Daniel Mutton, M. Altaf Arain, Bruce Davidson, Daniel Princz (2022). Analysis of coupled MESH-CLASSIC model performance in Canadian watersheds . Proceedings of the GWF Annual Open Science Meeting, May 16-18, 2022.

Research uses coupled MESH-CLASSIC model to predict future carbon, water, and energy cycle in three watersheds across Canada

Recent advances in the Mod´elisation Environmentale Communautaire Surface and Hydrology system (MESH) allows for vector-based routing to better represent the reality of the catchment structure and water processes within the catchment. MESH has also been coupled with the Canadian Land Surface Scheme including Biogeochemical Cycles (CLASSIC) allows for the simulation of carbon, water, and energy cycles at a catchment scale. In this study, the MESH-CLASSIC model was tested in three catchments across Canada, the Groundhog River catchment (a Boreal Forest catchment in northern Ontario), the Big Creek catchment (a managed agricultural catchment in southern Ontario), and the White Gull Creek catchment (a boreal forest and wetland in northern Saskatchewan). The vector-based MESH-CLASSIC model simulations were performed for historic and future climate change scenarios, RCP 4.5 and 8.5. Model biases in simulating hydrological processes such as stream flow, evapotranspiration, snow mass, and soil moisture will be evaluated, and model performance will be evaluated with underperforming areas identified with the intent to improve these processes and the model’s capability. Early research suggests that the model overestimates streamflow and snow mass estimates, as well as predicts major events will start earlier than they do.

First Author: Daniel Mutton, 1,2. 1 School of Earth, Environment, and Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 2 McMaster Centre for Climate Change, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Additional Authors: M. Altaf Arain1,2, Bruce Davidson3, Daniel Princz3. 1 School of Earth, Environment, and Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 2 McMaster Centre for Climate Change, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 3 Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada