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Transferability of Conceptual Hydrological Models Across Temporal Resolutions: Approach and Application

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Abstract

The temporal resolution of observed data is a critical element in determining the parameters, prediction performance, and applicability of hydrological models. In this study, runoff simulations were performed at different temporal resolutions using the Xinanjiang model to evaluate the influence of temporal resolution on the model parameters and performance. Based on the sensitivity analysis of the model parameters, the posterior distribution of the sensitive parameters was derived using the Bayesian method and Differential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) algorithm at different temporal resolutions. The transformation functions of the model parameters were put forward to transform the parameters according to the regulatory between the parameters and time-steps on the basis of the parameters posterior distribution. The model performance and uncertainty for runoff simulation were compared and discussed at each temporal resolution. The results show that (1) the parameters related with the process of the water balance and runoff routing are identified as sensitive to the temporal resolutions, and there exist linear or power function relationships between parameter values at different temporal resolutions; and (2) the quantitative relationship equations have been verified to have good capacity for model simulation when the model parameters are transformed from other temporal resolution.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Fund of China (51190094; 51339004; 51279138) and the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities (No.2015206020201).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Meng-Xuan Jie, Hua Chen, Chong-Yu Xu, Qiang Zeng, Jie Chen, Jong-Suk Kim & Sheng-lian Guo

  2. Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Chong-Yu Xu

  3. Fujian Shuikou Power Generation Group Co., LTD, Fujian, China

    Fu-Qiang Guo

Authors
  1. Meng-Xuan Jie
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  2. Hua Chen
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  3. Chong-Yu Xu
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  4. Qiang Zeng
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  5. Jie Chen
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  6. Jong-Suk Kim
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  7. Sheng-lian Guo
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  8. Fu-Qiang Guo
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Correspondence to Hua Chen or Chong-Yu Xu.

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Jie, MX., Chen, H., Xu, CY. et al. Transferability of Conceptual Hydrological Models Across Temporal Resolutions: Approach and Application. Water Resour Manage 32, 1367–1381 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-017-1874-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-017-1874-4

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