ORCID Identifier(s)

0000-0002-2716-2187

Graduation Semester and Year

2019

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering

Department

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

Dong-Jun Seo

Abstract

A novel multi-scale post-processor for ensemble streamflow prediction, MS-EnsPost, and a multiscale probability matching (MS-PM) technique for bias correction in streamflow simulation are developed and evaluated. The MS-PM successively applies probability matching (PM) across multiple time scales of aggregation to reduce scale-dependent biases in streamflow simulation. For evaluation of MS-PM, 34 basins in four National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers (RFC) in the US were used. The results indicate that MS-PM improves over PM for streamflow prediction at a daily time step, and that averaging the empirical cumulative distribution functions to reduce sampling uncertainty marginally improves performance. The performance of MS-PM, however, quickly reaches a limit with the addition of larger temporal scales of aggregation due to the increasingly large sampling uncertainties. MS-EnsPost represents a departure from the PM-based approaches to avoid large sampling uncertainties associated with distribution modeling, and to utilize fully the predictive skill in model-simulated and observed streamflow that may be present over a range of temporal scales. MS-EnsPost uses data-driven correction of magnitude-dependent bias in simulated flow, multiscale regression over a range of temporal aggregation scales, and ensemble generation using parsimonious error modeling. For evaluation of MS-EnsPost, 139 basins in eight RFCs were used. Streamflow predictability in different hydroclimatological regions is assessed and characterized, and gains by MS-EnsPost over the existing streamflow ensemble post processor in the NWS Hydrologic Ensemble Forecast Service, EnsPost, are attributed. The ensemble mean prediction results show that MS-EnsPost reduces the root mean square error of Day-1 to -7 predictions of mean daily flow from EnsPost by 5 to 68 percent, and for most basins, the improvement is due to both bias correction and multiscale regression. The ensemble prediction results show that MS-EnsPost reduces the mean Continuous Ranked Probability Score of Day-1 to -7 predictions of mean daily flow from EnsPost by 2 to 62 percent, and that the improvement is due mostly to improved resolution than reliability. Examination of the mean Continuous Ranked Probability Skill Scores (CRPSS) indicates that, for most basins, the improvement by MS-EnsPost is due to both magnitude-dependent bias correction and full utilization of hydrologic memory through multiscale regression. Comparison of the mean CRPSS results with hydroclimatic indices indicates that the skill of ensemble streamflow prediction with post processing is modulated largely by the fraction of precipitation as snow and, for non-snow-driven basins, mean annual precipitation. The positive impact of MS-EnsPost is particularly significant for a number of basins impacted by flow regulations. Examination of the multiscale regression weights indicates that the multiscale regression procedure is able to capture and reflect the scale-dependent impact of flow regulations on predictive skills of observed and model-predicted flow. One of the motivations for MS-EnsPost is to reduce data requirement so that nonstationarity may be considered. Comparative evaluation of MS-EnsPost with EnsPost indicates that, under reduced data availability, MS-EnsPost generally outperforms EnsPost for those basins exhibiting significant changes in flow regime.

Keywords

Streamflow prediction, Ensemble forecasting, Post-processing, Hydrologic uncertainty, Ensemble verification

Disciplines

Civil and Environmental Engineering | Civil Engineering | Engineering

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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