Model Diagnostic Analysis in a Cold Basin Influenced by Frozen Soils With the Aid of Stable Isotope
Abstract Understanding the hydrological processes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) under climate change is an important scientific question. The frequent multiphase transfer exacerbates the complexity of hydrological processes on the TP, which brings equifinality problem to hydrological models and causes...
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Wiley
2024-06-01
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| Series: | Water Resources Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037218 |
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| author | Yi Nan Fuqiang Tian Zongxing Li |
| author_facet | Yi Nan Fuqiang Tian Zongxing Li |
| author_sort | Yi Nan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Understanding the hydrological processes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) under climate change is an important scientific question. The frequent multiphase transfer exacerbates the complexity of hydrological processes on the TP, which brings equifinality problem to hydrological models and causes large uncertainties in quantifying the contributions of runoff components. Tracer‐aided hydrological models are helpful for improving model performances and have been adopted in cryospheric regions, but the influence of frozen soil has yet to be considered. This study adopted the Tracer‐aided Tsinghua Representative Elementary Watershed model (THREW‐T) in a typical cold basin with widespread frozen soil on the TP. The model structure was diagnosed with isotope by identifying the influences of frozen soil. A simplified catchment‐scale frozen soil module was incorporated into the model. Results showed that: (a) The THREW‐T model cannot simultaneously simulate baseflow and stream water isotope well. The imbalance of simulations on two objectives could be attributed to the influence of frozen soil, resulting in seasonal variation of soil‐related parameters, which was not considered in the model. (b) Incorporating the frozen soil module significantly improved the balance of baseflow and isotope simulation, simultaneously producing low baseflow and high contribution of subsurface runoff during wet seasons. (c) The frozen soil had little influence on the annual streamflow, but changed the runoff seasonality by reducing baseflow during dry seasons and increasing subsurface runoff during wet seasons. The frozen soil module was still simplified, and further work is needed to improve the physical representation of soil freeze‐thaw process. This study highlights the value of tracer‐aided hydrological modeling method on diagnosing model structure by identifying the influence of specific processes such as frozen soil. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fb8088cdc8244db68c4fa6d4552b1db9 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0043-1397 1944-7973 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Resources Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-fb8088cdc8244db68c4fa6d4552b1db92025-08-20T03:22:18ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732024-06-01606n/an/a10.1029/2024WR037218Model Diagnostic Analysis in a Cold Basin Influenced by Frozen Soils With the Aid of Stable IsotopeYi Nan0Fuqiang Tian1Zongxing Li2State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering & Department of Hydraulic Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering & Department of Hydraulic Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing ChinaKey Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaAbstract Understanding the hydrological processes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) under climate change is an important scientific question. The frequent multiphase transfer exacerbates the complexity of hydrological processes on the TP, which brings equifinality problem to hydrological models and causes large uncertainties in quantifying the contributions of runoff components. Tracer‐aided hydrological models are helpful for improving model performances and have been adopted in cryospheric regions, but the influence of frozen soil has yet to be considered. This study adopted the Tracer‐aided Tsinghua Representative Elementary Watershed model (THREW‐T) in a typical cold basin with widespread frozen soil on the TP. The model structure was diagnosed with isotope by identifying the influences of frozen soil. A simplified catchment‐scale frozen soil module was incorporated into the model. Results showed that: (a) The THREW‐T model cannot simultaneously simulate baseflow and stream water isotope well. The imbalance of simulations on two objectives could be attributed to the influence of frozen soil, resulting in seasonal variation of soil‐related parameters, which was not considered in the model. (b) Incorporating the frozen soil module significantly improved the balance of baseflow and isotope simulation, simultaneously producing low baseflow and high contribution of subsurface runoff during wet seasons. (c) The frozen soil had little influence on the annual streamflow, but changed the runoff seasonality by reducing baseflow during dry seasons and increasing subsurface runoff during wet seasons. The frozen soil module was still simplified, and further work is needed to improve the physical representation of soil freeze‐thaw process. This study highlights the value of tracer‐aided hydrological modeling method on diagnosing model structure by identifying the influence of specific processes such as frozen soil.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037218model diagnostic analysistracer‐aided hydrological modelfrozen soilcold basinTibetan Plateau |
| spellingShingle | Yi Nan Fuqiang Tian Zongxing Li Model Diagnostic Analysis in a Cold Basin Influenced by Frozen Soils With the Aid of Stable Isotope Water Resources Research model diagnostic analysis tracer‐aided hydrological model frozen soil cold basin Tibetan Plateau |
| title | Model Diagnostic Analysis in a Cold Basin Influenced by Frozen Soils With the Aid of Stable Isotope |
| title_full | Model Diagnostic Analysis in a Cold Basin Influenced by Frozen Soils With the Aid of Stable Isotope |
| title_fullStr | Model Diagnostic Analysis in a Cold Basin Influenced by Frozen Soils With the Aid of Stable Isotope |
| title_full_unstemmed | Model Diagnostic Analysis in a Cold Basin Influenced by Frozen Soils With the Aid of Stable Isotope |
| title_short | Model Diagnostic Analysis in a Cold Basin Influenced by Frozen Soils With the Aid of Stable Isotope |
| title_sort | model diagnostic analysis in a cold basin influenced by frozen soils with the aid of stable isotope |
| topic | model diagnostic analysis tracer‐aided hydrological model frozen soil cold basin Tibetan Plateau |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037218 |
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