Application of a Coupled Land Surface-Hydrological Model to Flood Simulation in the Huaihe River Basin of China

A hydrological simulation in the Huaihe River Basin (HRB) was investigated using two different mod- els: a coupled land surface hydrological model (CLHMS), and a large-scale hydrological model (LSX-HMS). The NCEP-NCAR reanalysis dataset and observed precipita- tion data were used as meteorological inputs. The simula- tion results from both models were compared in terms of flood processes forecasting during high flow periods in the summers of 2003 and 2007, and partial high flow pe- riods in 2000. The comparison results showed that the simulated streamflow by CLHMS model agreed well with the observations with Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients larger than 0.76, in both periods of 2000 at Lutaizi and Bengbu stations in the HRB, while the skill of the LSX-HMS model was relatively poor. The simulation results for the high flow periods in 2003 and 2007 suggested that the CLHMS model can simulate both the peak time and in- tensity of the hydrological processes, while the LSX-HMS model provides a delayed flood peak. These results dem- onstrated the importance of considering the coupling be- tween the land surface and hydrological module in achieving better predictions for hydrological processes, and CLHMS was proven to be a promising model for future applications in flood simulation and forecasting.