Assessment of Hydrologic Data Estimates From ERA5 Reanalyses in Benin, West Africa
ABSTRACT In West Africa, the validation of distributed models is limited by the quality and availability of point station data measured in situ. ERA5 is a climate reanalysis product produced by the European Centre for Medium‐range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and is suggested to overcome this constrain...
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Wiley
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/gdj3.288 |
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| author | René Bodjrènou Luc Ollivier Sintondji Yekambessoun M' Po N'Tcha Diane Germain Francis Esse Azonwade Fernand Sohindji Gilbert Hounnou Edid Amouzouvi Arthur Freud Segnon Kpognin Françoise Comandan |
| author_facet | René Bodjrènou Luc Ollivier Sintondji Yekambessoun M' Po N'Tcha Diane Germain Francis Esse Azonwade Fernand Sohindji Gilbert Hounnou Edid Amouzouvi Arthur Freud Segnon Kpognin Françoise Comandan |
| author_sort | René Bodjrènou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT In West Africa, the validation of distributed models is limited by the quality and availability of point station data measured in situ. ERA5 is a climate reanalysis product produced by the European Centre for Medium‐range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and is suggested to overcome this constraint. This study assessed and compared the quality of ERA5 and its variant ERA5‐Land (namely, LAND) over Benin at spatial and monthly time scales. ERA5 relies on a single‐level version with a 0.25° × 0.25° resolution, while LAND is a land surface version with a 0.1° × 0.1° resolution. Four variables were collected, namely, surface runoff (SRO), evapotranspiration (PET), water table depth (WTD) and soil water content (SWC). Single nearest pixel (SNP) and inverse distance weighting (IDW) selection methods were used to compare the reanalyse data to point station data based on the correlation (c), mean absolute error (MAE) and relative mean absolute error (RMAE). With the SNP method, both reanalyses showed a best peak simulation in mean SRO. Their performance in terms of correlation ranged from 0.26 to 0.65 for ERA5 vs. 0.34 to 0.60 for LAND. The reanalyses showed high correlations (generally > 0.80) for SWC and for the PET (sometime greater than 0.90). The correlations were below 0.5 in both reanalyses for the WTD, with slight overestimations (4.73 m for ERA5 vs. 3.13 m for LAND). Similar results were reported with the IDW selection method. One or the other of the two reanalyses can be recommended for model calibration/validation, but care must be taken in the choice because the one chosen may be better in terms of correlation even though it has significant biases and vice versa. Correcting the variables of these reanalysis datasets could also improve their performance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cbd0e1b4822f49d39846c1e393cb3d70 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2049-6060 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | Geoscience Data Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-cbd0e1b4822f49d39846c1e393cb3d702025-01-27T08:26:33ZengWileyGeoscience Data Journal2049-60602025-01-01121n/an/a10.1002/gdj3.288Assessment of Hydrologic Data Estimates From ERA5 Reanalyses in Benin, West AfricaRené Bodjrènou0Luc Ollivier Sintondji1Yekambessoun M' Po N'Tcha2Diane Germain3Francis Esse Azonwade4Fernand Sohindji5Gilbert Hounnou6Edid Amouzouvi7Arthur Freud Segnon Kpognin8Françoise Comandan9Institute of Engineering and Management University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, IGE Grenoble FranceInstitut National de l'Eau Université d'Abomey‐Calavi Abomey‐Calavi BeninInstitut National de l'Eau Université d'Abomey‐Calavi Abomey‐Calavi BeninDG Environnement CanadaDirection Générale de l'Eau (DG‐Eau) BeninCentre of eco‐Education and Valorization of Vegetables (CEEVaL‐Benin) BeninDirection Générale de l'Eau (DG‐Eau) BeninDirection Départementale de l'Eau, Energie et Mine (DDEEM‐Mono) BeninFaculté d'Agronomie de l'Université de Parakou (FA‐UP) BeninInstitut National de l'Eau Université d'Abomey‐Calavi Abomey‐Calavi BeninABSTRACT In West Africa, the validation of distributed models is limited by the quality and availability of point station data measured in situ. ERA5 is a climate reanalysis product produced by the European Centre for Medium‐range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and is suggested to overcome this constraint. This study assessed and compared the quality of ERA5 and its variant ERA5‐Land (namely, LAND) over Benin at spatial and monthly time scales. ERA5 relies on a single‐level version with a 0.25° × 0.25° resolution, while LAND is a land surface version with a 0.1° × 0.1° resolution. Four variables were collected, namely, surface runoff (SRO), evapotranspiration (PET), water table depth (WTD) and soil water content (SWC). Single nearest pixel (SNP) and inverse distance weighting (IDW) selection methods were used to compare the reanalyse data to point station data based on the correlation (c), mean absolute error (MAE) and relative mean absolute error (RMAE). With the SNP method, both reanalyses showed a best peak simulation in mean SRO. Their performance in terms of correlation ranged from 0.26 to 0.65 for ERA5 vs. 0.34 to 0.60 for LAND. The reanalyses showed high correlations (generally > 0.80) for SWC and for the PET (sometime greater than 0.90). The correlations were below 0.5 in both reanalyses for the WTD, with slight overestimations (4.73 m for ERA5 vs. 3.13 m for LAND). Similar results were reported with the IDW selection method. One or the other of the two reanalyses can be recommended for model calibration/validation, but care must be taken in the choice because the one chosen may be better in terms of correlation even though it has significant biases and vice versa. Correcting the variables of these reanalysis datasets could also improve their performance.https://doi.org/10.1002/gdj3.288evapotranspirationsingle nearest pixel selection methodsurface runoffwater table depth |
| spellingShingle | René Bodjrènou Luc Ollivier Sintondji Yekambessoun M' Po N'Tcha Diane Germain Francis Esse Azonwade Fernand Sohindji Gilbert Hounnou Edid Amouzouvi Arthur Freud Segnon Kpognin Françoise Comandan Assessment of Hydrologic Data Estimates From ERA5 Reanalyses in Benin, West Africa Geoscience Data Journal evapotranspiration single nearest pixel selection method surface runoff water table depth |
| title | Assessment of Hydrologic Data Estimates From ERA5 Reanalyses in Benin, West Africa |
| title_full | Assessment of Hydrologic Data Estimates From ERA5 Reanalyses in Benin, West Africa |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of Hydrologic Data Estimates From ERA5 Reanalyses in Benin, West Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of Hydrologic Data Estimates From ERA5 Reanalyses in Benin, West Africa |
| title_short | Assessment of Hydrologic Data Estimates From ERA5 Reanalyses in Benin, West Africa |
| title_sort | assessment of hydrologic data estimates from era5 reanalyses in benin west africa |
| topic | evapotranspiration single nearest pixel selection method surface runoff water table depth |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/gdj3.288 |
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