The HBV hydrology model, or Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning model, is a

computer simulation Computer simulation is the process of mathematical modelling, performed on a computer, which is designed to predict the behaviour of, or the outcome of, a real-world or physical system. The reliability of some mathematical models can be dete ...

used to analyze river discharge and

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Wate ...

. Developed originally for use in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

, this

hydrological transport model An hydrological transport model is a mathematical model used to simulate the flow of rivers, streams, groundwater movement or drainage front displacement, and calculate water quality parameters. These models generally came into use in the 1960s ...

has also been applied in a large number of catchments on most continents.

Discharge modelling

This is the major application of HBV, and has gone through much refinement. It comprises the following routines: * Snow routine * Soil moisture routine * Response function * Routing routine The HBV model is a lumped (or semi-distributed) bucket-type (or also called 'conceptual') catchment model that has relatively few model parameters and minimal forcing input requirements, usually the daily temperature and the daily precipitation. First the snow is calculated after defining a threshold melting temperature (TT usually 0 °C) and a parameter CMELT that reflects the equivalent melted snow for the difference of temperature. The result is divided into a liquid part that is the

surface runoff Surface runoff (also known as overland flow) is the flow of water occurring on the ground surface when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other sources, can no longer sufficiently rapidly infiltrate in the soil. This can occur when the ...

and a second part that infiltrates. Second the soil moisture is calculated after defining an initial value and the field capacity (FC). Third calculation of the actual Evapotranspiration (ETPa), first by using an external model (ex: Penman) for finding the potential ETP and then fitting the result to the temperatures and the permanent wilting point(PWP) of the catchment in question. A parameter C which reflects the increase in the ETP with the differences in temperatures ( Actual Temperature and Monthly mean Temperature). The model considers the catchment as two reservoirs (S1 and S2) connected by a percolation flow, the inflow to the first reservoir is calculated as the surface runoff, which is what remains from the initial precipitations after calculating the infiltration and the evapotranspiration. The outflow from the first reservoir is divided into two separate flows (Q1 and Q2) where Q1 represents the fast flow which is triggered after a certain threshold L to be defined by the user and Q2 the intermediate flow. A constant K1 is used to find the outflows as a function of the storage in S1. To consider the percolation rate a constant Kd is used as along as the storage is S1. The outflow from the second reservoir is considered to be the groundwater flow (Q3) function of a constant K2 and the storage in S2. The total flow generated from a certain rain event is the sum of the 3 flows. The result of the model are later compared to the actual measured flow values and Nasch parameter is used to calibrate the model by changing the different parameters. The model has in total 9 parameters : TT, Cmelt, FC, C, PWP, L, K1, K2, Kd. For a good calibration of the model it is better to use Monte-Carlo simulation or the GLUE-Method to properly define the parameters and the uncertainty in the model. The model is fairly reliable but as usual the need of good input data is essential for good results. The sensitivity of the HBV model to parameter uncertainty was explored revealing significant parameter interactions affecting calibration uniqueness, and some state dependence. HBV has been used for discharge modelling in many countries worldwide, including

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, China,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

, Sweden, Switzerland and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. The HBV has also been used to simulate internal variables such as groundwater levels. The model has also been used for hydrological change detection studies and climate-change impact studies. The HBV model exists in several versions. One version, which has been especially designed for education with a user-friendly

graphical user interface The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows User (computing), users to Human–computer interaction, interact with electronic devices through graphical icon (comp ...

, i
HBV light

Sediment and solute modelling

The HBV model can also simulate the riverine transport of sediment and dissolved solids. Lidén simulated the transport of

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seve ...

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ea ...

and

suspended sediment The suspended load of a flow of fluid, such as a river, is the portion of its sediment uplifted by the fluid's flow in the process of sediment transportation. It is kept suspended by the fluid's turbulence. The suspended load generally consists of ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...

, Sweden and

.Lidén, R., Harlin, J., Karlsson, M. and Rahmberg, M. 2001. Hydrological modelling of fine sediments in the Odzi River, Zimbabwe. ''Water SA'', 27, 303-31

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References

External links

The HBV model
at the Swedish Department of Climate (SMHI)
HBV light
at the University of Zurich
HBV Matlab Code (lumped version)

at the Canadian Hydraulics Centre

in RS MINERVE at the CREALP (lumped version) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hbv Hydrology Model Computer-aided engineering software Hydrology models

Discharge modelling

Sediment and solute modelling

See also

References

External links