Name
Multi-model Intercomparison Project on the Saskatchewan-Nelson-Churchill River Basin (Nelson-MIP) - Phase 1
Date & Time
Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Mohamed Ismaiel Ahmed
Description
Hydrological models have been developed and used to simulate different components of the hydrological cycle and predict various risks to the communities (floods or droughts) around the globe. However, running these models on large-scale domains with numerous managed and unmanaged lake/wetland systems (such as the complex prairie environment) might be problematic. In this intercomparison project, the performance of eight hydrological models is assessed to better understand their usefulness and limitations in terms of processes representation and streamflow simulation over the international transboundary Nelson-Churchill River Basin (NCRB) in North America that contains major areas of the prairie region. The models are built using the same input meteorological and geospatial datasets to ensure proper comparison and benchmarking. Results show that most models struggle to predict the streamflow of the prairie region of NCRB due to models� structural limitations. On the other hand, a few models managed to get reasonable flow simulation of the same region by overestimating evaporative fluxes. This study highlights current model structural deficiencies across the candidate models to guide future model developments/improvements. This should help practitioners in accurately simulating the complex NCRB flows for more efficient water resource management and allocation in that highly cultivated area.
Location Name
Lynx
Full Address
Banff Park Lodge Resort Hotel & Conference Centre
201 Lynx St
Banff AB T1L 1K5
Canada
Abstract
Hydrological models have been developed and used to simulate different components of the hydrological cycle and predict various risks to the communities (floods or droughts) around the globe. However, running these models on large-scale domains with numerous managed and unmanaged lake/wetland systems (such as the complex prairie environment) might be problematic. In this intercomparison project, the performance of eight hydrological models is assessed to better understand their usefulness and limitations in terms of processes representation and streamflow simulation over the international transboundary Nelson-Churchill River Basin (NCRB) in North America that contains major areas of the prairie region. The models are built using the same input meteorological and geospatial datasets to ensure proper comparison and benchmarking. Results show that most models struggle to predict the streamflow of the prairie region of NCRB due to models� structural limitations. On the other hand, a few models managed to get reasonable flow simulation of the same region by overestimating evaporative fluxes. This study highlights current model structural deficiencies across the candidate models to guide future model developments/improvements. This should help practitioners in accurately simulating the complex NCRB flows for more efficient water resource management and allocation in that highly cultivated area.
Session Type
Breakout Session