Babker et al. (2025) Comparative Evaluation of Gridded Precipitation Datasets in Capturing Hydrological Extremes in a Mesoscale Heterogeneous Catchment in Austria

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Identification

• Journal: Hydrological Processes
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-12-01
• Authors: Zryab Babker, Mohammed Basheer, Tim G. Reichenau, Jürgen Komma, Oscar M. Baez‐Villanueva, Morteza Zargar, Karl Schneider
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.70359

Research Groups

Not available in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study evaluates the performance of four gridded Precipitation Products (SPARTACUS v2.1, IMERG-F v07, CHIRPS v2.0, and ERA5-Land) in representing extreme precipitation and their reliability as hydrological model forcings over the Kamp catchment, Austria, finding that SPARTACUS v2.1 performed best in detecting extremes and simulating streamflow, while CHIRPS v2.0 and ERA5-Land showed poor performance.

Objective

• To evaluate the performance of four gridded Precipitation Products (SPARTACUS v2.1, IMERG-F v07, CHIRPS v2.0, and ERA5-Land) against 33 precipitation gauges at a daily time scale over the Kamp catchment in Austria for the period 1998–2020, focusing on their ability to represent extreme precipitation events and their reliability when used as forcings for hydrological modelling.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Kamp catchment, Austria
• Temporal Scale: Daily time scale, 1998–2020

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Soil and Water Assessment Tool Plus (SWAT+)
• Data sources: Four gridded Precipitation Products (SPARTACUS v2.1, IMERG-F v07, CHIRPS v2.0, ERA5-Land), 33 precipitation gauges (observation)

Main Results

• Most evaluated Precipitation Products (PPs) can detect no-rain events, but their ability to capture extreme precipitation events varies notably.
• SPARTACUS v2.1 exhibited the best ability to detect extremes at gauge locations, resulting in streamflow simulation that closely matched the observed data.
• IMERG-F v07 demonstrated moderate performance in both extreme precipitation detection and corresponding peak flow generation.
• CHIRPS v2.0 and ERA5-Land showed poor performance in representing extreme precipitation, leading to underestimated high flows and lower reliability in simulating flood-related hydrological processes.

Contributions

• Highlights the critical importance of evaluating the ability of Precipitation Products (PPs) to capture extreme precipitation for ensuring reliable simulation of flood peaks and hydrological extremes.
• Emphasizes that catchment-specific validation, linking precipitation extremes to hydrological responses, is essential for selecting appropriate precipitation forcings for hydrological applications.

Funding

Not available in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Babker2025Comparative,
  author = {Babker, Zryab and Basheer, Mohammed and Reichenau, Tim G. and Komma, Jürgen and Baez‐Villanueva, Oscar M. and Zargar, Morteza and Schneider, Karl},
  title = {Comparative Evaluation of Gridded Precipitation Datasets in Capturing Hydrological Extremes in a Mesoscale Heterogeneous Catchment in Austria},
  journal = {Hydrological Processes},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1002/hyp.70359},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70359}
}