Single event watershed model for simulating runoff hydrograph in desert regions

• Published in: Water resources management Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 221 - 238
• Main Authors: ABDULLA, Fayez A, AMAYREH, Jumah A, HOSSAIN, Adel H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.06.2002; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Catchments; Deserts; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Evaporation; Exact sciences and technology; Hydrographs; Hydrologic data; Hydrology; Hydrology. Hydrogeology; Iraq; Management; Mathematical models; Model testing; Optimization; Optimization techniques; Rainfall; Resources; Runoff; Sensitivity; Sensitivity analysis; Soil (material); Soil properties; Stormwater; Surface runoff; Water balance; Watersheds; Middle East; Iraq; rainfall; soil moisture; atmospheric precipitation; sensitivity analysis; runoff; water balance; infiltration; drainage basins; deserts; hydrological modeling; Asia; optimization; calibration; evaporation; hydrographs; storms
• ISSN: 0920-4741; 1573-1650
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1020258808869

This study is aimed to use the available limited meteorological and hydrological data for two catchments located in the western Iraqi desert, to develop and apply a simple single event watershed model to simulate and predict the surface runoff hydrograph. The single event watershed model is based on the water balance equation. The inputs to the model are rainfall, evaporation, and soil properties data. The Resonbrock optimization technique is employed to determine the optimum parameters of the model. Also a simple and a modified version of this model is suggested and tested for the study area. The available rainfall and runoff data in these catchments have been used in calibrating and testing the model. In model testing, the optimized parameters for a particular storm are used to test the model performance on other available storms and so on. Sensitivity analysis has been used to determine the most sensitive parameters.