
Linking Global Climate Models to an Integrated Hydrologic Model: Using an Individual Station Downscaling Approach
Author(s) -
Mejia John F.,
Huntington Justin,
Hatchett Benjamin,
Koracin Darko,
Niswonger Richard G.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of contemporary water research and education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1936-704X
pISSN - 1936-7031
DOI - 10.1111/j.1936-704x.2012.03100.x
Subject(s) - downscaling , environmental science , climate model , hydrological modelling , climatology , scale (ratio) , quantile , meteorology , climate change , geography , geology , precipitation , cartography , oceanography , economics , econometrics
This paper implements an individual station‐based downscaled approach based on a quantil–quantile bias correction mapping to further downscale regional gridded simulated output into individual station locations. We describe and propose a framework to optimize the usefulness of this downscaling approach over small watersheds in mountain regions, where downscale gridded data (∼10km) is still too coarse for use in sub‐regional hydrologic simulation studies. Two regional downscaled data sets were downscaled to individual station locations: the Desert Research Institute‐Regional Climate Model based on the Weather Research and Forecasting model (DRI‐RCM; 12 km resolution); and the US Bureau of Reclamation Bias‐Corrected Spatial Disaggregation (BCSD; 12 km resolution). We applied the station‐based downscaled data in the integrated hydrologic model, GSFLOW, as adapted to the Incline Creek watersheds in the northeastern Lake Tahoe basin. Hydrologic model results showed that the proposed downscaled approach provides reasonable downscaled climate data that can be used to evaluate sub‐regional scale hydrologic processes.