Comparison of spatial interpolation methods for the estimation of precipitation patterns at different time scales to improve the accuracy of discharge simulations

Interpolating precipitation data is of prime importance to hydrological design, modeling, and water resource management. Various models have been developed that estimate spatial precipitation patterns. The purpose of this study is to analyze different precipitation interpolation schemes at different time scales in order to improve the accuracy of discharge simulations. The study was carried out in the upstream area of the Changjiang River basin. The performance of all selected methods was assessed using cross-validation schemes, with the mixed methods ultimately displaying the best performance at all three time scales. However, the differences in performance between the spatial interpolation methods decreased with increasing time scales. The unifying catchment Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), ‘abcd’, and the Budyko equation were employed at the daily, monthly, and annual scales, respectively, to simulate discharge. The performance of the discharge simulation at the monthly and annual time scales was consistent with their ranks of spatial precipitation estimation. For coarse, or long period, precipitation, there were no significant differences. However, the mixed methods performed better than the single model for the daily, or short, time scale with respect to the accuracy of the discharge simulation.