Baseflow separation – A practical approach.

• Common baseflow separation techniques often ignore physical processes. • This paper presents a separation technique that emphasises physical relevance. • The technique is demonstrated on a range of catchment conditions. • Two calibrated parameters facilitate a good fit to observed conditions. The satisfactory separation of baseflow from the other components of streamflow has long been a desirable but elusive goal. In the search for consistent and automated baseflow separation techniques, direct applicability to physical processes has been increasingly neglected. By way of contrast, this paper presents a continuous baseflow separation method that emphasises the physical relevance of the flow components, and demonstrates its performance. The proposed method combines the principle of an exponential master baseflow recession with a compatible smoothing function to link the segments of the master recession. Two calibrated parameters facilitate a good fit to a range of streamflow behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]