Articles | Volume 24, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-1163-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-1163-2024
Research article
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03 Apr 2024
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 03 Apr 2024

Does a convection-permitting regional climate model bring new perspectives on the projection of Mediterranean floods?

Nils Poncet, Philippe Lucas-Picher, Yves Tramblay, Guillaume Thirel, Humberto Vergara, Jonathan Gourley, and Antoinette Alias

Model code and software

SBCK: Statistical Bias Correction Kit, R package version 0.5.0 Y. Robin https://github.com/yrobink/SBCK

airGR: Suite of GR Hydrological Models for Precipitation-Runoff Modelling, R package version 1.7.4 L. Coron et al. https://doi.org/10.15454/EX11NA

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Executive editor
This paper brings forward a new use for recent climate models, allowing the representation of convection at a fine spatial scale for the analysis of flash floods in a Mediterranean context. Results indicate a better performance to reproduce floods compared to the previous generation of climate models. This study is the first one that obtains future flood scenarios from the input of a hydrological model whose input is the output of Convection-Permitting regional climate Models over the Mediterranean. There are also hardly any studies on the impact of climate change on floods in the Mediterranean region, and this work provides that information, based on a rigorous hydrometeorological study.
Short summary
High-resolution convection-permitting climate models (CPMs) are now available to better simulate rainstorm events leading to flash floods. In this study, two hydrological models are compared to simulate floods in a Mediterranean basin, showing a better ability of the CPM to reproduce flood peaks compared to coarser-resolution climate models. Future projections are also different, with a projected increase for the most severe floods and a potential decrease for the most frequent events.
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