Sediment Load Estimation Using Geostatistical Method

Ungaged (data-scarce) basin lack access to daily sediment data and to estimate it, a popular technique is adopted in which the characteristics of a reference basin’s sediment flow time series are transferred to the data-scarce one. In conventional methods, the data-scarce basin’s parameters are typically determined by using a reference station that is closest to that basin. The close neighbor station may not always be the one with the highest correlation, it is established in the current study. To find the reference basin which is the highest correlated, an approach known as the Map Correlation Method (MCM) is used. The effectiveness of current approach is evaluated using daily sediment data collected over a five-year period at 17 sediment gaging sites in Krishna and Godavari watersheds. Pearson’s r correlation coefficient’s geographic structure is modelled using sample and model variograms. Selection of basin with optimum correlation value is taken as reference station in ungagged locations. Observed and estimated correlations resulting from the cross-validation of the variograms are in line with each other for most of the stations.