Abstract
Predictions in ungauged basins (PUB) has been always a focus of hydrological research. The problem presented by ungauged basins is how to reasonably estimate water resource availability. To solve the issues of data scale, this study combines field experiments and hydrological models to estimate freshwater availability in a typical ungauged sea island located in southeastern China. The free parameters in the hydrological model were derived from the point-scale rainfall-runoff experiments rather than calibration using river discharge observations. The rainfall-runoff experiments were performed on six sites covering 11 land cover types. Model validation at a sub-catchment showed that the combined method could successfully reproduce monthly streamflow, with a Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency of 0.82, correlation coefficient of 0.85, and flow volume error of 6.5%. The simulation results indicate high heterogeneity and distinct seasonal dynamics in freshwater availability across the entire island. This pioneering PUB study for Chinese islands could provide reference for planning and management of freshwater in a water shortage area.
Highlights
China has been implementing a national strategy called the Belt and Road Initiative, where the “Belt” stands for the Silk Road Economic Belt and the “Road” stands for the 21st Century MaritimeSilk Road
This study provides a basis for freshwater management in Pingtan Island while demonstrating the spatial and temporal distribution of freshwater availability
This work provides a method of estimating freshwater resources in an ungauged area
Summary
China has been implementing a national strategy called the Belt and Road Initiative, where the “Belt” stands for the Silk Road Economic Belt and the “Road” stands for the 21st Century Maritime. The development of the costal islands is an important part of the 21st Century Maritime. How to make a scientific assessment of available water resources in these ungauged islands is a forefront of hydrology research, and a basic issue of reasonable exploitation and the utilization of water resources. Predictions in ungauged basins (PUB) has always been a frontier and focus [1]. In the beginning of the 21st century, the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) began an initiative of PUB focused on reducing the uncertainty in hydrological models and hydrological forecasts [2]
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