Streamflow prediction under extreme data scarcity: a step toward hydrologic process understanding within severely data-limited regions

Abstract

Streamflow prediction in ungauged basins is necessary to support water resources management decisions. Herein we refine and evaluate the Streamflow Prediction under Extreme Data-scarcity (SPED) model, a framework designed for streamflow prediction within regions of sparse hydrometeorological observation. With the SPED framework, inclusion of soft data directs optimization to balance runoff efficiency with selection of hydrologically-representative parameters. Here SPED is tested in catchments around the world, including four well-gauged catchments, by mimicking data-scarcity and comparing against data-intensive approaches. By differentiating equifinal models, SPED succeeds where traditional approaches are likely to fail: partially-dissimilar reference/target catchments. For instance, in a pair of reference/target catchments with different base flow regimes, SPED outperforms a model calibrated only to maximize efficiency (NSE of 0.54 versus 0.08). SPED performs consistently (NSE range: 0.54–0.74) across the diverse climatological and physiographic settings tested and proves comparable to state-of-the-science methods that use robust data networks.