Xu et al. (2026) A Global Benchmark of the Vector-Based Routing Model MizuRoute: Similarities and Divergent Patterns in Simulated River Discharge

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Identification

• Journal: Water
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-02-13
• Authors: Shuyuan Xu, Haodong Sun, Li Tang, Xiaohui Sun
• DOI: 10.3390/w18040485

Research Groups

Not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study provides the first comprehensive global benchmark of the mizuRoute river routing framework, revealing its global fidelity and identifying key drivers of performance variability, particularly the impact of arid zone transmission losses and anthropogenic regulation.

Objective

• To establish a comprehensive global benchmark for the mizuRoute vector-based river routing framework to characterize its global fidelity and unquantified systematic biases.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global, utilizing a 5 km MERIT-Hydro network.
• Temporal Scale: 1980 to 2024.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: mizuRoute (river routing framework).
• Data sources: Harmonized database of 12,115 in situ gauging stations (observations), 5 km MERIT-Hydro network (geospatial data), ERA5-Land runoff (reanalysis data, used as input to mizuRoute).

Main Results

• A robust global median Pearson correlation of 0.53 was found for mizuRoute simulations.
• Simulation efficiency showed a highly bifurcated performance with a global median Kling–Gupta Efficiency (KGE) of 0.17.
• High fidelity is concentrated in humid temperate and cold regions.
• Performance collapses in arid zones (median KGE = −0.15) primarily due to the structural omission of channel transmission losses.
• Attribution analysis identified the aridity–moisture gradient and vegetation density as primary drivers of model skill.
• Topographic complexity is well-preserved by the vector framework.
• Anthropogenic regulation significantly degrades accuracy, with naturalized routing failing to capture regulated flow signatures in basins with high reservoir density.

Contributions

• Provides the first global appraisal of the mizuRoute framework.
• Highlights the critical need for integrating dryland-specific loss functions and reservoir modules into global hydrological models for improved future reconstructions.
• Establishes a comprehensive global benchmark using a harmonized database of 12,115 in situ gauging stations.

Funding

Not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Xu2026Global,
  author = {Xu, Shuyuan and Sun, Haodong and Tang, Li and Sun, Xiaohui},
  title = {A Global Benchmark of the Vector-Based Routing Model MizuRoute: Similarities and Divergent Patterns in Simulated River Discharge},
  journal = {Water},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/w18040485},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/w18040485}
}