Application of copula functions for rainfall interception modelling

Bezak, Nejc (author), Zabret, Katarina (author), Šraj, Mojca (author)

Rainfall interception is an important process of the water cycle that can have significant influence on surface runoff and groundwater storage. Since rainfall interception measurements are rare and time consuming, rainfall interception estimation can be made indirectly using different meteorological variables. Experimental data of rainfall interception for birch and pine trees was measured at an experimental plot located in an urban area of Ljubljana, Slovenia in this study. A copula model was applied to predict the rainfall interception using meteorological variables, namely air temperature and vapour pressure deficit data. The copula model performance was compared to some other models such as decision trees, multiple linear regressions, and exponential functions. Using random sampling, we found that the copula model where Khoudraji-Liebscher copula functions were used yielded slightly smaller root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) values than other tested methods (i.e., RMSE and MAE results for birch trees were 24.2% and 18.2%, respectively and RMSE and MAE results for pine trees were 25.0% and 19.6%, respectively). The results demonstrate that the copula-based proposed method and other tested models could be used for the prediction of rainfall interception at the considered plot and in the wider surroundings. Furthermore, these models could also be applied for the prediction of rainfall interception for these two tree species in other locations under similar vegetation and meteorological conditions.

• Language: English
• Keywords: copula functions, rainfall interception, modelling, pine tree, birch tree, air temperature, decision trees, vapour pressure deficit
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2018
• Number of pages: 17 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 10, iss. 8, art. 995
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-131644
• UDC: 556.12(045)
• ISSN on article: 2073-4441
• DOI: 10.3390/w10080995
• COBISS.SI-ID: 8510305
• Publication date in RUL: 30.09.2021

BEZAK, Nejc, ZABRET, Katarina and ŠRAJ, Mojca, 2018, Application of copula functions for rainfall interception modelling. Water [online]. 2018. Vol. 10, no. 8,  995. [Accessed 5 April 2025]. DOI 10.3390/w10080995. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=131644

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Water
• Shortened title: Water
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4441
• COBISS.SI-ID: 36731653

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.08.2018

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: funkcije kopula, prestrezanje padavin, modeliranje, bor, breza, temperatura, odločitvena drevesa

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0180
• Name: Vodarstvo in geotehnika: orodja in metode za analize in simulacije procesov ter razvoj tehnologij