Rainfall-runoff modeling is a complex nonlinear time series problem. While there is still room for improvement, researchers have been developing physical and machine learning models for decades to predict runoff using rainfall data sets. With the advancement of computational hardware resources and algorithms, deep learning methods such as the long short-term memory (LSTM) model and sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) modeling have shown a good deal of promise in dealing with time series problems by considering long-term dependencies and multiple outputs. This study presents an application of a prediction model based on LSTM and the seq2seq structure to estimate hourly rainfall-runoff. Focusing on two Midwestern watersheds, namely, Clear Creek and Upper Wapsipinicon River in Iowa, these models were used to predict hourly runoff for a 24-hr period using rainfall observation, rainfall forecast, runoff observation, and empirical monthly evapotranspiration data from all stations in these two watersheds. The models were evaluated using the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient, the correlation coefficient, statistical bias, and the normalized root-mean-square error. The results show that the LSTM-seq2seq model outperforms linear regression, Lasso regression, Ridge regression, support vector regression, Gaussian processes regression, and LSTM in all stations from these two watersheds. The LSTM-seq2seq model shows sufficient predictive power and could be used to improve forecast accuracy in short-term flood forecast applications. In addition, the seq2seq method was demonstrated to be an effective method for time series predictions in hydrology.
Key Points:• An hourly runoff model was developed using the LSTM sequence-to-sequence learning method for 24-hr predictions on USGS stations • The proposed model shows better performance than traditional data-driven models and is applicable to different watersheds • The advantages and limitations of seq2seq models and how this model structure could work on the rainfall-runoff modeling is presented Supporting Information:• Supporting Information S1 Correspondence to: Z. Xiang, zhongrun-xiang@uiowa.edu Citation: Xiang, Z., Yan, J., & Demir, I. (2020). A rainfall-runoff model with LSTM-based sequence-to-sequence learning. Water Resources Research, 56, e2019WR025326. https://doi.
Geoscientists now live in a world rich with digital data and methods, and their computational research cannot be fully captured in traditional publications. The Geoscience Paper of the Future (GPF) presents an approach to fully document, share, and cite all their research products including data, software, and computational provenance. This article proposes best practices for GPF authors to make data, software, and methods openly accessible, citable, and well documented. The publication of digital objects empowers scientists to manage their research products as valuable scientific assets in an open and transparent way that enables broader access by other scientists, students, decision makers, and the public. Improving documentation and dissemination of research will accelerate the pace of scientific discovery by improving the ability of others to build upon published work.
The Iowa Flood Center (IFC), established following the 2008 record floods, has developed a real-time flood forecasting and information dissemination system for use by all Iowans. The system complements the operational forecasting issued by the National Weather Service, is based on sound scientific principles of flood genesis and spatial organization, and includes many technological advances. At its core is a continuous rainfall–runoff model based on landscape decomposition into hillslopes and channel links. Rainfall conversion to runoff is modeled through soil moisture accounting at hillslopes. Channel routing is based on a nonlinear representation of water velocity that considers the discharge amount as well as the upstream drainage area. Mathematically, the model represents a large system of ordinary differential equations organized to follow river network topology. The IFC also developed an efficient numerical solver suitable for high-performance computing architecture. The solver allows the IFC to update forecasts every 15 min for over 1,000 Iowa communities. The input to the system comes from a radar-rainfall algorithm, developed in-house, that maps rainfall every 5 min with high spatial resolution. The algorithm uses Level II radar reflectivity and other polarimetric data from the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Dual-Polarimetric (WSR-88DP) radar network. A large library of flood inundation maps and real-time river stage data from over 200 IFC “stream-stage sensors” complement the IFC information system. The system communicates all this information to the general public through a comprehensive browser-based and interactive platform. Streamflow forecasts and observations from Iowa can provide support for a similar system being developed at the National Water Center through model intercomparisons, diagnostic analyses, and product evaluations.
The global volume of digital data is expected to reach 175 zettabytes by 2025. The volume, variety, and velocity of water-related data are increasing due to large-scale sensor networks and increased attention to topics such as disaster response, water resources management, and climate change. Combined with the growing availability of computational resources and popularity of deep learning, these data are transformed into actionable and practical knowledge, revolutionizing the water industry. In this article, a systematic review of literature is conducted to identify existing research which incorporates deep learning methods in the water sector, with regard to monitoring, management, governance and communication of water resources. The study provides a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art deep learning approaches used in the water industry for generation, prediction, enhancement, and classification tasks, and serves as a guide for how to utilize available deep learning methods for future water resources challenges. Key issues and challenges in the application of these techniques in the water domain are discussed, including the ethics of these technologies for decision-making in water resources management and governance. Finally, we provide recommendations and future directions for the application of deep learning models in hydrology and water resources.
The global volume of digital data is expected to reach 175 zettabytes by 2025. The volume, variety, and velocity of water-related data are increasing due to large-scale sensor networks and increased attention to topics such as disaster response, water resources management, and climate change. Combined with the growing availability of computational resources and popularity of deep learning, these data are transformed into actionable and practical knowledge, revolutionizing the water industry. In this article, a systematic review of literature is conducted to identify existing research which incorporates deep learning methods in the water sector, with regard to monitoring, management, governance and communication of water resources. The study provides a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art deep learning approaches used in the water industry for generation, prediction, enhancement, and classification tasks, and serves as a guide for how to utilize available deep learning methods for future water resources challenges. Key issues and challenges in the application of these techniques in the water domain are discussed, including the ethics of these technologies for decision-making in water resources management and governance. Finally, we provide recommendations and future directions for the application of deep learning models in hydrology and water resources.
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