Automatic Calibration of Conceptual Rainfall-Runoff Models

The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method was used to calibrate the Xinanjiang (XAJ) conceptual rainfall-runoff flood forecasting model, using a 7-year record of historical data of Yandu river watershed. Based on results of calibration runs using different objective functions, it is concluded that parameters optimization has a certain relationship with the choice of objective functions and the results vary with different functions. The simulation and prediction results were reasonable, as PSO method was used in XAJ model with observed data of Yandu river, combined with layer-debugging theory of Zhao Ren-jun.