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Machine Learning Models for Hydrological Inference: A Case Study for Flood Events

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "New Sensors, New Technologies and Machine Learning in Water Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 568

Special Issue Editor

Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Interests: flood early warning; flood risk management; machine learning; data integration; big data; climate change; hydrological modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Floods represent one of the most widespread and destructive natural hazards worldwide, posing significant threats to human life, infrastructure, and socioeconomic systems. With the intensification of climate change and rapid urbanization, the frequency and severity of flood events are increasing, thereby presenting substantial challenges to existing flood monitoring, forecasting, and response systems.

In this context, machine learning and other advanced intelligent technologies are offering new opportunities for hydrological inference and flood modeling, marking a paradigm shift in traditional hydrological practices. In recent years, machine learning techniques have demonstrated considerable potential in various aspects of flood-related studies, including flood forecasting, streamflow simulation, rainfall-runoff modeling, data assimilation, and filling the gaps of hydrological records. These data-driven approaches have contributed to enhanced accuracy and efficiency in hydrological inference.

However, several challenges remain, such as limited model interpretability, variability in data quality, and the lack of generalizability across diverse geographic regions. This Special Issue thus aims to bring together researchers, engineers, and practitioners from the fields of hydrology, artificial intelligence, disaster risk reduction, and related disciplines to share their latest insights, methodological innovations, and practical experiences in applying machine learning to flood events.

Dr. Li Zhou
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • development and optimization of machine learning models for flood prediction and early warning
  • multi-source data fusion and remote sensing applications in flood monitoring
  • hydrological response modeling under extreme rainfall conditions
  • interpretability, transferability, and uncertainty quantification of machine learning models
  • small-sample learning and transfer learning in data-scarce regions
  • hybrid modeling approaches that integrate physical-based and machine learning models
  • case studies and system-level applications of machine learning in real-world flood management contexts

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 7282 KB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Patterns and Atmospheric Drivers of Anomalous Precipitation in the Taihu Basin, Eastern China
by Jingwen Hu, Jian Zhang, Abhishek, Wenpeng Zhao, Chuanqiao Zhou, Shuoyuan Liang, Biao Long, Ying Xu and Shuping Ma
Water 2025, 17(16), 2442; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17162442 - 18 Aug 2025
Viewed by 363
Abstract
This study investigates anomalous precipitation patterns in the Taihu Basin, located in the Yangtze River Delta of eastern China, using high-resolution daily data from 1960 to 2019. Leveraging a deep learning autoencoder and self-organizing map, three spatially distinct types are identified—north type (72%), [...] Read more.
This study investigates anomalous precipitation patterns in the Taihu Basin, located in the Yangtze River Delta of eastern China, using high-resolution daily data from 1960 to 2019. Leveraging a deep learning autoencoder and self-organizing map, three spatially distinct types are identified—north type (72%), south type (19.7%), and center type (8.3%). The north type exhibits a pronounced upward trend (+0.11 days/year, p < 0.05), indicating intensifying extreme rainfall under climate warming, while the south type displays a bimodal temporal structure, peaking in early summer and autumn. Composite analyses reveal that these patterns are closely associated with the westward extension of the Western North Pacific Subtropical High (WNPSH), meridional shifts of the East Asian Westerly Jet (EAJ), low-level moisture convergence, and SST–OLR anomalies. For instance, north-type events often coincide with strong anticyclonic anomalies and enhanced moisture transport from the Northwest Pacific and South China Sea, forming favorable convergence zones over the basin. For flood management in the Taihu Basin, the identified spatial patterns, particularly the bimodal south type, have clear implications. Their strong link to specific circulation features enables certain flood-prone scenarios to be anticipated 1–2 seasons in advance, supporting proactive measures such as reservoir scheduling. Overall, this classification framework deepens the understanding of atmospheric patterns associated with flood risk and provides practical guidance for storm design and adaptive flood risk management under a changing climate. Full article
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