2.6.1.3 Model development

Summary

This section summarises the steps taken in developing surface water models for predicting the hydrological impacts of coal resource development in the Galilee subregion. It describes the modelling domains, the spatial resolution and temporal resolutions, the development of future climate trends and time series of mine footprints for the period of mine operation. It includes discussion on the estimation of coal resource development pathway (CRDP) impacts on streamflow.

The surface water modelling domain comprises the Belyando, Cape and Suttor river basins and includes 61 model nodes at which daily streamflow predictions are produced. The model simulation period is from 2013 to 2102.

Seasonal climate scaling factors from the GFDL2.0 global climate model are chosen to provide a trended climate input over the course of the simulation period. This results in a reduction in mean annual precipitation of 3.1% per degree of global warming.