Low-Flows in Deterministic Modelling: A Brief Review

Deterministic hydrological models are limited in their ability to model low-flows, but as they are increasingly being used for low-flow studies, a review is timely if they are to be used for this purpose. The representations of the physical processes that govern low-flows are described for a selecti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian water resources journal 2008-06, Vol.33 (2), p.181-194
Main Authors: Davison, B., van der Kamp, G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Deterministic models
Groundwater
Hydraulic measurements
Hydrologic modeling
Low flow
Methods
Studies
Water flow
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Summary:Deterministic hydrological models are limited in their ability to model low-flows, but as they are increasingly being used for low-flow studies, a review is timely if they are to be used for this purpose. The representations of the physical processes that govern low-flows are described for a selection of models developed and/or used in Canada. The models vary in the extent to which they incorporate low-flow processes, such as drawdown of storage in lakes, stream channels and wetlands, riparian evapotranspiration, freeze-up and bank storage. The representation of groundwater in the models is not physically-based and the hydrologic models must be coupled with distributed groundwater models to answer questions about groundwater withdrawals. Most models have not been rigorously tested for low-flow simulations. Considerable work remains to be done, especially in the adequate representation of low-flow processes, and in evaluation of models for low-flow studies by using low-flow specific evaluation criteria.
ISSN:0701-1784
1918-1817
DOI:10.4296/cwrj3302181