Improving a streamflow regression model for Wisconsin streams


Authors:
Owners: Dana Ariel Lapides
Type: Resource
Storage: The size of this resource is 2.4 GB
Created: Apr 21, 2021 at 3:48 p.m.
Last updated: Jul 06, 2021 at 10:39 p.m. (Metadata update)
Published date: Jul 06, 2021 at 10:37 p.m.
DOI: 10.4211/hs.1d78d40efa2844cb9db2c19b67be464d
Citation: See how to cite this resource
Content types: Geographic Feature Content 
Sharing Status: Published
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Abstract

Streamflows derived from hydrological models are widely used in decision-making processes in a broad array of natural resources applications. With an increase in computational power and data availability, data-driven modeling methods are becoming more powerful and popular. While it is well-recognized that reasonable model uncertainty is important to support good decision-making, there remain substantial challenges in quantifying uncertainty in hydrological models. One challenge is an inequality in data availability. While large amounts of data are available for well-monitored streams, the vast majority of streams globally are ungauged, with very limited or no streamflow monitoring. In this study, I evaluated the accuracy of a mixed-effects model for streamflow (flow-duration curves) across the state of Wisconsin, the Natural Community Model (NCM), trained on continuously monitored streamflow stations. The NCM is used as the basis for scientific studies and management decisions in Wisconsin, but uncertainty in the NCM has not been quantified yet, and performance has not been assessed formally except at continuously monitored streamflow stations. There are about 4,000 streamflow monitoring stations in Wisconsin, but about 3,500 have fewer than 5 sporadic streamflow measurements. I used an index gauge approach to estimate long-term streamflow percentiles (with uncertainty) from short-term or sporadic streamflow monitoring. I then used these estimates to estimate a flow-duration curve for each short-term or sporadic streamflow station (with uncertainty). These flow-duration targets formed the basis for an assessment of NCM accuracy in ungauged streams. I developed a random forest model for NCM error that provides a qualitative understanding of sources of error in the NCM as well as a quantitative way to correct the NCM using information from the sporadic/short-term streamflow stations that could not be included in the original NCM training set. The updated NCM has significantly reduced error, and I defined a reasonable level of uncertainty to be used with the updated NCM in decision-making and research applications.

Coverage

Spatial

Coordinate System/Geographic Projection:
WGS 84 EPSG:4326
Coordinate Units:
Decimal degrees
North Latitude
46.8617°
East Longitude
-86.5405°
South Latitude
42.2465°
West Longitude
-93.2201°

Temporal

Start Date: 01/01/1950
End Date: 04/01/2021
Leaflet Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Content

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Data Services

The following web services are available for data contained in this resource. Geospatial Feature and Raster data are made available via Open Geospatial Consortium Web Services. The provided links can be copied and pasted into GIS software to access these data. Multidimensional NetCDF data are made available via a THREDDS Data Server using remote data access protocols such as OPeNDAP. Other data services may be made available in the future to support additional data types.

How to Cite

Lapides, D. A. (2021). Improving a streamflow regression model for Wisconsin streams, HydroShare, https://doi.org/10.4211/hs.1d78d40efa2844cb9db2c19b67be464d

This resource is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
CC-BY

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