Daily River Water Temperature Prediction: A Comparison between Neural Network and Stochastic Techniques

Abstract

The temperature of river water (TRW) is an important factor in river ecosystem predictions. This study aims to compare two different types of numerical model for predicting daily TRW in the Warta River basin in Poland. The implemented models were of the stochastic type—Autoregressive (AR), Moving Average (MA), Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA) and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA)—and the artificial intelligence (AI) type—Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), Radial Basis Function (RBF) and Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH). The ANFIS and RBF models had the most fitted outputs and the AR, ARMA and ARIMA patterns were the most accurate ones. The results showed that both of the model types can significantly present suitable predictions. The stochastic models have somewhat less error with respect to both the highest and lowest TRW deciles than the AIs and were found to be better for prediction studies, with the GMDH complex model in some cases reaching Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) = 0.619 °C and Nash-Sutcliff coefficient (NS) = 0.992, while the AR(2) simple linear model with just two inputs was partially able to achieve better results (RMSE = 0.606 °C and NS = 0.994). Due to these promising outcomes, it is suggested that this work be extended to other catchment areas to extend and generalize the results.