Coupling a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model with a Distributed Hydrological Model Applied to a Watershed in Southeast Brazil
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 1
Abstract
Reliable hydrometeorological forecasts are necessary to help reduce damages caused by extreme events. Coupling atmospheric and hydrological models can help improve those forecasts; therefore, the main objective of this work is to propose, apply, and evaluate a one-way coupled system involving an atmospheric and a hydrological model. The models were applied to a watershed in the Serra do Mar region, São Paulo State, Brazil. Because of the complex terrain and native tropical forest (Mata Atlântica), hydrometeorological modeling in this region requires specific studies and adequate models. The coupling was carried out between the atmospheric regional Eta model and the distributed hydrology soil vegetation model. The primary challenge in coupling hydrological and atmospheric models is the large difference in spatial and temporal scales in which these models operate. This study proposes a downscaling methodology to increase the spatial resolution of precipitation and temperature predicted by the atmospheric model from 10 to 2 km. The coupling was tested in three precipitation events that accumulated large amounts of precipitation. The results show that the quality of the predicted streamflows depends primarily on the quality of the predicted precipitation that is input to the hydrological model. The downscaling methodology applied does not significantly influence quality of the simulated and predicted basin outflow.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the São Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the financial support of the “Predictability study of heavy rainfall events in the Serra do Mar (04/09649-0)” Project. We also thank the Coordination of University Graduate Furtherance (CAPES) for its financial support in the form of a doctorate scholarship.
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Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 1 • January 2013
Pages: 58 - 65
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 29, 2011
Accepted: Feb 13, 2012
Published online: Dec 16, 2012
Published in print: Jan 1, 2013
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