Distributed Watershed Model Compatible with Remote Sensing and GIS Data. II: Application to Chaudière Watershed

In an accompanying paper, the HYDROTEL model, a distributed hydrological model compatible with remote sensing and GIS, has been presented. Run on microcomputers with a user-friendly interface, the HYDROTEL model can be applied to a wide range of watersheds with due account for available data, as a choice of options is offered for the simulation of the various processes. In the present paper, the HYDROTEL model is applied to the Chaudière watershed, a 6,680 km2 medium-size watershed, for both summer- and year-long simulations and the results are discussed. In particular, the evolution of the snowpack throughout the winter and spring is compared to snow survey data at many sites on the watershed. With its display options allowing monitoring of various variables during a simulation run, the HYDROTEL model appears to be a good tool for understanding and managing phenomena related to hydrological processes.