UNH-GRDC Composite Runoff Fields: Global River Discharge and Simulated Runoff

A composite runoff data set combines observed river discharge from the Global Runoff Data Centre with a climate-driven Water Balance Model at 30-minute spatial resolution. The method uses a simulated topological network (STN-30p) to link land to oceans and calculate correction coefficients for inter-station areas. The data set includes intermediate products like station attributes and long-term monthly regimes.

Use Cases

• Calibrating global hydrological models based on the combined observed and simulated runoff fields.
• Analyzing spatial and temporal distribution of terrestrial runoff based on the 30-minute gridded network.
• Studying river basin water balance based on inter-station discharge and runoff calculations.
• Validating climate model outputs for river discharge based on the GRDC station data integration.

Strengths

• Integrates observed discharge measurements with a simulated water balance model for consistency.
• Provides a 30-minute spatial resolution gridded river network for flow pathway representation.
• Includes intermediate data sets such as station attributes and long-term monthly regimes.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The description notes potential graphical errors in lower-order rivers due to topographic inaccuracies.

Provenance

Source

University of New Hampshire (UNH) and Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC), via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Observed discharge data combined with a Water Balance Model using a simulated topological network (STN-30p) and correction coefficients.

Time Range

Long-term monthly regimes are included, but the specific temporal coverage is not stated.

Freshness

Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Global coverage, using a network linking continental land mass to oceans.