Optimizing wrf-hydroWRF-Hydro calibration in the Himalayan Basin: Precipitation influence and parameter sensitivity analysis
Dixit, A., Sahany, S., Mishra, S. K., Lehner, F.. (2025). Optimizing wrf-hydroWRF-Hydro calibration in the Himalayan Basin: Precipitation influence and parameter sensitivity analysis. Journal of Hydrometeorology, doi:https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-24-0096.1
| Title | Optimizing wrf-hydroWRF-Hydro calibration in the Himalayan Basin: Precipitation influence and parameter sensitivity analysis |
|---|---|
| Genre | Article |
| Author(s) | A. Dixit, S. Sahany, S. K. Mishra, Flavio Lehner |
| Abstract | The lack of in situ observations and reliable climate information in large parts of the Himalayas poses significant challenges for assessing water resources vulnerability. Integrated hydrometeorological modeling systems, like WRF-Hydro, have the potential to provide information in such ungauged or poorly observed regions, yet they require careful calibration. Here, we calibrate and assess the fidelity of WRF-Hydro in simulating the hydrological regime of the Beas basin. Selected WRF-Hydro model parameters are calibrated using the parameter estimation (PEST) framework, leveraging eight WRF-Hydro simulations with two meteorological forcings from two WRF realizations. Model calibration improves the accuracy of the basin discharge simulation; however, the choice of precipitation forcing is also found to be critically important. The performance of a given WRF-Hydro configuration varies with seasons. We thus propose an ensemble-weighting scheme to optimize an intra-annual trade-off between streamflow under- and overestimation in different WRF-Hydro configurations. This study demonstrates the efficacy of using WRF and WRF-Hydro for providing climate change impact–relevant information in data-sparse basins. |
| Publication Title | Journal of Hydrometeorology |
| Publication Date | Mar 1, 2025 |
| Publisher's Version of Record | https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-24-0096.1 |
| OpenSky Citable URL | https://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7nk3kfw |
| OpenSky Listing | View on OpenSky |
| CGD Affiliations | CGDAO |