On the configuration and initialization of a large-scale hydrological land surface model to represent permafrost
<p>Permafrost is an important feature of cold-region hydrology, particularly in river basins such as the Mackenzie River basin (MRB), and it needs to be properly represented in hydrological and land surface models (H-LSMs) built into existing Earth system models (ESMs), especially under the un...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/24/349/2020/hess-24-349-2020.pdf |
| _version_ | 1819147202155511808 |
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| author | M. E. Elshamy D. Princz G. Sapriza-Azuri M. S. Abdelhamed A. Pietroniro A. Pietroniro H. S. Wheater S. Razavi |
| author_facet | M. E. Elshamy D. Princz G. Sapriza-Azuri M. S. Abdelhamed A. Pietroniro A. Pietroniro H. S. Wheater S. Razavi |
| author_sort | M. E. Elshamy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Permafrost is an important feature of cold-region hydrology, particularly in
river basins such as the Mackenzie River basin (MRB), and it needs to be
properly represented in hydrological and land surface models (H-LSMs) built
into existing Earth system models (ESMs), especially under the unprecedented
climate warming trends that have been observed. Higher rates of warming have
been reported in high latitudes compared to the global average, resulting in
permafrost thaw with wide-ranging implications for hydrology and feedbacks
to climate. The current generation of H-LSMs is being improved to simulate
permafrost dynamics by allowing deep soil profiles and incorporating organic
soils explicitly. Deeper soil profiles have larger hydraulic and thermal
memories that require more effort to initialize. This study aims to devise a
robust, yet computationally efficient, initialization and parameterization
approach applicable to regions where data are scarce and simulations
typically require large computational resources. The study further
demonstrates an upscaling approach to inform large-scale ESM simulations
based on the insights gained by modelling at small scales. We used
permafrost observations from three sites along the Mackenzie River valley
spanning different permafrost classes to test the validity of the approach.
Results show generally good performance in reproducing present-climate
permafrost properties at the three sites. The results also emphasize the
sensitivity of the simulations to the soil layering scheme used, the depth
to bedrock, and the organic soil properties.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:26:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-587bafcfa6054f678a94afa0e6c616e8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:26:04Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-587bafcfa6054f678a94afa0e6c616e82022-12-21T18:24:18ZengCopernicus PublicationsHydrology and Earth System Sciences1027-56061607-79382020-01-012434937910.5194/hess-24-349-2020On the configuration and initialization of a large-scale hydrological land surface model to represent permafrostM. E. Elshamy0D. Princz1G. Sapriza-Azuri2M. S. Abdelhamed3A. Pietroniro4A. Pietroniro5H. S. Wheater6S. Razavi7Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK, CanadaEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK, CanadaDepartamento del Agua, Centro Universitario Regional Norte (CENUR), Litoral Norte, Universidad de la República, Salto, UruguayGlobal Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK, CanadaGlobal Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK, CanadaEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK, CanadaGlobal Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK, CanadaGlobal Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, 11 Innovation Blvd, Saskatoon, SK, Canada<p>Permafrost is an important feature of cold-region hydrology, particularly in river basins such as the Mackenzie River basin (MRB), and it needs to be properly represented in hydrological and land surface models (H-LSMs) built into existing Earth system models (ESMs), especially under the unprecedented climate warming trends that have been observed. Higher rates of warming have been reported in high latitudes compared to the global average, resulting in permafrost thaw with wide-ranging implications for hydrology and feedbacks to climate. The current generation of H-LSMs is being improved to simulate permafrost dynamics by allowing deep soil profiles and incorporating organic soils explicitly. Deeper soil profiles have larger hydraulic and thermal memories that require more effort to initialize. This study aims to devise a robust, yet computationally efficient, initialization and parameterization approach applicable to regions where data are scarce and simulations typically require large computational resources. The study further demonstrates an upscaling approach to inform large-scale ESM simulations based on the insights gained by modelling at small scales. We used permafrost observations from three sites along the Mackenzie River valley spanning different permafrost classes to test the validity of the approach. Results show generally good performance in reproducing present-climate permafrost properties at the three sites. The results also emphasize the sensitivity of the simulations to the soil layering scheme used, the depth to bedrock, and the organic soil properties.</p>https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/24/349/2020/hess-24-349-2020.pdf |
| spellingShingle | M. E. Elshamy D. Princz G. Sapriza-Azuri M. S. Abdelhamed A. Pietroniro A. Pietroniro H. S. Wheater S. Razavi On the configuration and initialization of a large-scale hydrological land surface model to represent permafrost Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| title | On the configuration and initialization of a large-scale hydrological land surface model to represent permafrost |
| title_full | On the configuration and initialization of a large-scale hydrological land surface model to represent permafrost |
| title_fullStr | On the configuration and initialization of a large-scale hydrological land surface model to represent permafrost |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the configuration and initialization of a large-scale hydrological land surface model to represent permafrost |
| title_short | On the configuration and initialization of a large-scale hydrological land surface model to represent permafrost |
| title_sort | on the configuration and initialization of a large scale hydrological land surface model to represent permafrost |
| url | https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/24/349/2020/hess-24-349-2020.pdf |
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