Title: | Hydrological simulation and runoff component analysis over a cold mountainous river basin in southwest China |
Authors: | Xuan, W., Q. Fu, G. Qin, C. Zhu, S. Pan and Y.-P. Xu |
Year: | 2018 |
Journal: | Water |
Volume (Issue): | 10(11) |
Pages: | |
Article ID: | 1705 |
DOI: | 10.3390/w10111705 |
URL (non-DOI journals): | |
Model: | SWAT |
Broad Application Category: | hydrologic only |
Primary Application Category: | snowmelt, frozen soil and/or glacier melt processes |
Secondary Application Category: | hydrologic assessment |
Watershed Description: | 16,048.7 km^2 Niyang River, a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo river located in southwest China. |
Calibration Summary: | |
Validation Summary: | |
General Comments: | |
Abstract: | Assessment of water resources frommountainous catchments is crucial for the development
of upstream rural areas and downstream urban communities. However, lack of data in these
mountainous catchments prevents full understanding of the response of hydrology or water resources
to climate change. Meanwhile, hydrological modeling is challenging due to parameter uncertainty.
In this work, one tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin (the upper stream of the Brahmaputra
River) was used as a case study for hydrological modeling. Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
(TRMM 3B42V7) data were utilized as a substitute for gauge-based rainfall data, and the capability of
simulating precipitation, snow, and groundwater contributions to total runoff by the Soil andWater
Assessment Tool (SWAT) was investigated. The uncertainty in runoff proportions from precipitation,
snowmelt, and groundwater was quantified by a batch-processing module. Hydrological signatures
were finally used to help identify if the hydrological model simulated total runoff and corresponding
proportions properly. The results showed that: (1) TRMM data were very useful for hydrological
simulation in high and cold mountainous catchments; (2) precipitation was the primary contributor
nearly all year round, reaching 56.5% of the total runoff on average; (3) groundwater occupied the
biggest proportion during dry seasons, whereas snowmelt made a substantial contribution only in
late spring and summer; and (4) hydrological signatures were useful for helping to evaluate the
performance of the hydrological model. |
Language: | English |
Keywords: | SWAT; TRMM 3B42V7; Niyang River Basin; runoff component analysis |