Open AccessThe UP modelling system for large scale hydrology: simulation of the Arkansas-Red River basin
Author(s) -
Chris Kilsby,
John Ewen,
William T. Sloan,
A. Burton,
C. S. Fallows,
P. E. O’Connell
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
hydrology and earth system sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.001
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1607-7938
pISSN - 1027-5606
DOI - 10.5194/hess-3-137-1999
Subject(s) - groundwater recharge , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , surface runoff , evapotranspiration , snowmelt , stage (stratigraphy) , infiltration (hvac) , aquifer , discharge , hydrological modelling , drainage basin , groundwater , structural basin , groundwater model , geology , meteorology , climatology , geomorphology , geography , ecology , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , cartography , biology
. The UP (Upscaled Physically-based) hydrological modelling system to the Arkansas-Red River basin (USA) is designed for macro-scale simulations of land surface processes, and aims for a physical basis and, avoids the use of discharge records in the direct calibration of parameters. This is achieved in a two stage process: in the first stage parametrizations are derived from detailed modelling of selected representative small and then used in a second stage in which a simple distributed model is used to simulate the dynamic behaviour of the whole basin. The first stage of the process is described in a companion paper (Ewen et al., this issue), and the second stage of this process is described here. The model operated at an hourly time-step on 17-km grid squares for a two year simulation period, and represents all the important hydrological processes including regional aquifer recharge, groundwater discharge, infiltration- and saturation-excess runoff, evapotranspiration, snowmelt, overland and channel flow. Outputs from the model are discussed, and include river discharge at gauging stations and space-time fields of evaporation and soil moisture. Whilst the model efficiency assessed by comparison of simulated and observed discharge records is not as good as could be achieved with a model calibrated against discharge, there are considerable advantages in retaining a physical basis in applications to ungauged river basins and assessments of impacts of land use or climate change.