Comparing trends in modeled and observed streamflows at minimally altered basins in the United States
Water
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Data Release: USGS data release - Cross-validation results for five statistical methods of daily streamflow estimation at 1,385 reference streamgages in the conterminous United States, Water Years 1981-2017
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
We compared modeled and observed streamflow trends from 1984–2016 using five statistical transfer models and one deterministic, distributed-parameter, process-based model, for 26 flow metrics at 502 basins in the United States that are minimally influenced by development. We also looked at a measure of overall model fit and average bias. A higher percentage of basins, for all models, had relatively low trend differences between modeled and observed mean/ median flows than for very high or low flows such as the annual 1-day high and 7-day low flows. Mean-flow metrics also had the largest percentage of basins with relatively good overall model fit and low bias. The five statistical transfer models performed better at more basins than the process-based model. The overall model fit for all models, for mean and/or high flows, was correlated with one or more measures of basin precipitation or aridity. Our study and previous studies generally observed good model performance for high flows up to 90th or 95th percentile flows. However, we found model performance was substantially worse for more extreme flows, including 99th percentile and annual 1-day high flows; this shows the importance of including more extreme high flows in analyses of model performance.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Comparing trends in modeled and observed streamflows at minimally altered basins in the United States |
| Series title | Water |
| DOI | 10.3390/w12061728 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Year Published | 2020 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Contributing office(s) | New England Water Science Center |
| Description | 1728, 20 p. |
| Country | United States |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |