A Comprehensive Approach to Develop a Hydrological Model for the Simulation of All the Important Hydrological Components: The Case of the Three-River Headwater Region, China

The objective of the study was to configure the Hydrological Modeling System (HEC-HMS) in such a way that it could simulate all-important hydrological components (e.g., streamflow, soil moisture, snowmelt water, terrestrial water storage, baseflow, surface flow, and evapotranspiration) in the Three-River Headwater Region. However, the problem we faced was unsatisfactory simulations of these hydrological components, except streamflow. The main reason we found was the auto-calibration method of HEC-HMS because it generated irrational parameters, especially with the inclusion of Temperature Index Method and Soil Moisture Accounting (an advanced and complex loss method). Similar problems have been reported by different previous studies. To overcome these problems, we designed a comprehensive approach to estimate initial parameters and to calibrate the model manually in such a way that the model could simulate all the important hydrological components satisfactorily.

Automated summary

The objective of this study was to address the unsatisfactory simulations of important hydrological components by the Hydrological Modeling System (HEC-HMS). The auto-calibration method of HEC-HMS was found to generate irrational parameters, especially with the inclusion of advanced and complex loss methods. To overcome these issues, a comprehensive approach was designed to estimate initial parameters and manually calibrate the model, resulting in satisfactory simulations of all important hydrological components.