TY - JOUR

T1 - Impact of Hydrological Modellers’ Decisions and Attitude on the Performance of a Calibrated Conceptual Catchment Model: Results from a 'Modelling Contest'

AU - Bormann, Helge

AU - de Brito, Mariana Madruga

AU - Charchousi, Despoina

AU - Chatzistratis, Dimitris

AU - David, Amrei

AU - Grosser, Paula Farina

AU - Kebschull, Jenny

AU - Konis, Alexandros

AU - Koutalakis, Paschalis

AU - Korali, Alkistis

AU - Krauzig, Naomi

AU - Meier, Jessica

AU - Meliadou, Varvara

AU - Meinhardt, Markus

AU - Munnelly, Kieran

AU - Stephan, Christiane

AU - de Vos, Leon Frederik

AU - Dietrich, Jörg

AU - Tzoraki, Ourania

N1 - Funding information: This research was funded by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), grant “Floods and Flood Risk Management” as part of the program “Hochschuldialog mit Südeuropa”.

PY - 2018/11/19

Y1 - 2018/11/19

N2 - In this study, 17 hydrologists with different experience in hydrological modelling applied the same conceptual catchment model (HBV) to a Greek catchment, using identical data and model code. Calibration was performed manually. Subsequently, the modellers were asked for their experience, their calibration strategy, and whether they enjoyed the exercise. The exercise revealed that there is considerable modellers' uncertainty even among the experienced modellers. It seemed to be equally important whether the modellers followed a good calibration strategy, and whether they enjoyed modelling. The exercise confirmed previous studies about the benefit of model ensembles: Different combinations of the simulation results (median, mean) outperformed the individual model simulations, while filtering the simulations even improved the quality of the model ensembles. Modellers' experience, decisions, and attitude, therefore, have an impact on the hydrological model application and should be considered as part of hydrological modelling uncertainty.

AB - In this study, 17 hydrologists with different experience in hydrological modelling applied the same conceptual catchment model (HBV) to a Greek catchment, using identical data and model code. Calibration was performed manually. Subsequently, the modellers were asked for their experience, their calibration strategy, and whether they enjoyed the exercise. The exercise revealed that there is considerable modellers' uncertainty even among the experienced modellers. It seemed to be equally important whether the modellers followed a good calibration strategy, and whether they enjoyed modelling. The exercise confirmed previous studies about the benefit of model ensembles: Different combinations of the simulation results (median, mean) outperformed the individual model simulations, while filtering the simulations even improved the quality of the model ensembles. Modellers' experience, decisions, and attitude, therefore, have an impact on the hydrological model application and should be considered as part of hydrological modelling uncertainty.

KW - Conceptual hydrological model

KW - HBV

KW - Model ensemble

KW - Modellers' decisions

KW - Modellers' uncertainty

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85059226417&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/hydrology5040064

DO - 10.3390/hydrology5040064

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85059226417

VL - 5

JO - Hydrology

JF - Hydrology

IS - 4

M1 - 64

ER -