A Physically‐Based Reverse‐Stage Routing Model Considering Lateral Flow for Establishing Normal Rating Curves at Ungauged Upstream River Sections

Abstract Many of the world‐rivers are often ungauged or poorly gauged due to inadequate streamflow monitoring networks. Even with the limited available monitoring stations, only a few of them monitor both stage and discharge data. But when there is a need for estimation of discharges at a gauging st...

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Main Authors: Ashutosh Pati, Bhabagrahi Sahoo, Muthiah Perumal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-07-01
Series:Water Resources Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR034150
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author Ashutosh Pati
Bhabagrahi Sahoo
Muthiah Perumal
author_facet Ashutosh Pati
Bhabagrahi Sahoo
Muthiah Perumal
author_sort Ashutosh Pati
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Many of the world‐rivers are often ungauged or poorly gauged due to inadequate streamflow monitoring networks. Even with the limited available monitoring stations, only a few of them monitor both stage and discharge data. But when there is a need for estimation of discharges at a gauging station, where only stage data is monitored, one may employ a reverse routing technique using the stage data monitored at a nearby downstream gauging station. This study develops a novel single‐parameter reverse‐stage routing (RSR) model based on the second‐order approximate water surface gradient governing equation to estimate stage and discharge at any scantily‐gauged upstream river section using the known stage information available at the downstream section. A novel criterion is also developed for checking the applicability of the RSR model. Reverse routing experiments, carried out by the RSR model using different hypothetical downstream stage hydrographs in a number of hypothetical trapezoidal and rectangular channel reaches to reproduce the benchmark upstream stage and discharge hydrographs, demonstrate the good performance of the RSR model with the Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency >98%, absolute volume conservation error <1.5%, and an absolute error in peak ≤1%. Subsequently, the RSR model was tested for three real‐river case studies in India and Italy with good reproduction performances, and along with the development of the corresponding normal rating curves at the upstream river sections. The study results reveal that the parsimonious RSR model has good potential for solving reverse routing problems with stable numerical solutions for rivers under ungauged and scantily‐gauged scenarios.
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spelling doaj-art-8b3e396def3d4ebe8f78d1ff16eb92bb2025-08-20T03:31:27ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732023-07-01597n/an/a10.1029/2022WR034150A Physically‐Based Reverse‐Stage Routing Model Considering Lateral Flow for Establishing Normal Rating Curves at Ungauged Upstream River SectionsAshutosh Pati0Bhabagrahi Sahoo1Muthiah Perumal2School of Water Resources Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Kharagpur IndiaSchool of Water Resources Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Kharagpur IndiaDepartment of Hydrology Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Roorkee IndiaAbstract Many of the world‐rivers are often ungauged or poorly gauged due to inadequate streamflow monitoring networks. Even with the limited available monitoring stations, only a few of them monitor both stage and discharge data. But when there is a need for estimation of discharges at a gauging station, where only stage data is monitored, one may employ a reverse routing technique using the stage data monitored at a nearby downstream gauging station. This study develops a novel single‐parameter reverse‐stage routing (RSR) model based on the second‐order approximate water surface gradient governing equation to estimate stage and discharge at any scantily‐gauged upstream river section using the known stage information available at the downstream section. A novel criterion is also developed for checking the applicability of the RSR model. Reverse routing experiments, carried out by the RSR model using different hypothetical downstream stage hydrographs in a number of hypothetical trapezoidal and rectangular channel reaches to reproduce the benchmark upstream stage and discharge hydrographs, demonstrate the good performance of the RSR model with the Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency >98%, absolute volume conservation error <1.5%, and an absolute error in peak ≤1%. Subsequently, the RSR model was tested for three real‐river case studies in India and Italy with good reproduction performances, and along with the development of the corresponding normal rating curves at the upstream river sections. The study results reveal that the parsimonious RSR model has good potential for solving reverse routing problems with stable numerical solutions for rivers under ungauged and scantily‐gauged scenarios.https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR034150floodHEC‐RASreverse‐stage routingriversstreamflow
spellingShingle Ashutosh Pati
Bhabagrahi Sahoo
Muthiah Perumal
A Physically‐Based Reverse‐Stage Routing Model Considering Lateral Flow for Establishing Normal Rating Curves at Ungauged Upstream River Sections
Water Resources Research
flood
HEC‐RAS
reverse‐stage routing
rivers
streamflow
title A Physically‐Based Reverse‐Stage Routing Model Considering Lateral Flow for Establishing Normal Rating Curves at Ungauged Upstream River Sections
title_full A Physically‐Based Reverse‐Stage Routing Model Considering Lateral Flow for Establishing Normal Rating Curves at Ungauged Upstream River Sections
title_fullStr A Physically‐Based Reverse‐Stage Routing Model Considering Lateral Flow for Establishing Normal Rating Curves at Ungauged Upstream River Sections
title_full_unstemmed A Physically‐Based Reverse‐Stage Routing Model Considering Lateral Flow for Establishing Normal Rating Curves at Ungauged Upstream River Sections
title_short A Physically‐Based Reverse‐Stage Routing Model Considering Lateral Flow for Establishing Normal Rating Curves at Ungauged Upstream River Sections
title_sort physically based reverse stage routing model considering lateral flow for establishing normal rating curves at ungauged upstream river sections
topic flood
HEC‐RAS
reverse‐stage routing
rivers
streamflow
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR034150
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