Deep learning modeling framework for multi-resolution streamflow generation

Generating continuous streamflow information through integrated climate-hydrology modeling at fine spatial scales of the order of a few kilometers is often challenged by computational costs associated with running high-resolution (HR) climate models. To address this challenge, the present study explores deep learning approaches to generate HR streamflow information from that at low resolution (LR), based on runoff generated by climate models. To this end, two sets of daily streamflow simulations spanning 10 years (2011–2020), at LR (50 km) and HR (5 km), for the Ottawa River basin in Canada are employed. The proposed deep learning model is trained using upscaled features derived from LR streamflow simulation for the 2011–2018 period as input and the corresponding HR streamflow simulation as the target; data for 2019 are used for validation. The model estimates for the year 2020, when compared with unseen HR data for the same year, suggest good performance, with differences in monthly mean values for different accumulation area categories in the −0.7–5% range and correlation coefficients for streamflow values for the same accumulation area categories in the 0.92–0.96 range. The developed framework can be ported to other watersheds for generating similar information, which is often required in climate change adaptation studies.