Application of distributed KIneMatic wave STOrm Runoff Model (KIMSTORM) for flood simulation considering dam release in the NamHan river basin of Korea

This study describes the application of distributed hydrologic model, KIneMatic wave STOrm Runoff Model (grid-based KIMSTORM) to simulate the flood discharge considering dam releases during storm event. The model adopts single flowpath algorithm, and simulates surface and subsurface water depth by routing the water balance of hydrologic components at each cell. For the 12,373 km2 watershed having four dams (two multipurpose, one hydroelectric, and one flood regulation) of NamHan river in Korea, the model was calibrated and verified at five stream locations (two on main and three on tributary) for six flood events with the average Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency of 0.77. The release amount from dam cell was successfully delivered to the next down cell as an inflow and propagated to the downstream because the model solves the flow routing with hydrologic approach. From the spatiotemporal model results, we could trace the growth of overland flow discharge, the flood flow progress, and the regulation effect by the dams.