Symbolic regression-based regionalization of baseflow separation parameter using catchment-scale characteristics

Lin, Yongen; Wang, Dagang; Mei, Yiwen; Zhu, Jinxin; Wu, Huan; Wang, Shuo; Xu, Zhonghou; Shamseldin, Asaad Y.; Anagnostou, Emmanouil N.

doi:10.5194/hess-30-3425-2026

Articles | Volume 30, issue 11

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-3425-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-3425-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 30, issue 11

Research article

|

03 Jun 2026

Research article |

| 03 Jun 2026

Symbolic regression-based regionalization of baseflow separation parameter using catchment-scale characteristics

Yongen Lin, Dagang Wang, Yiwen Mei, Jinxin Zhu, Huan Wu, Shuo Wang, Zhonghou Xu, Asaad Y. Shamseldin, and Emmanouil N. Anagnostou

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-3425-2026-supplement

Data sets

Data and Code Archive for "Optimal Baseflow Separation through Chemical Mass Balance: Comparing the Usages of Two Tracers, Two Concentration Estimation Methods, and Four Baseflow Filters" Y. Mei et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8388365

Data and code archive for "Regionalization of Optimal Baseflow Separation using Catchment-scale Characteristics" Y. Lin et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16924118

Model code and software

Data and Code Archive for "Optimal Baseflow Separation through Chemical Mass Balance: Comparing the Usages of Two Tracers, Two Concentration Estimation Methods, and Four Baseflow Filters" Y. Mei et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8388365

Data and code archive for "Regionalization of Optimal Baseflow Separation using Catchment-scale Characteristics" Y. Lin et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16924118

Short summary

Understanding how baseflow contributes to river flow is essential for managing water resources. We studied a widely used method for separating baseflow and found that a key parameter was often estimated too simply. Using symbolic regression and data from 855 catchments, we uncovered new formulas that greatly improve accuracy and reveal how soil, snow, and catchment size jointly influence baseflow estimation.