3.2. Precipitation-runoff modelling
The runoff simulations for Germany used in this study were
carried out with the eco-hydrological model SWIM (cf. Huang et al.
[10]). The model was calibrated and validated using the observed
climate data mentioned in Section 3.1 and runoff measurements
provided by the Global Runoff Data Center (GRDC) in Koblenz.
Observed and simulated runoff is compared in Fig. 2 for one selected
gauge of each river basin where a nuclear power plant is located. For
the Neu Darchau gauge (Elbe basin), the values of the extreme flood
in August 2002 are not shown since the SWIM model in this version
was calibrated for long-term seasonal flow and low flow conditions
and the 2002 flood is only poorly reproduced by the model. The
calibrated and validated modelwas then used to simulate the effects
of climate change on runoff in the different river basins for the set of
climate scenarios (0 K, þ1 K, þ2 K and þ3 K; cf. [6]).