Catchment In China Research Articles

Evaluating the suitability of TRMM satellite rainfall data for hydrological simulation using a distributed hydrological model in the Weihe River catchment in China

The objective of this study is to quantitatively evaluate Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data with rain gauge data and further to use this TRMM data to drive a Distributed Time-Variant Gain Model (DTVGM) to perform hydrological simulations in the semi-humid Weihe River catchment in China. Before the simulations, a comparison with a 10-year (2001–2010) daily rain gauge data set reveals that, at daily time step, TRMM rainfall data are better at capturing rain occurrence and mean values than rainfall extremes. On a monthly time scale, good linear relationships between TRMM and rain gauge rainfall data are found, with determination coefficients R 2 varying between 0.78 and 0.89 for the individual stations. Subsequent simulation results of seven years (2001–2007) of data on daily hydrological processes confirm that the DTVGM when calibrated by rain gauge data performs better than when calibrated by TRMM data, but the performance of the simulation driven by TRMM data is better than that driven by gauge data on a monthly time scale. The results thus suggest that TRMM rainfall data are more suitable for monthly streamflow simulation in the study area, and that, when the effects of recalibration and the results for water balance components are also taken into account, the TRMM 3B42-V7 product has the potential to perform well in similar basins.

A Field Experiment on the Small-Scale Variability of Rainfall Based on a Network of Micro Rain Radars and Rain Gauges

AbstractSmall-scale summer rainfall variability in a semiarid zone was studied by deploying five vertically pointing Micro Rain Radars (MRRs) along a nearly straight line and by using 12 rain gauges in the study area of the Xilin River catchment in China. The spatial scales of 4 and 9 km correspond to the resolution of precipitation radar and rainfall products from satellites. The dataset of the MRRs and rain gauges covers two months in the summer of 2009. Three parameters, that is, spatial correlation, intermittency, and the coefficient of variation (CV), were used to describe the rainfall variability as based on the data from the MRRs and rain gauges. The probability of partial beamfilling in a 4-km (9 km) pixel over a 30-min temporal scale was 17%–20% (28%–37%). More accurate equipment can measure lower rainfall intermittency. For scales of 4 and 9 km, the median CV of the accumulation times that were longer than 3 h with rainfall > 1 mm was 0.17–0.42. The accuracy of areal rainfall measured by different quantities of equipment was also evaluated. One MRR was sufficient for measuring the daily areal rainfall at a 4-km scale, with a fraction of prediction within a factor of 2 of observations of 1.0 and a correlation coefficient of ≥0.58 when daily mean rainfall was >1 mm.

Comparison of Two Approaches for Estimating Precipitation Elasticity of Streamflow in China’s Main River Basins

Two widely used approaches, nonparametric approach and Budyko framework approach, were used to calculate precipitation elasticity of streamflow (ε) in China’s main river basins. While the Budyko framework illustrates only the effect of climate onε, the nonparametric approach illustrates the effects of both climate and human activity onε. Both approaches showed similar spatial pattern ofε, with high values for northern arid catchments and low values for southern humid catchments, suggesting high sensitivity of streamflow to climate in the arid catchments in China’s north. Inland catchments had lowεvalues, probably because most of the annual streamflow was driven by glacial and snowmelt. While strong anthropologic activities reduce the sensitivity of streamflow to precipitation in some northern arid catchments, which was indicated by lowerεvalues produced by nonparametric approach, the combined use of the two approaches underscored the significance in identifying the effects of anthropologic factors on streamflow.

Farmer and retailer knowledge and awareness of the risks from pesticide use: A case study in the Wei River catchment, China

Monitoring the educational level of farmers and retailers on pesticide use would be useful to assess the appropriateness of information for reducing or/and avoiding the risks from pesticides in rural regions. The levels of knowledge and awareness of the dangers to the environment and human health were investigated by questionnaires for farmers (209) and retailers (20) in two rural regions (Qianyang County (S1) and Chencang County (S2)) of the Wei River catchment in China where the modes of farming and the state of erosion are very different. The results showed that farmers learned the use and dangers of pesticides mainly by oral communication (p<0.01). Protective measures were inadequate; 65% (S1) and 55% (S2) of farmers never used any protective measures during spraying (p<0.05). Washing hands (>70%) was the most common mode of personal hygiene, relative to wearing masks, showering, and changing clothes, but no significant differences were observed between the selected regions. Most pesticide wastes were dumped directly onto the land or into water, suggesting that educational measures should be taken to address the potential risks from the residues in the wastes. Over 85% of farmers (S1 and S2) claimed to use illegal pesticides, but the reasons for their use varied (p<0.01). Retailers were well-informed and highly conscious of their responsibility for the safe use of pesticides, especially in S2 (p<0.01). A canonical correspondence analysis indicated that educational level and age differed between the two regions and contributed greatly to the risks from pesticide use (p<0.01). Educational programmes targeted to age groups, proper disposal of pesticide waste, and sufficient supervision from authorities should consequently be considered for improving the levels of knowledge and awareness of the dangers of pesticides to human health and environmental pollution in the Wei River catchment, China.

Effect of rainfall variation and landscape change on runoff and sediment yield from a loess hilly catchment in China

The semiarid Chinese Loess Plateau is notorious for severe drought, water erosion, and environmental degradation. Changes in landscape patterns and rainfall are key drivers that determine the dynamics of runoff loss and sediment yield from catchments. These factors have crucial implications for management of other fragile ecosystems around the globe. In this study, responses of surface runoff and sediment yield to land use and rainfall in a typical loess hilly catchment in 1997, 2005, and 2010 were analyzed. Several major findings are highlighted. First, most rainfall occurred in the growing season from June to September and increased only slightly during the observation years. Second, runoff and soil transport rates at the catchment outlet from June to August were far greater than in other months. A similar trend was observed for seasonal rainfall occurrence, indicating that the intra-annual water erosion patterns were largely dominated by monthly rainfall distribution. Third, compared with the time period 1997–2005, mean runoff and sediment transport modulus in 2005–2010 declined significantly. This can be attributed mainly to changes in land use/land cover, i.e., increases in forests, shrubs, and grasses, and decreases in sloping farmlands. Dam construction is also key in controlling runoff and sediment yield, but more attention must be paid to its possible negative environmental effects. In general, our study indicates that marked changes in landscape patterns and vegetation coverage may contribute to long-term soil loss dynamics, and intra-annual rainfall variation mainly contributes to monthly variation in runoff and sediment yield.

The regional variation in climate elasticity and climate contribution to runoff across China

Summary The climate elasticity of runoff is an important indicator that is used to quantify the relationship between changes in runoff and changes in climate variables. It is a function of both climate and catchment characteristics. Recently, Yang and Yang (2011) proposed an analytical derivation of climate elasticity (YY2011), in which a parameter n was used to represent the impact of the catchment characteristics. In China, both climate and catchment characteristics have large spatial variations. To understand the spatial variation of hydrologic response to climate change, this paper divided China into 210 catchments, further calculated the parameter n, and then estimated the climate elasticity and evaluated the contribution of climate change to runoff for each catchment. The results show that n ranges from 0.4 to 3.8 (with a mean of 1.3 and a standard deviation of 0.6), which has a logarithmic relationship with catchment slope; the precipitation elasticity ranges from 1.1 to 4.8 (with a mean of 1.9 and a standard deviation of 0.6), which shows a large regional variation, smaller values (1.1–2.0) mainly appearing in Southern China, the Songhua River basin and the Northwest, and larger values (2.1–4.8) mainly appearing in the Hai River basin, the Liao River basin and the Yellow River basin. In addition, climate contribution to runoff exhibits a large regional variation, the largest positive values (1.1–3.1%/a) occurring in the Northwest, the largest negative values (−1.0 to −0.5%/a) occurring in the Hai River basin and the middle reach of the Yellow River basin. In theory, the YY2011 method is a first-order approximation. The approximation underestimates the precipitation (P) contribution to runoff when P increases and overestimates that when P decreases, and the relative error has a median of ∼3% and a maximum of ∼20% when 10% precipitations change in those catchments of China.

The effects of low impact development on urban flooding under different rainfall characteristics

Low impact development (LID) is generally regarded as a more sustainable solution for urban stormwater management than conventional urban drainage systems. However, its effects on urban flooding at a scale of urban drainage systems have not been fully understood particularly when different rainfall characteristics are considered. In this paper, using an urbanizing catchment in China as a case study, the effects of three LID techniques (swale, permeable pavement and green roof) on urban flooding are analyzed and compared with the conventional drainage system design. A range of storm events with different rainfall amounts, durations and locations of peak intensity are considered for holistic assessment of the LID techniques. The effects are measured by the total flood volume reduction during a storm event compared to the conventional drainage system design. The results obtained indicate that all three LID scenarios are more effective in flood reduction during heavier and shorter storm events. Their performance, however, varies significantly according to the location of peak intensity. That is, swales perform best during a storm event with an early peak, permeable pavements perform best with a middle peak, and green roofs perform best with a late peak, respectively. The trends of flood reduction can be explained using a newly proposed water balance method, i.e., by comparing the effective storage depth of the LID designs with the accumulative rainfall amounts at the beginning and end of flooding in the conventional drainage system. This paper provides an insight into the performance of LID designs under different rainfall characteristics, which is essential for effective urban flood management.

Estimation of carbon carrying capacity in the Yanhe River catchment of China's Loess Plateau

Estimation of carbon carrying capacity (CCC) can provide a reliable reference for the prediction of carbon sequestration potential by comparing it with the existent carbon stock, which is critical to the development of mitigation strategies and effective policies. The objectives of the present study were to approximate the CCC in a loess hilly region in China's Loess Plateau, analyse its change with bioclimatic gradients, and its validity as a reference for the prediction of carbon sequestration potential. With remnant secondary ecosystems as the basis, an environmental stratification sampling method was used to identify sample sites that covered most of the typical secondary communities in the Yanhe River catchment. Then a classification method was used to predict the above-ground CCC, and a generalized additive modelling approach was used to estimate the below-ground CCC in the Yanhe River catchment. The result showed that the above-ground CCC varied from 0.25 to 39.51 t ha−1 across the catchment with an average of 4.12 ±9.26 t ha−1, and the below-ground CCC (0–60 cm) varied from 14.73 to 182.99 t ha−1 across the catchment with an average of 35.62±12.82 t ha−1. If covered with natural secondary communities, the predicted total CCC of the catchment was 32.77×106 t, of which the above-ground stock accounted for 10% and below-ground stock accounted for 90%.This result may be valuable for accounting carbon stocks and fluxes and provide support for the development of improved management directions and landscape planning.

Functional traits of denitrification in a subtropical forest catchment in China with high atmogenic N deposition

Subtropical forests in SW China, receiving high nitrogen (N) deposition, have been reported to show high N retention. N removal by denitrification may be one important process favored by warm and wet soils during monsoonal summer when most of the atmogenic N input occurs. Due to low pH soils which are common in this region, N removal by denitrification may entail substantial N2O emissions. In this study, we explored intrinsic denitrification characteristics of soils from different landscape elements of a forested headwater catchment in SW China (Tieshanping, Chongqing). Laboratory incubations were used to measure instantaneous denitrification rates, apparent specific denitrifier growth rates, denitrification product stoichiometries (N2O/(N2O + N2)) and response to carbon-addition as a function of soil depth and landscape position. The results revealed that potential denitrification and denitrifier growth rates were highest in top soils along a hill slope, and decreased strongly with soil depth due to C-limitation. A hydrologically connected, colluvial groundwater discharge zone showed equally high instantaneous denitrification rates which were more equally distributed with depth. Denitrifying communities in the top horizons of the hill slope were less efficient in expressing N2O reductase in response to anoxia resulting in higher N2O/(N2 + N2O) product ratios than found in soils of the groundwater discharge zone, suggesting that a significant share of the deposited N can be lost as N2O from the hill slopes. Differences in denitrification traits appeared to be linked to eco-hydrological conditions in the two landscape elements and to substrate availability along the hydrological flowpath. Our study supports the notion that denitrification plays an important role for observed N removal in SW Chinese forest ecosystems and illustrates how habitat functions constrain the amount of N2O emitted during N removal.

Comparison of regionalization approaches based on regression and similarity for predictions in ungauged catchments under multiple hydro-climatic conditions

Summary Streamflow predictions in ungauged catchments are a challenge for hydrologists around the world. Using the Variable Infiltration Capacity model, the comparison of two regionalization approaches – one based on regression and the other on similarity – was investigated in 55 catchments in China under multiple hydro-climatic conditions. The regression-based approach was based on multiple regression equations using the calibrated model parameters as the dependent variables and catchment physical characteristics as the independent variables. The similarity-based approach considered the weights of five donor catchments, according to a combination of physical similarity and spatial proximity. The comparison of the two regionalization approaches indicated that the similarity-based approach was more accurate than regression-based approach, both for humid regions and arid regions; with greater aridity, the similarity-based approach became increasingly more accurate than the regression-based approach. The uncertainty in the comparison of the different regionalization approaches should be investigated by more catchments in future studies.

Field investigation and modeling of runoff generation in a granitic catchment in Zhuhai, China

Summary Rainwater percolation into bedrock and the contribution of bedrock groundwater flow to streamflow have been reported for several experimental catchments in China, Japan and the US. On the basis of previous studies, the particular runoff characteristics of granitic catchments were determined: (i) fast rainwater infiltration, (ii) obviously saturated throughflow (interflow) at the soil–bedrock interface, and (iii) obvious rainwater percolation into the bedrock and a substantial contribution of bedrock groundwater flow to streamflow. Next, the runoff generation characteristics of a small granitic catchment (0.99 km2) in southern China were analyzed, based on long-term monitoring of rainfall, runoff at the catchment outlet and at different depths in two plots, along with monitoring of soil suction and soil water content at different depths in these two plots (5 m × 10 m). According to the monitoring results, the maximum soil infiltration rate in this granitic catchment was larger than 4.45 × 10−4 m/s. Interflow was found at the soil–bedrock interface in plot B with a soil depth ⩽1 m. In plot A overlain by a thick soil layer ⩾2 m, interflow was mainly generated within an aquitard at a shallow depth (∼1 m). The plot interflow hydrograph was similar, but slightly slimmer and sharper, than that of streamflow, illustrating that interflow is the main source of catchment streamflow at the storm scale. A semi-distributed model was constructed based on a digital elevation model, and the ratio of rainwater percolation into bedrock to precipitation in the study catchment from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 was 0.33–0.47, in agreement with results for other granitic catchments. These results can aid in understanding the particular runoff generation characteristics of granitic catchments.

Identifying Contributions of Climate Change and Human Activity to Changes in Runoff Using Epoch Detection and Hydrologic Simulation

AbstractRunoff in major rivers in China has been decreasing in recent decades. The attribution of hydrologic variability to human activity or climate change is a challenging problem and an active research area. In this study, a sequential cluster analysis method was used to detect undisturbed parts of the record for the Kuyehe River catchment in China. The variable infiltration capacity (VIC) land-surface model was calibrated and verified using observed hydrometeorological data from a period with relatively little human-induced disturbance. The calibrated VIC model was then used to simulate natural runoff during the human-regulated period. Results indicate that the recorded runoff at Wenjiachuan station had significant decline trend of −1.34 mm/year. Time series of runoff was detected and divided into three epochs at two critical years of 1980 and 1998. The VIC model performed well in simulating monthly discharges in the catchment, both Nash and Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) critera in calibration (1955 to ...

Reframing water governance: a multi-perspective study of an over-engineered catchment in China

Climate change, over abstraction, pollution and questionable engineering-based paradigms are contributing to a state of crisis in water governance. This paper reports on preliminary research in Lake Baiyangdian catchment, China, which has the potential to realise more systemic and adaptive forms of water governance through development and use of a method that reframes water catchment management in the form of social learning. A cross-disciplinary research group worked together with multiple-department managers and stakeholder representatives within a purposefully designed ‘learning system’ to create an insipient social learning platform. The results demonstrate the potential to reframe water catchment management in Lake Baiyangdian so as to better address the questions: who should manage the water catchment and what in the catchment should be the focus of managing?

Effects of the “Conversion of Cropland to Forest and Grassland Program” on the Water Budget of the Jinghe River Catchment in China

In 1999 China adopted the "Conversion of Cropland to Forest and Grassland Program" (CCFGP), a nationwide ecological recovery program, to minimize wide-scale soil erosion and vegetation degradation in China, as well as to improve water budgeting results. In the 10 yr since implementation, the CCFGP has resulted in the recovery and reforestation of >100,000 km of cropland and bare land, though the quantitative effect of this program on catchment water budget is not entirely clear. Therefore, we used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool to evaluate and quantify the effects of the CCFGP on the water budget of the Jinghe River catchment, a tributary of the Yellow River covering the central region of the Loess Plateau. Our results indicated that precipitation had dropped by 12.0% from the 1970s (611.6 mm) to the 2000s (538 mm) and that there was a corresponding 25.2% decrease in humidity index from 0.48 to 0.36. Before the CCFGP's implementation, forest and grassland had been decreasing, while bare land, cropland, and shrub land had been increasing. After the implementation of the CCFGP, the opposite trend was observed. Moreover, streamflow increased by about 15 and 20% for the upstream and middle stream subbasins, respectively, while soil water content also showed an obvious increase. Over the same period, evapotranspiration decreased by 5.2 and 13.5 mm and runoff decreased by 37.5 and 38.6% in the two subbasins. The same trends were obtained in the downstream subbasin, where changes were even greater. As a result of the reduced runoff and evapotranspiration, utilization of water resources was more efficient and ecological environment was improved under the CCFGP policy. Our results indicate the CCFGP resulted in a favorable ecological impact and should therefore be maintained.

Characterizing chromophoric dissolved organic matter in Lake Tianmuhu and its catchment basin using excitation-emission matrix fluorescence and parallel factor analysis

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is an important optically active substance that transports nutrients, heavy metals, and other pollutants from terrestrial to aquatic systems and is used as a measure of water quality. To investigate how the source and composition of CDOM changes in both space and time, we used chemical, spectroscopic, and fluorescence analyses to characterize CDOM in Lake Tianmuhu (a drinking water source) and its catchment in China. Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) identified three individual fluorophore moieties that were attributed to humic-like and protein-like materials in 224 water samples collected between December 2008 and September 2009. The upstream rivers contained significantly higher concentrations of CDOM than did the lake water ( a(350) of 4.27 ± 2.51 and 2.32 ± 0.59 m −1, respectively), indicating that the rivers carried a substantial load of organic matter to the lake. Of the three main rivers that flow into Lake Tianmuhu, the Pingqiao River brought in the most CDOM from the catchment to the lake. CDOM absorption and the microbial and terrestrial humic-like components, but not the protein-like component, were significantly higher in the wet season than in other seasons, indicating that the frequency of rainfall and runoff could significantly impact the quantity and quality of CDOM collected from the catchment. The different relationships between the maximum fluorescence intensities of the three PARAFAC components, CDOM absorption, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration in riverine and lake water indicated the difference in the composition of CDOM between Lake Tianmuhu and the rivers that feed it. This study demonstrates the utility of combining excitation-emission matrix fluorescence and PARAFAC to study CDOM dynamics in inland waters.

The relationship between runoff and ground temperature in glacierized catchments in China

A single parameter index method, in which ground temperature and air temperature is the sole input variable, respectively, is used to evaluate and compare the glacial runoff in three typical glacier catchments, Dongkemadi glacier catchment in Tibetan plateau, Koxkar glacier catchment and the headwater catchment of Urumqi River catchment in Tianshan Mountains in West China. The method based on ground temperature is an attempt to evaluate glacier runoff in elevated terrains, as few studies have focused specifically on the association between glacier runoff and ground temperature. The results identify ground temperature versus a certain depth, which is a critical factor that affected glacier hydrological processes and showed that runoff data is much better correlated with ground temperature than air temperature. Especially, at the latter two catchments, the largest coefficients of exponential relationship R 2 between glacier runoff and ground temperature are 0.9 and 0.83, respectively. The accuracy of the method makes it possible to estimate the glacier runoff with a certain depth ground temperature at a certain site, which may provide a new approach to evaluate the glacier runoff for areas where there is a lack of observation data.

Deposition and Leaching of Sulfur, Nitrogen and Calcium in Four Forested Catchments in China: Implications for Acidification

Here we present the first detailed study on fluxes of sulfur (S), nitrogen (N), and major cations in Chinese subtropical forest catchments. Data are from four study sites, differing in inputs of atmospheric pollutants and sensitivity to acidification. Results show important differences from most sites in North America and Europe. Dry deposition of S, N, and calcium (Ca) is considerably larger than wet deposition in most cases causing deposition fluxes ranging from moderate to very high, both for acidifying compounds (S deposition 1.5-10.5 kiloequivalents per hectare and year (keq ha(-1) yr(-1)); N deposition 0.4 to 2.5 keq ha(-1) yr(-1)) and for alkaline compounds (Ca deposition 0.8 to 5.7 keq ha(-1) yr(-1)). More than half of the input of acidity is neutralized by alkalinity associated with Ca deposition. Furthermore, the retention of incoming S and N is small in the soil root zone, but considerable in the deeper soils or riparian zone. Drainage water from the root zone of the soils at the two sites with the highest deposition show pronounced acidification. For the two sites with moderate deposition inputs, the root zones are retaining some of the incoming S and buffer some of the incoming acidity. The subsoils and the riparian zonesare strong sinks for N, S, and Ca. This is associated with substantial acid neutralization at all sites. These features are of major importance for the understanding of the long-term effects of acidification in China.

The effect of soil data resolution on hydrological processes modelling in a large humid watershed

AbstractHydrological process modelling depends on the data characterizing the heterogeneity of the catchment. In particular, in a large‐scale catchment, could a higher resolution of input data contribute to a more accurate result? In this study, surveyed soil data with two different spatial resolutions were used as input data for a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model simulation in a large humid watershed of Xinjiang River (15 535 km2) in Poyang Lake catchment in China. Simulations of stream flow, soil water storage and evapotranspiration (ET) generated using the two soil datasets were compared, and the impact of soil data resolution was analysed. The results indicate that the different resolutions of soil data have a great impact on the distribution of hydrological response units in the SWAT model, but do not lead to obvious differences in stream flow simulation. The finer resolution data produced a higher monthly soil water storage simulation than the lower‐resolution data across the watershed, while the seasonal variation of soil water content (SW) shows a close relation to the local precipitation and temperature. Results also show that the soil ET calculation method in the SWAT model is not particularly sensitive to the different resolutions of the soil maps. The implications of this study are that improvement of the resolution of soil data does not necessarily contribute to a more accurate prediction of stream flow in large‐scale watersheds. In practical studies, modellers need to select an appropriate resolution of soil data depending on the scale of watershed and the level of accuracy required, and also need to consider the principle of the model and the physical meaning of some key parameters to explain the simulation results. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Spatial variations of storm runoff pollution and their correlation with land-use in a rapidly urbanizing catchment in China

The composition of land use for a rapidly urbanizing catchment is usually heterogeneous, and this may result in significant spatial variations of storm runoff pollution and increase the difficulties of water quality management. The Shiyan Reservoir catchment, a typical rapidly urbanizing area in China, is chosen as a study area, and temporary monitoring sites were set at the downstream of its 6 sub-catchments to synchronously measure rainfall, runoff and water quality during 4 storm events in 2007 and 2009. Due to relatively low frequency monitoring, the IHACRES and exponential pollutant wash-off simulation models are used to interpolate the measured data to compensate for data insufficiency. Three indicators, event pollutant loads per unit area (EPL), event mean concentration (EMC) and pollutant loads transported by the first 50% of runoff volume (FF50), were used to describe the runoff pollution for different pollutants in each sub-catchment during the storm events, and the correlations between runoff pollution spatial variations and land-use patterns were tested by Spearman's rank correlation analysis. The results indicated that similar spatial variation trends were found for different pollutants (EPL or EMC) in light storm events, which strongly correlate with the proportion of residential land use; however, they have different trends in heavy storm events, which correlate with not only the residential land use, but also agricultural and bare land use. And some pairs of pollutants (such as COD/BOD, NH 3-N/TN) might have the similar source because they have strong or moderate positive spatial correlation. Moreover, the first flush intensity (FF50) varies with impervious land areas and different interception ratio of initial storm runoff volume should be adopted in different sub-catchments.

Hydrologic comparison between a lowland catchment (Kielstau, Germany) and a mountainous catchment (XitaoXi, China) using KIDS model in PCRaster

Abstract. The KIDS model (Kielstau Discharge Simulation model) is a simple rainfall-runoff model developed originally for the Kielstau catchment. To extend its range of application we applied it to a completely different catchment, the XitaoXi catchment in China. Kielstau is a small (51 km2) lowland basin in Northern Germany, with large proportion of wetland area. And XitaoXi is a mesoscale (2271 km2) mountainous basin in the south of China. Both catchments differ greatly in size, topography, landuse, soil properties, and weather conditions. We compared two catchments in these features and stress on the analysis how the specific catchment characteristics could guide the adaptation of KIDS model and the parameter estimation for streamflow simulation. The Nash and Sutcliffe coefficient was 0.73 for Kielstau and 0.65 for XitaoXi. The results suggest that the application of KIDS model may require adjustments according to the specific physical background of the study basin.