Streamflow prediction using artificial neural networks and soil moisture proxies

Machine learning models have been used extensively in hydrology, but issues persist with regard to their transparency, and there is currently no identifiable best practice for forcing variables in streamflow or flood modeling. In this paper, using data from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology’s National River Flow Archive and from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, we present a study that focuses on the input variable set for a neural network streamflow model to demonstrate how certain variables can be internalized, leading to a compressed feature set. By highlighting this capability to learn effectively using proxy variables, we demonstrate a more transferable framework that minimizes sensing requirements and that enables a route toward generalizing models.