VIC

Provide a basin boundary shapefile and forcing data, set the VIC_BASIN_NAME, VIC_BASIN_SHP, and related environment variables, then run pipeline stages s1 through s10 in order. Soil parameters must be generated before forcing because process_forcing.py reads grid coordinates from SOIL_PARAM_COMPLETE.txt.

VIC does not route internally; it outputs per-cell runoff and baseflow in millimeters. You must run the Lohmann route_1.0 binary via s5_routing/build_routing_param.py and s5_routing/run_routing.py to produce daily gauge discharge in m³/s.

VIC needs precipitation, air temperature, pressure, vapor pressure, shortwave and longwave radiation, and wind. The pipeline converts CMFD, MSWX, or NASA POWER data into per-cell 7-column ASCII forcing, handling unit conversions such as kg m-2 s-1 to mm per step and Kelvin to Celsius.

This error occurs when the global parameter file has a path after FROZEN_SOIL instead of a boolean value. Regenerate the file from the shipped template and verify FROZEN_SOIL is set to FALSE, or check diagnostics/triplets.yaml for the matching remedy.

VIC 5.1.0 supports frozen soil, elevation snow bands, lakes, and carbon cycle processes, but these require FULL_ENERGY=TRUE and additional parameter files. The current pipeline covers basic water balance; advanced modes need manual configuration beyond the standard tools.

Following the Moriasi convention cited in the validation contract, daily discharge NSE is satisfactory at 0.5 or above, good at 0.65, and very good at 0.75, with PBIAS within 10-15 percent. Scores are judged against these cited bars, not intuition.