Stochastic hydrology: the development of the main ideas in Russia

Abstract

The aim of the work is to assess the current state of scientific research and the main results in the field of stochastic hydrology. Various problems of scientific and applied hydrology are solved on the basis of different types of stochastic models. On the basis of these models, methods are being developed for obtaining secure engineering runoff characteristics, or reliable hydrological forecasts of various lead times. Most water management, construction, environmental and other problems are solved today within the framework of probabilistic models and statistical methods. The main tasks of stochastic hydrology can be divided into several groups. Despite the discussion in hydrology on the applicability of the theory of probability and random processes to the analysis of fluctuations of hydrometeorological series, the problem of choosing a research methodology remains one of the most important, and is often discussed in connection with anomalous manifestations of hydrological phenomena (extreme floods, prolonged droughts). An important applied and theoretical problem in hydrology is the choice of a one-dimensional probability distribution. In this part, discussions are important both on the problem of the type of new distributions and on methods for estimating parameters. Ideas and hypotheses are considered that can significantly increase the reliability of statistical characteristics. Climatic changes in many cases cause disturbances in the stationarity of time series of hydrological characteristics. Progress in the development of new approaches to probabilistic modeling is associated both with the well-known problem of the sufficiency of the Markov hypothesis and with the need to introduce new, more complex models and Bayesian estimation methods. The article is devoted to the discussion of the current state of these problems in the form of a scientific review.