Evaluation of ABCD water balance conceptual model using remote sensing data in ungauged watersheds (a case study: Zarandeh, Iran)

Abstract

Water balance is one of the most important issues in water resources management and water consumption planning.ABCD water balance conceptual model is a very suitable simulation tool due to its simplicity, low requirement of input data, and providing various components of the water balance. As the lack of data is always a major challenge in many developing countries, remote sensing technology was used to collect the required data for the Zarandeh subbasin in Neyshabur in the Northeastern Iran. To do so, IMERG precipitation satellite products and ERA5 temperature reanalysis data were used. Outputs were evaluated using five statistical indices including Pearson Correlation Coefficient (R), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency Coefficient (NSE), and BIAS Coefficient. The Results indicated that products are accurate, and there is a high correlation between outputs and observed data. To calculate the water balance, remote sensing products were applied in the form of the ABCD model. The uncertainties in the model parameters were assessed through Fuzzy numbers. In addition, the Monte Carlo method was employed to calibrate them with two different objective functions including NSE and Coefficient of Determination (R 2 ). The results showed that the ABCD water balance model is an accurate tool for simulating the surface runoff of the Zarandeh sub-basin. Finally, the model was applied to the Sebi sub-basin located in Torbat-e-Heydariyeh, which had a moderate performance showing that the model parameters should be recalibrated in each region.

Surface Water Resources Planning in an Ungauged Transboundary Basin Using Satellite Products and the AHP Method

“…This indicates the satellite product's accurate precipitation estimation and high performance in this particular geographical area. Compared to another study conducted in the province, the BIAS in Qaretikan is lower, ranging from −6 to 3.7 [9]. This suggests that this product provides a more precise estimation of precipitation in this specific area.…”

“…Their findings indicated that both datasets were able to accurately represent the climatological patterns of precipitation and maximum and minimum temperatures, with ERA5-Land exhibiting slightly superior performance. Baseri et al [9] utilized IMERG and ERA5 data for water balance modeling, demonstrating the high performance of these products in their study. Evaluation of GLEAM in multiple regions has shown a strong correlation with observational data and low root-mean-square error (RMSE) [29][30][31].…”

“…Iran is currently experiencing a significant water crisis, primarily due to rapid population growth and its improper spatial distribution, unregulated agricultural water consumption, and inappropriate cultivation patterns along with mismanagement [9]. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Global Information System on Water and Agriculture (AQUASTAT), Iran's total renewable surface water is estimated to be about 137 billion cubic meters per annum (BSMA), with more than 18 BSMA leaving the country, accounting for approximately 13% of these valuable resources [10].…”

Spatial and Temporal Assessment of Baseflow Based on Monthly Water Balance Modeling and Baseflow Separation

“…The overall deviation of the water quantities derived from the ABCD model from the observations at the BZA and SD hydrological stations is positive, which suggests that the model slightly overestimates the actual observed values of the mean hydrological processes. The NSE is more than 0.8, and the Pbias is less than 10%, which indicates that the ABCD model is a good fit and can be used for hydrological simulation in JRB [45].…”

Monthly Water Balance of Ungauged Watersheds Using Empirical and Conceptual Models: A Case Study of the Semiarid Mountainous Watersheds, Southwest of Saudi Arabia

“…In efforts to improve hydrologic models and bring reliable flow prediction in ungauged watersheds as a parallel method to calibration, regional analysis, which transfers certain common information from one catchment to another within a specified homogeneous geographic area, has been utilized extensively [21,26], and Important progress is being made to regionalize continuous simulation using parsimonious rainfall-runoff models [25,27]. However, since lack of data continues to be the major issue in many developing nations, simple conceptual water balance models such as ABCD using satellite products as data sources for meteorological variables are suitable tools for simulation [28].…”