simulate the possible effects of climate change on the discharge regime on large rivers such as the Rhine in Europe, there is a need for well performing hydrological models that can be applied in climate change scenario studies. There exists large variety in available models and there is an ongoing debate in research on rainfall-runoff modelling on whether or not physically based distributed models better represent observed discharges than conceptual lumped model approaches do. In this paper, the hydrological models HBV and VIC were compared for the Rhine basin by testing their performance in simulating discharge. Overall, the semi-distributed conceptual HBV model performed much better than the distributed physically based VIC model (E=0.62, r2=0.65 vs. E=0.31, r2=0.54 at Lobith). It is argued here that even for a well-documented river basin such as the Rhine, more complex modelling does not automatically lead to better results. Moreover, it is concluded that meteorological forcing data has a considerable influence on model performance, irrespectively to the type of model structure and the need for ground-based meteorological measurements is emphasized.

scholarly journals Sensitivity analysis of Takagi-Sugeno-Kang rainfall-runoff fuzzy models

2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Jacquin ◽  
A. Y. Shamseldin
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Fuzzy Models ◽  
Volumetric Errors ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Takagi Sugeno ◽  
Geographical Locations

Abstract. This paper is concerned with the sensitivity analysis of the model parameters of the Takagi-Sugeno-Kang fuzzy rainfall-runoff models previously developed by the authors. These models are classified in two types of fuzzy models, where the first type is intended to account for the effect of changes in catchment wetness and the second type incorporates seasonality as a source of non-linearity. The sensitivity analysis is performed using two global sensitivity analysis methods, namely Regional Sensitivity Analysis and Sobol's variance decomposition. The data of six catchments from different geographical locations and sizes are used in the sensitivity analysis. The sensitivity of the model parameters is analysed in terms of several measures of goodness of fit, assessing the model performance from different points of view. These measures include the Nash-Sutcliffe criteria, volumetric errors and peak errors. The results show that the sensitivity of the model parameters depends on both the catchment type and the measure used to assess the model performance.

scholarly journals Future hydrological extremes: the uncertainty from multiple global climate and global hydrological models

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Giuntoli ◽  
J.-P. Vidal ◽  
C. Prudhomme ◽  
D. M. Hannah
Keyword(s):  
Climate Models ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Uncertainty Range ◽  
Low Flows ◽  
Hydrological Extremes ◽  
High Flows

Abstract. Projections of changes in the hydrological cycle from Global Hydrological Models (GHMs) driven by Global Climate Models (GCMs) are critical for understanding future occurrence of hydrological extremes. However, uncertainties remain large and need to be better assessed. In particular, recent studies have pointed to a considerable contribution of GHMs that can equal or outweigh the contribution of GCMs to uncertainty in hydrological projections. Using 6 GHMs and 5 GCMs from the ISI-MIP multi-model ensemble, this study aims: (i) to assess future changes in the frequency of both high and low flows at the global scale using control and future (RCP8.5) simulations by the 2080s, and (ii) to quantify, for both ends of the runoff spectrum, GCMs and GHMs contributions to uncertainty using a 2-way ANOVA. Increases are found in high flows for northern latitudes and in low flows for several hotspots. Globally, the largest source of uncertainty is associated with GCMs, but GHMs are the greatest source in snow dominated regions. More specifically, results vary depending on the runoff metric, the temporal (annual and seasonal) and regional scale of analysis. For instance, uncertainty contribution from GHMs is higher for low flows than it is for high flows, partly owing to the different processes driving the onset of the two phenomena (e.g. the more direct effect of the GCMs precipitation variability on high flows). This study provides a comprehensive synthesis of where future hydrological extremes are projected to increase and where the ensemble spread is owed to either GCMs or GHMs. Finally, our results underline the importance of using multiple GCMs and GHMs to envelope the overall uncertainty range and the need for improvements in modeling snowmelt and runoff processes to project future hydrological extremes.

scholarly journals A comparison between lumped and distributed hydrological models for daily rainfall-runoff simulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 958 (1) ◽  
pp. 012016
Author(s):  
F Vilaseca ◽  
S Narbondo ◽  
C Chreties ◽  
A Castro ◽  
A Gorgoglione
Keyword(s):  
Computational Cost ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Daily Rainfall ◽  
Complex Model ◽  
The Other ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Runoff Simulation ◽  
Distributed Hydrological Models ◽  
Social Importance

Abstract In Uruguay, the Santa Lucía Chico watershed has been studied in several hydrologic/hydraulic works due to its economic and social importance. However, few studies have been focused on water balance computation in this watershed. In this work, two daily rainfall-runoff models, a distributed (SWAT) and a lumped one (GR4J), were implemented at two subbasins of the Santa Lucía Chico watershed, with the aim of providing a thorough comparison for simulating daily hydrographs and identify possible scenarios in which each approach is more suitable than the other. Results showed that a distributed and complex model like SWAT performs better in watersheds characterized by anthropic interventions such as dams, which can be explicitly represented. On the other hand, for watersheds with no significant reservoirs, the use of a complex model may not be justified due to the higher effort required in modeling design, implementation, and computational cost, which is not reflected in a significant improvement of model performance.

scholarly journals A stochastic design rainfall generator based on copulas and mass curves

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 3613-3648 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Vandenberghe ◽  
N. E. C. Verhoest ◽  
E. Buyse ◽  
B. De Baets
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Return Period ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Rainfall Time Series ◽  
Return Periods ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Design Studies ◽  
Design Storm ◽  
Practical Usefulness ◽  
Storm Duration

Abstract. The use of design storms can be very useful in many hydrological and hydraulic practices. In this study, the concept of a copula-based secondary return period in combination with the concept of mass curves is used to generate design storms. The analysis is based on storms selected from the 105 year rainfall time series with a 10 min resolution, measured at Uccle, Belgium. In first instance, bivariate copulas and secondary return periods are explained, together with a focus on which couple of storm variables is of highest interest for the analysis and a discussion of how the results might be affected by the goodness-of-fit of the copula. Subsequently, the fitted copula is used to sample storms with a predefined secondary return period for which characteristic variables such as storm duration and total storm depth can be derived. In order to construct design storms with a realistic storm structure, mass curves of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th quartile storms are developed. An analysis shows that the assumption of independence between the secondary return period and the internal storm structure could be made. Based on the mass curves, a technique is developed to randomly generate an intrastorm structure. The coupling of both techniques eventually results in a methodology for stochastic design storm generation. Finally, its practical usefulness for design studies is illustrated based on the generation of design storm ensembles and rainfall-runoff modelling.

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