Space-Time Transfer Function-Noise Modelling of Rainfall-Runoff Process

Abstract

An explanatory model class belonging to the family of Space-Time Transfer Function-Noise (STTFN) process is presented. The paper develops a three-stage iterative procedure for building STTFN models of the rainfall-runoff process. Four precipitation and runoff stations located in a watershed in southern Ontario, Canada, sampled at 15-day intervals are used for the numerical analysis. Three STTF models are identified. The model parameters are estimated by the polytope technique, a nonlinear optimization algorithm. Two of the developed space-time models proved adequate in describing the spatio-temporal characteristics of precipitation and runoff time series.