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Station hydrologic model output

This data portal provides access to simulated streamflow data for 190 locations within the Peace, Fraser and Columbia watersheds in British Columbia. Within the portal, users can:

  • Access global climate model (GCM) driven streamflow data for historical and future time periods (1945 to 2099), and choose between moderate (RCP 4.5) and high (RCP 8.5) future emissions scenarios
  • Access an observation-based streamflow simulation for the period 1945 to 2012
  • Zoom, pan and select a region of interest using the interactive map, or alternatively, select stations by Water Survey of Canada station name or ID, US Geological Survey station name or ID, and dam or project site
  • Download data in ASCII format
Access the station hydrologic model output

About the data

The streamflow data were simulated using runoff and baseflow generated with an upgraded version of the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC-GL) model that is coupled to a glacier model and routed with the RVIC streamflow model. The data locations correspond to a combination of Water Survey of Canada and US Geological Survey hydrometric gauges and dam sites in British Columbia and the United States. The simulated daily streamflow data represent naturalized flow conditions for those sites affected by storage regulation.

The streamflow results for the observation-based simulation are the result of driving VIC-GL with PCIC's gridded meteorological dataset for northwest North America (PNWNAmet). The GCM-driven streamflow data were generated by forcing the VIC-GL model using 6 statistically downscaled CMIP5 global climate models (GCMs) running the two scenarios to produce 12 projections. 

Statistical downscaling of the GCMs was conducted using the Bias Correction/Constructed Analogues and Quantile mapping (BCCAQv2) method, with PNWNAmet as the target dataset. For more information on BCCAQv2, see the Statistically downscaled climate scenarios page.

One CSV file is provided for each station that contains streamflow for the PNWNAmet observation-based run and the 12 CMIP5 scenarios. The first column is the date, followed by PNWNAmet-driven streamflow and a column for each of the 12 CMIP5 scenarios (for example, ACCESS1-0_rcp85_r1i1p1). Streamflow is provided in cubic metres per second (m3 s-1).

To test the ability of the VIC-GL and RVIC models to replicate streamflow in a watershed of interest, compare PNWNAmet values to observed streamflow. To look at the impact of climate change on streamflow, one should compare the future to the past within the same GCM-RCP-run combo (for example, mean daily streamflow from 2041-2070 versus 1971-2000 for ACCESS1-0_rcp85_r1i1p1). See the User Docs for more details. 

Please cite this dataset as:

  • Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, University of Victoria, (February 2020). VIC-GL BCCAQ CMIP5 RVIC: Station Hydrologic Model Output. Downloaded from <Permalink> on <Date>.

Hamman, J., Nijssen, B., Brunke, M., Cassano, J., Craig, A., DuVivier, A., Hughes, M., Lettenmaier, D.P., Maslowski, W., Osinski, R., Roberts, A., Zeng, X., 2016. Land Surface Climate in the Regional Arctic System Model. J. Clim. 29, 6543–6562. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0415.1

Lohmann, D., Nolte-Holube, R., Raschke, E., 1996. A large-scale horizontal routing model to be coupled to land surface parametrization schemes. Tellus A 48, 708–721. https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v48i5.12200

Lohmann, D., Raschke, E., Nijssen, B., Lettenmaier, D.P., 1998. Regional scale hydrology: I. Formulation of the VIC-2L model coupled to a routing model. Hydrol. Sci. J. 43, 131–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626669809492107

Schnorbus, M.A., 2022. VIC Generation 2 Deployment Report Volume 1-6.

This data is subject to PCIC's terms of use. It has been obtained from a variety of sources and is provided as a public service by the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium. The data is provided by the Consortium on an “AS IS” basis without any warranty or representation, express or implied, as to its accuracy or completeness. Any reliance you place upon the information contained here is your sole responsibility and is strictly at your own risk. In no event will the Consortium be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever, including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, arising from reliance upon the data or derived information.