Regional water balance modelling in the NOPEX area: Development and application of monthly water balance models

Abstract

One of the main purposes of a water balance study is to evaluate the net available water resources, both on the surface and in the subsurface. Water balance models that simulate hydrographs of river flow on the basis of available meteorological data would lie a valuable tool in the hands of the planners and designers of water resources systems. In this paper, a set of simple monthly snow and water balance models has been developed and applied to regional water balance studies in the NOPEX area. The models require as input monthly areal precipitation, monthly long-term average potential evapotranspiration and monthly mean air temperature. The model outputs are monthly river flow and other water balance components, such as actual evapotranspiration, slow and fast components of river flow, snow accumulation and melting. The results suggest that the proposed model structure is suitable for water balance study purposes in seasonally snow-covered catchments located in the region.

Published in

Journal of Hydrology
1996, Volume: 180, number: 1-4, pages: 211-236
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

UKÄ Subject classification

Oceanography, Hydrology, Water Resources


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(95)02888-9

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/98800