scholarly journals Evaluation of different calibration strategies for large scale continuous hydrological modelling

2012 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 67-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Wallner ◽  
U. Haberlandt ◽  
J. Dietrich

Abstract. For the analysis of climate impact on flood flows and flood frequency in macroscale river basins, hydrological models can be forced by several sets of hourly long-term climate time series. Considering the large number of model units, the small time step and the required recalibrations for different model forcing an efficient calibration strategy and optimisation algorithm are essential. This study investigates the impact of different calibration strategies and different optimisation algorithms on the performance and robustness of a semi-distributed model. The different calibration strategies were (a) Lumped, (b) 1-Factor, (c) Distributed and (d) Regionalisation. The latter uses catchment characteristics and estimates parameter values via transfer functions. These methods were applied in combination with three different optimisation algorithms: PEST, DDS, and SCE. In addition to the standard temporal evaluation of the calibration strategies, a spatial evaluation was applied. This was done by transferring the parameters from calibrated catchments to uncalibrated ones and validating the model performance of these uncalibrated catchments. The study was carried out for five sub-catchments of the Aller-Leine River Basin in Northern Germany. The best result for temporal evaluation was achieved by using the combination of the DDS optimisation with the Distributed strategy. The Regionalisation method obtained the weakest performance for temporal evaluation. However, for spatial evaluation the Regionalisation indicated more robust models, closely followed by the Lumped method. The 1-Factor and the Distributed strategy showed clear disadvantages regarding spatial parameter transferability. For the parameter estimation based on catchment descriptors as required for ungauged basins, the Regionalisation strategy seems to be a promising tool particularly in climate impact analysis and for hydrological modelling in general.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa-Bianca Thiele ◽  
Ross Pidoto ◽  
Uwe Haberlandt

<p>For derived flood frequency analyses, stochastic rainfall models can be linked with rainfall-runoff models to improve the accuracy of design flood estimations when the length of observed rainfall and runoff data is not sufficient. In the past, when using stochastic rainfall time series for hydrological modelling purposes, catchment rainfall for use in hydrological modelling was calculated from the multiple point rainfall time series. As an alternative to this approach, it will be tested whether catchment rainfall can be modelled directly, negating the drawbacks (and need) encountered in generating spatially consistent time series. An Alternating Renewal rainfall model (ARM) will be used to generate multiple point and lumped catchment rainfall time series in hourly resolution. The generated rainfall time series will be used to drive the rainfall-runoff model HBV-IWW with an hourly time step for mesoscale catchments in Germany. Validation will be performed by comparing modelled runoff regarding runoff and flood statistics using stochastically generated lumped catchment rainfall versus multiple point rainfall. It would be advantageous if the results based on catchment rainfall are comparable to those using multiple point rainfall, so catchment rainfall could be generated directly with the stochastic rainfall models. Extremes at the catchment scale may also be better represented if catchment rainfall is generated directly.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 5519-5538
Author(s):  
Maxime Jay-Allemand ◽  
Pierre Javelle ◽  
Igor Gejadze ◽  
Patrick Arnaud ◽  
Pierre-Olivier Malaterre ◽  
...  

Abstract. Calibration of a conceptual distributed model is challenging due to a number of reasons, which include fundamental (model adequacy and identifiability) and algorithmic (e.g., local search vs. global search) issues. The aim of the presented study is to investigate the potential of the variational approach for calibrating a simple continuous hydrological model (GRD; Génie Rural distributed involved in several flash flood modeling applications. This model is defined on a rectangular 1 km2 resolution grid, with three parameters being associated with each cell. The Gardon d'Anduze watershed (543 km2) is chosen as the study benchmark. For this watershed, the discharge observations at five gauging stations, gridded rainfall and potential-evapotranspiration estimates are continuously available for the 2007–2018 period at an hourly time step. In the variational approach one looks for the optimal solution by minimizing the standard quadratic cost function, which penalizes the misfit between the observed and predicted values, under some additional a priori constraints. The cost function gradient is efficiently computed using the adjoint model. In numerical experiments, the benefits of using the distributed against the uniform calibration are measured in terms of the model predictive performance, in temporal, spatial and spatiotemporal validation, both globally and for particular flood events. Overall, distributed calibration shows encouraging results, providing better model predictions and relevant spatial distribution of some parameters. The numerical stability analysis has been performed to understand the impact of different factors on the calibration quality. This analysis indicates the possible directions for future developments, which may include considering a non-Gaussian likelihood and upgrading the model structure.


2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Rosso ◽  
M.C. Rulli

Abstract. The influence of land use changes on flood occurrence and severity in the Bisagno River (Thyrrenian Liguria, N.W. Italy is investigated using a Monte Carlo simulation approach (Rulli and Rosso, 2002). High resolution land-use maps for the area were reconstructed and scenario simulations were made for a pre-industrial (1878), an intermediate (1930) and a current (1980) year. Land-use effects were explored to assess the consequences of distributed changes in land use due to agricultural practice and urbanisation. Hydraulic conveyance effects were considered, to assess the consequences of channel modifications associated with engineering works in the lower Bisagno River network. Flood frequency analyses of the annual flood series, retrieved from the simulations, were used to examine the effect of land-use change and river conveyance on flood regime. The impact of these effects proved to be negligible in the upper Bisagno River, moderate in the downstream river and severe in the small tributaries in the lower Bisagno valley that drain densely populated urban areas. The simulation approach is shown to be capable of incorporating historical data on landscape and river patterns into quantitative methods for risk assessment. Keywords: flood, simulation, distributed model, land-use changes, channel modifications, historical data


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Hirabayashi ◽  
Haireti Alifu ◽  
Dai Yamazaki ◽  
Yukiko Imada ◽  
Hideo Shiogama ◽  
...  

AbstractThe ongoing increases in anthropogenic radiative forcing have changed the global water cycle and are expected to lead to more intense precipitation extremes and associated floods. However, given the limitations of observations and model simulations, evidence of the impact of anthropogenic climate change on past extreme river discharge is scarce. Here, a large ensemble numerical simulation revealed that 64% (14 of 22 events) of floods analyzed during 2010-2013 were affected by anthropogenic climate change. Four flood events in Asia, Europe, and South America were enhanced within the 90% likelihood range. Of eight snow-induced floods analyzed, three were enhanced and four events were suppressed, indicating that the effects of climate change are more likely to be seen in the snow-induced floods. A global-scale analysis of flood frequency revealed that anthropogenic climate change enhanced the occurrence of floods during 2010-2013 in wide area of northern Eurasia, part of northwestern India, and central Africa, while suppressing the occurrence of floods in part of northeastern Eurasia, southern Africa, central to eastern North America and South America. Since the changes in the occurrence of flooding are the results of several hydrological processes, such as snow melt and changes in seasonal and extreme precipitation, and because a climate change signal is often not detectable from limited observation records, large ensemble discharge simulation provides insights into anthropogenic effects on past fluvial floods.


Author(s):  
Bernd Brüggenjürgen ◽  
Hans-Peter Stricker ◽  
Lilian Krist ◽  
Miriam Ortiz ◽  
Thomas Reinhold ◽  
...  

Abstract Aim To use a Delphi-panel-based assessment of the effectiveness of different non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) in order to retrospectively approximate and to prospectively predict the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic progression via a SEIR model (susceptible, exposed, infectious, removed). Methods We applied an evidence-educated Delphi-panel approach to elicit the impact of NPIs on the SARS-CoV-2 transmission rate R0 in Germany. Effectiveness was defined as the product of efficacy and compliance. A discrete, deterministic SEIR model with time step of 1 day, a latency period of 1.8 days, duration of infectiousness of 5 days, and a share of the total population of 15% assumed to be protected by immunity was developed in order to estimate the impact of selected NPI measures on the course of the pandemic. The model was populated with the Delphi-panel results and varied in sensitivity analyses. Results Efficacy and compliance estimates for the three most effective NPIs were as follows: test and isolate 49% (efficacy)/78% (compliance), keeping distance 42%/74%, personal protection masks (cloth masks or other face masks) 33%/79%. Applying all NPI effectiveness estimates to the SEIR model resulted in a valid replication of reported occurrence of the German SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A combination of four NPIs at consented compliance rates might curb the CoViD-19 pandemic. Conclusion Employing an evidence-educated Delphi-panel approach can support SARS-CoV-2 modelling. Future curbing scenarios require a combination of NPIs. A Delphi-panel-based NPI assessment and modelling might support public health policy decision making by informing sequence and number of needed public health measures.


Author(s):  
Yao Li ◽  
Haoyang Li ◽  
Jianqing Ruan

The natural environment is one of the most critical factors that profoundly influences human races. Natural disasters may have enormous effects on individual psychological characteristics. Using China’s long-term historical natural disaster dataset from 1470 to 2000 and data from a household survey in 2012, we explore whether long-term natural disasters affect social trust. We find that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between long-term natural disaster frequency and social trust. We further examine the impact of long-term natural disaster frequency on social trust in specific groups of people. Social trust in neighbors and doctors is stronger where long-term natural disasters are more frequent. Our results are robust after we considering the geographical difference. The effect of long-term natural disasters remains positively significant after we divide the samples based on geographical location. Interestingly, the impact of long-term flood frequency is only significant in the South and the impact of long-term drought frequency is only significant in the North.


2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagang Wang ◽  
Guiling Wang

Abstract Representation of the canopy hydrological processes has been challenging in land surface modeling due to the subgrid heterogeneity in both precipitation and surface characteristics. The Shuttleworth dynamic–statistical method is widely used to represent the impact of the precipitation subgrid variability on canopy hydrological processes but shows unwanted sensitivity to temporal resolution when implemented into land surface models. This paper presents a canopy hydrology scheme that is robust at different temporal resolutions. This scheme is devised by applying two physically based treatments to the Shuttleworth scheme: 1) the canopy hydrological processes within the rain-covered area are treated separately from those within the nonrain area, and the scheme tracks the relative rain location between adjacent time steps; and 2) within the rain-covered area, the canopy interception is so determined as to sustain the potential evaporation from the wetted canopy or is equal to precipitation, whichever is less, to maintain somewhat wet canopy during any rainy time step. When applied to the Amazon region, the new scheme establishes interception loss ratios of 0.3 at a 10-min time step and 0.23 at a 2-h time step. Compared to interception loss ratios of 0.45 and 0.09 at the corresponding time steps established by the original Shuttleworth scheme, the new scheme is much more stable under different temporal resolutions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Castro ◽  
Tushar Mittal ◽  
Stephen Self

<p>The 1883 Krakatau eruption is one of the most well-known historical volcanic eruptions due to its significant global climate impact as well as first recorded observations of various aerosol associated optical and physical phenomena. Although much work has been done on the former by comparison of global climate model predictions/ simulations with instrumental and proxy climate records, the latter has surprisingly not been studied in similar detail. In particular, there is a wealth of observations of vivid red sunsets, blue suns, and other similar features, that can be used to analyze the spatio-temporal dispersal of volcanic aerosols in summer to winter 1883. Thus, aerosol cloud dispersal after the Krakatau eruption can be estimated, bolstered by aerosol cloud behavior as monitored by satellite-based instrument observations after the 1991 Pinatubo eruption. This is one of a handful of large historic eruptions where this analysis can be done (using non-climate proxy methods). In this study, we model particle trajectories of the Krakatau eruption cloud using the Hysplit trajectory model and compare our results with our compiled observational dataset (principally using Verbeek 1884, the Royal Society report, and Kiessling 1884).</p><p>In particular, we explore the effect of different atmospheric states - the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) which impacts zonal movement of the stratospheric volcanic plume - to estimate the phase of the QBO in 1883 required for a fast-moving westward cloud. Since this alone is unable to match the observed latitudinal spread of the aerosols, we then explore the impact of an  umbrella cloud (2000 km diameter) that almost certainly formed during such a large eruption. A large umbrella cloud, spreading over ~18 degrees within the duration of the climax of the eruption (6-8 hours), can lead to much quicker latitudinal spread than a point source (vent). We will discuss the results of the combined model (umbrella cloud and correct QBO phase) with historical accounts and observations, as well as previous work on the 1991 Pinatubo eruption. We also consider the likely impacts of water on aerosol concentrations and the relevance of this process for eruptions with possible significant seawater interactions, like Krakatau. We posit that the role of umbrella clouds is an under-appreciated, but significant, process for beginning to model the climatic impacts of large volcanic eruptions.</p>


2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Antunes ◽  
P. Izquierdo ◽  
M. Paulino

Abstract Structures and mechanical components are often subjected to impulsive forces. There is a need for identification techniques which enable monitoring of such loads under operating conditions. For safety reasons and convenience, force identification must often be based on response motions sensed at accessible locations, remote from the impact points. In our previous work we presented techniques for the experimental identification of both isolated impacts and complex rattling forces on a beam, generated at a single and also at several impacting supports. The system dynamical behavior was modeled using traveling flexural beam waves. Although successful, these techniques obviously assume a good understanding of the system dynamic parameters. This is not always the case, a fact that highlights the practical interest of blind identification techniques. This relatively recent field, connected with higher-order statistics, avoids any explicit knowledge of the system transfer functions or impulse responses. Our previous work, based on a single response measurement, is extended in this paper to include several simultaneous responses. We develop a multi-trace version of Wiggins minimum-entropy blind deconvolution algorithm. From numerical simulations and experiments, it is shown that the robustness to noise contamination is increased by using multiple response data. These results suggest that blind identification techniques will prove very useful in practical situations.


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