Runoff#

runoff loads surface-runoff forcing or hydrological diagnostics. It should not be confused with groundwater discharge or drainage-package fluxes. Field definitions, types, and defaults live in the generated reference at [data] DataManagersConfig; this page only names them and shows how to use them.

Accepted sources#

Source

Use when

Source page

custom

A local station chronicle (directory of location and CSV files) or a single gridded NetCDF/GeoTIFF file is authoritative.

custom

sim2

SIM2 RUNC_Q runoff should be retrieved over the project period and extent.

sim2

Minimal example#

[data.runoff]
date_start = "2000-01-01"
date_end = "2002-12-31"

[[data.runoff.sources]]
source = "sim2"
extent = "watershed"

date_start and date_end are defined at date_start and date_end. source selects the provider, and extent picks the bounding box. Check period coverage, units, and semantic meaning before comparing runoff with simulated groundwater discharge.

Loaded shape#

RunoffManager (hydromodpy.data.variables.runoff.manager, in the hydromodpy.data layer) normalizes every source to the internal unit mm/day. What it returns depends on path: a directory of a location file plus chronicle CSVs yields one point time series per station, while a single .nc or .tif file, or the sim2 source, yields a gridded field.

Runoff does not enter the Flow process as a groundwater forcing the way recharge does. It stays a loaded, station- or grid-based quantity that calibration and comparison logic can later add to the simulated groundwater-release signal, to check against total observed streamflow at outlet scale. The full semantic split is documented in Recharge And Surface-Exchange Semantics.

Visual check#

Local custom runoff and recharge source series

Fig. 87 Runoff should be read as a forcing or diagnostic source, not as simulated groundwater discharge. The paired custom figure makes that distinction visible by keeping the source chronicle separate from any solver response.#

Downstream uses#

  • calibration and comparison logic, which may add runoff to the simulated groundwater-release signal before comparing against observed streamflow (Recharge And Surface-Exchange Semantics);

  • water-balance and forcing checks alongside Recharge and Precipitation, which share the same station and gridded conventions;

  • diagnostic figures produced from local or SIM2 sources, as listed in Runs And Figures.

Runoff Source: custom#

Use source = "custom" for local runoff fields or time series. path can point to a directory of station files or to a single gridded file, as defined at path.

[[data.runoff.sources]]
source = "custom"
path = "data/runoff/runoff.nc"
source_unit = "mm/day"

Set source_unit when file metadata are missing or ambiguous, and check the semantic meaning of the runoff product before using it in water balance reasoning.

Runoff Source: sim2#

Use source = "sim2" to retrieve SIM2 runoff fields.

[[data.runoff.sources]]
source = "sim2"
extent = "watershed"

The overview climatic summary panel plots precipitation and ETP only, so it does not show runoff. Use the source chronicle under Visual check for period and magnitude checks, and keep runoff distinct from modeled drainage or groundwater discharge.