IHACRES, GR4J and MISD-based multi conceptual-machine learning approach for rainfall-runoff modeling

Abstract As a complex hydrological problem, rainfall-runoff (RR) modeling is of importance in runoff studies, water supply, irrigation issues, and environmental management. Among the variety of approaches for RR modeling, conceptual approaches use physical concepts and are appropriate methods for re...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Babak Mohammadi, Mir Jafar Sadegh Safari, Saeed Vazifehkhah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2022-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16215-1
_version_ 1811293705174253568
author Babak Mohammadi
Mir Jafar Sadegh Safari
Saeed Vazifehkhah
author_facet Babak Mohammadi
Mir Jafar Sadegh Safari
Saeed Vazifehkhah
author_sort Babak Mohammadi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract As a complex hydrological problem, rainfall-runoff (RR) modeling is of importance in runoff studies, water supply, irrigation issues, and environmental management. Among the variety of approaches for RR modeling, conceptual approaches use physical concepts and are appropriate methods for representation of the physics of the problem while may fail in competition with their advanced alternatives. Contrarily, machine learning approaches for RR modeling provide high computation ability however, they are based on the data characteristics and the physics of the problem cannot be completely understood. For the sake of overcoming the aforementioned deficiencies, this study coupled conceptual and machine learning approaches to establish a robust and more reliable RR model. To this end, three hydrological process-based models namely: IHACRES, GR4J, and MISD are applied for runoff simulating in a snow-covered basin in Switzerland and then, conceptual models’ outcomes together with more hydro-meteorological variables were incorporated into the model structure to construct multilayer perceptron (MLP) and support vector machine (SVM) models. At the final stage of the modeling procedure, the data fusion machine learning approach was implemented through using the outcomes of MLP and SVM models to develop two evolutionary models of fusion MLP and hybrid MLP-whale optimization algorithm (MLP-WOA). As a result of conceptual models, the IHACRES-based model better simulated the RR process in comparison to the GR4J, and MISD models. The effect of incorporating meteorological variables into the coupled hydrological process-based and machine learning models was also investigated where precipitation, wind speed, relative humidity, temperature and snow depth were added separately to each hydrological model. It is found that incorporating meteorological variables into the hydrological models increased the accuracy of the models in runoff simulation. Three different learning phases were successfully applied in the current study for improving runoff peak simulation accuracy. This study proved that phase one (only hydrological model) has a big error while phase three (coupling hydrological model by machine learning model) gave a minimum error in runoff estimation in a snow-covered catchment. The IHACRES-based MLP-WOA model with RMSE of 8.49 m3/s improved the performance of the ordinary IHACRES model by a factor of almost 27%. It can be considered as a satisfactory achievement in this study for runoff estimation through applying coupled conceptual-ML hydrological models. Recommended methodology in this study for RR modeling may motivate its application in alternative hydrological problems.
first_indexed 2024-04-13T05:05:28Z
format Article
id doaj.art-77fe923a711a404c8066577045f5d7e6
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2045-2322
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T05:05:28Z
publishDate 2022-07-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj.art-77fe923a711a404c8066577045f5d7e62022-12-22T03:01:11ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-07-0112112110.1038/s41598-022-16215-1IHACRES, GR4J and MISD-based multi conceptual-machine learning approach for rainfall-runoff modelingBabak Mohammadi0Mir Jafar Sadegh Safari1Saeed Vazifehkhah2Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund UniversityDepartment of Civil Engineering, Yaşar UniversityClimate Services, World Meteorological OrganizationAbstract As a complex hydrological problem, rainfall-runoff (RR) modeling is of importance in runoff studies, water supply, irrigation issues, and environmental management. Among the variety of approaches for RR modeling, conceptual approaches use physical concepts and are appropriate methods for representation of the physics of the problem while may fail in competition with their advanced alternatives. Contrarily, machine learning approaches for RR modeling provide high computation ability however, they are based on the data characteristics and the physics of the problem cannot be completely understood. For the sake of overcoming the aforementioned deficiencies, this study coupled conceptual and machine learning approaches to establish a robust and more reliable RR model. To this end, three hydrological process-based models namely: IHACRES, GR4J, and MISD are applied for runoff simulating in a snow-covered basin in Switzerland and then, conceptual models’ outcomes together with more hydro-meteorological variables were incorporated into the model structure to construct multilayer perceptron (MLP) and support vector machine (SVM) models. At the final stage of the modeling procedure, the data fusion machine learning approach was implemented through using the outcomes of MLP and SVM models to develop two evolutionary models of fusion MLP and hybrid MLP-whale optimization algorithm (MLP-WOA). As a result of conceptual models, the IHACRES-based model better simulated the RR process in comparison to the GR4J, and MISD models. The effect of incorporating meteorological variables into the coupled hydrological process-based and machine learning models was also investigated where precipitation, wind speed, relative humidity, temperature and snow depth were added separately to each hydrological model. It is found that incorporating meteorological variables into the hydrological models increased the accuracy of the models in runoff simulation. Three different learning phases were successfully applied in the current study for improving runoff peak simulation accuracy. This study proved that phase one (only hydrological model) has a big error while phase three (coupling hydrological model by machine learning model) gave a minimum error in runoff estimation in a snow-covered catchment. The IHACRES-based MLP-WOA model with RMSE of 8.49 m3/s improved the performance of the ordinary IHACRES model by a factor of almost 27%. It can be considered as a satisfactory achievement in this study for runoff estimation through applying coupled conceptual-ML hydrological models. Recommended methodology in this study for RR modeling may motivate its application in alternative hydrological problems.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16215-1
spellingShingle Babak Mohammadi
Mir Jafar Sadegh Safari
Saeed Vazifehkhah
IHACRES, GR4J and MISD-based multi conceptual-machine learning approach for rainfall-runoff modeling
Scientific Reports
title IHACRES, GR4J and MISD-based multi conceptual-machine learning approach for rainfall-runoff modeling
title_full IHACRES, GR4J and MISD-based multi conceptual-machine learning approach for rainfall-runoff modeling
title_fullStr IHACRES, GR4J and MISD-based multi conceptual-machine learning approach for rainfall-runoff modeling
title_full_unstemmed IHACRES, GR4J and MISD-based multi conceptual-machine learning approach for rainfall-runoff modeling
title_short IHACRES, GR4J and MISD-based multi conceptual-machine learning approach for rainfall-runoff modeling
title_sort ihacres gr4j and misd based multi conceptual machine learning approach for rainfall runoff modeling
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16215-1
work_keys_str_mv AT babakmohammadi ihacresgr4jandmisdbasedmulticonceptualmachinelearningapproachforrainfallrunoffmodeling
AT mirjafarsadeghsafari ihacresgr4jandmisdbasedmulticonceptualmachinelearningapproachforrainfallrunoffmodeling
AT saeedvazifehkhah ihacresgr4jandmisdbasedmulticonceptualmachinelearningapproachforrainfallrunoffmodeling