Uncertainty analysis in model parameters regionalization: a case study involving the SWAT model in Mediterranean catchments (Southern France) - INRAE - Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement
Journal Articles Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Year : 2014

Uncertainty analysis in model parameters regionalization: a case study involving the SWAT model in Mediterranean catchments (Southern France)

Abstract

In this study a method for propagating the hydrological model uncertainty in discharge predictions of ungauged Mediterranean catchments using a model parameter regionalization approach is presented. The method is developed and tested for the Thau catchment located in southern France using the SWAT hydrological model. Regionalization of model parameters based on physical similarity measured between gauged and ungauged catchments attributes is a popular methodology for discharge prediction in ungauged basins, but it is often confronted with an arbitrary criterion for selecting the “behavioral” model parameters sets (Mps) at the gauged catchment. A more objective method is provided in this paper where the transferrable Mps are selected based on the similarity between the donor and the receptor catchments. In addition, the method allows propagating the modeling uncertainty while transferring the Mps to the ungauged catchments. Results indicate that physically similar catchments located within the same geographic and climatic region may exhibit similar hydrological behavior and can also be affected by similar model prediction uncertainty. Furthermore, the results suggest that model prediction uncertainty at the ungauged catchment increases as the dissimilarity between the donor and the receptor catchments increases. The methodology presented in this paper can be replicated and used in regionalization of any hydrological model parameters for estimating streamflow at ungauged catchment.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
mt2014-pub00041104.pdf (1.13 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origin Files produced by the author(s)
Loading...

Dates and versions

hal-01058919 , version 1 (28-08-2014)

Identifiers

Cite

H. Sellami, I. La Jeunesse, S. Benabdallah, Nicolas Baghdadi, M. Vanclooster. Uncertainty analysis in model parameters regionalization: a case study involving the SWAT model in Mediterranean catchments (Southern France). Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2014, 18, p. 2393 - p. 2413. ⟨10.5194/hess-18-2393-2014⟩. ⟨hal-01058919⟩

Altmetric

Share

More