Navigating Hydrological Model Intercomparison Projects in Cold Regions: Unveiling Challenges, Insights, and Future Paths – A Case from Nelson-MIP II

Ahmed, Mohamed Ismaiel

https://ror.org/03yjb2x39

University of Calgary

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3423-7041

Stadnyk, Tricia

https://ror.org/03yjb2x39

University of Calgary

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2145-4963

Pietroniro, Alain

https://ror.org/03yjb2x39

University of Calgary

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5792-9177

Mai, Juliane

https://ror.org/01aff2v68

University of Waterloo

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1132-2342

Tolson, Bryan

https://ror.org/01aff2v68

University of Waterloo

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3092-5536

Shen, Hongren

https://ror.org/01aff2v68

University of Waterloo

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5979-2159

Craig, James R.

https://ror.org/01aff2v68

University of Waterloo

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2715-7166

Taheri, Mahkameh

https://ror.org/01aff2v68

University of Waterloo

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0604-5982

2000-01-01/2017-12-31

2024-03-11T17:21:07Z

2024-03-11T17:21:07Z

2024-03-11

https://www.frdr-dfdr.ca/repo/dataset/86a3d2f4-8116-4acf-af8f-6334c8e34c10

https://doi.org/10.20383/103.0913

Intercomparison studies have evaluated the utility and constraints of existing hydrological and climate models worldwide. While some of these hydrological studies focused on cold Northern latitude regions, the initial phase of the Nelson Churchill River Basin (NCRB) Model Intercomparison Project (Nelson-MIP) was the sole effort to examine unregulated watersheds in this transboundary basin in Southwestern Canada and Northwestern United States. Thus far, there remains a lack of clarity regarding the performance of various models in regulated watersheds around the globe and specifically within this complex region.

Therefore, the primary aim of this study, constituting the second phase of the Nelson-MIP project, is to assess the performance of hydrological models in both regulated and unregulated watersheds within the NCRB, an area characterized by 95 reservoirs and managed lakes, numerous diversions and irrigation withdrawals, and significant areas of the North American Prairie region with millions of unmanaged lake and wetland systems. Four hydrological models contribute to this phase and are setup using standardized input datasets to facilitate accurate comparisons. The performance of the models is evaluated against streamflow, actual evapotranspiration (AET), and snow water equivalent (SWE) simulations. Results reveal that two models exhibit diminished streamflow performance across the Prairie region in comparison to the broader NCRB. While AET and SWE simulations were generally accurate across the entire NCRB, one model encounters challenges in replicating AET patterns across the Prairies, a factor not reflected in the streamflow evaluation. This investigation highlights structural limitations within the participating models, particularly their insufficient representation of flow regulation and contributing area dynamics, which underscores the need for future enhancements. Moreover, this study underscores the complexities involved in conducting large-scale intercomparison studies and offers strategies for addressing these challenges in future research endeavors.

Federated Research Data Repository / dépôt fédéré de données de recherche

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

hydrological model intercomparison

Prairie pothole

streamflow

regulation

snow water equivalent

actual evapotranspiration

Nelson-MIP

Model Intercomparison Project (MIP)

Navigating Hydrological Model Intercomparison Projects in Cold Regions: Unveiling Challenges, Insights, and Future Paths – A Case from Nelson-MIP II

f163c1b3-9c88-42f6-a7bb-5839ed6c4063

/1/published/publication_908/

2024

2021-01-01/2024-01-31

Dataset

https://doi.org/10.20383/102.0705

45.4695833330000809 -117.4199999999999307 59.5354166670000211 -89.8599999999999426

Nelson-Churchill River Basin;-;-;Canada

Global Water Futures

RDF1050702

Earth and related environmental sciences

Hydrology

Physical and catchment hydrology

Sciences de la Terre et sciences de l'environnement connexes

Hydrologie

Hydrologie physique et de captage

Detailed information about the different files or datasets is available in the README file.