Multi-variable verification of hydrological processes in the upper North Saskatchewan River basin, Alberta, Canada

Abstract

The ACRU agro-hydrological modelling system was set up to simulate the impacts of climate change on the hydrological responses of the 3856-km2 Cline River watershed, the major headwater of the upper North Saskatchewan River basin in central Alberta, Canada. The physical–conceptual ACRU model was set up to simulate all elements of the hydrological cycle on a daily time step for the 1961–1990 baseline period, to serve as the basis for later climate change impact simulations. After parameterization, the output from the ACRU model was verified against temperature, snow water equivalent, glacier mass balance, potential evapotranspiration, and two sets of long-term daily streamflow records. The multi-variable verification analyses were implemented to instil confidence that the simulated streamflow time series is based on a realistic combination of bio-physical parameters and represents the watershed behaviour in terms of annual water yields, seasonality, shape and magnitude of the hydrographs, and streamflow variability. Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz Citation Nemeth, M.W., Kienzle, S.W. and Byrne, J.M., 2012. Multi-variable verification of hydrological processes in the upper North Saskatchewan River basin, Alberta, Canada. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (1), 84–102.