A FUNDAMENTAL STUDY ON CALIBRATION OF A GLOBAL HYDROLOGICAL MODEL USING STREAMFLOW CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

 A recent study released global maps of streamflow characteristics with high accuracy, which are expected to calibrate hydrological models without gauging streamflow. We evaluated the availability of mean annual runoff height (Q_MEAN) and baseflow index (BFI) in the global maps when calibrating a global hydrological model, respectively. We note that the calibration parameters were composed of snowmelt coefficient (C_s) and saturated permeability coefficient in soil (K_sat). Although it was difficult to calibrate the model on the basis of the Q_MEAN, the calibration with the BFI performed well, which was comparable to that of observed discharge data. In addition, K_sat controlled the accuracy of streamflow in this study. The calculation process of BFI unlike Q_MEAN depends on K_sat, which can contribute the success of calibration with BFI.