Simulating cold-region hydrology in an intensively drained agricultural watershed in Manitoba, Canada, using the Cold Regions Hydrological Model

Abstract

Abstract. Eutrophication and flooding are perennial problems in agricultural watersheds of the northern Great Plains. A high proportion of annual runoff and nutrient transport occurs with snowmelt in this region. Extensive surface drainage modification, frozen soils, and frequent backwater or ice damming impacts on flow measurement represent unique challenges to accurately modeling watershed scale hydrological processes. A physically-based, non-calibrated model created using the Cold Regions Hydrological Modelling platform (CRHM) was parameterized to simulate hydrological processes within a low slope, clay soil, and intensively surface drained agricultural watershed. These characteristics are common to most tributaries of the Red River of the North. Analysis of the observed water level records for the study watershed (La Salle River) indicate that ice cover and backwater issues at time of peak flow may impact the accuracy of both modeled and measured stream flows, highlighting the value of evaluating a non-calibrated model in this environment. Simulations best matched the streamflow record in years when peak and annual discharges were equal to or above the medians of 6.7 m3 s−1 and 1.25 × 107 m3, respectively, with an average Nash-Sutcliff efficiency (NSE) of 0.76. Simulation of low-flow years (below the medians) was more challenging (average NSE

On the relationship between flood and contributing area

“…Shrestha et al () also applied SWAT in the Upper Assiniboine, with validation NSEs of 0.65. Cordeiro et al () using the Cold Regions Hydrological Model on the La Salle River near Sanford achieved an average NSE of 0.65. Evenson et al () document an NSE statistic of 0.61 using a conventional SWAT model application to modelling streamflow of the Pipestem Creek, in adjacent North Dakota.…”

“…Annual maximum contributing area and observed and simulated annual maximum streamflow coincident time series (2002–2014) from the La Salle River and the regional stations were tested for their goodness of fit to both the generalized extreme value and log Pearson Type III distributions using methods from Laio (). Cordiero et al () suggest that some years during the period of record (i.e., 2005, 2006, 2011, and 2013) have increased uncertainty in observations of peak spring streamflow in the La Salle River near Sanford. For this reason, these four years were not used as part of the flood frequency analysis calculations using observed data.…”

“…The maximum annual daily streamflow observed in the La Salle River near Sanford since gauging began in 1980 was 124 m 3 /s in 1997. Annual maximum streamflow almost always occurs in April and is associated with snowmelt, though there can be high flows in summer in response to high rainfall (Cordeiro et al, ). Elevation in the watershed ranges between 329 and 226 m above sea level, and the watershed drains east to the Red River and eventually Lake Winnipeg.…”

Long‐term weather, streamflow, and water chemistry datasets for hydrological modelling applications at the upper La Salle River watershed in Manitoba, Canada

“…Corriveau et al, 2013). Recent analysis during the flow period also indicates that the presence of in-channel control structures and river ice constitute an uncertainty factor for hydrologic simulations in the region (Rasouli et al, 2014;Cordeiro et al, 2017c;Mahmood et al, 2017).…”

“…Gray and Landine, 1988). On the other hand, model simulations can either be assessed sub-daily or aggregated at coarser resolution, according to the datasets available for assessment or the objectives of the modelling exercise (Cordeiro et al, 2017c;Mahmood et al, 2017). For short-term assessments (i.e.…”