An Integrated Hydrologic Model Intercomparison Workshop to Develop Community Benchmark Problems

Colorado School Of Mines, Golden CO

Investigators

Abstract

There are a growing number of hydrologic models with fully 2D and 3D formulations that seek to combine surface and subsurface flow. These complex models fall into two broad categories: integrated and coupled, with about ten of these models available. Additionally, many of these models are coupled to land-surface energy balances, biogeochemical and ecological process models and to atmospheric models. While there is an increasing need and application for large scale, complex models of environmental function for hydrologic prediction and environmental understanding, no formal verification and/or benchmarking of these models has been performed. This workshop will gather many of the authors of these coupled, integrated environmental models for a first-of-a-kind model intercomparison. The workshop will perform a suite of benchmarking problems with each model and will run a series of idealized problems that emphasize and identify various model components and interactions. The benchmarking problems can then be used in subsequent future benchmarking intercomparison exercises and will be provided freely to anyone in the hydrologic community. This intercomparison will be published in a peer reviewed journal.