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Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-11-1253-2014
https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-11-1253-2014
23 Jan 2014
 | 23 Jan 2014
Status: this preprint was under review for the journal HESS but the revision was not accepted.

Diagnostic calibration of a hydrological model in an alpine area

Z. He, F. Tian, H. C. Hu, H. V. Gupta, and H. P. Hu

Abstract. Hydrological modeling depends on single- or multiple-objective strategies for parameter calibration using long time sequences of observed streamflow. Here, we demonstrate a diagnostic approach to the calibration of a hydrological model of an alpine area in which we partition the hydrograph based on the dominant runoff generation mechanism (groundwater baseflow, glacier melt, snowmelt, and direct runoff). The partitioning reflects the spatiotemporal variability in snowpack, glaciers, and temperature. Model parameters are grouped by runoff generation mechanism, and each group is calibrated separately via a stepwise approach. This strategy helps to reduce the problem of equifinality and, hence, model uncertainty. We demonstrate the method for the Tailan River basin (1324 km2) in the Tianshan Mountains of China with the help of a semi-distributed hydrological model (THREW).

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
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