Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

The evolution of process-based hydrologic models: historical challenges and the collective quest for physical realism

Martyn Clark, Marc F. P. Bierkens, Luis Samaniego, Ross Woods, R. Uijlenhoet, Katrina E. Bennett, Valentijn Pauwels, Xitian Cai, Andrew W. Wood, C. D. Peters‐Lidard

Hydrology and earth system sciences · 2017

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Summary

This narrative review examines the evolution of process-based hydrologic models, tracing how scientific debates over parameterisation adequacy, data limitations, and computational constraints have shaped model development. The authors illustrate how advances have emerged from diverse modelling approaches and argue that leveraging this diversity of methodologies is essential for achieving more physically realistic representations of hydrologic processes.

UK applicability

The methodological framework and challenges discussed are directly relevant to UK hydrologic research and water resource management applications. UK-based hydrologic modelling communities would benefit from the synthesis of advances and recommendations for integrating complementary modelling approaches to improve predictions of catchment behaviour.

Key measures

Model equation formulations, parameter adequacy, computational constraints, process parameterisations, model complexity trade-offs

Outcomes reported

The paper reviews historical challenges in process-based hydrologic modelling and documents modelling advances across different model types and complexities. It identifies outstanding research needs for improving physically realistic hydrologic representations.

Theme
Climate & resilience
Subject
Other / interdisciplinary
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
International
System type
Other
DOI
10.5194/hess-21-3427-2017
Catalogue ID
BFmor3gf2d-cwrmkv

Topic tags

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