Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2022, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (3): 284-291.DOI: 10.13745/j.esf.sf.2021.10.2

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Medium to long term runoff forecast for the Huai River Basin based on machine learning algorithm

HU Yiming(), CHEN Teng, LUO Xuyi, TANG Chao, LIANG Zhongmin   

  1. College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
  • Received:2022-01-30 Revised:2022-02-18 Online:2022-05-25 Published:2022-04-28

Abstract:

Accurate and reliable medium to long term runoff prediction is key to supporting scientific allocation of water resources and improving water resources utilization efficiency. In this study, the AdaBoost (AdB), Random forest (RF) and Support vector machine (SVM) algorithms were used to make medium to long term runoff predictions at the Wangjiaba and Bengbu stations, Huai River Basin, from November to October of the following year. The permutation accuracy importance measure was used to select the key factors affecting monthly runoff from 1562 factor variables constructed from 130 meteorological-climate factors and previous precipitation/runoff fluxes, and the monthly runoff forecasts based on the aforementioned three machine learning algorithms were made for each month, using model parameters determined by way of random search combined with cross-validation. The performances of the three algorithms were evaluated using the variable amplitude error qualification rate indicator and the grade (five level) forecast qualification rate indicator. The former indicator shows that the 12-month average qualification rates of prediction for the three algothrims at the Wangjiaba station were, respectively, 99.8% (AdB), 96.6% (RF) and 95.5% (SVM) and at the Bengbu station 100% (AdB), 94.8% (RF) and 93.8% (SVM); the results using the latter indicator at the Wangjiaba station were, respectively, 79.0% (AdB), 76.4% (RF) and 79.9% (SVM), and at the Bengbu Station 81.0% (AdB), 75.6% (RF) and 76.6% (SVM). The three machine learning algorithms all performed well, but RF and SVM had low prediction rates on high discharge values, and AdB performed better than RF and SVM overall.

Key words: machine learning, AdaBoost algorithm, random forest algorithm, support vector machine algorithm, runoff prediction, Huai River Basin

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