Regional regression models of annual streamflow for the United States

Estimates of annual streamflow volumes are needed in many different types of hydrologic studies. Usually a streamgauge is unavailable at the location of interest, hence regional methods that relate streamflow to readily measured geomorphic and climate characteristics provide a practical solution. Hydrologic, geomorphic, and climatic characteristics of 1,553 undeveloped watersheds across the United States are used to develop regional regression equations that relate the first two moments of annual streamflow to readily measured basin and climate characteristics. These relations are summarized for each of 18 major U.S. water resource regions. The relationships are remarkably precise, with adjusted R-2 values ranging from 90.2-99.8% and an average value of 96.2% across the continent. The usefulness of these relationships is evaluated by deriving their information content in terms of equivalent record length. These results indicate that regional models of annual streamflow, including runoff maps, are less accurate than suggested by traditional goodness-of-fit statistics. We also provide estimates of precipitation and temperature elasticity of streamflow, by region.