Temporal scaling comparison of real hydrological data and model runoff records

SummaryWe show that the scaling properties of river runoff records represent a useful tool for evaluating precipitation-runoff models that are widely used in hydrology for assessment of the water balance in a given river catchment. In this respect, it is important that the model maps the processes that control the water balance. The main field of application is therefore water management in a given area over a long time scale (at least several years). Here, we compare the temporal scaling properties of the runoff of three Bavarian rivers (Naab, Regnitz, and Vils) with the corresponding ASGi model records. In the evaluation, we use: (i) detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA); (ii) multifractal analysis; (iii) periodic volatility analysis; and (iv) long-term volatility analysis. Our study generally shows close similarity between real and simulated data for the main statistical parameters (e.g., correlation and multifractal exponents). Therefore, the ASGi model output seems to adequately describe real basin processes and might be useful for hydrological purposes, such as a posteriori estimation of water balance in a river catchment.