Evaluation of satellite precipitation products to runoff simulation in a semi-arid zone

Abstract

<p>In data-sparse regions and in developing countries such as Morocco, where flooding has serious socio-economic impacts, satellite-based precipitation products open up new possibilities for monitoring and modeling water resources and floods. The goal of this study is to explore the possibility of using satellite precipitation products (SPPs) to force lumped hydrologic models (CREST and MISDc) over 9 basins in Morocco. This work provides a hydrological assessment of three SPPs that have demonstrated good capabilities in reproducing precipitation over different basins in Morocco (GPM IMERG – PERSIANN CDR and CHIRPS). The two hydrological models are coupled with a stochastic calibration method to provide the different ranges of uncertainties. In addition, we investigate the ability of SPPs on reproducing November 2014 flood event.  The results indicate that, in calibration, all the models provide similar performance to reproduce river discharge when using observed precipitation and PERCDR. In the validation phase, the combination MISDc/PERCDR performed with minimum confidence interval which allows a good reproduction of the flood hydrograph of November 2014. The establishment of relationships between SPPs, basin parameters, and hydrological modeling technique will allow to find the appropriate combination for different application purposes.</p>