Hydrology and Earth System Sciences www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net 1027-5606 1607-7938 14 6 2010 10.5194/hess-14-991-2010 http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/14/991/2010/ http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/14/991/2010/hess-14-991-2010.html http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/14/991/2010/hess-14-991-2010.pdf 991 1006 2010-06-22 Prediction of snowmelt derived streamflow in a wetland dominated prairie basin X. Fang xif382@mail.usask.ca J. W. Pomeroy C. J. Westbrook X. Guo A. G. Minke T. Brown Centre for Hydrology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada The Cold Regions Hydrological Modelling platform (CRHM) was used to create a prairie hydrological model for Smith Creek Research Basin (~400 km²), east-central Saskatchewan, Canada. Physically based modules were sequentially linked in CRHM to simulate snow processes, frozen soils, variable contributing area and wetland storage and runoff generation. Five "representative basins" (RBs) were defined and each was divided into seven hydrological response units (HRUs): fallow, stubble, grassland, river channel, open water, woodland, and wetland. Model parameters were estimated using field survey data, LiDAR digital elevation model (DEM), SPOT 5 satellite imageries, stream network and wetland inventory GIS data. Model simulations were conducted for 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. No calibration was performed. The model performance in predicting snowpack, soil moisture and streamflow was evaluated against field observations. Root mean square differences (RMSD) between simulation and observations ranged from 1.7 to 25.2 mm and from 4.3 to 22.4 mm for the simulated snow accumulation in 2007/2008 and 2008/2009, respectively, with higher RMSD in grassland, river channel, and open water HRUs. 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