Stream Flow Estimation Using Spatially Distributed Rainfall in the Trinity River Basin, Texas

نویسندگان

  • J. Moon
  • R. Srinivasan
  • J. H. Jacobs
چکیده

Rainfall is the driving force behind all hydrologic processes in a watershed, and therefore the driving force in hydrologic modeling. In the past, raingauge data has been used as the primary input for these models. However, raingauge networks are generally sparse and insufficient to capture the spatial variability across large watersheds. A relatively new alternative is high−resolution radar rainfall data from weather radar systems, such as the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) of the National Weather Service (NWS). In this study, raingauge data were compared to NEXRAD data at each raingauge location to evaluate the accuracy and validity of rainfall data measured by radar. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the use of spatially distributed rainfall on stream flow estimation using radar rainfall inputs to a hydrologic model. SWAT, a distributed−parameter continuous−time hydrologic/water quality model, was used to estimate stream flow for a watershed in the Trinity River Basin of northeast Texas. Results obtained from simulations using NEXRAD rainfall inputs were compared to those obtained using traditional raingauge data as input to the same model. Estimation efficiency analysis was used to compare the storage volume for the Cedar Creek Reservoir with daily, ten−day, and monthly accumulated flow from SWAT simulations using raingauge and NEXRAD rainfall inputs. The efficiency for both models was similar; however, NEXRAD rainfall inputs seem to provide a better flow estimate. The accuracy of the model results suggest that NEXRAD is a good alternative to raingauge data, and can be extremely valuable in large watersheds without readily available raingauge data or sparse raingauge networks. In addition, NEXRAD can capture rainfall from localized events that may be missed by raingauge networks but that still contribute to overland runoff, thus contributing to stream flow.

برای دانلود رایگان متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Relationship between River Flow, Rainfall and Groundwater pumpage in Mikkes Basin (Morocco)

This paper investigates the relationship between river flow, rainfall and groundwater pumpage in the Mikkes stream during the period 1968-2009. The Mikkes basin is located in the north center of Morocco and consists of three different zones that represent diversified geologies. This basin includes a phreatic and confined aquifer in Saïs basin and a shallow aquifer in the Tabular Middle Atlas. A...

متن کامل

Inferring the flood frequency distribution for an ungauged basin using a spatially distributed rainfall-runoff model

Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures ◭ ◮ ◭ ◮ Back Close Full Screen / Esc Papers published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions are under open-access review for the journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Abstract Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures ◭ ◮ ◭ ◮ Back Close Full Screen / Esc Abstract The estimation of the peak river flow for ungauged riv...

متن کامل

River flow forecasting with artificial neural networks using satellite observed precipitation pre-processed with flow length and travel time information: case study of the Ganges river basin

This paper explores the use of flow length and travel time as a pre-processing step for incorporating spatial precipitation information into Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models used for river flow forecasting. Spatially distributed precipitation is commonly required when modelling large basins, and it is usually incorporated in distributed physically-based hydrological modelling approaches. ...

متن کامل

Simulation of Water Balance Components Using a Distributed Hydrological Model in Taleghan Watershed

Water changes information in the hydrological system, in time and space, as an environmental issue takes heed of managers and decision makers in watershed management and river engineering, which can be addressed by using spatially distributed modeling. In this study simulation of water balance components in Taleghan mountainous watershed is performed using the spatially distributed hydrological...

متن کامل

Simulation of Summer Hourly Stream Flow by Applying TOPMODEL and Two Routing Algorithms to the Sparsely Gauged Lhasa River Basin in China

This paper develops a new routing algorithm for improving simulation capacity of physically-based hydrological models applied to sparsely-gauged river basins. The study area is the Lhasa River basin, a large plateau basin with an area of 26,225 km2 in southwest China. In the basin, observations from three hydrological stations are available, and the observed hourly rainfall and summer stream fl...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

عنوان ژورنال:

دوره   شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2004