HydroTrend v.3.0: A climate-driven hydrological transport model that simulates discharge and sediment load leaving a river system

HydroTrend v.3.0 is a climate-driven hydrological water balance and transport model that simulates water discharge and sediment load at a river outlet, by incorporating drainage basin properties (river networks, hypsometry, relief, reservoirs) together with biophysical parameters (temperature, precipitation, evapo-transpiration, and glacier characteristics). HydroTrend generates daily discharge values through: snow accumulation and melt, glacier growth and ablation, surface runoff, and groundwater evaporation, retention and recharge. The long-term sediment load is predicted either by the ART-QRT module based on drainage area, discharge, relief, and temperature, or the BQART module that also incorporates basin-average lithology and anthropogenic influences on soil erosion. Sediment trapping efficiency of reservoirs is based on reservoir location in the river network and its volume that determines the residence time of water within the reservoir. Glacial influence is based on the extent of ice cover, equilibrium altitude, and freezing line mobility. HydroTrend v.3.0 captures the inter- and intra-annual variability of sediment flux by using either high-resolution climate observations or a stochastic climate generator for simulations over longer geological intervals. A distributary channel module simulates the flow conditions and transport capacity across a multiple deltaic channel system. Simulations of the Metauro and the Po rivers, in Italy, are used as case studies to demonstrate the applicability of the new model.