CRHM is a (modular) framework which integrates researcher-selected numerical algorithms to model hydrological processes in small- to medium-sized catchments to enable the investigation of hydrological conditions for a wide variety of landscape/climate combinations.

Processes modelled may include:
- blowing snow redistribution
- snow and rain interception by forest canopies
- sublimation
- snowmelt in open and forested environments
- infiltration into frozen and unfrozen soils
- soil moisture storage and movement
- water movement along hillslopes (with and without permafrost)
- actual evaporation and evapotranspiration
- radiation exchange on complex surfaces and through vegetation
- wetland dynamics
- variable contributing area
- groundwater flow
- streamflow hydraulics
- gravitational snow transport
- glacier melt

CRHM incorporates information about distinct landscape elements called Hydrological Response Units (HRUs). HRUs can be linked in process-specific sequences such as blowing snow, overland flow, organic layer subsurface flow, mineral interflow, groundwater flow, and streamflow.

More information about the system is included in C.R. Ellis, J.W. Pomeroy, T. Brown, and J. MacDonald 2010: Simulation of snow accumulation and melt in needleleaf forest environments Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 14: pp. 925–940.
https://research-groups.usask.ca/hydrology/documents/downloads/Ellis_etal_2010_HESS.pdf

Technical Details:
https://research-groups.usask.ca/hydrology/modelling/crhm.php#TechnicalDetails

Other links:
https://www.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6787
https://research-groups.usask.ca/hydrology/modelling/crhm_manual_march_15_2013.pdf (CRHM Manual PDF)

Models an investigator-selected variety of hydrological processes (see list in Description) in small- to medium-sized catchments.

No formal calibration

SWE, snow depth, albedo, glacier ablation stakes, soil moisture, and streamflow

-Station data are not readily available for all catchments
-Data may contain long gaps

-R package (CRHMr) for filling data through interpolation
-R package (Reanalysis) for creating CRHM .obs files from gridded data

Module code and tools are publicly available (with examples)

Station (ECCC, provincial, research site) and Reanalysis data

Timeseries stored in flat ASCII (.obs)

1. Download station data
2. QA/QC (manual/ using CRHMr package)
3. Filling the gaps in data through interpolation/ imputation using CRHMr
4. Create .obs files of forcing timeseries using CRHMr

See https://research-groups.usask.ca/hydrology/modelling/crhm.php#TechnicalDetails