Predictions in Ungauged Basins: Promise and Progress (Proceedings of symposium S7 held during the Seventh IAHS Scientific Assembly at Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, April 2005). IAHS Publ. 303, 2006, 351-359.

 

Assessing the predictive ability of the spatially distributed conceptual AFFDEF model for a mesoscale catchment

 

TAPASH DAS1, GRETA MORETTI2, ANDRÁS BÁRDOSSY1 & ALBERTO MONTANARI3

1       Institute of Hydraulic Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 61, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany

tapash@iws.uni-stuttgart.de

2       Ingenieurbüro Winkler und Partner GmbH, Schlossstrasse 59a, D-70176 Stuttgart, Germany

3       Faculty of Engineering, University of Bologna, Via del Risorgimento 2, I-40136 Bologna, Italy

 

Abstract The spatially distributed grid based conceptual rainfall–runoff model AFFDEF is herein applied to a mesoscale catchment located in central Europe. The AFFDEF model was originally developed at University of Bologna, Italy. In this study, a simplified snow module based on the degree day approach was embedded in AFFDEF to simulate snow accumulation and snow melt processes. Also, in the modified model version, necessary modifications were undertaken to work with highly spatially-resolved meteorological forcing variables. The objective of this study is to investigate the predictive ability of the model at different spatial scales while calibrating the model at the outlet of the catchment. This approach enables the identification of the predictive ability of the model when applied to ungauged basins. The results show that the distributed model provides reliable simulation referring to ungauged river sections.

 

Key words  distributed rainfall–runoff model; multi-site validation; predictive ability; ungauged basin