Calibration of a Distributed Hydrological Model (VIC-3L) Based on Global Water Resources Reanalysis Datasets

The lack of observed streamflow datasets for calibration of rainfall-runoff models imposes substantial problems for their applicability, especially in poorly gauged or ungauged river basins. Developing satellite technologies and increasing computational powers over the past decades, have provided an environment for researchers to simulate several water balance components globally using these datasets and assimilation techniques. Due to importance of accurate hydrologic modeling, this study aims to investigate the applicability of global water resources reanalysis (GWRR) datasets including surface soil moisture (SSM), evapotranspiration (ET), and surface runoff (SR) components for calibration of the macro-scale hydrological model (VIC-3L) over the SefidRood basin (SRB) in Iran at different calibration scenarios. Results show that in the case of using SSM datasets, the model’s performance in the simulation of streamflow hydrograph, with the NSE value higher than 0.65, is better than using other datasets. Among different datasets, the SSM based on LISFLOOD and HBV are the best ones for calibration of VIC-3L model over SRB. In contrast, using ET datasets aren’t so reliable for hydrological calibration in the study area. Furthermore, in the cases of using SSM and surface runoff datasets, the model tends to overestimation of low-flows, while, ET datasets are more reliable for simulation of such these flows. Also, findings displayed that the combination of ET and SSM datasets for hydrological calibration performed better than using only one dataset. In conclusion, this research gives useful and applied insights in the applicability of GWRR data sources for hydrological modeling and water resources studies, especially in data limited regions.