Distributed tank model and GAME reanalysis data applied to the simulation of runoff within the Chao Phraya River Basin, Thailanda

The tank model is well known as a lumped conceptual hydrological model. In contrast with the large number of physical-based models developed over the past 30 years, only a few distributed conceptual hydrological models are available. In this study, a high-resolution distributed tank model is used to simulate river flow within a continental river basin, the Chao Phraya River basin. Thailand, using GEWEX Asian Monsoon Experiment (GAME) Reanalysis data. The model has a spatial resolution of 0.1 by 0.1 degrees and a temporal resolution of I h. Four terrain types and ten types of land use are identified in the model, and the model parameters were found to vary with the terrain type and land use. The model parameters were first determined in the 4841 km(2) Khwae Noi River basin as a prototype area before being generalized to the entire 160000 km(2) of the Chao Phraya River basin. Simulation results at various sites indicate that the distributed tank model provides a sound approximation of the observed runoff data and is therefore a useful and reliable tool for the runoff simulation in this tropical continental river basin. Our results also indicated that after assimilating observational data, it was possible to use GAME Reanalysis data for such a distributed hydrological simulation. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.