Including spatial distribution in a data-driven rainfall-runoff model to improve reservoir inflow forecasting in Taiwan

Multi-step ahead inflow forecasting has a critical role to play in reservoir operation and management in Taiwan during typhoons as statutory legislation requires a minimum of 3-hours warning to be issued before any reservoir releases are made. However, the complex spatial and temporal heterogeneity...

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Main Authors: Meng-Jung, T., Abrahart, R.J., Mount, Nick J., Chang, F.-J.
Format: Article
Published: Wiley 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28053/
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author Meng-Jung, T.
Abrahart, R.J.
Mount, Nick J.
Chang, F.-J.
author_facet Meng-Jung, T.
Abrahart, R.J.
Mount, Nick J.
Chang, F.-J.
author_sort Meng-Jung, T.
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Multi-step ahead inflow forecasting has a critical role to play in reservoir operation and management in Taiwan during typhoons as statutory legislation requires a minimum of 3-hours warning to be issued before any reservoir releases are made. However, the complex spatial and temporal heterogeneity of typhoon rainfall, coupled with a remote and mountainous physiographic context makes the development of real-time rainfall-runoff models that can accurately predict reservoir inflow several hours ahead of time challenging. Consequently, there is an urgent, operational requirement for models that can enhance reservoir inflow prediction at forecast horizons of more than 3-hours. In this paper we develop a novel semi-distributed, data-driven, rainfall-runoff model for the Shihmen catchment, north Taiwan. A suite of Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference System solutions is created using various combinations of auto-regressive, spatially-lumped radar and point-based rain gauge predictors. Different levels of spatially-aggregated radar-derived rainfall data are used to generate 4, 8 and 12 sub-catchment input drivers. In general, the semi-distributed radar rainfall models outperform their less complex counterparts in predictions of reservoir inflow at lead-times greater than 3-hours. Performance is found to be optimal when spatial aggregation is restricted to 4 sub-catchments, with up to 30% improvements in the performance over lumped and point-based models being evident at 5-hour lead times. The potential benefits of applying semi-distributed, data-driven models in reservoir inflow modelling specifically, and hydrological modelling more generally, is thus demonstrated.
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spelling nottingham-280532020-05-04T16:41:07Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28053/ Including spatial distribution in a data-driven rainfall-runoff model to improve reservoir inflow forecasting in Taiwan Meng-Jung, T. Abrahart, R.J. Mount, Nick J. Chang, F.-J. Multi-step ahead inflow forecasting has a critical role to play in reservoir operation and management in Taiwan during typhoons as statutory legislation requires a minimum of 3-hours warning to be issued before any reservoir releases are made. However, the complex spatial and temporal heterogeneity of typhoon rainfall, coupled with a remote and mountainous physiographic context makes the development of real-time rainfall-runoff models that can accurately predict reservoir inflow several hours ahead of time challenging. Consequently, there is an urgent, operational requirement for models that can enhance reservoir inflow prediction at forecast horizons of more than 3-hours. In this paper we develop a novel semi-distributed, data-driven, rainfall-runoff model for the Shihmen catchment, north Taiwan. A suite of Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference System solutions is created using various combinations of auto-regressive, spatially-lumped radar and point-based rain gauge predictors. Different levels of spatially-aggregated radar-derived rainfall data are used to generate 4, 8 and 12 sub-catchment input drivers. In general, the semi-distributed radar rainfall models outperform their less complex counterparts in predictions of reservoir inflow at lead-times greater than 3-hours. Performance is found to be optimal when spatial aggregation is restricted to 4 sub-catchments, with up to 30% improvements in the performance over lumped and point-based models being evident at 5-hour lead times. The potential benefits of applying semi-distributed, data-driven models in reservoir inflow modelling specifically, and hydrological modelling more generally, is thus demonstrated. Wiley 2014-01-30 Article PeerReviewed Meng-Jung, T., Abrahart, R.J., Mount, Nick J. and Chang, F.-J. (2014) Including spatial distribution in a data-driven rainfall-runoff model to improve reservoir inflow forecasting in Taiwan. Hydrological Processes, 28 (3). pp. 1055-1070. ISSN 1099-1085 semi-distributed model rainfall-runoff model data-driven model reservoir inflow radar rainfall ANFIS http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hyp.9559/abstract;jsessionid=2BF79DA9A0E7F6264B9874CDD20D6EEC.f01t01 doi:10.1002/hyp.9559 doi:10.1002/hyp.9559
spellingShingle semi-distributed model
rainfall-runoff model
data-driven model
reservoir inflow
radar rainfall
ANFIS
Meng-Jung, T.
Abrahart, R.J.
Mount, Nick J.
Chang, F.-J.
Including spatial distribution in a data-driven rainfall-runoff model to improve reservoir inflow forecasting in Taiwan
title Including spatial distribution in a data-driven rainfall-runoff model to improve reservoir inflow forecasting in Taiwan
title_full Including spatial distribution in a data-driven rainfall-runoff model to improve reservoir inflow forecasting in Taiwan
title_fullStr Including spatial distribution in a data-driven rainfall-runoff model to improve reservoir inflow forecasting in Taiwan
title_full_unstemmed Including spatial distribution in a data-driven rainfall-runoff model to improve reservoir inflow forecasting in Taiwan
title_short Including spatial distribution in a data-driven rainfall-runoff model to improve reservoir inflow forecasting in Taiwan
title_sort including spatial distribution in a data-driven rainfall-runoff model to improve reservoir inflow forecasting in taiwan
topic semi-distributed model
rainfall-runoff model
data-driven model
reservoir inflow
radar rainfall
ANFIS
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28053/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28053/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/28053/