Integrating the Interconnections Between Groundwater and Land Surface Processes Through the Coupled NASA Land Information System and ParFlow Environment

Abstract Understanding the interactions between the atmosphere, the land, and the subsurface is fundamental to hydrology and is critical for a better assessment of the impacts of climate change and human management on hydrological systems. However, many land surface models simplify the subsurface hy...

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Main Authors: Fadji Z. Maina, Dan Rosen, Peyman Abbaszadeh, Chen Yang, Sujay V. Kumar, Matthew Rodell, Reed Maxwell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2025-02-01
Series:Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024MS004415
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author Fadji Z. Maina
Dan Rosen
Peyman Abbaszadeh
Chen Yang
Sujay V. Kumar
Matthew Rodell
Reed Maxwell
author_facet Fadji Z. Maina
Dan Rosen
Peyman Abbaszadeh
Chen Yang
Sujay V. Kumar
Matthew Rodell
Reed Maxwell
author_sort Fadji Z. Maina
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Understanding the interactions between the atmosphere, the land, and the subsurface is fundamental to hydrology and is critical for a better assessment of the impacts of climate change and human management on hydrological systems. However, many land surface models simplify the subsurface hydrology and thereby these interactions. In this study, we couple the land surface model Noah‐MP included in the NASA Land Information System (LIS) with the integrated hydrologic model ParFlow (ParFlow‐LIS) using the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) and the National United Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC). This coupling improves the simulation of water and energy cycle processes by adding the three‐dimensional variably saturated and heterogeneous flow in the subsurface using sophisticated and nonlinear physics‐based equations as well as the advances in satellite remote sensing‐based data assimilation of the land surface, thereby benefiting the integrated hydrologic modeling and data assimilation community. We use the High Plains aquifer, located in the central United States, as a testbed to evaluate the coupled ParFlow‐LIS system. The new ParFlow‐LIS system accounts for the effects of topographically driven flows on the land surface, producing more fine‐scale patterns of land surface states and fluxes than standalone LIS. In addition, ParFlow‐LIS enables the consideration of the effect of subsurface water storage on evapotranspiration. This is particularly important in areas and times with dry soils, such as during drought conditions or in the presence of a cone of depression due to pumping.
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spelling doaj-art-913f8e536cd647259e9b0221a55cd2e52025-08-20T02:09:29ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems1942-24662025-02-01172n/an/a10.1029/2024MS004415Integrating the Interconnections Between Groundwater and Land Surface Processes Through the Coupled NASA Land Information System and ParFlow EnvironmentFadji Z. Maina0Dan Rosen1Peyman Abbaszadeh2Chen Yang3Sujay V. Kumar4Matthew Rodell5Reed Maxwell6NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Hydrological Sciences Laboratory Greenbelt MD USAClimate & Global Dynamics Lab The National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering Princeton University Princeton NJ USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering Princeton University Princeton NJ USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Hydrological Sciences Laboratory Greenbelt MD USANASA Goddard Space Flight Center Earth Sciences for Hydrosphere Biosphere, and Geophysics Greenbelt MD USADepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering Princeton University Princeton NJ USAAbstract Understanding the interactions between the atmosphere, the land, and the subsurface is fundamental to hydrology and is critical for a better assessment of the impacts of climate change and human management on hydrological systems. However, many land surface models simplify the subsurface hydrology and thereby these interactions. In this study, we couple the land surface model Noah‐MP included in the NASA Land Information System (LIS) with the integrated hydrologic model ParFlow (ParFlow‐LIS) using the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) and the National United Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC). This coupling improves the simulation of water and energy cycle processes by adding the three‐dimensional variably saturated and heterogeneous flow in the subsurface using sophisticated and nonlinear physics‐based equations as well as the advances in satellite remote sensing‐based data assimilation of the land surface, thereby benefiting the integrated hydrologic modeling and data assimilation community. We use the High Plains aquifer, located in the central United States, as a testbed to evaluate the coupled ParFlow‐LIS system. The new ParFlow‐LIS system accounts for the effects of topographically driven flows on the land surface, producing more fine‐scale patterns of land surface states and fluxes than standalone LIS. In addition, ParFlow‐LIS enables the consideration of the effect of subsurface water storage on evapotranspiration. This is particularly important in areas and times with dry soils, such as during drought conditions or in the presence of a cone of depression due to pumping.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024MS004415land surface modelingintegrated hydrologic modelssubsurface flowevapotranspirationpumpingirrigation
spellingShingle Fadji Z. Maina
Dan Rosen
Peyman Abbaszadeh
Chen Yang
Sujay V. Kumar
Matthew Rodell
Reed Maxwell
Integrating the Interconnections Between Groundwater and Land Surface Processes Through the Coupled NASA Land Information System and ParFlow Environment
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
land surface modeling
integrated hydrologic models
subsurface flow
evapotranspiration
pumping
irrigation
title Integrating the Interconnections Between Groundwater and Land Surface Processes Through the Coupled NASA Land Information System and ParFlow Environment
title_full Integrating the Interconnections Between Groundwater and Land Surface Processes Through the Coupled NASA Land Information System and ParFlow Environment
title_fullStr Integrating the Interconnections Between Groundwater and Land Surface Processes Through the Coupled NASA Land Information System and ParFlow Environment
title_full_unstemmed Integrating the Interconnections Between Groundwater and Land Surface Processes Through the Coupled NASA Land Information System and ParFlow Environment
title_short Integrating the Interconnections Between Groundwater and Land Surface Processes Through the Coupled NASA Land Information System and ParFlow Environment
title_sort integrating the interconnections between groundwater and land surface processes through the coupled nasa land information system and parflow environment
topic land surface modeling
integrated hydrologic models
subsurface flow
evapotranspiration
pumping
irrigation
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024MS004415
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