Land-Atmosphere-Hydrosphere Interactions in Urban Terrains
Abstract
Researchers have successfully coupled numerical models to simulate groundwater, surface water, land surface and atmosphere interactions in natural landscapes. The coupled modeling approach can provide a more realistic representation of hydrological and atmospheric processes, compared to stand-alone model components, for some hydrogeologic conditions. Although a number of studies have successfully implemented coupled models in natural areas, few studies have been carried out for urban domains. Our work explores surface and subsurface interactions with the atmosphere in urban regions using the groundwater model Parflow coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model and Princeton Urban Canopy Model (WRF/PUCM). We seek to address the following overarching question: How do subsurface-surface-atmosphere connections vary across urban regions and during climatic extremes, and what are the implications for urban water sustainability? Specifically, we aim to capture important sustainability processes and indicators that will allow us to understand: (1) which urban surface elements and processes have more dominant roles in ground-surface-atmosphere interactions; (2) which hydrological and atmospheric attributes are most sensitive to coupling in urban areas; (3) how much urban evapotranspiration comes from groundwater, compared to local rainwater surface infiltration and irrigation; (4) what the effects are of the water table elevation on atmospheric processes; and (5) how climate change will influence the nature and implications of the interactions.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFM.H13C1375T
- Keywords:
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- 0414 Biogeochemical cycles;
- processes;
- and modeling;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 1803 Anthropogenic effects;
- HYDROLOGYDE: 1830 Groundwater/surface water interaction;
- HYDROLOGYDE: 1843 Land/atmosphere interactions;
- HYDROLOGY