Clustering of causal graphs to explore drivers of river discharge

Autor: Wiebke Günther, Peter Miersch, Urmi Ninad, Jakob Runge
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Environmental Data Science, Vol 2 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2634-4602
DOI: 10.1017/eds.2023.17
Popis: This work aims to classify catchments through the lens of causal inference and cluster analysis. In particular, it uses causal effects (CEs) of meteorological variables on river discharge while only relying on easily obtainable observational data. The proposed method combines time series causal discovery with CE estimation to develop features for a subsequent clustering step. Several ways to customize and adapt the features to the problem at hand are discussed. In an application example, the method is evaluated on 358 European river catchments. The found clusters are analyzed using the causal mechanisms that drive them and their environmental attributes.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals