Are Model Complexity and Transferability Antithetical? Insights from Validation of a Variable-Complexity Snow Model on New Conditions

The related challenges of predictions in ungauged basins and predictions in ungauged climates point to the
need to develop environmental models that are transferable across both space and time. Hydrologic modeling has
historically focused on modelling one or only a few basins using highly parameterized conceptual or physically
based models. However, model parameters and structures have been shown to change significantly when calibrated
to new basins or time periods, suggesting that model complexity and model transferability may be antithetical.