What Did Really Improve Our Mesoscale Hydrological Model?
- Modelers can improve a model by addressing the causes for the model errors (data errors and structural errors). This leads to implementing model enhancements (MEs), for example, meteorological data based on more monitoring stations, improved calibration data, and/or modifications in process formulations. However, deciding on which MEs to implement remains a matter of expert knowledge. After implementing multiple MEs, any improvement in model performance is not easily attributed, especially when considering different objectives or aspects of this improvement (e.g., better dynamics vs. reduced bias). We present an approach for comparing the effect of multiple MEs based on real observations and considering multiple objectives (MMEMO). A stepwise selection approach and structured plots help to address the multidimensionality of the problem. Tailored analyses allow a differentiated view on the effect of MEs and their interactions. MMEMO is applied to a case study employing the mesoscale hydro-sedimentological model WASA-SED for theModelers can improve a model by addressing the causes for the model errors (data errors and structural errors). This leads to implementing model enhancements (MEs), for example, meteorological data based on more monitoring stations, improved calibration data, and/or modifications in process formulations. However, deciding on which MEs to implement remains a matter of expert knowledge. After implementing multiple MEs, any improvement in model performance is not easily attributed, especially when considering different objectives or aspects of this improvement (e.g., better dynamics vs. reduced bias). We present an approach for comparing the effect of multiple MEs based on real observations and considering multiple objectives (MMEMO). A stepwise selection approach and structured plots help to address the multidimensionality of the problem. Tailored analyses allow a differentiated view on the effect of MEs and their interactions. MMEMO is applied to a case study employing the mesoscale hydro-sedimentological model WASA-SED for the Mediterranean-mountainous Isabena catchment, northeast Spain. The investigated seven MEs show diverse effects: some MEs (e.g., rainfall data) cause improvements for most objectives, while other MEs (e.g., land use data) only affect a few objectives or even decrease model performance. Interaction of MEs was observed for roughly half of the MEs, confirming the need to address them in the analysis. Calibration and increasing the temporal resolution showed by far stronger impact than any of the other MEs. The proposed framework can be adopted in other studies to analyze the effect of MEs and, thus, facilitate the identification and implementation of the most promising MEs for comparable cases.…
Author details: | Till FranckeORCiDGND, Gabriele BaroniORCiDGND, Arlena BrosinskyORCiDGND, Saskia FoersterORCiD, José Andrés Lopez-TarazonORCiDGND, Erik Sommerer, Axel BronstertORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR022813 |
ISSN: | 0043-1397 |
ISSN: | 1944-7973 |
Title of parent work (English): | Water resources research |
Subtitle (English): | a Multidimensional Analysis Based on Real Observations |
Publisher: | American Geophysical Union |
Place of publishing: | Washington |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2018/07/18 |
Publication year: | 2018 |
Release date: | 2021/07/02 |
Tag: | model enhancement; modeling; sediment; sensitivity analyses |
Volume: | 54 |
Issue: | 11 |
Number of pages: | 19 |
First page: | 8594 |
Last Page: | 8612 |
Funding institution: | "Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft" (DFG)German Research Foundation (DFG) [BR 1731/11, FO 754/1, GU 987/5]; Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [CSD2009-00065]; Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship (Project "Floodhazards", Seventh EU Framework Programme)European Union (EU) [PIEF-GA-2013-622468]; Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Department of the Economy and Knowledge of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia [2014 SGR 645]; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)German Research Foundation (DFG) [CI 26/13-1, FOR 2131]; EUFAR Transnational Access; Vicenc Mut postdoctoral fellowship [CAIB PD/038/2016] |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Geowissenschaften |
DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 55 Geowissenschaften, Geologie |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Publishing method: | Open Access / Green Open-Access |