Picturing and modeling catchments by representative hillslopes
- This study explores the suitability of a single hillslope as a parsimonious representation of a catchment in a physically based model. We test this hypothesis by picturing two distinctly different catchments in perceptual models and translating these pictures into parametric setups of 2-D physically based hillslope models. The model parametrizations are based on a comprehensive field data set, expert knowledge and process-based reasoning. Evaluation against streamflow data highlights that both models predicted the annual pattern of streamflow generation as well as the hydrographs acceptably. However, a look beyond performance measures revealed deficiencies in streamflow simulations during the summer season and during individual rainfall-runoff events as well as a mismatch between observed and simulated soil water dynamics. Some of these shortcomings can be related to our perception of the systems and to the chosen hydrological model, while others point to limitations of the representative hillslope concept itself. Nevertheless, ourThis study explores the suitability of a single hillslope as a parsimonious representation of a catchment in a physically based model. We test this hypothesis by picturing two distinctly different catchments in perceptual models and translating these pictures into parametric setups of 2-D physically based hillslope models. The model parametrizations are based on a comprehensive field data set, expert knowledge and process-based reasoning. Evaluation against streamflow data highlights that both models predicted the annual pattern of streamflow generation as well as the hydrographs acceptably. However, a look beyond performance measures revealed deficiencies in streamflow simulations during the summer season and during individual rainfall-runoff events as well as a mismatch between observed and simulated soil water dynamics. Some of these shortcomings can be related to our perception of the systems and to the chosen hydrological model, while others point to limitations of the representative hillslope concept itself. Nevertheless, our results confirm that representative hillslope models are a suitable tool to assess the importance of different data sources as well as to challenge our perception of the dominant hydrological processes we want to represent therein. Consequently, these models are a promising step forward in the search for the optimal representation of catchments in physically based models.…
Author details: | Ralf Loritz, Sibylle K. HasslerORCiD, Conrad Jackisch, Niklas AllroggenORCiDGND, Loes van SchaikORCiDGND, Jan WienhöferORCiD, Erwin Zehe |
---|---|
URN: | urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-419082 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.25932/publishup-41908 |
Title of parent work (English): | Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe |
Publication series (Volume number): | Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe (635) |
Publication type: | Postprint |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2019/02/20 |
Publication year: | 2017 |
Publishing institution: | Universität Potsdam |
Release date: | 2019/02/20 |
Tag: | basin; field-scale; hydrologic-response simulation; preferential flow; rainfall-runoff response; soil-moisture dynamics; subsurface stormflow; system; transport; water-uptake |
Issue: | 635 |
Number of pages: | 25 |
First page: | 1225 |
Last Page: | 1249 |
Source: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 21 (2017) 2, pp. 1225–1249 DOI 10.5194/hess-21-1225-2017 |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät |
DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 55 Geowissenschaften, Geologie / 550 Geowissenschaften |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Publishing method: | Open Access |
License (German): | CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |
External remark: | Bibliographieeintrag der Originalveröffentlichung/Quelle |