Articles | Volume 29, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-903-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-903-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Feb 2025
Research article |
| 21 Feb 2025
| 21 Feb 2025
Exploring the potential processes controlling changes in precipitation–runoff relationships in non-stationary environments
Tian Lan
School of Water and Environment, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Key Laboratory of Hydrometeorological Disaster Mechanism and Warning of Ministry of Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210000, China
Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of the Ministry of Education, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Key Laboratory of Eco-hydrology and Water Security in Arid and Semi-arid Regions of the 9 Ministry of Water Resources, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Tongfang Li
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Hongbo Zhang
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Water and Environment, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of the Ministry of Education, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Key Laboratory of Eco-hydrology and Water Security in Arid and Semi-arid Regions of the 9 Ministry of Water Resources, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
Jiefeng Wu
Key Laboratory of Hydrometeorological Disaster Mechanism and Warning of Ministry of Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210000, China
Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region of the Ministry of Education, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China
School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China
Yongqin David Chen
School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Chong-Yu Xu
Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1047 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
Related authors
Tian Lan, Xiao Wang, Hongbo Zhang, Xinghui Gong, Xue Xie, Yongqin David Chen, and Chong-Yu Xu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-384, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-384, 2025
Preprint under review for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrological models are vital for water management but often fail to predict water flow in dynamic catchments due to model simplification. This study tackles it by developing an optimized calibration framework that considers dynamic catchment characteristics. To overcome potential difficulties, multiple schemes were tested on over 200 U.S. catchments. The results enhanced our understanding of simulation in dynamic catchments and provided a practical solution for improving future forecasting.
Xiaowei Zhao, Tianzeng Yang, Hongbo Zhang, Tian Lan, Chaowei Xue, Tongfang Li, Zhaoxia Ye, Zhifang Yang, and Yurou Zhang
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3479–3495, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-3479-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-3479-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
To effectively track and identify droughts, we developed a novel integrated drought index that combines the effects of precipitation, temperature, and soil moisture on drought. After comparison and verification, the integrated drought index shows superior performance compared to a single meteorological drought index or agricultural drought index in terms of drought identification.
Qiumei Ma, Chengyu Xie, Zheng Duan, Yanke Zhang, Lihua Xiong, and Chong-Yu Xu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-679, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-679, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
Short summary
Short summary
We propose a method to estimate the reservoir WLS curve based on the capacity loss induced by sediment accumulation and further assess the potential negative impact caused by outdated design WLS curve on flood regulation risks. The findings highlight that when storage capacity is considerably reduced, continued use of the existing design WLS curve may significantly underestimate, thus posing potential safety hazards to the reservoir itself and downstream flood protection objects.
Tian Lan, Xiao Wang, Hongbo Zhang, Xinghui Gong, Xue Xie, Yongqin David Chen, and Chong-Yu Xu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-384, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-384, 2025
Preprint under review for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrological models are vital for water management but often fail to predict water flow in dynamic catchments due to model simplification. This study tackles it by developing an optimized calibration framework that considers dynamic catchment characteristics. To overcome potential difficulties, multiple schemes were tested on over 200 U.S. catchments. The results enhanced our understanding of simulation in dynamic catchments and provided a practical solution for improving future forecasting.
Xiaowei Zhao, Tianzeng Yang, Hongbo Zhang, Tian Lan, Chaowei Xue, Tongfang Li, Zhaoxia Ye, Zhifang Yang, and Yurou Zhang
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3479–3495, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-3479-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-3479-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
To effectively track and identify droughts, we developed a novel integrated drought index that combines the effects of precipitation, temperature, and soil moisture on drought. After comparison and verification, the integrated drought index shows superior performance compared to a single meteorological drought index or agricultural drought index in terms of drought identification.
Zhen Cui, Shenglian Guo, Hua Chen, Dedi Liu, Yanlai Zhou, and Chong-Yu Xu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2809–2829, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2809-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2809-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ensemble forecasting facilitates reliable flood forecasting and warning. This study couples the copula-based hydrologic uncertainty processor (CHUP) with Bayesian model averaging (BMA) and proposes the novel CHUP-BMA method of reducing inflow forecasting uncertainty of the Three Gorges Reservoir. The CHUP-BMA avoids the normal distribution assumption in the HUP-BMA and considers the constraint of initial conditions, which can improve the deterministic and probabilistic forecast performance.
Jinghua Xiong, Shenglian Guo, Abhishek, Jiabo Yin, Chongyu Xu, Jun Wang, and Jing Guo
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1873–1895, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1873-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1873-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Temporal variability and spatial heterogeneity of climate systems challenge accurate estimation of probable maximum precipitation (PMP) in China. We use high-resolution precipitation data and climate models to explore the variability, trends, and shifts of PMP under climate change. Validated with multi-source estimations, our observations and simulations show significant spatiotemporal divergence of PMP over the country, which is projected to amplify in future due to land–atmosphere coupling.
Kun Xie, Lu Li, Hua Chen, Stephanie Mayer, Andreas Dobler, Chong-Yu Xu, and Ozan Mert Gokturk
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-68, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-68, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
We compared extreme precipitations in Norway from convection-permitting models at 3 km resolution (HCLIM3) and regional climate model at 12 km (HCLIM12) and show that the HCLIM3 is more accurate than HCLIM12 in predicting the intense rainfalls that can lead to floods, especially at local scales. This is more clear in hourly extremes than daily. Our research suggests using more detailed climate models could improve forecasts, helping the local society brace for the impacts of extreme weather.
Danielle M. Barna, Kolbjørn Engeland, Thomas Kneib, Thordis L. Thorarinsdottir, and Chong-Yu Xu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2335, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2335, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Estimating flood quantiles at data-scarce sites often involves single-duration regression models. However, floodplain management and reservoir design, for example, need estimates at several durations, posing challenges. Our flexible generalized additive model (GAM) enhances accuracy and explanation, revealing that single-duration models may underperform elsewhere, emphasizing the need for adaptable approaches.
Pengxiang Wang, Zuhao Zhou, Jiajia Liu, Chongyu Xu, Kang Wang, Yangli Liu, Jia Li, Yuqing Li, Yangwen Jia, and Hao Wang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2681–2701, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2681-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2681-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Considering the impact of the special geological and climatic conditions of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau on the hydrological cycle, this study established the WEP-QTP hydrological model. The snow cover and gravel layers affected the temporal and spatial changes in frozen soil and improved the regulation of groundwater on the flow process. Ignoring he influence of special underlying surface conditions has a great impact on the hydrological forecast and water resource utilization in this area.
Shanlin Tong, Weiguang Wang, Jie Chen, Chong-Yu Xu, Hisashi Sato, and Guoqing Wang
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 7075–7098, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-7075-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-7075-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Plant carbon storage potential is central to moderate atmospheric CO2 concentration buildup and mitigation of climate change. There is an ongoing debate about the main driver of carbon storage. To reconcile this discrepancy, we use SEIB-DGVM to investigate the trend and response mechanism of carbon stock fractions among water limitation regions. Results show that the impact of CO2 and temperature on carbon stock depends on water limitation, offering a new perspective on carbon–water coupling.
Pengxiang Wang, Zuhao Zhou, Jiajia Liu, Chongyu Xu, Kang Wang, Yangli Liu, Jia Li, Yuqing Li, Yangwen Jia, and Hao Wang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-538, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-538, 2021
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Combining the geological characteristics of the thin soil layer on the thick gravel layer and the climate characteristics of the long-term snow cover of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the WEP-QTP hydrological model was constructed by dividing a single soil structure into soil and gravel. In contrast to the general cold area, the special environment of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau affects the hydrothermal transport process, which can not be ignored in hydrological forecast and water resource assessment.
Dejian Zhang, Bingqing Lin, Jiefeng Wu, and Qiaoying Lin
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 5915–5925, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-5915-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-5915-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
GP-SWAT is a two-layer model parallelization tool for a SWAT model based on the graph-parallel Pregel algorithm. It can be employed to perform both individual and iterative model parallelization, endowing it with a range of possible applications and great flexibility in maximizing performance. As a flexible and scalable tool, it can run in diverse environments, ranging from a commodity computer with a Microsoft Windows, Mac or Linux OS to a Spark cluster consisting of a large number of nodes.
Qifen Yuan, Thordis L. Thorarinsdottir, Stein Beldring, Wai Kwok Wong, and Chong-Yu Xu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 5259–5275, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5259-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5259-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Localized impacts of changing precipitation patterns on surface hydrology are often assessed at a high spatial resolution. Here we introduce a stochastic method that efficiently generates gridded daily precipitation in a future climate. The method works out a stochastic model that can describe a high-resolution data product in a reference period and form a realistic precipitation generator under a projected future climate. A case study of nine catchments in Norway shows that it works well.
Tian Lan, Kairong Lin, Chong-Yu Xu, Zhiyong Liu, and Huayang Cai
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5859–5874, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5859-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5859-2020, 2020
Zhengke Pan, Pan Liu, Chong-Yu Xu, Lei Cheng, Jing Tian, Shujie Cheng, and Kang Xie
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 4369–4387, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4369-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4369-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study aims to identify the response of catchment water storage capacity (CWSC) to meteorological drought by examining the changes of hydrological-model parameters after drought events. This study improves our understanding of possible changes in the CWSC induced by a prolonged meteorological drought, which will help improve our ability to simulate the hydrological system under climate change.
Wenyan Qi, Jie Chen, Lu Li, Chong-yu Xu, Jingjing Li, Yiheng Xiang, and Shaobo Zhang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2020-127, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2020-127, 2020
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Global hydrological models (GHMs) play important roles in global water resources estimation and it is difficult to obtain parameter values for GHMs. A framework is developed for building GHMs based on parameter regionalization of catchment scale conceptual hydrological models. Four different GHMs established based on this framework can produce reliable streamflow simulations. Over all, it can be used with any conceptual hydrological model even though uncertainty exists in using different models.
Tian Lan, Kairong Lin, Chong-Yu Xu, Xuezhi Tan, and Xiaohong Chen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1347–1366, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1347-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1347-2020, 2020
Shaokun He, Shenglian Guo, Chong-Yu Xu, Kebing Chen, Zhen Liao, Lele Deng, Huanhuan Ba, and Dimitri Solomatine
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-586, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-586, 2020
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Aiming at cascade impoundment operation, we develop a classification-aggregation-decomposition method to overcome the
curse of dimensionalityand inflow stochasticity problem. It is tested with a mixed 30-reservoir system in China. The results show that our method can provide lots of schemes to refer to different flood event scenarios. The best scheme outperforms the conventional operating rule, as it increases impoundment efficiency and hydropower generation while flood control risk is less.
Désirée Treichler, Andreas Kääb, Nadine Salzmann, and Chong-Yu Xu
The Cryosphere, 13, 2977–3005, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2977-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2977-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier growth such as that found on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is counterintuitive in a warming world. Climate models and meteorological data are conflicting about the reasons for this glacier anomaly. We quantify the glacier changes in High Mountain Asia using satellite laser altimetry as well as the growth of over 1300 inland lakes on the TP. Our study suggests that increased summer precipitation is likely the largest contributor to the recently observed increases in glacier and lake masses.
Bin Xiong, Lihua Xiong, Jun Xia, Chong-Yu Xu, Cong Jiang, and Tao Du
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4453–4470, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4453-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4453-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We develop a new indicator of reservoir effects, called the rainfall–reservoir composite index (RRCI). RRCI, coupled with the effects of static reservoir capacity and scheduling-related multivariate rainfall, has a better performance than the previous indicator in terms of explaining the variation in the downstream floods affected by reservoir operation. A covariate-based flood frequency analysis using RRCI can provide more reliable downstream flood risk estimation.
Hui-Min Wang, Jie Chen, Chong-Yu Xu, Hua Chen, Shenglian Guo, Ping Xie, and Xiangquan Li
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4033–4050, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4033-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4033-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
When using large ensembles of global climate models in hydrological impact studies, there are pragmatic questions on whether it is necessary to weight climate models and how to weight them. We use eight methods to weight climate models straightforwardly, based on their performances in hydrological simulations, and investigate the influences of the assigned weights. This study concludes that using bias correction and equal weighting is likely viable and sufficient for hydrological impact studies.
Tian Lan, Kairong Lin, Xuezhi Tan, Chong-Yu Xu, and Xiaohong Chen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-301, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-301, 2019
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
A calibration scheme was developed for the dynamics of hydrological model parameters. Furthermore, a novel tool was designed to assess the reliability of the dynamized parameter set. The tool evaluates the convergence processes for global optimization algorithms using violin plots (ECP-VP). The results showed that the developed calibration scheme overcame the salient issues for poor model performance. Besides, the ECP-VP tool effectively assessed the reliability of the dynamic parameter set.
Cong Jiang, Lihua Xiong, Lei Yan, Jianfan Dong, and Chong-Yu Xu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1683–1704, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1683-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1683-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We present the methods addressing the multivariate hydrologic design applied to the engineering practice under nonstationary conditions. A dynamic C-vine copula allowing for both time-varying marginal distributions and a time-varying dependence structure is developed to capture the nonstationarities of multivariate flood distribution. Then, the multivariate hydrologic design under nonstationary conditions is estimated through specifying the design criterion by average annual reliability.
Lu Li, Mingxi Shen, Yukun Hou, Chong-Yu Xu, Arthur F. Lutz, Jie Chen, Sharad K. Jain, Jingjing Li, and Hua Chen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1483–1503, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1483-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1483-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The study used an integrated glacio-hydrological model for the hydrological projections of the Himalayan Beas basin under climate change. It is very likely that the upper Beas basin will get warmer and wetter in the future. This loss in glacier area will result in a reduction in glacier discharge, while the future changes in total discharge are uncertain. The uncertainty in future hydrological change is not only from GCMs, but also from the bias-correction methods and hydrological modeling.
Pan Hu, Qiang Zhang, Chong-Yu Xu, Shao Sun, and Jiayi Fang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-73, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-73, 2019
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
China is the country highly sensitive to flood disasters. Here we investigated flood disasters and relevant driving factors using meteorological disaster records s and also hourly rainfall data. We used the GeoDetector method to analyze potential driving factors behind flood disasters. We found increased rainstorm-induced flood disasters and increase in flood disaster frequency. Meanwhile, reduced flood-related death rates imply enhanced flood-mitigation infrastructure and facilities.
Nevil Quinn, Günter Blöschl, András Bárdossy, Attilio Castellarin, Martyn Clark, Christophe Cudennec, Demetris Koutsoyiannis, Upmanu Lall, Lubomir Lichner, Juraj Parajka, Christa D. Peters-Lidard, Graham Sander, Hubert Savenije, Keith Smettem, Harry Vereecken, Alberto Viglione, Patrick Willems, Andy Wood, Ross Woods, Chong-Yu Xu, and Erwin Zehe
Proc. IAHS, 380, 3–8, https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-380-3-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-380-3-2018, 2018
Nevil Quinn, Günter Blöschl, András Bárdossy, Attilio Castellarin, Martyn Clark, Christophe Cudennec, Demetris Koutsoyiannis, Upmanu Lall, Lubomir Lichner, Juraj Parajka, Christa D. Peters-Lidard, Graham Sander, Hubert Savenije, Keith Smettem, Harry Vereecken, Alberto Viglione, Patrick Willems, Andy Wood, Ross Woods, Chong-Yu Xu, and Erwin Zehe
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5735–5739, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5735-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5735-2018, 2018
Hong Li, Jan Erik Haugen, and Chong-Yu Xu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5097–5110, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5097-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5097-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Precipitation is a key in the water system and glacier fate in the Great Himalayas region. We examine four datasets of available types in the Western Himalayas and they show very large differences. The differences depend much on the data source and are particularly large in monsoon seasons and high-elevation areas. All the datasets show a trend to wetter summer and drier winter and this trend reveals a tendency towards a high-flow seasonality and an unfavorable condition for glaciers.
Hui-Min Wang, Jie Chen, Alex J. Cannon, Chong-Yu Xu, and Hua Chen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3739–3759, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3739-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3739-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Facing a growing number of climate models, many selection methods were proposed to select subsets in the field of climate simulation, but the transferability of their performances to hydrological impacts remains doubtful. We investigate the transferability of climate simulation uncertainty to hydrological impacts using two selection methods, and conclude that envelope-based selection of about 10 climate simulations based on properly chosen climate variables is suggested for impact studies.
Bin Xiong, Lihua Xiong, Jie Chen, Chong-Yu Xu, and Lingqi Li
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1525–1542, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1525-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1525-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In changing environments, extreme low-flow events are expected to increase. Frequency analysis of low-flow events considering the impacts of changing environments has attracted increasing attention. This study developed a frequency analysis framework by applying 11 indices to trace the main causes of the change in the annual extreme low-flow events of the Weihe River. We showed that the fluctuation in annual low-flow series was affected by climate, streamflow recession and irrigation area.
Diana Fuentes-Andino, Keith Beven, Sven Halldin, Chong-Yu Xu, José Eduardo Reynolds, and Giuliano Di Baldassarre
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 3597–3618, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3597-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3597-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Reproduction of past floods requires information on discharge and flood extent, commonly unavailable or uncertain during extreme events. We explored the possibility of reproducing an extreme flood disaster using rainfall and post-event hydrometric information by combining a rainfall-runoff and hydraulic modelling tool within an uncertainty analysis framework. Considering the uncertainty in post–event data, it was possible to reasonably reproduce the extreme event.
Sharad K. Jain, Sanjay K. Jain, Neha Jain, and Chong-Yu Xu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2017-100, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2017-100, 2017
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Lingqi Li, Lihua Xiong, Chong-Yu Xu, Shenglian Guo, and Pan Liu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-619, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-619, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
The study offers insights into future design floods that are inferred with both AM and POT samplings under nonstationarity caused by changing climate. Future design floods in nonstationarity context are usually (lower than) but not necessarily more different from stationary estimates. AM-based projection is more sensitive to climate change than POT estimates. The over-dispersion in POT arrival rate leads to the invalidation of Poisson assumption that the misuse may induce overestimated floods.
J. E. Reynolds, S. Halldin, C. Y. Xu, J. Seibert, and A. Kauffeldt
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-12-7437-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-12-7437-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
In this study it was found that time-scale dependencies of hydrological model parameters are a result of the numerical method used in the model rather than a real time-scale-data dependence. This study further indicates that as soon as sub-daily driving data can be secured, flood forecasting in watersheds with sub-daily concentration times is possible with model parameter values inferred from long time series of daily data, as long as an appropriate numerical method is used.
A. Kauffeldt, S. Halldin, A. Rodhe, C.-Y. Xu, and I. K. Westerberg
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 2845–2857, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-2845-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-2845-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Subject: Catchment hydrology | Techniques and Approaches: Modelling approaches
Catchments do not strictly follow Budyko curves over multiple decades, but deviations are minor and predictable
Scale dependency in modeling nivo-glacial hydrological systems: the case of the Arolla basin, Switzerland
Extended-range forecasting of stream water temperature with deep-learning models
Technical note: An approach for handling multiple temporal frequencies with different input dimensions using a single LSTM cell
Projections of streamflow intermittence under climate change in European drying river networks
Economic valuation of subsurface water contributions to watershed ecosystem services using a fully integrated groundwater–surface-water model
Analyzing the generalization capabilities of a hybrid hydrological model for extrapolation to extreme events
CH-RUN: a deep-learning-based spatially contiguous runoff reconstruction for Switzerland
Runoff component quantification and future streamflow projection in a large mountainous basin based on a multidata-constrained cryospheric–hydrological model
A diversity-centric strategy for the selection of spatio-temporal training data for LSTM-based streamflow forecasting
Simulating the Tone River eastward diversion project in Japan carried out 4 centuries ago
Lack of robustness of hydrological models: a large-sample diagnosis and an attempt to identify hydrological and climatic drivers
Achieving water budget closure through physical hydrological process modelling: insights from a large-sample study
Heavy-tailed flood peak distributions: what is the effect of the spatial variability of rainfall and runoff generation?
State updating of the Xin'anjiang model: joint assimilating streamflow and multi-source soil moisture data via the asynchronous ensemble Kalman filter with enhanced error models
Improving the hydrological consistency of a process-based solute-transport model by simultaneous calibration of streamflow and stream concentrations
Leveraging a time-series event separation method to disentangle time-varying hydrologic controls on streamflow – application to wildfire-affected catchments
The significance of the leaf area index for evapotranspiration estimation in SWAT-T for characteristic land cover types of West Africa
Improved representation of soil moisture processes through incorporation of cosmic-ray neutron count measurements in a large-scale hydrologic model
Spatio-temporal patterns and trends of streamflow in water-scarce Mediterranean basins
A large-sample modelling approach towards integrating streamflow and evaporation data for the Spanish catchments
Seasonal variation in land cover estimates reveals sensitivities and opportunities for environmental models
Estimating response times, flow velocities, and roughness coefficients of Canadian Prairie basins
Learning landscape features from streamflow with autoencoders
On the use of streamflow transformations for hydrological model calibration
Simulation-based inference for parameter estimation of complex watershed simulators
Multi-scale soil moisture data and process-based modeling reveal the importance of lateral groundwater flow in a subarctic catchment
CONCN: A high-resolution, integrated surface water-groundwater ParFlow modeling platform of continental China
Catchment response to climatic variability: implications for root zone storage and streamflow predictions
Hybrid hydrological modeling for large alpine basins: a semi-distributed approach
Technical note: How many models do we need to simulate hydrologic processes across large geographical domains?
Karst aquifer discharge response to rainfall interpreted as anomalous transport
HESS Opinions: Never train a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network on a single basin
Large-sample hydrology – a few camels or a whole caravan?
Comment on “Are soils overrated in hydrology?” by Gao et al. (2023)
Multi-decadal fluctuations in root zone storage capacity through vegetation adaptation to hydro-climatic variability have minor effects on the hydrological response in the Neckar River basin, Germany
Technical note: What does the Standardized Streamflow Index actually reflect? Insights and implications for hydrological drought analysis
Projected future changes in the cryosphere and hydrology of a mountainous catchment in the upper Heihe River, China
On the importance of plant phenology in the evaporative process of a semi-arid woodland: could it be why satellite-based evaporation estimates in the miombo differ?
Assessing the adequacy of traditional hydrological models for climate change impact studies: A case for long-short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks
Regionalization of GR4J model parameters for river flow prediction in Paraná, Brazil
Evolution of river regimes in the Mekong River basin over 8 decades and the role of dams in recent hydrological extremes
Skill of seasonal flow forecasts at catchment scale: an assessment across South Korea
To what extent do flood-inducing storm events change future flood hazards?
When ancient numerical demons meet physics-informed machine learning: adjoint-based gradients for implicit differentiable modeling
Assessing the value of high-resolution rainfall and streamflow data for hydrological modeling: An analysis based on 63 catchments in southeast China
Assessing the impact of climate change on high return levels of peak flows in Bavaria applying the CRCM5 large ensemble
Impacts of climate and land surface change on catchment evapotranspiration and runoff from 1951 to 2020 in Saxony, Germany
Quantifying and reducing flood forecast uncertainty by the CHUP-BMA method
Developing a tile drainage module for the Cold Regions Hydrological Model: lessons from a farm in southern Ontario, Canada
Muhammad Ibrahim, Miriam Coenders-Gerrits, Ruud van der Ent, and Markus Hrachowitz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1703–1723, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1703-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1703-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The quantification of precipitation into evaporation and runoff is vital for water resources management. The Budyko framework, based on aridity and evaporative indices of a catchment, can be an ideal tool for that. However, recent research highlights deviations of catchments from the expected evaporative index, casting doubt on its reliability. This study quantifies deviations of 2387 catchments, finding them minor and predictable. Integrating these into predictions upholds the framework's efficacy.
Anne-Laure Argentin, Pascal Horton, Bettina Schaefli, Jamal Shokory, Felix Pitscheider, Leona Repnik, Mattia Gianini, Simone Bizzi, Stuart N. Lane, and Francesco Comiti
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1725–1748, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1725-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1725-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In this article, we show that by taking the optimal parameters calibrated with a semi-lumped model for the discharge at a catchment's outlet, we can accurately simulate runoff at various points within the study area, including three nested and three neighboring catchments. In addition, we demonstrate that employing more intricate melt models, which better represent physical processes, enhances the transfer of parameters in the simulation, until we observe overparameterization.
Ryan S. Padrón, Massimiliano Zappa, Luzi Bernhard, and Konrad Bogner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1685–1702, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1685-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1685-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We generate operational forecasts of daily maximum stream water temperature for 32 consecutive days at 54 stations in Switzerland with our best-performing data-driven model. The average forecast error is 0.38 °C for 1 d ahead and increases to 0.90 °C for 32 d ahead given the uncertainty in the meteorological variables influencing water temperature. Here we compare the skill of several models, how well they can forecast at new and ungauged stations, and the importance of different model inputs.
Eduardo Acuña Espinoza, Frederik Kratzert, Daniel Klotz, Martin Gauch, Manuel Álvarez Chaves, Ralf Loritz, and Uwe Ehret
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1749–1758, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1749-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1749-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Long short-term memory (LSTM) networks have demonstrated state-of-the-art performance for rainfall-runoff hydrological modelling. However, most studies focus on predictions at a daily scale, limiting the benefits of sub-daily (e.g. hourly) predictions in applications like flood forecasting. In this study, we introduce a new architecture, multi-frequency LSTM (MF-LSTM), designed to use inputs of various temporal frequencies to produce sub-daily (e.g. hourly) predictions at a moderate computational cost.
Louise Mimeau, Annika Künne, Alexandre Devers, Flora Branger, Sven Kralisch, Claire Lauvernet, Jean-Philippe Vidal, Núria Bonada, Zoltán Csabai, Heikki Mykrä, Petr Pařil, Luka Polović, and Thibault Datry
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1615–1636, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1615-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1615-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our study projects how climate change will affect the drying of river segments and stream networks in Europe, using advanced modelling techniques to assess changes in six river networks across diverse ecoregions. We found that drying events will become more frequent and intense and will start earlier or last longer, potentially turning some river sections from perennial to intermittent. The results are valuable for river ecologists for evaluating the ecological health of river ecosystem.
Tariq Aziz, Steven K. Frey, David R. Lapen, Susan Preston, Hazen A. J. Russell, Omar Khader, Andre R. Erler, and Edward A. Sudicky
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1549–1568, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1549-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1549-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study determines the value of subsurface water for ecosystem services' supply in an agricultural watershed in Ontario, Canada. Using a fully integrated water model and an economic valuation approach, the research highlights subsurface water's critical role in maintaining watershed ecosystem services. The study informs on the sustainable use of subsurface water and introduces a new method for managing watershed ecosystem services.
Eduardo Acuña Espinoza, Ralf Loritz, Frederik Kratzert, Daniel Klotz, Martin Gauch, Manuel Álvarez Chaves, and Uwe Ehret
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1277–1294, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1277-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1277-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Data-driven techniques have shown the potential to outperform process-based models in rainfall–runoff simulations. Hybrid models, combining both approaches, aim to enhance accuracy and maintain interpretability. Expanding the set of test cases to evaluate hybrid models under different conditions, we test their generalization capabilities for extreme hydrological events.
Basil Kraft, Michael Schirmer, William H. Aeberhard, Massimiliano Zappa, Sonia I. Seneviratne, and Lukas Gudmundsson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1061–1082, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1061-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1061-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study reconstructs daily runoff in Switzerland (1962–2023) using a deep-learning model, providing a spatially contiguous dataset on a medium-sized catchment grid. The model outperforms traditional hydrological methods, revealing shifts in Swiss water resources, including more frequent dry years and declining summer runoff. The reconstruction is publicly available.
Mengjiao Zhang, Yi Nan, and Fuqiang Tian
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 1033–1060, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1033-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-1033-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Owing to differences in the existing published results, we conducted a detailed analysis of the runoff components and future trends in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin and found that the contributions of snowmelt and glacier melt runoff to streamflow (both ~5 %) are limited and much lower than previous results. The streamflow in this area will continuously increase in the future, but the overestimated contribution of glacier melt could lead to an underestimation of this increasing trend.
Everett Snieder and Usman T. Khan
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 785–798, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-785-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-785-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Improving the accuracy of flood forecasts is paramount to minimising flood damage. Machine learning (ML) models are increasingly being applied for flood forecasting. Such models are typically trained on large historic hydrometeorological datasets. In this work, we evaluate methods for selecting training datasets that maximise the spatio-temporal diversity of the represented hydrological processes. Empirical results showcase the importance of hydrological diversity in training ML models.
Joško Trošelj and Naota Hanasaki
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 753–766, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-753-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-753-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the first distributed hydrological simulation which confirms claims raised by historians that the eastward diversion project of the Tone River in Japan was conducted 4 centuries ago to increase low flows and subsequent travelling possibilities surrounding the capital, Edo (Tokyo), using inland navigation. We showed that great steps forward can be made for improving quality of life with small human engineering waterworks and small interventions in the regime of natural flows.
Léonard Santos, Vazken Andréassian, Torben O. Sonnenborg, Göran Lindström, Alban de Lavenne, Charles Perrin, Lila Collet, and Guillaume Thirel
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 683–700, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-683-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-683-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This work investigates how hydrological models are transferred to a period in which climate conditions are different to the ones of the period in which they were set up. The robustness assessment test built to detect dependencies between model error and climatic drivers was applied to three hydrological models in 352 catchments in Denmark, France and Sweden. Potential issues are seen in a significant number of catchments for the models, even though the catchments differ for each model.
Xudong Zheng, Dengfeng Liu, Shengzhi Huang, Hao Wang, and Xianmeng Meng
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 627–653, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-627-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-627-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Water budget non-closure is a widespread phenomenon among multisource datasets which undermines the robustness of hydrological inferences. This study proposes a Multisource Dataset Correction Framework grounded in Physical Hydrological Process Modelling to enhance water budget closure, termed PHPM-MDCF. We examined the efficiency and robustness of the framework using the CAMELS dataset and achieved an average reduction of 49 % in total water budget residuals across 475 CONUS basins.
Elena Macdonald, Bruno Merz, Viet Dung Nguyen, and Sergiy Vorogushyn
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 447–463, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-447-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-447-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Flood peak distributions indicate how likely the occurrence of an extreme flood is at a certain river. If the distribution has a so-called heavy tail, extreme floods are more likely than might be anticipated. We find heavier tails in small catchments compared to large catchments, and spatially variable rainfall leads to a lower occurrence probability of extreme floods. Spatially variable runoff does not show effects. The results can improve estimations of probabilities of extreme floods.
Junfu Gong, Xingwen Liu, Cheng Yao, Zhijia Li, Albrecht H. Weerts, Qiaoling Li, Satish Bastola, Yingchun Huang, and Junzeng Xu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 335–360, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-335-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-335-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our study introduces a new method to improve flood forecasting by combining soil moisture and streamflow data using an advanced data assimilation technique. By integrating field and reanalysis soil moisture data and assimilating this with streamflow measurements, we aim to enhance the accuracy of flood predictions. This approach reduces the accumulation of past errors in the initial conditions at the start of the forecast, helping to better prepare for and respond to floods.
Jordy Salmon-Monviola, Ophélie Fovet, and Markus Hrachowitz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 127–158, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-127-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-127-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
To increase the predictive power of hydrological models, it is necessary to improve their consistency, i.e. their physical realism, which is measured by the ability of the model to reproduce observed system dynamics. Using a model to represent the dynamics of water and nitrate and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in an agricultural catchment, we showed that using solute-concentration data for calibration is useful to improve the hydrological consistency of the model.
Haley A. Canham, Belize Lane, Colin B. Phillips, and Brendan P. Murphy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 27–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-27-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-27-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The influence of watershed disturbances has proved challenging to disentangle from natural streamflow variability. This study evaluates the influence of time-varying hydrologic controls on rainfall–runoff in undisturbed and wildfire-disturbed watersheds using a novel time-series event separation method. Across watersheds, water year type and season influenced rainfall–runoff patterns. Accounting for these controls enabled clearer isolation of wildfire effects.
Fabian Merk, Timo Schaffhauser, Faizan Anwar, Ye Tuo, Jean-Martial Cohard, and Markus Disse
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 5511–5539, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5511-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5511-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Evapotranspiration (ET) is computed from the vegetation (plant transpiration) and soil (soil evaporation). In western Africa, plant transpiration correlates with vegetation growth. Vegetation is often represented using the leaf area index (LAI). In this study, we evaluate the importance of the LAI for ET calculation. We take a close look at this interaction and highlight its relevance. Our work contributes to the understanding of terrestrial water cycle processes .
Eshrat Fatima, Rohini Kumar, Sabine Attinger, Maren Kaluza, Oldrich Rakovec, Corinna Rebmann, Rafael Rosolem, Sascha E. Oswald, Luis Samaniego, Steffen Zacharias, and Martin Schrön
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 5419–5441, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5419-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5419-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study establishes a framework to incorporate cosmic-ray neutron measurements into the mesoscale Hydrological Model (mHM). We evaluate different approaches to estimate neutron counts within the mHM using the Desilets equation, with uniformly and non-uniformly weighted average soil moisture, and the physically based code COSMIC. The data improved not only soil moisture simulations but also the parameterisation of evapotranspiration in the model.
Laia Estrada, Xavier Garcia, Joan Saló-Grau, Rafael Marcé, Antoni Munné, and Vicenç Acuña
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 5353–5373, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5353-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5353-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrological modelling is a powerful tool to support decision-making. We assessed spatio-temporal patterns and trends of streamflow for 2001–2022 with a hydrological model, integrating stakeholder expert knowledge on management operations. The results provide insight into how climate change and anthropogenic pressures affect water resources availability in regions vulnerable to water scarcity, thus raising the need for sustainable management practices and integrated hydrological modelling.
Patricio Yeste, Matilde García-Valdecasas Ojeda, Sonia R. Gámiz-Fortis, Yolanda Castro-Díez, Axel Bronstert, and María Jesús Esteban-Parra
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 5331–5352, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5331-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5331-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Integrating streamflow and evaporation data can help improve the physical realism of hydrologic models. We investigate the capabilities of the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) to reproduce both hydrologic variables for 189 headwater located in Spain. Results from sensitivity analyses indicate that adding two vegetation parameters is enough to improve the representation of evaporation and that the performance of VIC exceeded that of the largest modelling effort currently available in Spain.
Daniel T. Myers, David Jones, Diana Oviedo-Vargas, John Paul Schmit, Darren L. Ficklin, and Xuesong Zhang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 5295–5310, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5295-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5295-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how streamflow and water quality models respond to land cover data collected by satellites during the growing season versus the non-growing season. The land cover data showed more trees during the growing season and more built areas during the non-growing season. We next found that the use of non-growing season data resulted in a higher modeled nutrient export to streams. Knowledge of these sensitivities would be particularly important when models inform water resource management.
Kevin R. Shook, Paul H. Whitfield, Christopher Spence, and John W. Pomeroy
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 5173–5192, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5173-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-5173-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Recent studies suggest that the velocities of water running off landscapes in the Canadian Prairies may be much smaller than generally assumed. Analyses of historical flows for 23 basins in central Alberta show that many of the rivers responded more slowly and that the flows are much slower than would be estimated from equations developed elsewhere. The effects of slow flow velocities on the development of hydrological models of the region are discussed, as are the possible causes.
Alberto Bassi, Marvin Höge, Antonietta Mira, Fabrizio Fenicia, and Carlo Albert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4971–4988, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4971-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4971-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The goal is to remove the impact of meteorological drivers in order to uncover the unique landscape fingerprints of a catchment from streamflow data. Our results reveal an optimal two-feature summary for most catchments, with a third feature associated with aridity and intermittent flow that is needed for challenging cases. Baseflow index, aridity, and soil or vegetation attributes strongly correlate with learnt features, indicating their importance for streamflow prediction.
Guillaume Thirel, Léonard Santos, Olivier Delaigue, and Charles Perrin
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4837–4860, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4837-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4837-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We discuss how mathematical transformations impact calibrated hydrological model simulations. We assess how 11 transformations behave over the complete range of streamflows. Extreme transformations lead to models that are specialized for extreme streamflows but show poor performance outside the range of targeted streamflows and are less robust. We show that no a priori assumption about transformations can be taken as warranted.
Robert Hull, Elena Leonarduzzi, Luis De La Fuente, Hoang Viet Tran, Andrew Bennett, Peter Melchior, Reed M. Maxwell, and Laura E. Condon
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4685–4713, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4685-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4685-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Large-scale hydrologic simulators are a needed tool to explore complex watershed processes and how they may evolve with a changing climate. However, calibrating them can be difficult because they are costly to run and have many unknown parameters. We implement a state-of-the-art approach to model calibration using neural networks with a set of experiments based on streamflow in the upper Colorado River basin.
Jari-Pekka Nousu, Kersti Leppä, Hannu Marttila, Pertti Ala-aho, Giulia Mazzotti, Terhikki Manninen, Mika Korkiakoski, Mika Aurela, Annalea Lohila, and Samuli Launiainen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4643–4666, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4643-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4643-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We used hydrological models, field measurements, and satellite-based data to study the soil moisture dynamics in a subarctic catchment. The role of groundwater was studied with different ways to model the groundwater dynamics and via comparisons to the observational data. The choice of groundwater model was shown to have a strong impact, and representation of lateral flow was important to capture wet soil conditions. Our results provide insights for ecohydrological studies in boreal regions.
Chen Yang, Zitong Jia, Wenjie Xu, Zhongwang Wei, Xiaolang Zhang, Yiguang Zou, Jeffrey McDonnell, Laura Condon, Yongjiu Dai, and Reed Maxwell
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-292, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-292, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
We developed the first high-resolution, integrated surface water-groundwater hydrologic model of the entire continental China using ParFlow. The model shows good performance of streamflow and water table depth when compared to global data products and observations. It is essential for water resources management and decision making in China within a consistent framework in the changing world. It also has significant implications for similar modeling in other places in the world.
Nienke Tempel, Laurène Bouaziz, Riccardo Taormina, Ellis van Noppen, Jasper Stam, Eric Sprokkereef, and Markus Hrachowitz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4577–4597, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4577-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4577-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the impact of climatic variability on root zone water storage capacities and, thus, on hydrological predictions. Analysing data from 286 areas in Europe and the US, we found that, despite some variations in root zone storage capacity due to changing climatic conditions over multiple decades, these changes are generally minor and have a limited effect on water storage and river flow predictions.
Bu Li, Ting Sun, Fuqiang Tian, Mahmut Tudaji, Li Qin, and Guangheng Ni
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4521–4538, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4521-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4521-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This paper developed hybrid semi-distributed hydrological models by employing a process-based model as the backbone and utilizing deep learning to parameterize and replace internal modules. The main contribution is to provide a high-performance tool enriched with explicit hydrological knowledge for hydrological prediction and to improve understanding about the hydrological sensitivities to climate change in large alpine basins.
Wouter J. M. Knoben, Ashwin Raman, Gaby J. Gründemann, Mukesh Kumar, Alain Pietroniro, Chaopeng Shen, Yalan Song, Cyril Thébault, Katie van Werkhoven, Andrew W. Wood, and Martyn P. Clark
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-279, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-279, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrologic models are needed to provide simulations of water availability, floods and droughts. The accuracy of these simulations is often quantified with so-called performance scores. A common thought is that different models are more or less applicable to different landscapes, depending on how the model works. We show that performance scores are not helpful in distinguishing between different models, and thus cannot easily be used to select an appropriate model for a specific place.
Dan Elhanati, Nadine Goeppert, and Brian Berkowitz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4239–4249, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4239-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4239-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A continuous time random walk framework was developed to allow modeling of a karst aquifer discharge response to measured rainfall. The application of the numerical model yielded robust fits between modeled and measured discharge values, especially for the distinctive long tails found during recession times. The findings shed light on the interplay of slow and fast flow in the karst system and establish the application of the model for simulating flow and transport in such systems.
Frederik Kratzert, Martin Gauch, Daniel Klotz, and Grey Nearing
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4187–4201, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4187-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4187-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Recently, a special type of neural-network architecture became increasingly popular in hydrology literature. However, in most applications, this model was applied as a one-to-one replacement for hydrology models without adapting or rethinking the experimental setup. In this opinion paper, we show how this is almost always a bad decision and how using these kinds of models requires the use of large-sample hydrology data sets.
Franziska Clerc-Schwarzenbach, Giovanni Selleri, Mattia Neri, Elena Toth, Ilja van Meerveld, and Jan Seibert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4219–4237, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4219-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4219-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We show that the differences between the forcing data included in three CAMELS datasets (US, BR, GB) and the forcing data included for the same catchments in the Caravan dataset affect model calibration considerably. The model performance dropped when the data from the Caravan dataset were used instead of the original data. Most of the model performance drop could be attributed to the differences in precipitation data. However, differences were largest for the potential evapotranspiration data.
Ying Zhao, Mehdi Rahmati, Harry Vereecken, and Dani Or
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4059–4063, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4059-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4059-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Gao et al. (2023) question the importance of soil in hydrology, sparking debate. We acknowledge some valid points but critique their broad, unsubstantiated views on soil's role. Our response highlights three key areas: (1) the false divide between ecosystem-centric and soil-centric approaches, (2) the vital yet varied impact of soil properties, and (3) the call for a scale-aware framework. We aim to unify these perspectives, enhancing hydrology's comprehensive understanding.
Siyuan Wang, Markus Hrachowitz, and Gerrit Schoups
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 4011–4033, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4011-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4011-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Root zone storage capacity (Sumax) changes significantly over multiple decades, reflecting vegetation adaptation to climatic variability. However, this temporal evolution of Sumax cannot explain long-term fluctuations in the partitioning of water fluxes as expressed by deviations ΔIE from the parametric Budyko curve over time with different climatic conditions, and it does not have any significant effects on shorter-term hydrological response characteristics of the upper Neckar catchment.
Fabián Lema, Pablo A. Mendoza, Nicolás A. Vásquez, Naoki Mizukami, Mauricio Zambrano-Bigiarini, and Ximena Vargas
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-221, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2024-221, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrological droughts affect ecosystems and socioeconomic activities worldwide. Despite they are commonly described with the Standardized Streamflow Index (SSI), there is limited understanding of what it truly reflects in terms of water cycle processes. Here, we used state-of-the-art hydrological models in Andean basins to examine drivers of SSI fluctuations. The results highlight the importance of careful selection of indices and time scales for accurate drought characterization and monitoring.
Zehua Chang, Hongkai Gao, Leilei Yong, Kang Wang, Rensheng Chen, Chuntan Han, Otgonbayar Demberel, Batsuren Dorjsuren, Shugui Hou, and Zheng Duan
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3897–3917, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3897-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3897-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
An integrated cryospheric–hydrologic model, FLEX-Cryo, was developed that considers glaciers, snow cover, and frozen soil and their dynamic impacts on hydrology. We utilized it to simulate future changes in cryosphere and hydrology in the Hulu catchment. Our projections showed the two glaciers will melt completely around 2050, snow cover will reduce, and permafrost will degrade. For hydrology, runoff will decrease after the glacier has melted, and permafrost degradation will increase baseflow.
Henry M. Zimba, Miriam Coenders-Gerrits, Kawawa E. Banda, Petra Hulsman, Nick van de Giesen, Imasiku A. Nyambe, and Hubert H. G. Savenije
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3633–3663, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3633-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3633-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The fall and flushing of new leaves in the miombo woodlands co-occur in the dry season before the commencement of seasonal rainfall. The miombo species are also said to have access to soil moisture in deep soils, including groundwater in the dry season. Satellite-based evaporation estimates, temporal trends, and magnitudes differ the most in the dry season, most likely due to inadequate understanding and representation of the highlighted miombo species attributes in simulations.
Jean-Luc Martel, François Brissette, Richard Arsenault, Richard Turcotte, Mariana Castañeda-Gonzalez, William Armstrong, Edouard Mailhot, Jasmine Pelletier-Dumont, Gabriel Rondeau-Genesse, and Louis-Philippe Caron
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2133, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2133, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study compares Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks with traditional hydrological models to predict future streamflow under climate change. Using data from 148 catchments, it finds that LSTM models, which learn from extensive data sequences, perform differently and often better than traditional hydrolgical models. The continental LSTM model, which includes data from diverse climate zones, is particularly effective for understanding climate impacts on water resources.
Louise Akemi Kuana, Arlan Scortegagna Almeida, Emílio Graciliano Ferreira Mercuri, and Steffen Manfred Noe
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3367–3390, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3367-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3367-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The authors compared regionalization methods for river flow prediction in 126 catchments from the south of Brazil, a region with humid subtropical and hot temperate climate. The regionalization method based on physiographic–climatic similarity had the best performance for predicting daily and Q95 reference flow. We showed that basins without flow monitoring can have a good approximation of streamflow using machine learning and physiographic–climatic information as inputs.
Huy Dang and Yadu Pokhrel
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3347–3365, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3347-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3347-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
By examining basin-wide simulations of a river regime over 83 years with and without dams, we present evidence that climate variation was a key driver of hydrologic variabilities in the Mekong River basin (MRB) over the long term; however, dams have largely altered the seasonality of the Mekong’s flow regime and annual flooding patterns in major downstream areas in recent years. These findings could help us rethink the planning of future dams and water resource management in the MRB.
Yongshin Lee, Francesca Pianosi, Andres Peñuela, and Miguel Angel Rico-Ramirez
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3261–3279, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3261-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3261-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Following recent advancements in weather prediction technology, we explored how seasonal weather forecasts (1 or more months ahead) could benefit practical water management in South Korea. Our findings highlight that using seasonal weather forecasts for predicting flow patterns 1 to 3 months ahead is effective, especially during dry years. This suggest that seasonal weather forecasts can be helpful in improving the management of water resources.
Mariam Khanam, Giulia Sofia, and Emmanouil N. Anagnostou
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3161–3190, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3161-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3161-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Flooding worsens due to climate change, with river dynamics being a key in local flood control. Predicting post-storm geomorphic changes is challenging. Using self-organizing maps and machine learning, this study forecasts post-storm alterations in stage–discharge relationships across 3101 US stream gages. The provided framework can aid in updating hazard assessments by identifying rivers prone to change, integrating channel adjustments into flood hazard assessment.
Yalan Song, Wouter J. M. Knoben, Martyn P. Clark, Dapeng Feng, Kathryn Lawson, Kamlesh Sawadekar, and Chaopeng Shen
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 3051–3077, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3051-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3051-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Differentiable models (DMs) integrate neural networks and physical equations for accuracy, interpretability, and knowledge discovery. We developed an adjoint-based DM for ordinary differential equations (ODEs) for hydrological modeling, reducing distorted fluxes and physical parameters from errors in models that use explicit and operation-splitting schemes. With a better numerical scheme and improved structure, the adjoint-based DM matches or surpasses long short-term memory (LSTM) performance.
Mahmut Tudaji, Yi Nan, and Fuqiang Tian
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1438, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1438, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Common intuition holds that higher input data resolution leads to better results. To assess the benefits of high-resolution data, we conducted simulation experiments using data with various temporal resolutions across multiple catchments, and found that higher resolution data does not always improve model performance, challenging the necessity of pursuing such data. In catchments with small areas or significant flow variability, high-resolution data is more valuable.
Florian Willkofer, Raul R. Wood, and Ralf Ludwig
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2969–2989, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2969-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2969-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Severe flood events pose a threat to riverine areas, yet robust estimates of the dynamics of these events in the future due to climate change are rarely available. Hence, this study uses data from a regional climate model, SMILE, to drive a high-resolution hydrological model for 98 catchments of hydrological Bavaria and exploits the large database to derive robust values for the 100-year flood events. Results indicate an increase in frequency and intensity for most catchments in the future.
Maik Renner and Corina Hauffe
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2849–2869, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2849-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2849-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Climate and land surface changes influence the partitioning of water balance components decisively. Their impact is quantified for 71 catchments in Saxony. Germany. Distinct signatures in the joint water and energy budgets are found: (i) past forest dieback caused a decrease in and subsequent recovery of evapotranspiration in the affected regions, and (ii) the recent shift towards higher aridity imposed a large decline in runoff that has not been seen in the observation records before.
Zhen Cui, Shenglian Guo, Hua Chen, Dedi Liu, Yanlai Zhou, and Chong-Yu Xu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2809–2829, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2809-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2809-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ensemble forecasting facilitates reliable flood forecasting and warning. This study couples the copula-based hydrologic uncertainty processor (CHUP) with Bayesian model averaging (BMA) and proposes the novel CHUP-BMA method of reducing inflow forecasting uncertainty of the Three Gorges Reservoir. The CHUP-BMA avoids the normal distribution assumption in the HUP-BMA and considers the constraint of initial conditions, which can improve the deterministic and probabilistic forecast performance.
Mazda Kompanizare, Diogo Costa, Merrin L. Macrae, John W. Pomeroy, and Richard M. Petrone
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2785–2807, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2785-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2785-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A new agricultural tile drainage module was developed in the Cold Region Hydrological Model platform. Tile flow and water levels are simulated by considering the effect of capillary fringe thickness, drainable water and seasonal regional groundwater dynamics. The model was applied to a small well-instrumented farm in southern Ontario, Canada, where there are concerns about the impacts of agricultural drainage into Lake Erie.
Cited articles
Abbott, B. W., Bishop, K., Zarnetske, J. P., Minaudo, C., Chapin, F. S., Krause, S., Hannah, D. M., Conner, L., Ellison, D., Godsey, S. E., Plont, S., Marçais, J., Kolbe, T., Huebner, A., Frei, R. J., Hampton, T., Gu, S., Buhman, M., Sara Sayedi, S., Ursache, O., Chapin, M., Henderson, K. D., and Pinay, G.: Human domination of the global water cycle absent from depictions and perceptions, Nat. Geosci., 12, 533–540, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0374-y, 2019.
Ammann, L., Fenicia, F., and Reichert, P.: A likelihood framework for deterministic hydrological models and the importance of non-stationary autocorrelation, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2147–2172, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2147-2019, 2019.
Armstrong, R. A.: Should Pearson's correlation coefficient be avoided?, Ophthal. Physl. Opt., 39, 316–327, https://doi.org/10.1111/opo.12636, 2019.
Bales, R. C., Goulden, M. L., Hunsaker, C. T., Conklin, M. H., Hartsough, P. C., O'Geen, A. T., Hopmans, J. W., and Safeeq, M.: Mechanisms controlling the impact of multi-year drought on mountain hydrology, Sci. Rep., 8, 690, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-19007-0, 2018.
Berghuijs, W. R., Larsen, J. R., van Emmerik, T. H. M., and Woods, R. A.: A global assessment of runoff sensitivity to changes in precipitation, potential evaporation, and other factors, Water Resour. Res., 53, 8475–8486, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR021593, 2017.
Beven, K. J., Kirkby, M. J., Freer, J. E., and Lamb, R.: A history of TOPMODEL, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 527–549, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-527-2021, 2021.
Buechel, M., Slater, L., and Dadson, S.: Hydrological impact of widespread afforestation in Great Britain using a large ensemble of modelled scenarios, Commun. Earth Environ., 3, 6, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00334-0, 2022.
Burek, P., Satoh, Y., Kahil, T., Tang, T., Greve, P., Smilovic, M., Guillaumot, L., Zhao, F., and Wada, Y.: Development of the Community Water Model (CWatM v1.04) – a high-resolution hydrological model for global and regional assessment of integrated water resources management, Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 3267–3298, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-3267-2020, 2020.
Ceola, S., Laio, F., and Montanari, A.: Global-scale human pressure evolution imprints on sustainability of river systems, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3933–3944, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3933-2019, 2019.
Chang, J., Wang, Y., Istanbulluoglu, E., Bai, T., Huang, Q., Yang, D., and Huang, S.: Impact of climate change and human activities on runoff in the Weihe River Basin, China, Quatern. Int., 380–381, 169–179, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2014.03.048, 2015.
Chen, L., Wei, W., Fu, B., and Lü, Y.: Soil and water conservation on the Loess Plateau in China: review and perspective, Prog. Phys. Geog., 31, 389–403, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133307081290, 2007.
Clark, M. P., Schaefli, B., Schymanski, S. J., Samaniego, L., Luce, C. H., Jackson, B. M., Freer, J. E., Arnold, J. R., Moore, R. D., Istanbulluoglu, E., and Ceola, S.: Improving the theoretical underpinnings of process-based hydrologic models, Water Resour. Res., 52, 2350–2365, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR017910, 2016.
Cryer, J. D. and Kellet, N.: Time series analysis, Springer, ISBN: 978-0-387-75958-6, 1991.
Dey, P. and Mishra, A.: Separating the impacts of climate change and human activities on streamflow: A review of methodologies and critical assumptions, J. Hydrol., 548, 278–290, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.03.014, 2017.
Feng, X., Cheng, W., Fu, B., and Lü, Y.: The role of climatic and anthropogenic stresses on long-term runoff reduction from the Loess Plateau, China, Sci. Total Environ., 571, 688–698, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.038, 2016.
Franzen, S. E., Farahani, M. A., and Goodwell, A. E.: Information Flows: Characterizing Precipitation-Streamflow Dependencies in the Colorado Headwaters With an Information Theory Approach, Water Resour. Res., 56, e2019WR026133, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026133, 2020.
Gao, P., Geissen, V., Ritsema, C. J., Mu, X.-M., and Wang, F.: Impact of climate change and anthropogenic activities on stream flow and sediment discharge in the Wei River basin, China, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 961–972, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-961-2013, 2013.
Gao, X., Yan, C., Wang, Y., Zhao, X., Zhao, Y., Sun, M., and Peng, S.: Attribution analysis of climatic and multiple anthropogenic causes of runoff change in the Loess Plateau – A case-study of the Jing River Basin, Land Degrad. Dev., 31, 1622–1640, https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3557, 2020.
Gong, P., Li, X., Wang, J., Bai, Y., Chen, B., Hu, T., Liu, X., Xu, B., Yang, J., Zhang, W., and Zhou, Y.: Annual maps of global artificial impervious area (GAIA) between 1985 and 2018, Remote Sens. Environ., 236, 111510, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2019.111510, 2020.
Haddeland, I., Heinke, J., Biemans, H., Eisner, S., Flörke, M., Hanasaki, N., Konzmann, M., Ludwig, F., Masaki, Y., Schewe, J., Stacke, T., Tessler, Z. D., Wada, Y., and Wisser, D.: Global water resources affected by human interventions and climate change, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 111, 3251–3256, 2014.
Hejazi, M. I. and Cai, X.: Input variable selection for water resources systems using a modified minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mMRMR) algorithm, Adv. Water Resour., 32, 582–593, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2009.01.009, 2009.
He, Y., Song, J., Hu, Y., Tu, X., and Zhao, Y.: Impacts of different weather conditions and landuse change on runoff variations in the Beiluo River Watershed, China, Sustain. Cities Soc., 50, 101674, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101674, 2019.
Hintze, J. L. and Nelson, R. D.: Violin plots: a box plot-density trace synergism, Am Stat., 52, 181–184, 1998.
Hu, J., Wu, Y., Wang, L., Sun, P., Zhao, F., Jin, Z., Wang, Y., Qiu, L., and Lian, Y.: Impacts of land-use conversions on the water cycle in a typical watershed in the southern Chinese Loess Plateau, J. Hydrol., 593, 125741, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125741, 2021.
Huang, J., Yu, H., Guan, X., Wang, G., and Guo, R.: Accelerated dryland expansion under climate change, Nat. Clim. Change, 6, 166–171, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2837, 2016.
Huang, K., Lee, X., Stone Jr., B., Knievel, J., Bell, M. L., and Seto, K. C.: Persistent increases in nighttime heat stress from urban expansion despite heat island mitigation, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 126, e2020JD033831, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033831, 2021.
Huang, S., Chang, J., Huang, Q., and Chen, Y.: Identification of abrupt changes of the relationship between rainfall and runoff in the Wei River Basin, China, Theor. Appl. Climatol., 120, 299–310, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-014-1170-7, 2015.
Huang, S., Huang, Q., Chang, J., Leng, G., and Chen, Y.: Variations in precipitation and runoff from a multivariate perspective in the Wei River Basin, China, Quatern. Int., 440, 30–39, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2016.05.020, 2017a.
Huang, S. Z., Huang, Q., Leng, G. Y., Zhao, M. L., and Meng, E.: Variations in annual water-energy balance and their correlations with vegetation and soil moisture dynamics: A case study in the Wei River Basin, China, J. Hydrol., 546, 515–525, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.12.060 2017b.
Huang, X.-D., Wang, D., Han, P.-P., Wang, W.-C., Li, Q.-J., Zhang, X.-L., Ma, M.-W., Li, B.-J., and Han, S.-J.: Spatial Patterns in Baseflow Mean Response Time across a Watershed in the Loess Plateau: Linkage with Land-Use Types, Forest Sci., 66, 382–391, https://doi.org/10.1093/forsci/fxz084, 2020.
Jehanzaib, M., Shah, S. A., Yoo, J., and Kim, T.-W.: Investigating the impacts of climate change and human activities on hydrological drought using non-stationary approaches, J. Hydrol., 588, 125052, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125052, 2020.
Jia, Y., Wang, H., Zhou, Z., Qiu, Y., Luo, X., Wang, J., Yan, D., and Qin, D.: Development of the WEP-L distributed hydrological model and dynamic assessment of water resources in the Yellow River basin, J. Hydrol., 331, 606–629, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.06.006, 2006.
Kantelhardt, J. W., Koscielny-Bunde, E., Rego, H. H. A., Havlin, S., and Bunde, A.: Detecting long-range correlations with detrended fluctuation analysis, Physica A, 295, 441–454, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4371(01)00144-3, 2001.
Kantelhardt, J. W., Zschiegner, S. A., Koscielny-Bunde, E., Havlin, S., Bunde, A., and Stanley, H. E.: Multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis of nonstationary time series, Physica A, 316, 87–114, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4371(02)01383-3, 2002.
Krysanova, V. and White, M.: Advances in water resources assessment with SWAT – an overview, Hydrolog. Sci. J., 60, 771–783, https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2015.1029482, 2015.
Kwiatkowski, D., Phillips, P. C. B., Schmidt, P., and Shin, Y.: Testing the null hypothesis of stationarity against the alternative of a unit root: How sure are we that economic time series have a unit root?, J. Econometrics, 54, 159–178, https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4076(92)90104-Y, 1992.
Lee, H. and Verma, B.: Binary segmentation algorithm for English cursive handwriting recognition, Pattern Recogn., 45, 1306–1317, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patcog.2011.09.015, 2012.
Li, T.: Codes for “Exploring the Potential Processes Controlling Changes in Precipitation-Runoff Relationships in Non-stationary Environments”, Zenodo [code and data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14875299, 2025.
Liao, W., Liu, X., Wang, D., and Sheng, Y.: The impact of energy consumption on the surface urban heat island in China's 32 major cities, Remote Sens., 9, 250, https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/3/250 (last access: 11 February 2025), 2017.
Liu, D., Guo, S., Lian, Y., Xiong, L., and Chen, X.: Climate-informed low-flow frequency analysis using nonstationary modelling, Hydrol. Process., 29, 2112–2124, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10360, 2015.
Mallakpour, I. and Villarini, G.: A simulation study to examine the sensitivity of the Pettitt test to detect abrupt changes in mean, Hydrolog. Sci. J., 61, 245–254, https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2015.1008482, 2016.
Merz, R., Blöschl, G., and Parajka, J.: Spatio-temporal variability of event runoff coefficients, J. Hydrol., 331, 591–604, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.06.008, 2006.
Miao, C., Zheng, H., Jiao, J., Feng, X., Duan, Q., and Mpofu, E.: The changing relationship between rainfall and surface runoff on the Loess Plateau, China, J. Geophys. Res-Atmos., 125, e2019JD032053, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD032053, 2020.
Mu, X., Zhang, L., McVicar, T. R., Chille, B., and Gau, P.: Analysis of the impact of conservation measures on stream flow regime in catchments of the Loess Plateau, China, Hydrol. Process., 21, 2124–2134, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6391, 2007.
Müller Schmied, H., Cáceres, D., Eisner, S., Flörke, M., Herbert, C., Niemann, C., Peiris, T. A., Popat, E., Portmann, F. T., Reinecke, R., Schumacher, M., Shadkam, S., Telteu, C.-E., Trautmann, T., and Döll, P.: The global water resources and use model WaterGAP v2.2d: model description and evaluation, Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 1037–1079, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-1037-2021, 2021.
Nash, J. and Barsi, B. I.: A hybrid model for flow forecasting on large catchments, J. Hydrol., 65, 125–137, https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(83)90213-5, 1983.
Nayak, P. C., Venkatesh, B., Krishna, B., and Jain, S. K.: Rainfall-runoff modeling using conceptual, data driven, and wavelet based computing approach, J. Hydrol., 493, 57–67, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.04.016, 2013.
NGDC, N.: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Geophysical Data Center, Version 4 DMSP-OLS nighttime lights time series [data set], https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/dmsp-operational-linescan-system (last access: 11 February 2025), 2013.
Nourani, V., Khanghah, T. R., and Baghanam, A. H.: Application of entropy concept for input selection of Wavelet-ANN based rainfall-runoff modeling, J. Environ. Inform., 26, 52–70, https://doi.org/10.3808/jei.201500309, 2016.
Pathiraja, S., Marshall, L., Sharma, A., and Moradkhani, H.: Hydrologic modeling in dynamic catchments: A data assimilation approach, Water Resour. Res., 52, 3350–3372, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR017192, 2016.
Pedregosa, F., Varoquaux, G., Gramfort, A., Michel, V., Thirion, B., Grisel, O., Blondel, M., Prettenhofer, P., Weiss, R., and Dubourg, V.: Scikit-learn: Machine learning in Python, J. Mach. Learn. Res., 12, 2825–2830, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1201.0490, 2011.
Peng, C. K., Buldyrev, S. V., Havlin, S., Simons, M., Stanley, H. E., and Goldberger, A. L.: Mosaic organization of DNA nucleotides, Phys. Rev. E, 49, 1685–1689, https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevE.49.1685, 1994.
Podobnik, B. and Stanley, H. E.: Detrended Cross-Correlation Analysis: A new method for analyzing two nonstationary time series, Phys. Rev. Lett., 100, 084102, https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.084102, 2008.
Qiu, L., Wu, Y., Wang, L., Lei, X., Liao, W., Hui, Y., and Meng, X.: Spatiotemporal response of the water cycle to land use conversions in a typical hilly–gully basin on the Loess Plateau, China, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 6485–6499, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-6485-2017, 2017.
Quinn, J. D., Reed, P. M., Giuliani, M., and Castelletti, A.: Rival framings: A framework for discovering how problem formulation uncertainties shape risk management trade-offs in water resources systems, Water Resour. Res., 53, 7208–7233, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020524, 2017.
Reichl, J. P. C., Western, A. W., McIntyre, N. R., and Chiew, F. H. S.: Optimization of a similarity measure for estimating ungauged streamflow, Water Resour. Res., 45, W10423, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR007248, 2009.
Saft, M., Western, A. W., Zhang, L., Peel, M. C., and Potter, N. J.: The influence of multiyear drought on the annual rainfall-runoff relationship: An Australian perspective, Water Resour. Res., 51, 2444–2463, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014WR015348, 2015.
Savenije, H. H. G.: The runoff coefficient as the key to moisture recycling, J. Hydrol., 176, 219–225, https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(95)02776-9, 1996.
Shen, C.-H. and Li, C.-L.: An analysis of the intrinsic cross-correlations between API and meteorological elements using DPCCA, Physica A, 446, 100–109, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2015.11.024, 2016.
Sikorska-Senoner, A. E. and Quilty, J. M.: A novel ensemble-based conceptual-data-driven approach for improved streamflow simulations, Environ. Modell. Softw., 143, 105094, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2021.105094, 2021.
Singh, K. P.: Some factors affecting baseflow, Water Resour. Res., 4, 985–999, https://doi.org/10.1029/WR004i005p00985, 1968.
Sutanudjaja, E. H., van Beek, R., Wanders, N., Wada, Y., Bosmans, J. H. C., Drost, N., van der Ent, R. J., de Graaf, I. E. M., Hoch, J. M., de Jong, K., Karssenberg, D., López López, P., Peßenteiner, S., Schmitz, O., Straatsma, M. W., Vannametee, E., Wisser, D., and Bierkens, M. F. P.: PCR-GLOBWB 2: a 5 arcmin global hydrological and water resources model, Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 2429–2453, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-2429-2018, 2018.
Tanty, R. and Desmukh, T. S.: Application of artificial neural network in hydrology – A review, Int. J. Eng. Technol. Res, 4, 184–188, 2015.
Tarasova, L., Basso, S., Zink, M., and Merz, R.: Exploring controls on rainfall-runoff events: 1. Time series-based event separation and temporal dynamics of event runoff response in Germany, Water Resour. Res., 54, 7711–7732, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR022587, 2018.
Tian, W., Liu, X., Liu, C., and Bai, P.: Investigation and simulations of changes in the relationship of precipitation-runoff in drought years, J. Hydrol., 565, 95–105, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.08.015, 2018.
Tu, Z., Yang, Y., Roderick, M. L., and McVicar, T. R.: Potential Evaporation and the Complementary Relationship, Water Resour. Res., 59, e2022WR033763, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR033763, 2023.
Wada, Y., van Beek, L. P. H., and Bierkens, M. F. P.: Modelling global water stress of the recent past: on the relative importance of trends in water demand and climate variability, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 3785–3808, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-3785-2011, 2011.
Wai, K. M., Wang, X. M., Lin, T. H., Wong, M. S., Zeng, S. K., He, N., Ng, E., Lau, K., and Wang, D. H.: Observational evidence of a long-term increase in precipitation due to urbanization effects and its implications for sustainable urban living, Sci. Total Environ., 599–600, 647–654, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.05.014, 2017.
Wang, T., Istanbulluoglu, E., Lenters, J., and Scott, D.: On the role of groundwater and soil texture in the regional water balance: An investigation of the Nebraska Sand Hills, USA, Water Resour. Res., 45, W10413, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009WR007733, 2009.
Westra, S., Thyer, M., Leonard, M., Kavetski, D., and Lambert, M.: A strategy for diagnosing and interpreting hydrological model nonstationarity, Water Resour. Res., 50, 5090–5113, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013WR014719, 2014.
WorldPop: Global high resolution population denominators project, funded by The Bill Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076) Sch. Geogr. Environ. Sci. Univ. Southampton, Dep. Geogr. Geosci. Univ. Louisville, Departement de Geogr. Univ. de Namur; Cent. for Int. Earth Sci. Inf. Netw. (CIESIN), Columbia University, https://hub.worldpop.org/geodata (last access: 11 February 2025), 2018.
Wu, C., Xie, J., Qiu, D., Xie, Z., Gao, P., and Mu, X.: Effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities on runoff change of the Weihe River basin, Northwest China, River Res. Appl., 39, 648–660, https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.4102, 2023.
Wu, F., Yang, X., Cui, Z., Ren, L., Jiang, S., Liu, Y., and Yuan, S.: The impact of human activities on blue-green water resources and quantification of water resource scarcity in the Yangtze River Basin, Sci. Total Environ., 909, 168550, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168550, 2024.
Xu, K., Milliman, J. D., and Xu, H.: Temporal trend of precipitation and runoff in major Chinese Rivers since 1951, Global Planet. Change, 73, 219–232, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2010.07.002, 2010.
Yang, W., Xia, R., Chen, H., Wang, M., and Xu, C.-Y.: The impact of calibration conditions on the transferability of conceptual hydrological models under stationary and nonstationary climatic conditions, J. Hydrol., 613, 128310, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128310, 2022.
Yang, X., Wu, F., Yuan, S., Ren, L., Sheffield, J., Fang, X., Jiang, S., and Liu, Y.: Quantifying the Impact of Human Activities on Hydrological Drought and Drought Propagation in China Using the PCR-GLOBWB v2.0 Model, Water Resour. Res., 60, e2023WR035443, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR035443, 2024.
Yuan, N., Fu, Z., Zhang, H., Piao, L., Xoplaki, E., and Luterbacher, J.: Detrended Partial-Cross-Correlation Analysis: A new method for analyzing correlations in complex system, Sci. Rep., 5, 8143, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep08143, 2015.
Yue, S. and Wang, C.: The Mann-Kendall Test modified by effective sample size to detect trend in serially correlated hydrological series, Water Resour. Manag., 18, 201–218, https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WARM.0000043140.61082.60, 2004.
Yue, S., Pilon, P., and Phinney, B. O. B.: Canadian streamflow trend detection: impacts of serial and cross-correlation, Hydrolog. Sci. J., 48, 51–63, https://doi.org/10.1623/hysj.48.1.51.43478, 2003.
Zebende, G. F.: DCCA cross-correlation coefficient: Quantifying level of cross-correlation, Physica A, 390, 614–618, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2010.10.022, 2011.
Zhan, C., Zeng, S., Jiang, S., Wang, H., and Ye, W.: An integrated approach for partitioning the effect of climate change and human activities on surface runoff, Water Resour. Manag., 28, 3843–3858, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0713-0, 2014a.
Zhan, C. S., Jiang, S. S., Sun, F. B., Jia, Y. W., Niu, C. W., and Yue, W. F.: Quantitative contribution of climate change and human activities to runoff changes in the Wei River basin, China, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 3069–3077, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3069-2014, 2014b.
Zhang, B., Sun, Y., Duan, L., and Yang, S.: Effect of introducing Han River into Wei River on Wei River, 2011 International Symposium on Water Resource and Environmental Protection, Held, 20–22 May 2011, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, 1055–1058, https://doi.org/10.1109/ISWREP.2011.5893195, 2011.
Zhang, L., Chen, X., and Lai, R.: Urban signatures of sub-daily extreme precipitation events over a metropolitan region, Atmos. Res., 246, 105204, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2020.105204, 2020a.
Zhang, N., Lin, A., and Yang, P.: Detrended moving average partial cross-correlation analysis on financial time series, Physica A, 542, 122960, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2019.122960, 2020b.
Zhang, T., Su, X., Zhang, G., Wu, H., Wang, G., and Chu, J.: Evaluation of the impacts of human activities on propagation from meteorological drought to hydrological drought in the Weihe River Basin, China, Sci. Total Environ., 819, 153030, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153030, 2022.
Zhang, X., Zhang, L., Zhao, J., Rustomji, P., and Hairsine, P.: Responses of streamflow to changes in climate and land use/cover in the Loess Plateau, China, Water Resour. Res., 44, W00A07, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007WR006711, 2008.
Zhang, Y., Jia, S., Huang, H., Qiu, J., and Zhou, C.: A novel algorithm for the precise calculation of the maximal information coefficient, Sci. Rep., 4, 6662, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25322794 (last access: 11 February 2025), 2014.
Zhang, Y., Feng, X., Wang, X., and Fu, B.: Characterizing drought in terms of changes in the precipitation–runoff relationship: a case study of the Loess Plateau, China, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1749–1766, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1749-2018, 2018.
Zhang, Z., Chen, X., Xu, C.-Y., Yuan, L., Yong, B., and Yan, S.: Evaluating the non-stationary relationship between precipitation and streamflow in nine major basins of China during the past 50 years, J. Hydrol., 409, 81–93, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.07.041, 2011.
Zhao, G., Mu, X., Tian, P., Wang, F., and Gao, P.: Climate changes and their impacts on water resources in semiarid regions: a case study of the Wei River basin, China, Hydrol. Process., 27, 3852–3863, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9504, 2013.
Zhao, J., Huang, Q., Chang, J., Liu, D., Huang, S., and Shi, X.: Analysis of temporal and spatial trends of hydro-climatic variables in the Wei River Basin, Environ. Res., 139, 55–64, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2014.12.028, 2015.
Zhao, X., Shang, P., Zhao, C., Wang, J., and Tao, R.: Minimizing the trend effect on detrended cross-correlation analysis with empirical mode decomposition, Chaos, Soliton. Fract., 45, 166–173, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chaos.2011.11.007, 2012.
Zuo, D., Xu, Z., Zhao, J., Abbaspour, K. C., and Yang, H.: Response of runoff to climate change in the Wei River basin, China, Hydrolog. Sci. J., 60, 508–522, https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2014.943668, 2015.
Short summary
This study develops an integrated framework based on the novel Driving index for changes in Precipitation–Runoff Relationships (DPRR) to explore the controlling changes in precipitation–runoff relationships in non-stationary environments. According to the quantitative results of the candidate driving factors, the possible process explanations for changes in the precipitation–runoff relationships are deduced. The main contribution offers a comprehensive understanding of hydrological processes.
This study develops an integrated framework based on the novel Driving index for changes in...
