- 1Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany (ehsan.modiri@gmail.com)
- 2Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Praha-Suchdol 16500, Czech Republic
- 3Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.115, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- 4Institute of Bio- and Geosciences Agrosphere (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, 52428, Jülich, Germany
- 5Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, via Mesiano, 77, 38123, Trento, Italy
- 6Research Group of Hydrological and Environmental Modelling (GIMHA), Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camì de Vera, s/n. 46022, Valencia, Spain
- 7Operational Water Management & Early Warning Department, Deltares, P.O. Box 177, 2600 MH, Delft, The Netherlands
- 8Hydrology and Environmental Hydraulics group, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- 9Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
Accurate representation of terrestrial Essential Climate Variables (tECVs) is crucial for practically understanding the Earth's climate system and supporting policy decisions. This study initiates benchmarking practices within the Land Surface/Hydrologic Model (LSM/HM) communities by integrating high-resolution data with hyper-resolution hydrological modelling. The European Space Agency (ESA)-funded 4DHydro project employs six advanced LSM/HMs: Community Land Model (CLM), GEOfram, mesoscale Hydrologic Model (mHM), PCRaster Global Water Balance (PCR-GLOBWB), TETIS, and wflow_sbm.
We benchmark, calibrate, and analyze scalability using consistent EMO1 precipitation forcings, focusing on 1 km spatial resolution. We introduce a novel multi-basin (MB) calibration technique based on streamflow data from the Po, Rhine, and Tugela River basins, highlighting its impact on model performance. Scalability analysis evaluates computational trade-offs and performance improvements at higher resolutions while ensuring flux matching. The study includes 34 simulations addressing water balance closure to enhance tECVs.
Key findings explore the advantages of high-resolution modelling, introducing a reference benchmark dataset of 1 km hydrological simulations, optimal gauge selection for MB calibration, and comparative performance of different LSMs and HMs in flux matching across spatial scales. These insights contribute to advancing the integration of high-resolution data with hydrological modelling, promoting consistent and accurate terrestrial ECVs at regional and continental scales.
How to cite: Modiri, E., Rakovec, O., Shrestha, P. K., Droppers, B., Avila, L., Azimi, S., Salehi, H., Cortes-Torres, N., Güiza-Villa, N., Imhoff, R., Frances, F., Kollet, S., Rigon, R., Weerts, A., García-García, A., and Samaniego, L.: Advancing Terrestrial ECVs through High-Resolution Hydrological Modeling: Insights from the 4DHydro Project, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13751, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13751, 2025.
