Comparing Five Kinematic Wave Schemes for Open-Channel Routing for Wide-Tooth-Comb-Wave Hydrographs

Abstract

Due to its simplicity, the kinematic wave is commonly applied to open-channel routing in watershed hydrologic modeling. However, these applications must fulfill certain conditions, such as relatively large riverbed slopes and long time of rise in the flow. This study attempts to determine the most appropriate kinematic wave scheme for open-channel routing in the highly regulated Peace River, Canada. Five schemes were used to simulate a 5-day hydrograph with sudden plunges and hikes. The outputs from these five schemes were compared visually and statistically with the observed hydrograph. It was found that all five schemes are applicable to open-channel routing for the highly regulated Peace River if the temporal and spatial increments are set properly. However, one scheme, which is a total variation diminishing (TVD) high-resolution scheme, is the most appropriate scheme for this purpose. This scheme allows large temporal and spatial increments while relatively high accuracy can be achieved.