A copula model of extracting DEM-based cross-sections for estimating ecological flow regimes in data-limited deltaic-branched river systems.

For operational flood control and estimating ecological flow regimes in deltaic branched-river systems with limited surveyed cross-sections, accurate river stage and discharge estimation using public domain Digital Elevation Model (DEM)-extracted cross-sections are challenging. To estimate the spatiotemporal variability of streamflow and river stage in a deltaic river system using a hydrodynamic model, this study demonstrates a novel copula-based framework to obtain reliable river cross-sections from SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission) and ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection) DEMs. Firstly, the accuracy of the CSRTM and CASTER models was assessed against the surveyed river cross-sections. Thereafter, the sensitivity of the copula-based river cross-sections was evaluated by simulating river stage and discharge using MIKE11-HD in a complex deltaic branched-river system (7000 km) of Eastern India having a network of 19 distributaries. For this, three MIKE11-HD models were developed based on surveyed cross-sections and synthetic cross-sections (CSRTM and CASTER models). The results indicated that the developed Copula-SRTM (CSRTM) and Copula-ASTER (CASTER) models significantly reduce biases (NSE>0.8; IOA>0.9) in the DEM-derived cross-sections and hence, are capable of satisfactorily reproducing observed streamflow regimes and water levels using MIKE11-HD. The performance evaluation metrics and uncertainty analysis indicated that the MIKE11-HD model based on the surveyed cross-sections simulates with higher accuracies (streamflow regimes: NSE>0.81; water levels: NSE>0.70). The MIKE11-HD model based on the CSRTM and CASTER cross-sections, reasonably simulates streamflow regimes (CSRTM: NSE>0.74; CASTER: NSE>0.61) and water levels (CSRTM: NSE>0.54; CASTER: NSE>0.51). Conclusively, the proposed framework is a useful tool for the hydrologic community to derive synthetic river cross-sections from public domain DEMs, and simulate streamflow regimes and water levels under data-scarce conditions. This modelling framework can be easily replicated in other river systems of the world under varying topographic and hydro-climatic conditions.