Hydrological Modeling for simulating the effects

Numerical models are being used to simulate the response of hydrological basins to meteorological events both for decision making process in case of severe weather, as well as for the management of water resources and the environment. Nevertheless, it appears increasingly important to understand the possible effects of observed climate changes on the hydrological system, and in order to simulate these effects a complex numerical effort is needed requiring the coupling of atmospheric and hydrological models. A complete description of the different approaches adopted to simulate the hydrological system and its possible response to climate change is beyond the scope of this paper, however typical numerical applications with varying difficulties will be described focusing attention on the few available algorithms with the aim to encourage the GLOCHAMORE community to use them for different applications. In the following section we will briefly introduce the basic concepts of the hydrological cycle and give a brief introduction on the main physical processes affecting the ground water balance. The possibility to simulate flood and water supply using a numerical approach is obtainable by employing practical examples of increasing complexity. A few of the algorithms used in the implementation of the Cetemps Hydrological Model (CHyM) are also discussed with a few of the details focusing attention on the possibility to use these algorithm for many different purposes. Finally, the early preliminary results of an hydro-climatic simulation are discussed, showing the possible change in the average available water resources of the Po river catchments due to the change in glacier cover and consequently in the average rain regime during the spring season.