Past and future discharge and stream temperature at high spatial resolution in a large European basin (Loire basin, France)

Abstract

Abstract. This paper presents retrospective simulations and future projections of daily time series of discharge and stream temperature for 52 278 reaches over the Loire River basin (105 km2) in France, using a physical process-based thermal model coupled with a hydrological model. Retrospective simulations over the 1963–2019 are based on the Safran meteorological reanalysis over France. 21st century projections are based on a subset of the DRIAS2020 ensemble projection dataset, derived from the Euro Cordex data set through the ADAMONT statistical bias correction. Such a dataset at this large scale and high spatial resolution stands out from existing datasets, and is the first one in France derived from a physical process-based thermal model. The dataset is freely available for other studies and can be downloaded as NetCDF format from https://doi.org/10.57745/LBPGFS (Seyedhashemi et al., 2022a).

Trends in Air and Water Temperatures at the Confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers in Belgrade, Serbia

“…Accurate estimations of future river water temperatures and their interconnection with discharges are of paramount importance, particularly during low water and warm periods of the year [36]. For example, in the Loire River basin, France, Seyedhashemi et al found strong evidence of basin-wide increases in water temperature due to rising air temperatures and decreasing streamflow [42]. They proposed that some of these effects of climate change could be alleviated through the restoration and maintenance of riparian forests.…”

“…These findings are crucial for guiding water resource management, protecting river eco-hydrological processes, and comprehending their impact on aquatic ecology. Restoring riparian vegetation and shading can mitigate future increases in river water temperature [6,41,42]. Perry et al suggest that this approach can alleviate the impacts of climate change on flood damage to human infrastructure, riparian biodiversity, ecosystem vulnerability, and changes in river discharge [43].…”