Development and Application of a Distributed Hydrological Model: EasyDHM

Abstract

Distributed hydrological models have been commonly used in research involving water management because of their consideration of spatial variability. However, practical applications still encounter technical challenges such as complicated modeling, low computational efficiency, and parameter equifinality. A user-friendly model, EasyDHM, was developed and was shown effective over the years. In this paper, the essential parts of this model, namely, discretization of the spatial units, preparation and initiation of data and parameters, and the main physical processes are briefly introduced. In particular, the roles of the parameter sensitivity analysis and optimization for this model, which have considerably improved the prediction accuracy, are highlighted in this study. From the application to the upstream basin of Han River in China, the simulation and parameter estimation by EasyDHM turned out to be effective and easy to operate. EasyDHM can, therefore, be widely used for practical water management applications.