The snow and glacier melt components of the streamflow of the River Rhine and its tributaries considering the influence of climate change

In the year 2012, the International Commission for the Hydrology of the Rhine basin (KHR/CHR)
initiated the research project “The snow and glacier melt components of the streamflow of the River
Rhine and its tributaries considering the influence of climate change” (ASG Rhine). The objective of
the project was to determine the daily and monthly fractions of rain, snowmelt, and glacier ice melt
that comprised the streamflow of the River Rhine during the study period 1901–2006. One particular
interest was the analysis of the flow composition during extreme low flow conditions in the mid and
lower reaches of the River Rhine based on the modelled daily streamflow components. The long study
period may elucidate trends and changes in streamflow as a result of a combined influence of climate
change, glacier retreat, and an increase in reservoir storage and regulation during the 20th Century. The
governing idea for the study was that all analyses and modelling should be based on as observed data
as much as possible.