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An approach to measure parameter sensitivity in watershed hydrological modelling
Citation:
Ranatunga, T., S. Tong, AND J. Yang. An approach to measure parameter sensitivity in watershed hydrological modelling. Hydrological Sciences Journal. IAHS LIMITED, Oxford, Uk, 62(1):76-92, (2017). https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2016.1174335
Impact/Purpose:
Hydrologic responses in watersheds vary over time and space. The purpose of this study was to use two previously developed models from the Little Miami River and Las Vegas Wash watersheds to compare relative sensitivities of the hydrologic parameters of these two models. This work is important because it will be useful in the future for model development and calibration. These results could be applied by planners and researchers studying watersheds.
Description:
Hydrologic responses vary spatially and temporally according to watershed characteristics. In this study, the hydrologic models that we developed earlier for the Little Miami River (LMR) and Las Vegas Wash (LVW) watersheds were used for detail sensitivity analyses. To compare the relative sensitivities of the hydrologic parameters of these two models, we used Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE). By combining the NRMSE index with the flow duration curve analysis, we derived an approach to measure parameter sensitivities under different flow regimes. Results show that the parameters related to groundwater are highly sensitive in the LMR watershed, whereas the LVW watershed is primarily sensitive to near surface and impervious parameters. The high and medium flows are more impacted by most of the parameters. Low flow regime was highly sensitive to groundwater related parameters. Moreover, our approach is found to be useful in facilitating model development and calibration.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: An approach to measure parameter sensitivity in watershed hydrological modelling
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2016.1174335
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