Effects of Urbanization Factors on Model Parameters

This study mainly explores effects of urbanization factors on hydrograph parameters. Urbanization impacts of the developing watershed are evaluated based on rainfall–runoff simulations. A total of 51 rainfall–runoff events occurred from 1966 to 2002. Forty of these were calibrated, and effects of urbanization factors on runoff hydrographs resulting from a simple hydrological model were assessed. The block Kriging method was used to estimate the mean rainfall of the Wu-Tu watershed, and its hourly excesses were calculated by using the non-linear programming method. The remaining 11 cases were used to test the established relationships. The calibration and verification results confirm that the integral methods used in this study effectively illustrate the hydrological and geomorphic conditions in complex urbanization processes. Parameter n responds more sensitively than parameter k to increasing impervious areas and population densities. Additionally, parameter n responds more strongly to imperviousness than to population. Therefore, an impervious area is an important reference for analyzing hydrological changes of urbanization in the Wu-Tu watershed. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010