Evaluation of CFSR climate data for hydrologic prediction in data-scarce watersheds: an application in the Blue Nile River Basin

This research paper evaluates the use of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction’s Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) climate data for hydrological modelling in the Upper Blue Nile region, specifically within the Lake Tana basin, comparing it against conventional meteorological data.

• The study compared CFSR weather data and conventional weather data using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool to simulate streamflow at four river gauging stations in the Lake Tana basin. Conventional weather simulations were satisfactory (NSE ≥ 0.5) for three stations, whereas CFSR simulations were satisfactory for only two.
• CFSR and conventional weather simulations produced similar results for annual crop yields across four administrative zones and showed minor differences in water balance components in most watersheds. However, in one specific watershed, CFSR data indicated significantly higher average annual rainfall, which led to higher water balance components.
• While conventional weather data generally performed better in the simulations, CFSR weather data is identified as a valuable alternative for hydrological predictions in remote, data-scarce areas of the Upper Blue Nile basin where conventional gauges are missing.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2014). Evaluation of CFSR climate data for hydrologic prediction in data-scarce watersheds: an application in the Blue Nile River Basin. https://www.sei.org/publications/evaluation-of-cfsr-climate-data-for-hydrologic-prediction-in-data-scarce-watersheds-an-application-in-the-blue-nile-river-basin/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Evaluation of CFSR climate data for hydrologic prediction in data-scarce watersheds: an application in the Blue Nile River Basin. 2014. https://www.sei.org/publications/evaluation-of-cfsr-climate-data-for-hydrologic-prediction-in-data-scarce-watersheds-an-application-in-the-blue-nile-river-basin/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Evaluation of CFSR climate data for hydrologic prediction in data-scarce watersheds: an application in the Blue Nile River Basin |date=24 April 2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/evaluation-of-cfsr-climate-data-for-hydrologic-prediction-in-data-scarce-watersheds-an-application-in-the-blue-nile-river-basin/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2014evaluation, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Evaluation of CFSR climate data for hydrologic prediction in data-scarce watersheds: an application in the Blue Nile River Basin}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/evaluation-of-cfsr-climate-data-for-hydrologic-prediction-in-data-scarce-watersheds-an-application-in-the-blue-nile-river-basin/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }