Work on modelling catchment responses has been a common theme, including links with modelling sediments and nutrients transport to stream channels. Keith Beven and Jim Freer are well known for their work on Topmodel, including its latest Dynamic Topmodel implementation. Other work has been based on regression tree and stochastic transfer function modelling of hydrological responses, including for flood forecasting. Catchment modelling also served as the basis for the development of the Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) methodology in response to the problems inherent in trying to calibrate models in real applications. Recent work in this areas has been funded by NERC and NSF.
New developments include developing ideas for how to implement “models of everywhere” as computer power and spatial databases are improved into the future (currently funded by the NW GRID project).
A particular area of interest at Lancaster is the development of methods to assess the impacts of climate change on catchment management. Lancaster is contributing to both the LOCAR (Lowland Catchment Research) and CHASM (Catchment hydrology and sustainable management) programmes of NERC. Climate change work is currently being funded by UKWIR in a project led by HR Wallingford and in collaboration with ENTECH.
Some recent references
Beven, K J and Freer, J, 2001, A Dynamic TOPMODEL, Hydrol. Process.,15(10), 1993-2011.
Blazkova, S, Beven, K, Tacheci, P and Kulasova, A, 2002, Testing the distributed water table predictions of TOPMODEL (allowing for uncertainty in model calibration): the death of TOPMODEL?, Water Resources Research, 38(11), 10.1029/2001WR000912
Freer, J., J. McDonnell, K. J. Beven, N. E. Peters, D. Burns, R. P. Hooper, B. Aulenbach, and C. Kendal, 2002, The role of bedrock topography on subsurface stormflow. Water Resources Research, 38(12), 10.1029/2001WR000872
Blazkova, S., Beven, K. J., and Kulasova, A., 2002, On constraining TOPMODEL hydrograph simulations using partial saturated area information, Hydrol. Process., 16(2), 441-458.
Beven, K. J., 2002, Towards an alternative blueprint for a physically-based digitally simulated hydrologic response modelling system, Hydrol. Process., 16(2), 189-206.
Peters, N. E., Freer, J E and Beven, K J, 2003, Modelling hydrologic responses in a small forested catchment (Panola Mountain, Georgia, USA): a comparison of the original and a new dynamic TOPMODEL, Hydrological Processes, 17(2), 345-362
Freer, J, McMillan, H, McDonnell, J J and Beven, K J, 2004, Constraining Dynamic TOPMODEL responses for imprecise water table information using fuzzy rule based performance measures, J. Hydrology., 291, 254-277
Iorgulescu, I and Beven, K J, 2004, Non-parametric direct mapping of rainfall-runoff relationships: an alternative approach to data analysis and modelling, Water Resources Research, 40 (8), W08403, 10.1029/2004WR003094
Iorgulescu, I, Beven, K J and Musy, A, 2005, Data-based modelling of runoff and chemical tracer concentrations in the Haute-Menthue (Switzerland) research catchment, Hydrological Processes, in press.
Contact: Keith Beven