Explore¶

Explore shows the model results on a map. The left panel contains the tools for choosing what to show, and the Details pane on the right describes the place you click and the layer on display.

Left panel¶

On a wide screen the panel is pinned open beside the map. On a narrow screen or a phone it becomes a rail of icons that opens when you hover over it or tap it. The pin at the top of the panel switches between the two.

Layers¶

A layer is one model variable for one model version and climate. On your first visit, Precipitation (Default · Observed) is added for you.

To add a layer:

Under Layers, select + Add. The Add a layer window opens.
Choose a Base model and a Scenario, and a GCM where the scenario has one. Only combinations that have been published are offered.
Type in Search layers to filter the variables, then add the one you want.
The layer appears in the list under Layers.

Layers marked Preview are placeholders for planned results and draw no model data.

Each layer in the list has:

a tick box to show or hide it;
× to remove it from the list;
Opacity, a slider in percent;
Show legend, which shows the colour scale on the map.

You can add several layers, but only one model layer is visible at a time. Showing one hides the others without removing them.

Rivers¶

Rivers (Modelled river network) is in the list from the start, unticked. Ticking it draws the river network of the published regions on the flat map, with larger rivers drawn wider. Zoomed out, only the large rivers show; zooming in adds the smaller ones. It can be shown together with a model layer. If you remove it with ×, Add a layer offers it again under Reference. A shared link keeps it on.

Click a river to see its details (see River details).

Gauges¶

Gauges (Observed discharge, coloured by model fit) is also in the list from the start, unticked. Ticking it shows the gauging stations of the published regions, coloured by how well the model reproduces their observed flow (see Evaluation). Like Rivers, it can be shown together with a model layer, and if you remove it, Add a layer offers it again under Reference.

Colour by in its row chooses the metric: NSE, KGE (the default), PBIAS or MAE. The legend on the map follows the choice. A station with fewer than 24 months of overlapping simulated and observed flow is grey and marked "not scored", with the reason.

Clicking a station opens its details in the Details pane: the station's facts, its metrics, and its monthly simulated and observed flow. Advanced details opens the full charts for the river reach the station is matched to (see River details). Observed flow is shown to signed-in users only; other visitors see "Sign in to see observed flow".

A shared link keeps the gauges and the chosen metric.

Regions¶

The Regions group finds the model regions of the active layer that have results for the live period (see Time).

Find a modelled region searches the regions by name; the continent is shown next to each match. Arrow keys and Enter choose a match.
Recently updated lists up to five regions whose maps were published in the last 30 days, newest first, with the continent and the date (for example "Save · Africa · 20 Oct 2026"). Selecting one chooses it. When there are none, the list says "No regions updated in the last 30 days."

A chosen region appears below with three controls:

Zoom to frames the region on the map.
Show border draws its outline.
Clip to region hides the layer outside the region. The clip is kept in the view link.

A region whose border is shown or that is clipped stays in the list, so it can be turned off again.

A region whose results cover only part of the live period shows those years only, with a note under its name such as "1984–1986 only; not in the annual average."

Finding a place¶

Find a place searches countries, their administrative areas and towns.

Countries and districts¶

Type in the Country, district or town box and choose a country.
Choose an Administrative level (Level 1, 2 or 3). The levels differ from country to country.
Search the District box and choose an area. Once a country is chosen, its districts can also be found in the first box.

The map zooms to the area and outlines it. The boundaries come from geoBoundaries, credited with its licence under the search box.

Towns¶

Typing a town's name in the same box suggests matching towns with their country and province, for example "Chimoio · Mozambique · Manica". Names can be typed without accents: "Cordoba" finds Córdoba. Choosing a town zooms the map to it and marks it, and opens its details when a model layer is shown. A town does not change the chosen country or the clip.

The towns are the populated places of Natural Earth, about 7,300 worldwide, so smaller towns may be missing.

Clipping¶

Clip to selection, on by default, shows data only inside the chosen country, or inside the chosen district when there is one. The note under the switch names the area, for example "The map shows data inside Zimbabwe only." Clearing the selection removes the clip.

Only one clip applies at a time: the one turned on last. Ticking Clip to region in the Regions group replaces the area clip, and turning Clip to selection back on returns to the area.

Reference layers¶

Layer	Shows
Country borders	National boundaries.
District borders	Administrative boundaries of the country chosen in Find a place.
Basemap	The background map. It can be turned off.
Subregion outlines	The subregions of each model, where they have been published. Elsewhere the switch is marked "Not published".

Time¶

The site shows results for one run period, the live period, currently 1980 to 1986 with two warm-up years, so the maps cover 1982 to 1986. Each layer has one map per year of the live period and an annual average, in millimetres per year for water balance variables. Time view in the left panel chooses between them, its heading shows the current choice, and its note reads "Maps cover the live period, 1982–1986."

Annual average, the default: one map, averaged over the map years. Regions whose results cover only part of the live period are left out of it. It is unavailable for a layer without one.
Yearly: one map per year. Choosing it prepares the maps for the current view, as Load in the time bar does.

In Yearly view, the time bar at the bottom of the map steps through the years: play, back and forward, with Speed and Loop for the playback. The slider picks a year. Moving or zooming the map returns to the annual average, and Time view switches back with it.

Results are published region by region as model runs finish. A region with no results for the live period does not appear.

Details pane¶

The Details pane starts closed, and the map uses the full width. To open it, select the Details tab at the right edge of the map; the arrow at the top of the pane closes it again.

The pane opens by itself when you click a place, a river or a gauging station on the map, or choose a country, district or town in Find a place. If you close it, it stays closed until the next such click. While it is closed, the legend of the active layer is shown in a small box at the bottom right of the map.

For a place you click, the pane shows:

the value of the active layer at that place for the year on display;
a chart of the yearly series at that place, with a trend line when the series has at least ten years;
a link to the Data page for downloads.

Below the place details, the pane describes the active layer (its units, period and attribution) and shows its legend.

River details¶

Clicking near a river shows that river reach in the Details pane:

its upstream area;
its mean flow, for the year on display or for the whole period;
its yearly mean flow, the mean over the period, and its highest and lowest month;
the gauging station matched to it, if there is one.

Advanced details opens a window with Flow out and Flow in tabs. Each shows:

a monthly hydrograph, with the observed flow and the fit scores (see Evaluation) when a station is matched. Drag the edges under the chart to zoom in on a period;
a flow duration curve on a log scale;
the monthly regime, with the range across the years;
the yearly volume in km³;
a link to the Data page.

Observed flow is shown to signed-in users only, while the licence for the observations is being settled. Other visitors see "Sign in to see observed flow" in its place. Sediment and nutrients are not shown yet.

Copy view link copies a link that opens the map with the same layer, opacity, clip, chosen area, basemap, view and year. The link is also shown as text so it can be copied by hand. A link to a place opens the Details pane with that place's details.

Map settings¶

The gear at the bottom of the left panel opens Map settings:

Map view: Flat map or Globe.
Flat map base layer: OpenStreetMap or Satellite. Satellite imagery uses more data.

The globe shows satellite imagery only. Model layers are shown on the flat map, and the status line says so when the globe is selected.