Learning from hydrological models’ challenges: A case study from the Nelson basin model intercomparison project

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129820
• Publication Date: 2023-06-15T23:24:39Z
• Authors: Mohamed Ismaiel A...; Tricia Stadnyk; Alain Pietroniro; Hervé Awoye; Ajay Bajracharya; Juliane Mai; Bryan A. Tolson; Hongren Shen; James R. Craig; Mark Gervais; Kevin Sagan; Shane Wruth; Kristina Koenig; Rajtantra Lilhare; Stephen J. Déry; Scott Pokorny; Hank Venema; Ameer Muhammad; Mahkameh Taheri
• Keywords: Hydrological modelling; Catchment hydrology; Flood forecasting

Intercomparison studies play an important, but limited role in understanding the usefulness and limitations of currently available hydrological models. Comparison are often to well-behaved regimes, where rainfall-runoff processes dominate response. These efforts have not covered western Canada due difficulty simulating that region's complex cold region hydrology with varying spatiotemporal contributing areas. This intercomparison study is first a series under project international interprovincial transboundary Nelson-Churchill River Basin (NCRB) North America (Nelson-MIP), which encompasses different ecozones major areas non-contributing Prairie potholes, forests, glaciers, mountains, permafrost. The performance eight land surface models compared at unregulated watersheds within NCRB. done assess models' streamflow overall fidelity without calibration, capture underlying physics better understand why struggle accurately simulate its hydrology. Results show some participating difficulties and/or internal variables (e.g., evapotranspiration) over most performed well elsewhere. stems from model structural deficiencies, despite various being calibrated observed streamflow. Some changes identified for future improvement. outcomes this offer guidance practitioners accurate prediction NCRB streamflow, increasing confidence projections water resources supply management.