Hydrologic and Water Quality Terminology as Applied to Modeling

Zeckoski, Rebecca W.; Smolen, Michael D.; Moriasi, Daniel N.; Frankenberger, Jane; Feyereisen, Gary W.

doi:10.13031/trans.58.10713

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…approaches have been used to identify parameters (White and Chaubey, 2005;Wang et al, 2012). Sensitivity analysis is the process of determining the rate of change in model output with respect to changes in model inputs or parameters (Arnold et al, 2012;Zeckoski et al, 2015). Sensitivity analyses can be global, which attempts to assess all combinations of all parameter values, or local, which evaluates a specific set of parameters one at a time while the remaining parameters are fixed.…”

Section: Parameter Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Recommended Calibration and Validation Strategy for Hydrologic and Water Quality Models

2015

Trans. ASABE

163

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Hydrologic and water quality (H/WQ) models are widely used to support site-specific environmental assessment, design, planning, and decision making. Calibration and validation (C/V) are fundamental processes used to demonstrate that an H/WQ model can produce suitable results in a particular application. However, the lack of comprehensive guidelines has led to the use of ad hoc, inconsistent, and incomplete C/V processes, which have made it difficult to interpret the myriad of published modeling studies, reduced the utility of many modeling applications, and slowed the advancement of H/WQ modeling. The objective of this article is to provide a generalized structure and process to assist modelers in developing a C/V strategy for H/WQ modeling applications. These best practice recommendations were developed based on an expansive review of the modeling literature, including a special collection of articles on H/WQ model calibration, validation, and use, as well as extensive discussion and debate among the authors. The model C/V recommendations include careful consideration, execution, and documentation of the following elements: (1) goals of model use, (2) data and parameters used in C/V, and (3) model C/V processes. Considerations in element 3 include the warm-up period, C/V strategy complexity, C/V process staging, spatiotemporal allocation of C/V comparison data, manual vs. automatic C/V, and additional diagnostics. Notable examples from the literature are provided for each strategy element. The comprehensive C/V strategy described herein will allow for better interpretation of future modeling studies, improved utility of modeling applications, and more systematic advancement of H/WQ models.

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Section: Parameter Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Recommended Calibration and Validation Strategy for Hydrologic and Water Quality Models

2015

Trans. ASABE

163

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“…For some topics, a case study is provided to demonstrate the application of the topic-specific C/V recommendations. Zeckoski et al (2015) describe the importance of consistent terminology and provide important recommendations. Confusion regarding the terminology used in H/WQ modeling is one of the major obstacles to establishing generally acceptable model evaluation guidelines.…”

Section: Summary Of Key Calibration and Validation Topicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overall, Zeckoski et al (2015) recommend that authors of H/WQ modeling literature adopt consistent usage of terminology. The article provides recommended terminology related to model description, model processes and techniques, sensitivity and uncertainty, calibration and validation, hydrologic modeling, plant growth modeling, general water quality modeling, sediment modeling, and nutrient modeling.…”

Section: Key Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parameters are typically measurable or quantifiable coefficients that define the characteristics of the catchment or flow domain and generally remain invariable through all or part of the simulation run (Beven and Freer, 2001;James, 2005;Barber, 2005). Parameterization includes imparting knowledge of the simulated field or watershed processes to the model and determining a set of acceptable parameter values for a model application Zeckoski et al, 2015). While model user manuals often provide value ranges for many parameters, this guidance is often inadequate for assigning values in many specific applications.…”

Section: Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Hydrologic and Water Quality Models: Key Calibration and Validation Topics

Moriasi¹,

Zeckoski²,

Arnold³

et al. 2015

Trans. ASABE

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ABSTRACT. As a continuation of efforts to provide a common background and platform for development of calibration and validation (C/V) guidelines for hydrologic and water quality (H/WQ) modeling, ASABE members worked to determine critical topics related to model C/V, perform a synthesis of a previously published special collection of articles and other relevant literature, and provide topic-specific recommendations based on the synthesis as well as personal modeling expertise. This article introduces a special collection of nine research articles covering key topics related to calibration and validation of H/WQ models. The topics include: terminology, hydrologic processes and model representationydrologic and water quality (H/WQ) models consist of interrelated assemblages of mathematical equations that represent complex physical, chemical, and biological processes governing the hydrology and fate and transport of sediments, nutrients, pesticides, and bacteria. H/WQ models are widely used to evaluate the impacts of changes in land use, land management, climate, and conservation practices on soil and water resources. Reliable models provide valuable information for making sound management, policy, and regulatory decisions. Comprehensive calibration and validation (C/V) of models is essential to obtain the "right outcomes" for the "right reasons" (Holling, 1978;Kirchner, 2006). Important components of proper C/V include selecting an appropriate model, setting up the model properly, establishing valid C/V strategies (Refsgaard and Henriksen, 2004), and capturing available datasets to represent the appropriate spatial and temporal scales (Kirchner, 2006).H/WQ models are valuable because they represent processes operating at various spatial and temporal scales simultaneously in a complex and interrelated manner. For example, the hydrology component of the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM; Ahuja et al., 2000) consists of interrelated hydrologic processes such as precipitation (including rainfall, snow, or irrigation), evaporation and transpiration (ET), surface runoff, infiltration, percolation, lateral flow, streamflow, and groundwater. However, no matter how detailed a model, it remains a simplification of the natural system in which some processes are characterized by rates and thresholds whose values are unknown. Be- cause many model parameters are typically available for calibration, the mere fitting of modeling results to observed data may result in good statistics of model performance but poor correspondence to the actual processes that the model is intended to represent. In such a case, a good fit is obtained for the wrong reasons. Application of such results can lead to incorrect conclusions with negative consequences (Dressel, 2010). The use of proper C/V practices can help prevent this circumstance while also allowing for a common foundation for interpretation of results and their comparison with other modeling studies (Refsgaard and Henriksen, 2004;Douglas-Mankin et al., 2010;Tuppad et al., 2011).Resear...

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“…The relationships between streamflow and sediment concentration at both the sites were established by regressing the projected future streamflows and corresponding sedimentation concentration for the years 2040s and 2090s. Further discussion of the objectives and methods of sensitivity analysis in general are available in Arnold et al (2012) and Zeckoski et al (2015) and references therein.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Climate and Land Use Change on Streamflow and Sediment Yield in a Snow‐Dominated Semiarid Mountainous Watershed

Khatri

Strong

Stackelberg

et al. 2019

J American Water Resour Assoc

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This study investigates the impact of climate and land use change on the magnitude and timing of streamflow and sediment yield in a snow‐dominated mountainous watershed in Salt Lake County, Utah using a scenario approach and the Hydrological Simulation Program — FORTRAN model for the 2040s (year 2035–2044) and 2090s (year 2085–2094). The climate scenarios were statistically and dynamically downscaled from global climate models. Land use and land cover (LULC) changes were estimated in two ways — from a regional planning scenario and from a deterministic model. Results indicate the mean daily streamflow in the Jordan River watershed will increase by an amount ranging from 11.2% to 14.5% in the 2040s and from 6.8% to 15.3% in the 2090s. The respective increases in sediment load in the 2040s and 2090s is projected to be 6.7% and 39.7% in the canyons and about 7.4% to 14.2% in the Jordan valley. The historical 50th percentile timing of streamflow and sediment load is projected to be shifted earlier by three to four weeks by mid‐century and four to eight weeks by late‐century. The projected streamflow and sediment load results establish a nonlinear relationship with each other and are highly sensitive to projected climate change. The predicted changes in streamflow and sediment yield will have implications for water supply, flood control and stormwater management.

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Hydrologic and Water Quality Terminology as Applied to Modeling

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

A Recommended Calibration and Validation Strategy for Hydrologic and Water Quality Models

A Recommended Calibration and Validation Strategy for Hydrologic and Water Quality Models

Hydrologic and Water Quality Models: Key Calibration and Validation Topics

Impact of Climate and Land Use Change on Streamflow and Sediment Yield in a Snow‐Dominated Semiarid Mountainous Watershed

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