Hydrograph Modeling

flow

Precipitation

Goal: Simulate the shape of a hydrograph

given a known or designed water input
(rain or snowmelt)

time

Hydrologic
Model

time

Hydrograph Modeling:
The input signal
Hyetograph can be
A future design event
What happens in response to a rainstorm of a
hypothetical magnitude and duration
See http://hdsc.nws.noaa.gov/hdsc/pfds/

A past storm

Hydrologic
Model
time

flow

Precipitation

Simulate what happened in the past

Can serve as a calibration data set

time

Hydrograph Modeling: The Model

What do we do with the input signal?
We mathematically manipulate the signal in a
way that represents how the watershed
actually manipulates the water

Hydrologic
Model
time

flow

Precipitation

Q = f(P, landscape properties)

time

Hydrograph Modeling
What is a model?
What is the purpose of a model?
Types of Models
Physical
http://uwrl.usu.edu/facilities/hydraulics/projects/projects.html

Analog
Ohms law analogous to Darcys law

Mathematical
Equations to represent hydrologic process

Types of Mathematical Models

Process representation
Physically Based
Derived from equations representing actual physics of process
i.e. energy balance snowmelt models

Conceptual
Short cuts full physics to capture essential processes
Linear reservoir model

Empirical/Regression
i.e temperature index snowmelt model

Stochastic
Evaluates historical time series, based on probability

Spatial representation
Lumped
Distributed

Hydrograph Modeling
Physically Based, distributed
Physics-based equations for each process in
each grid cell

See dhsvm.pdf
Kelleners et al., 2009
Pros and cons?

Hydrologic Modeling
Systems Approach
A transfer function represents the lumped processes operating in a watershed
-Transforms numerical inputs through simplified paramters that lump
processes to numerical outputs
-Modeled is calibrated to obtain proper parameters
-Predictions at outlet only
-Read 9.5.1

P
Mathematical
Transfer Function
t

Integrated Hydrologic Models Are Used to Understand and Predict (Quantify)

the Movement of Water

How ? Formalization of hydrologic process equations

Lumped Model

Semi-Distributed Model
REW 2

.(U ) .( ) Qss
t

REW 3
REW 4

REW 1

pq
t

Distributed Model

REW 5
REW 7
REW 6

q
e.g: Stanford Watershed Model

e.g: HSPF, LASCAM

e.g: ModHMS, PIHM, FIHM, InHM

Process Representation:

Parametric

Physics-Based

Predicted States Resolution:

Coarser

Fine

Data Requirement:

Small

Large

Computational Requirement:
8

Transfer Functions
2 Basic steps to rainfall-runoff transfer functions
1. Estimate losses.
W minus losses = effective precipitation (Weff) (eqns 9-43, 9-44)
Determines the volume of streamflow response

2. Distribute Weff in time

Gives shape to the hydrograph
Recall that Qef = Weff
Event flow (Weff)
Q
Base Flow
t

Transfer Functions
General Concept

Task

Draw a line through the

hyetograph separating loss and
Weff volumes (Figure 9-40)

Weff = Qef
W

Losses
t

Loss Methods
Methods to estimate effective precipitation
You have already done it one wayhow?
However,

Loss Methods
Physically-based infiltration equations
Chapter 6
Green-ampt, Richards equation, Darcy

Kinematic approximations of infiltration

and storage

Exponential: Weff(t) = W0e-ct

c is unique to each site
Uniform: Werr(t) = W(t) - constant

Examples of Transfer Function

Models
Rational Method (p443)
qpk=urCrieffAd

No loss method
Duration of rainfall is the time of concentration
Flood peak only
Used for urban watersheds (see table 9-10)

SCS Curve Number

Estimates losses by surface properties
Routes to stream with empirical equations

SCS Loss Method

SCS curve # (page 445-447)
Calculates the VOLUME of effective precipitation
based on watershed properties (soils)
Assumes that this volume is lost

SCS Concepts

Precipitation (W) is partitioned into 3 fates

Vi = initial abstraction = storage that must

be satisfied before event flow can begin

Vr = retention = W that falls after initial

abstraction is satisfied but that does not
contribute to event flow

Qef = W eff = event flow

Method is based on an assumption that

there is a relationship between the runoff
ratio and the amount of storage that is
filled:

Vr/ Vmax. = W eff/(W-Vi)

where Vmax is the maximum storage capacity of the

watershed

If Vr = W-Vi-W eff,

Weff

(W Vi ) 2

W Vi Vmax

SCS Concept
Assuming Vi = 0.2Vmax (??)

Vmax is determined by a Curve Number

Curve Number

The SCS classified 8500 soils into four hydrologic groups according to
their infiltration characteristics

Curve Number
Related to Land Use

Transfer Function
1. Estimate effective precipitation
SCS method gives us Weff

2. Estimate temporal distribution

Volume of effective
Precipitation or event
flow

Q
Base flow
t
-What actually gives shape to the hydrograph?

Transfer Function
2. Estimate temporal distribution of effective precipitation
Various methods route water to stream channel
Many are based on a time of concentration and many other rules

SCS method
Assumes that the runoff hydrograph is a triangle
On top of base flow

Tw = duration of effective P
Tc= time concentration
Q
Tb=2.67Tr
t

How were these

equations developed?

Transfer Functions

Time of concentration equations attempt to relate residence time of water to

watershed properties

The time it takes water to travel from the hydraulically most distant part of the watershed to
the outlet
Empically derived, based on watershed properties

Once again, consider the assumptions

Transfer Functions
2. Temporal distribution of effective
precipitation
Unit Hydrograph
An X (1,2,3,) hour unit hydrograph is the
characteristic response (hydrograph) of a
watershed to a unit volume of effective water
input applied at a constant rate for x hours.
1 inch of effective rain in 6 hours produces a 6
hour unit hydrograph

Unit Hydrograph
The event hydrograph that would result from 1
unit (cm, in,) of effective precipitation (Weff=1)
A watershed has a characteristic response
This characteristic response is the model
Many methods to construct the shape

Qef
1
t

Unit Hydrograph
1. How do we Develop the characteristic
response for the duration of interest the
transfer function ?

Empirical page 451

Synthetic page 453

2. How do we Apply the UH?:

For a storm of an appropriate duration, simply

multiply the y-axis of the unit hydrograph by the
depth of the actual storm (this is based convolution
integral theory)

Unit Hydrograph
Apply: For a storm of an appropriate duration, simply
multiply the y-axis of the unit hydrograph by the depth of the
actual storm.
See spreadsheet example
Assumes one burst of precipitation during the duration of the storm

In this picture, what duration

is 2.5 hours Referring to?
Where does 2.4 come from?

 What if storm comes in multiple bursts?

Application of the Convolution Integral
Convolves an input time series with a transfer
function to produce an output time series
t

Q(t ) Weff U t d
0

U(t-) = time distributed Unit Hydrograph

Weff()= effective precipitation
=time lag between beginning time series of
rainfall excess and the UH

 Convolution integral in discrete form

Q(t ) i 1W (i )U (t i 1)
t

Q(t ) WtU1 Wt 1U 2 Wt 2U 3 ... W1U j

J=n-i+1

Unit Hydrograph
Many ways to manipulate UH for storms of
different durations and intensities
S curve, instantaneous
Thats for an engineering hydrology class

YOU need to know assumptions of the

application

Unit Hydrograph
How do we derive the characteristic
response (unit hydrograph)?
Empirical

Unit Hydrograph
How do we derive the characteristic
response (unit hydrograph)?
Empirical page 451
Note: 1. approximately equal duration
What duration are they talking about?

Note: 8. adjust the curve until this area is

satisfactorily close to 1unit
See spreadsheet example

Unit Hydrograph
Assumptions
Linear response
Constant time base

Unit Hydrograph
Construction of characteristic response by
synthetic methods
Scores of approaches similar to the SCS
hydrograph method where points on the unit
hydrograph are estimated from empirical
relations to watershed properties.
Snyder
SCS
Clark

Snyder Synthetic Unit Hydrograph

Since peak flow and time of peak flow are two of the most important parameters
characterizing a unit hydrograph, the Snyder method employs factors defining these
parameters, which are then used in the synthesis of the unit graph (Snyder, 1938).

The parameters are Cp, the peak flow factor, and Ct, the lag factor.

The basic assumption in this method is that basins which have similar physiographic
characteristics are located in the same area will have similar values of Ct and Cp.

Therefore, for ungaged basins, it is preferred that the basin be near or similar to
gaged basins for which these coefficients can be determined.
t LAG Ct ( L Lca ) 0.3
tbase 3
t duration
q peak

t LAG
8

t LAG

5.5

640 AC p
t LAG

t alt .lag t LAG 0.25(t alt .duration t duration )

The final shape of the Snyder unit hydrograph is controlled by the equations
for width at 50% and 75% of the peak of the UHG:

SCS Synthetic Unit Hydrograph

D

SCS Dimensionless UHG & Triangular Representation

Triangular
Representation
Excess
Precipitation

1.2

Tb 2.67 x Tp
Tlag
1

Tr Tb - Tp 1.67 x Tp

0.8

qpT p
2

qpT r
2

qp
2

Flow ratios

(T p +T r )

2Q
qp=
T p +T r

Cum. Mass
Q
/Q
peak

Q=

Triangular
0.6

Point of
Inflection
Tc
0.4

qp=

654.33 x 2 x A x Q
T p +T r

qp=

484 A Q
Tp

0.2

0
0.0

Tp

The 645.33 is the conversion used for delivering 1-inch of runoff

(the area under the unit hydrograph) from 1-square mile in 1-hour
(3600 seconds).

1.0

Tb

2.0

3.0

T/Tpeak

4.0

5.0

Synthetic Unit Hydrograph

ALL are based on the assumption that
runoff is generated by overland flow
What does this mean with respect to our
discussion about old water new water?
How can Unit Hydrographs, or any model,
possibly work if the underlying concepts
are incorrect?

Other Applications
What to do with storms of different
durations?

Other Applications

Deriving the 1-hr UH with the S curve approach

Physically-Based Distributed

Hydrologic Similarity Models

Motivation: How can we retain the theory
behind the physically based model while
avoiding the computational difficulty?
Identify the most important driving features
and shortcut the rest.

TOPMODEL

Beven, K., R. Lamb, P. Quinn, R. Romanowicz and J. Freer, (1995),

"TOPMODEL," Chapter 18 in Computer Models of Watershed Hydrology,
Edited by V. P. Singh, Water Resources Publications, Highlands Ranch,
Colorado, p.627-668.
TOPMODEL is not a hydrological modeling package. It is rather a set of
conceptual tools that can be used to reproduce the hydrological behaviour
of catchments in a distributed or semi-distributed way, in particular the
dynamics of surface or subsurface contributing areas.

TOPMODEL
Surface saturation and soil moisture
deficits based on topography
Slope
Specific Catchment Area
Topographic Convergence

Partial contributing area concept

Saturation from below (Dunne) runoff
generation mechanism

Saturation in zones of convergent

topography

TOPMODEL
Recognizes that topography is the
dominant control on water flow
Predicts watershed streamflow by
identifying areas that are topographically
similar, computing the average subsurface
and overland flow for those regions, then
adding it all up. It is therefore a quasidistributed model.

Key Assumptions
from Beven, Rainfall-Runoff Modeling

There is a saturated zone in equilibrium with a steady

recharge rate over an upslope contributing area a
The water table is almost parallel to the surface such
that the effective hydraulic gradient is equal to the local
surface slope, tan
The Transmissivity profile may be described by and
exponential function of storage deficit, with a value of To
whe the soil is just staurated to the surface (zero deficit

Hillslope Element
P

a
c

asat

qoverland

qsubsurface

qtotal = qsub + q overland

We need equations based on

topography to calculate qsub (9.6) and
qoverland (9.5)

Subsurface Flow in TOPMODEL

qsub = Tctan
What is the origin of this equation?
What are the assumptions?
How do we obtain tan
How do we obtain T?
c

asat

qoverland

qsubsurface

Recall that one goal of TOPMODEL is to simplify the data required to run a watershed
model.
We know that subsurface flow is highly dependent on the vertical distribution of K. We
can not easily measure K at depth, but we can measure or estimate K at the surface.
We can then incorporate some assumption about how K varies with depth (equation
9.7). From equation 9.7 we can derive an expression for T based on surface K (9.9).
Note that z is now the depth to the water table.

a
c

asat

qoverland

qsubsurface

Transmissivity of Saturated Zone

K at any depth
Transmissivity of a saturated thickness z-D
a
c
qoverland

asat
D

qsubsurface

Equations
Subsurface

Surface

Assume Subsurface flow = recharge rate

Saturation deficit for

similar topography
regions

Topographic Index

Saturation Deficit
Element as a function of local TI

Catchment Average

Element as a function of average