First Advisor

Heejun Chang

Date of Publication

Winter 4-18-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Geography

Department

Geography

Language

English

Subjects

Hydrologic models -- West (U.S.), Runoff -- West (U.S.) -- Mathematical models, Streamflow -- West (U.S.) -- Forecasting -- Mathematical models

DOI

10.15760/etd.654

Physical Description

1 online resource (vi, 80 pages)

Abstract

Semi-distributed hydrological models are often used for streamflow forecasting, hydrological climate change impact assessments, and other applications. In such models, basins are broken up into hydrologic response units (HRUs), which are assumed to have a relatively homogenous response to precipitation. HRUs are delineated in a variety of ways, and the procedure used may impact model performance. HRU delineation procedures have been researched, but it is still not clear how important these subdivision schemes are or which delineation methods are most effective. To start addressing this knowledge gap, this project investigated whether or not HRU size has a significant effect on streamflow simulation at the mouth of a watershed. To test this, 30 gaged, relatively unimpaired western U.S. basins were each modeled with 6 HRU sets of different sizes using the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). To isolate size as a variable, HRUs were delineated using stream catchments. For each basin, streams were defined with 6 different threshold levels, producing HRUs of differing sizes. Nineteen model parameters were derived for each HRU using nationally consistent GIS datasets, and all other model parameters were left at default values. Climate inputs were derived from a national 4-km2 gridded daily climate dataset. After calibration, 4 goodness-of-fit metrics were calculated for daily streamflow for each HRU set. Uncalibrated model performance was generally poor for a variety of reasons, but comparison of the models was still informative. Results for the 30 basins across the 6 HRU size classes showed that HRU size did not significantly impact model performance across all basins. However, in basins that had less total precipitation and higher elevation, sensitivity of model performance to HRU subdivision levels was slightly greater, though not significantly so. Findings indicate that, in most basins, little subdivision may be required for good model performance, allowing for desirable simplicity and fewer degrees of freedom without sacrificing runoff simulation accuracy.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/9359

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