An approach to the scaling problem in hydrological modelling: the deterministic modelling hydrological system

A brief description of the Deterministic Modelling Hydrological System (DMHS) 'Runoff-Erosion-Pollution' proposed by the first author is presented. This system is being developed with the aim of giving it a universal character so that it can be applied in mountainous and flat terrain, and in basins of different natural climatic zones regardless of their size. The main feature of the model is its independence of the scaling problem. The basis of our approach consists of a simple theory of runoff elements. This is different from the generally accepted use of partial differential equations such as the Saint Venant equation for surface and channel flow and the Boussinesq equation for underground waters describing the water movement from runoff formation origins to the basin outlet. The results of runoff simulation for six mountainous watersheds of different sizes across Eastern Siberia within the Lena River basin and their statistical evaluation are presented. The selected river basins ranged in size from about 40 km(2) (small scale) to the entire Lena River basin (2.4 million km(2)), classified as a large-scale basin. Copyright. (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.