Knowra Hydrological modeling Hydrological modeling Hydrological modeling uses mathematical equations and computer simulations to represent water movement and storage across the atmosphere, land surface, and subsurface.
Water balance : An accounting principle that relates water inputs, outputs, and storage changes within a defined system. It constrains modeled flows and storage so simulated water does not appear or disappear.
Catchment : An area of land whose surface water drains to a common outlet. It is a common spatial unit for organizing inputs, storage, and streamflow.
Lumped hydrological model : A catchment model that represents the entire drainage area with aggregated parameters and states. It contrasts with spatially distributed models that resolve variation across a landscape.
Flood forecasting : The prediction of future river levels or flows that may cause flooding. Rainfall-runoff simulations convert weather forecasts into expected river responses.
Model calibration : The adjustment of model parameters to improve agreement between simulations and observations. Calibration can fit measured flows without ensuring the model represents the right processes.
Infiltration : The process by which water at the land surface enters soil. Its rate controls how models divide rainfall between soil recharge and surface runoff.
Hydrological cycle : The continuous movement of water among the atmosphere, land, oceans, and living systems. It supplies the broad process framework that hydrological models simplify.
Distributed hydrological model : A hydrological model that represents processes and states across multiple spatial units. Its spatial detail contrasts with catchment-wide aggregation in lumped models.
Drought monitoring : The assessment of water deficits using indicators of precipitation, soil moisture, streamflow, or groundwater. Simulated storage and flow help characterize developing hydrological drought.
Parameter uncertainty : Uncertainty about the values of parameters used in a model. Many parameter combinations can produce similar streamflow, leaving internal behavior uncertain.
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