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23 pages, 2548 KB  
Article
Energy Sustainability in the Usumacinta River: An Energy Management System for a Microgrid in Boca del Cerro, Tabasco
by David Abraham Uribe Sosa, Víctor Manuel Ramírez Rivera, Víctor Darío Cuervo Pinto and Diego Langarica Córdoba
Energies 2026, 19(10), 2390; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19102390 - 15 May 2026
Viewed by 360
Abstract
The growing energy demand in rural areas such as the ejido Boca del Cerro, located in Tenosique, Tabasco (Mexico), near the Usumacinta River, calls for sustainable energy solutions such as microgrids. This study proposes an energy management system combining renewable energy forecasting and [...] Read more.
The growing energy demand in rural areas such as the ejido Boca del Cerro, located in Tenosique, Tabasco (Mexico), near the Usumacinta River, calls for sustainable energy solutions such as microgrids. This study proposes an energy management system combining renewable energy forecasting and fuzzy control for a simulated small autonomous rural microgrid scenario designed to supply a fixed priority load of 5 kW and a variable flexible load ranging from 1 to 10 kW. Three LSTM architectures (vanilla, stacked, and bidirectional) are compared for predicting solar irradiance, wind speed, and river flow. The vanilla model is optimized using Hyperband to improve prediction accuracy, particularly for flow rate, which is rarely addressed in similar studies. Forecasts feed into models of photovoltaic, wind, and hydro systems within the microgrid. Energy dispatch is managed through fuzzy logic control. The fuzzy controller supports load prioritization, battery charge/discharge management, and surplus energy redirection to an absorbing load. The final vanilla LSTM achieved RMSE values of 25.741, 0.302, and 12.644 for solar irradiance, wind speed, and river flow, respectively, with NSE values above 0.949 in all cases. These results indicate high forecasting accuracy for solar irradiance and river flow, with limited improvement for wind speed. Overall, the proposed EMS enables effective energy flow management, while the integration of hydrokinetic turbines with AI-based forecasting represents a novel contribution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modeling and Optimization of Power Grid)
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24 pages, 7760 KB  
Article
Enhancing GEOGLOWS River Forecast System with a High-Resolution Pre-Processing Approach for Runoff Bias Correction
by Juseth E. Chancay, Jorge Luis Sánchez-Lozano, Bryan G. Valencia, Mario Germán Trujillo-Vela, E. James Nelson, Riley C. Hales and Angélica L. Gutiérrez
Hydrology 2026, 13(5), 128; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology13050128 - 10 May 2026
Viewed by 364
Abstract
Accurate streamflow information is critical for early flood and drought warning. However, global hydrological forecasting systems are affected by residual errors in meteorological forcing, model structure, and routing, which propagate into simulated streamflow. Within the GEOGLOWS River Forecast System (RFS), ERA5 runoff biases [...] Read more.
Accurate streamflow information is critical for early flood and drought warning. However, global hydrological forecasting systems are affected by residual errors in meteorological forcing, model structure, and routing, which propagate into simulated streamflow. Within the GEOGLOWS River Forecast System (RFS), ERA5 runoff biases are routed into streamflow simulations. The most effective operational bias-correction method, MFDC-QM, requires local discharge observations and cannot be applied consistently in ungauged basins. This study evaluates a pre-routing, grid-scale runoff bias-correction framework that adjusts ERA5 runoff before routing by combining Flow Duration Curve (FDC) mapping and Sparse Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) matching, using GSCD as a spatially distributed reference runoff data. Baseline GEOGLOWS RFS, pre-routing correction, and MFDC-QM were compared for 1980–2025 using 16,517 gauging stations, Kling–Gupta Efficiency (KGE), and paired significance tests. Globally, the median KGE increased modestly from 0.16 to 0.22, compared with 0.48 for MFDC-QM. Results demonstrate a clear regional dependence: pre-routing correction produced statistically significant gains in South America and Africa (p < 0.05), where ERA5 runoff exhibits stronger residual biases, but had limited effects in Europe and North America, where dense hydrometeorological networks likely impose stronger observational constraints on the underlying reanalysis. These patterns show that pre-routing correction is most valuable where residual forcing bias is large and observational constraints are limited, complementing observation-based post-processing in ungauged, data-limited regions. Full article
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19 pages, 28283 KB  
Article
Evaluation of Coupled Hydrological–Hydrodynamic Scheme Applicability Under Reservoir Regulation in the Huai River Basin
by Zhengyang Tang, Yichen Zhao, Zhangkang Shu, Ziwei Li, Yuchen Li and Junliang Jin
Hydrology 2026, 13(5), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology13050122 - 30 Apr 2026
Viewed by 362
Abstract
Accurate flood simulation in regulated, low-lying river basins is crucial for forecasting and risk mitigation, but performance depends strongly on whether models represent floodplain hydrodynamics and human regulation. This study evaluates three coupled hydrological–hydrodynamic schemes in the Huai River Basin upstream of Bengbu [...] Read more.
Accurate flood simulation in regulated, low-lying river basins is crucial for forecasting and risk mitigation, but performance depends strongly on whether models represent floodplain hydrodynamics and human regulation. This study evaluates three coupled hydrological–hydrodynamic schemes in the Huai River Basin upstream of Bengbu Station using identical meteorological forcing and VIC-generated runoff: (I) a linear routing scheme (VIC–Routing), (II) a natural hydrodynamic scheme (VIC–CaMa-Flood), and (III) an extended hydrodynamic scheme that incorporates reservoir regulation and levee effects (VIC–CaMa-Flood with Dam). Results reveal clear spatial differences in scheme suitability. The linear routing scheme performs best in upstream reaches, with NSE and KGE generally exceeding 0.81, but tends to overestimate peak discharge in downstream lowland sections. Incorporating hydrodynamic processes and regulation representation further reduces peak flow bias. Scheme III achieves the most consistent downstream improvement, particularly for high flows (>2000 m3/s), with NSE exceeding 0.80 in long-term simulations and improved agreement with satellite-driven inundation patterns. However, simplified reservoir operating rules can increase uncertainty in water level dynamics. During the 2020 plum rain flood, Scheme II yielded more accurate water levels in some reaches, suggesting that generalized operation rules may introduce compensating errors even when discharge accuracy improves. Overall, reliable flood simulation in well-managed basins requires an explicit representation of both floodplain hydrodynamics and regulation, and scheme selection should be guided by the dominant controls along the river network. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Global Rainfall-Runoff Modelling)
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20 pages, 15628 KB  
Article
A Hybrid Muskingum–Machine Learning Flood Forecasting Model: Application and Evaluation in the Tarim River Basin
by Pengyang Wang, Ling Zhang, Donglin Li, Fengzhen Tang, Xin Wang and Yuanjian Wang
Water 2026, 18(9), 1077; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18091077 - 30 Apr 2026
Viewed by 675
Abstract
The traditional Muskingum model has difficulty representing complex hydraulic behaviors under high-flow conditions because it relies on simplified assumptions and fixed parameters. To address the pronounced nonlinearity and non-stationarity of flood routing in the arid Tarim River Basin, a hybrid forecasting framework was [...] Read more.
The traditional Muskingum model has difficulty representing complex hydraulic behaviors under high-flow conditions because it relies on simplified assumptions and fixed parameters. To address the pronounced nonlinearity and non-stationarity of flood routing in the arid Tarim River Basin, a hybrid forecasting framework was developed by coupling the Muskingum method with multiple machine learning algorithms (Ridge, LASSO, RF, and LSTM) to predict and correct Muskingum residuals. Global Muskingum parameters were identified using the L-BFGS-B algorithm to represent basin-scale routing characteristics. For rolling forecast, a multidimensional feature space was constructed by integrating routing gradients and hydraulic interaction terms. The results indicated that all hybrid models outperformed the traditional Muskingum method across lead times. The Ridge-based hybrid model achieved the best performance at short lead times, with the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) at a 4 h lead time increasing from 0.56 for the physical baseline to 0.977. For longer lead times (12–24 h), the LASSO-based hybrid model demonstrated higher robustness, which was attributed to L1-regularization-based feature selection. The key scientific contribution of this work lies in proposing a lead-time-dependent adaptive modeling strategy, revealing the structural characteristics of the residuals of the Muskingum model, and demonstrating that, in the study basin, simple linear models outperform complex models in multi-step correction. Overall, the proposed framework alleviates systematic underestimation during high-flow periods and provides a predictive scheme for arid-region rivers that preserves physical interpretability while improving forecasting accuracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Machine Learning in Hydrologic Sciences, 2nd Edition)
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22 pages, 16778 KB  
Article
Impact of Levee Axis Adjustment on Flow Variation in Xinsha Island
by Wuyi Yu, Hanbin Gu, Dongxu Wang, Efrain Carpintero Moreno and Jun Zang
Water 2026, 18(9), 990; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18090990 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 346
Abstract
A two-dimensional flow model was constructed to assess the impact of levee axis adjustment on flow variation at Xinsha Island. The results indicate that the longer the return periods, the higher the water level in the southern waterway, with a maximum increase of [...] Read more.
A two-dimensional flow model was constructed to assess the impact of levee axis adjustment on flow variation at Xinsha Island. The results indicate that the longer the return periods, the higher the water level in the southern waterway, with a maximum increase of 0.183 m. Conversely, the northern waterway exhibits a water level decrease, with a maximum reduction of 0.128 m. The flow velocity in the southern waterway diminished by roughly 0.3 m/s, but the flow velocity in the northern waterway rose by a maximum of 0.45 m/s. After the levee axis is adjusted, the flow diversion capacity of the north waterway is effectively enhanced, thereby benefiting flood regulation. Relationships between variations in upstream boundary discharge and flow variations surrounding Xinsha Island are presented to facilitate swift and dependable forecasts. These findings clearly illustrate the influence of levee axis changes on the hydrodynamic properties of the river. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Hydraulics and Hydrodynamics)
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25 pages, 7641 KB  
Article
Benchmarking Machine Learning and Deep Learning Models for Groundwater Level Prediction in Karst Aquifers: The Dominant Role of Hydrogeological Complexity
by Qingmin Zhu, Yinxia Zhu, Jie Niu, Jinqiang Huang, Fen Huang, Xiangyang Zhou, Dongdong Liu and Bill X. Hu
Water 2026, 18(8), 939; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18080939 - 14 Apr 2026
Viewed by 649
Abstract
Karst aquifers present unique challenges for groundwater level prediction due to their dual-porosity structures and highly nonlinear hydrological responses. This study systematically evaluates nine machine learning and deep learning models (RF, XGBoost, LSTM, CNN, Transformer, N-BEATS, CNN-LSTM, Seq2Seq-LSTM, and Attention-Seq2Seq-LSTM) for rainfall-driven groundwater [...] Read more.
Karst aquifers present unique challenges for groundwater level prediction due to their dual-porosity structures and highly nonlinear hydrological responses. This study systematically evaluates nine machine learning and deep learning models (RF, XGBoost, LSTM, CNN, Transformer, N-BEATS, CNN-LSTM, Seq2Seq-LSTM, and Attention-Seq2Seq-LSTM) for rainfall-driven groundwater level forecasting in the Maocun subterranean river catchment, Guilin, Guangxi, China. Two years of hourly high-frequency data from three monitoring sites representing distinct hydrogeological zones (recharge, flow, and discharge) were employed within a multidimensional evaluation framework integrating single-step accuracy, multi-step stability, and computational efficiency. Results indicate that the Transformer achieved the highest single-step prediction accuracy, attaining the lowest RMSE (0.130–0.606 m) and highest R2 (0.813–0.965) across all three sites. CNN-LSTM offered the best balance between predictive performance and computational cost, requiring an average training time of only 27.97 s and 28.0 convergence epochs. N-BEATS demonstrated superior long-term stability in 12-steps-ahead forecasting, achieving R2 = 0.914 at ZK1, outperforming all other architectures. More fundamentally, hydrogeological complexity exerted a dominant control on predictive skill that systematically outweighed differences arising from model architecture. All models yielded R2 below 0.813 at the geologically complex ZK2 site, whereas R2 exceeded 0.950 across all models at ZK1, indicating that aquifer complexity, rather than algorithm selection, constitutes the primary constraint on prediction feasibility. This study presents the first application of N-BEATS to karst groundwater level forecasting and proposes a replicable multidimensional evaluation framework, providing a scientific reference for intelligent modelling of complex karst systems. Full article
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24 pages, 8415 KB  
Article
UAV-Based River Velocity Estimation Using Optical Flow and FEM-Supported Multiframe RAFT Extension
by Andrius Kriščiūnas, Vytautas Akstinas, Dalia Čalnerytė, Diana Meilutytė-Lukauskienė, Karolina Gurjazkaitė, Tautvydas Fyleris and Rimantas Barauskas
Drones 2026, 10(3), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones10030221 - 21 Mar 2026
Viewed by 739
Abstract
Quantifying river surface flow velocity is essential for hydrodynamic modelling, flood forecasting, and water resource management. Traditional in situ methods provide accurate point measurements but are costly and limited in spatial coverage. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer a flexible, non-contact alternative for high-resolution [...] Read more.
Quantifying river surface flow velocity is essential for hydrodynamic modelling, flood forecasting, and water resource management. Traditional in situ methods provide accurate point measurements but are costly and limited in spatial coverage. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer a flexible, non-contact alternative for high-resolution monitoring. Optical flow is a tracer-independent technique for deriving velocity fields from RGB video, making it well suited to UAV-based surveys. However, its operational use is hindered by the limited availability of annotated datasets and by instability under low-texture or noisy conditions. This study combines a Finite element method (FEM)-based physical flow model with UAV video to generate reference datasets and introduces a modified Recurrent All-Pairs Field Transforms (RAFT) architecture based on multiframe sequences. A Gated Recurrent Unit fusion module (Fuse-GRU) is incorporated prior to correlation computation, improving robustness to illumination changes and surface homogeneity while maintaining computational efficiency. The proposed model delivers stable, physically consistent velocity estimates across multiple rivers and flow conditions. Accuracy improves with higher spatial resolution and moderate temporal spacing. Compared to field measurements, the average angular difference ranged from 8 to 15°. The high error values were mainly caused by inaccuracies in the physical model and by complex river features. These findings confirm that multiframe optical flow can reproduce realistic river flow patterns with accuracy comparable to physically-based simulations, thereby supporting UAV-based hydrometric monitoring and model validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drones in Hydrological Research and Management)
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14 pages, 915 KB  
Article
Integrability and Exact Wave Solutions of the (3+1)-Dimensional Combined pKP–BKP Equation
by Nida Raees, Ali H. Tedjani, Ejaz Hussain and Muhammad Amin S. Murad
Symmetry 2026, 18(3), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym18030420 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 374
Abstract
In this work, we examine the prospects of matching the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (pKP) equation with the B-type Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (BKP) equation, which we will call the pKP-BKP equation. The resulting model gives a rigorous mathematical framework for describing long wave phenomena in oceans, impoundments and [...] Read more.
In this work, we examine the prospects of matching the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (pKP) equation with the B-type Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (BKP) equation, which we will call the pKP-BKP equation. The resulting model gives a rigorous mathematical framework for describing long wave phenomena in oceans, impoundments and estuaries and for forecasting tsunamis; river, tide and irrigation flows; and wave patterns in the atmosphere. Using a consolidated method of analysis based on symmetry reductions and rational function transformations, we obtain several classes of exact solutions composed of rational, periodic, breather and kink-wave structures. These methods shed light on the interplay between symmetries that control the formation of soliton solutions, hence allowing the construction of new families of analytical soliton solutions. The solutions obtained are linked together through spectral degeneracies and reductions in symmetry. These methodologies are presented in a systematic way, emphasizing their applicability to a general class of nonlinear evolution equations. The results of the analysis are substantiated through direct substitution, and the structural characteristics of the solutions are discussed in detail. As a result, these results expand the solution space of the pKP–BKP equation and provide better analytical insights into Kadomtsev–Petviashvili-type nonlinear evolution equations. Full article
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20 pages, 4200 KB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Identification of Typical Hydrological Patterns of Interval Inflow in the Three Gorges Reservoir Basin, China
by Qi Zhang, Zhifei Li, Yaoyao Dong, Hongyan Wang, Yu Wang, Zhonghe Li, Quanqing Feng and Hefei Huang
Hydrology 2026, 13(2), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology13020075 - 23 Feb 2026
Viewed by 601
Abstract
The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in China is one of the world’s largest hydropower projects. Interval inflow, originating from ungauged areas between the upstream gauging control stations (Zhutuo, Beibei, Wulong) and the TGR dam site, is a critical component of total reservoir inflow, [...] Read more.
The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in China is one of the world’s largest hydropower projects. Interval inflow, originating from ungauged areas between the upstream gauging control stations (Zhutuo, Beibei, Wulong) and the TGR dam site, is a critical component of total reservoir inflow, but its hydrological characteristics have not been fully clarified. The accurate estimation and prediction of interval inflow are essential for reservoir safety and flood control operations. Using daily hydrological data from 2009 to 2017, we propose an integrated analytical framework combining (i) flow travel time estimation using cross-correlation analysis, (ii) multi-scale statistical characterization, and (iii) K-means clustering with bootstrap validation and algorithm comparison. This framework systematically identified hydrological regimes of interval inflow and their associated flood control risks. The key findings are as follows. (1) The optimal flow travel time from the upstream gauging stations to the dam site is 1 day (correlation coefficient ρ=0.9809,p<0.001), and it remains stable across different flow regimes. (2) The interval inflow exhibited a highly right-skewed distribution (mean 1279 m3/s, standard deviation 1651 m3/s) and contributed on average 10.1% to the total inflow. The contribution ratio exhibited an inverted U-shaped relationship with increasing total inflow, peaking at 11.4% when the total inflow (Q) was 13,014 m3/s. The quartile thresholds were 5788 m3/s, 9575 m3/s, and 16,869 m3/s (corresponding to Q1, Q2, and Q3, respectively), and the 10th and 90th percentiles (P10 and P90) were 4865 m3/s and 24,625 m3/s, respectively. (3) Five distinct hydrological patterns (C1–C5) were successfully identified, among which Cluster C4 (5.7% of days) was defined as the high-impact pattern based on reservoir operational criteria, with a mean I of 6425 m3/s, a mean R of 27.8% (up to 44% in extreme events), a mean flood duration of 5.8 days, a mean flood volume of 36.1 × 108 m3, and a flashiness index of 1.48. (4) C4 is predominantly triggered by localized heavy rainfall, and its flashy nature implies a substantially shorter forecast lead time compared with mainstream-dominated floods, posing major challenges to real-time reservoir operations. This study demonstrates that interval inflow risk is pattern-dependent and that the proposed framework provides a scientific basis for developing pattern-specific reservoir operation strategies. The proposed framework is transferable to other large river-type reservoirs facing similar ungauged interval inflow challenges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Water Resources and Risk Management)
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17 pages, 2806 KB  
Article
Daily Runoff Forecasting in the Middle Yangtze River Using a Long Short-Term Memory Network Optimized by the Sparrow Search Algorithm
by Qi Zhang, Yaoyao Dong, Chesheng Zhan, Yueling Wang, Hongyan Wang and Hongxia Zou
Water 2026, 18(3), 364; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18030364 - 31 Jan 2026
Viewed by 431
Abstract
To address the challenge of predicting runoff processes in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River under the influence of complex river–lake relationships and human disturbances, this paper proposes a coupled model based on the Sparrow Search Algorithm-optimized Long Short-Term Memory neural network [...] Read more.
To address the challenge of predicting runoff processes in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River under the influence of complex river–lake relationships and human disturbances, this paper proposes a coupled model based on the Sparrow Search Algorithm-optimized Long Short-Term Memory neural network (SSA-LSTM) for daily runoff forecasting at the Jiujiang Hydrological Station. The input data were preprocessed through feature selection and sequence decomposition. Subsequently, the Sparrow Search Algorithm (SSA) was utilized to perform automated of key hyperparameters of the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model, thereby enhancing the model’s adaptability under complex hydrological conditions. Experimental results based on multi-station hydrological and meteorological data of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River from 2009 to 2016 show that the SSA-LSTM achieves a Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) of 0.98 during the testing period (2016). The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) are reduced by 49.3% and 51.3%, respectively, compared to the standard LSTM. A comprehensive evaluation across different flow levels, utilizing Taylor diagrams and error distribution analysis, further confirms the model’s robustness. The model demonstrates robust performance across different flow regimes: compared to the standard LSTM model, SSA-LSTM improves the NSE from 0.45 to 0.88 in high-flow scenarios, exhibiting excellent capabilities in peak flow prediction and flood process characterization. In low-flow scenarios, the NSE is improved from −0.77 to 0.72, indicating more reliable prediction of baseflow mechanisms. The study demonstrates that SSA-LSTM can effectively capture hydrological nonlinear characteristics under strong river–lake backwater and human disturbances, providing a high-precision and high-efficiency data-driven method for runoff prediction in complex basins. Full article
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25 pages, 4518 KB  
Article
Time Series Analysis and Periodicity Analysis and Forecasting of the Dniester River Flow Using Spectral, SSA, and Hybrid Models
by Serhii Melnyk, Kateryna Vasiutynska, Oleksandr Butenko, Iryna Korduba, Roman Trach, Alla Pryshchepa, Yuliia Trach and Vitalii Protsiuk
Water 2026, 18(2), 291; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18020291 - 22 Jan 2026
Viewed by 587
Abstract
This study applies spectral analysis and singular spectrum analysis (SSA) to mean annual runoff of the Dniester River for 1950–2024 to identify dominant periodic components governing the hydrological regime of this transboundary basin shared by Ukraine and Moldova. The novelty lies in a [...] Read more.
This study applies spectral analysis and singular spectrum analysis (SSA) to mean annual runoff of the Dniester River for 1950–2024 to identify dominant periodic components governing the hydrological regime of this transboundary basin shared by Ukraine and Moldova. The novelty lies in a basin-specific integration in the first systematic application of a combined spectral–SSA framework to the Dniester River, enabling consistent characterization of runoff variability and assessment of large-scale natural drivers. Time series from three gauging stations are analysed to develop data-driven runoff models and medium-term forecasts. Four stable groups of periodic variability are identified, with characteristic timescales of approximately 30, 11, 3–5.8, and 2 years, corresponding to major atmospheric–oceanic oscillations (AMO, NAO, PDO, ENSO, QBO) and the 11-year solar cycle. Cross-spectral and coherence analyses reveal a statistically significant relationship between solar activity and river discharge, with an estimated lag of about 2 years. SSA reconstructions explain more than 80% of discharge variance, indicating high model reliability. Forecast comparisons show that spectral methods tend to amplify long-term trends, CNN–LSTM models produce conservative trajectories, while a hybrid ensemble approach provides the most balanced and physically interpretable projections. Ensemble forecasts indicate reduced runoff during 2025–2028, followed by recovery in 2029–2034, supporting long-term water-resources planning and climate adaptation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Hydrology)
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16 pages, 6492 KB  
Article
Data-Driven Downstream Discharge Forecasting for Flood Disaster Mitigation in a Small Mountainous Basin of Southwest China
by Leilei Guo, Haidong Li, Rongwen Yao, Qiang Li, Yangshuang Wang, Renjuan Wei and Xianchun Ma
Water 2026, 18(2), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18020204 - 13 Jan 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 497
Abstract
Accurate short-lead river discharge forecasting is critical for effective flood risk mitigation in small mountainous basins, where rapid hydrological responses pose significant challenges. In this study, we focus on the Fuhu Stream in Emeishan City, China, and utilize high-resolution 5-min time series of [...] Read more.
Accurate short-lead river discharge forecasting is critical for effective flood risk mitigation in small mountainous basins, where rapid hydrological responses pose significant challenges. In this study, we focus on the Fuhu Stream in Emeishan City, China, and utilize high-resolution 5-min time series of upstream precipitation, stage, and discharge to predict downstream flow. We benchmark three data-driven models—SARIMAX, XGBoost, and LSTM—using a dataset spanning from 7 June 2024 to 25 October 2024. The data were split chronologically, with observations from October 2024 reserved exclusively for testing to ensure rigorous out-of-sample evaluation. Lagged correlation analysis was employed to estimate travel times from upstream to the basin outlet and to inform the selection of time-lagged input features for model training. Results during the test period demonstrate that the LSTM model significantly outperformed both XGBoost and SARIMAX across all regression metrics: it achieved the highest coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.994) and the lowest prediction errors (RMSE = 0.016, MAE = 0.011). XGBoost exhibited moderate performance, while SARIMAX showed a tendency toward mean reversion and failed to capture low-flow variability. Accuracy evaluation reveals that LSTM accurately reproduced both baseflow conditions and multiple flood peaks, whereas XGBoost and SARIMAX failed. These results highlight the advantage of sequence-learning architectures in modeling nonlinear hydrological propagation and memory effects in short-term discharge dynamics. Feature importance analysis indicates that the LSTM model was highly effective for real-time forecasting and that the WSQ/LY sites served as critical monitoring nodes for achieving reliable predictions. This research contributes to the operationalization of early warning systems and provides support for decision-making regarding downstream flood disaster prevention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Water-Soil Pollution Control and Environmental Management)
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19 pages, 4716 KB  
Article
Simulating Rainfall for Flood Forecasting in the Upper Minjiang River
by Wenjie Zhao, Yang Zhao, Qijia Zhao, Xingping Wang, Tiantian Su and Yuan Guo
Water 2026, 18(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18010004 - 19 Dec 2025
Viewed by 626
Abstract
The accuracy and timeliness of precipitation inputs have significant impact on flood forecasting. Upstream Minjiang River Basin is characterized by complex terrain and highly variable climatic conditions, posing a significant challenge for runoff forecasting. This study proposes a combined forecasting approach integrating numerical [...] Read more.
The accuracy and timeliness of precipitation inputs have significant impact on flood forecasting. Upstream Minjiang River Basin is characterized by complex terrain and highly variable climatic conditions, posing a significant challenge for runoff forecasting. This study proposes a combined forecasting approach integrating numerical weather prediction (NWP) models with hydrodynamic models to enhance flood process simulation. The most appropriate initial field data for the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) exist in time and space resolution. Compared with the measured series, the characteristics of precipitation forecasting are summarized from practical and scientific perspectives. InfoWorks ICM is then used to implement runoff generation calculations and flooding processes. The results indicate that the WRF model effectively simulates the spatial distribution and peak timing of precipitation in the upper Minjiang River. The model systematically underestimates both peak rainfall intensity and cumulative precipitation compared to observations. Initial field data with 0.25° spatial resolution and 3 h temporal intervals demonstrate good performance and the 10–14 h forecast period exhibits superior predictive capability in numerical simulations. Updates to elevation and land use conditions yield increased cumulative rainfall estimates, though simulated peaks remain lower than measured values. The runoff results could indicate peak flow but rely on the precipitation inputs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Hydrology)
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16 pages, 3166 KB  
Article
Prophet-Based Artificial Intelligence Versus Seasonal Auto-Regressive Models for Flood Forecasting with Exogenous Variables
by Adya Aiswarya Dash and Edward McBean
Water 2025, 17(24), 3551; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17243551 - 15 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1030
Abstract
Accurate stream flow forecasting is essential for flood risk management and preparedness. This study compares two forecasting approaches: (a) the Seasonal Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Regressors (SARIMAX), a classical statistical model, and (b) Prophet, a decomposable time-series forecasting model that incorporates [...] Read more.
Accurate stream flow forecasting is essential for flood risk management and preparedness. This study compares two forecasting approaches: (a) the Seasonal Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Regressors (SARIMAX), a classical statistical model, and (b) Prophet, a decomposable time-series forecasting model that incorporates seasonality and exogenous predictors. Forecasts were generated for 15-day and 3-day horizons and evaluated using uncertainty bounds, Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and the coefficient of determination (R2). Results indicate that SARIMAX was less effective at capturing the observed variability, producing wide uncertainty (177.7%) and high errors (MAE = 153.73; RMSE = 207.10) with a negative R2 (–4.42). At shorter horizons, its performance remained limited (uncertainty = 28.04%; MAE = 61.52; RMSE = 94.88; R2 = –0.14). In contrast, Prophet achieved significantly lower uncertainty (16%), high accuracy (R2 = 0.95), and exceptional performance on short-term forecasts (R2 = 0.99). Conventional procedures such as SARIMAX have long been relied upon by engineers for their interpretability, and remain important as part of a strategy; however, they fail to represent nonlinear dynamics and exogenous influences now captured effectively by AI-based models. These findings highlight Prophet’s superiority across horizons and its promise for enhancing operational flood forecasting through its ability to effectively capture non-linear dynamics and exogenous influences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue "Watershed–Urban" Flooding and Waterlogging Disasters)
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31 pages, 5102 KB  
Article
Integrating Deep Learning and Copula Models for Flood–Drought Compound Analysis in Iran
by Saeed Farzin, Mahdi Valikhan Anaraki, Mojtaba Kadkhodazadeh and Amirreza Morshed-Bozorgdel
Water 2025, 17(24), 3479; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17243479 - 8 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 969
Abstract
This study aims to forecast the combined impacts of drought and flood in the future using an integrated framework. This framework integrates U-Net++, quantile mapping (QM), Copula models, and ISIMIP3b gridded large-scale discharge data (1985–2014, 2021–2050, and 2071–2100). Copula models analyze compound effects [...] Read more.
This study aims to forecast the combined impacts of drought and flood in the future using an integrated framework. This framework integrates U-Net++, quantile mapping (QM), Copula models, and ISIMIP3b gridded large-scale discharge data (1985–2014, 2021–2050, and 2071–2100). Copula models analyze compound effects in four dimensions to determine return periods for droughts and floods. The standalone U-Net++ and its integration with multiple linear regression, multiple nonlinear regression, M5 model tree, multivariate adaptive regression splines, and QM downscaled ISIMIP3b model river flows. U-Net++QM outperformed other models, with a 58% lower RRMSE. Ensemble GCMs showed less uncertainty than other models in river flow downscaling. For the Ensemble model, the highest drought severity was −300, the maximum duration was 300 months, flood peak flow reached 12,000 m3/s, and intervals lasted up to 22 months. Moreover, the return periods of compound events for this model ranged from 50 to 3000 years. Future river flow projections, using the Ensemble model and emission scenarios (SSP126, SSP370, and SSP585), showed increased vulnerability in 2071 and 2025 versus the observed period. Introducing an integrated framework serves as a management tool for addressing extreme combined phenomena under climate change. Full article
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