Hydrological Modeling and Climate Change Impact Assessment Using HBV Light Model: A Case Study of Karnali River Basin

This study has simulated climate change impacts on the runoff processes of the Karnali River Basin of Nepal. Estimation of the variation of snowmelt contribution to streamflow in increased temperatures has been done. The semi-distributed HBV rainfall-runoff model has been calibrated using hydrometeorological data available from 1986 to 1997. The model simulates runoff based on precipitation, air temperature and potential evapotranspiration. The calibrated model is fed with the climatic projections developed using the PRECIS Regional Climate Model to estimate future (2040s) streamflow. The study indicates that the growing temperatures will generally result in wetter flow regime in the future.

Keywords:

Climate change , Karnali River Basin , Streamflow , Snowmelt , HBV Model , Rainfall-Runoff Modeling , ,