ALBERT

Description: This study analyzes the added value of a regional climate model hindcast with respect to snow water equivalent (SWE) for Siberia when compared to SWE estimates from forcing NCEP-R. In addition, we examine the discrepancies of simulated SWE to several recent reanalysis products (NCEP-R2 NCEP-CFSR, ERA-Interim). We apply the regional climate model COSMO-CLM (CCLM) to a 50 km grid spacing using NCEP-R1 as driving force to obtain a 63 yr (1948 to 2010) gridded dataset of historical SWE. Simulated regional climate data is necessary because of the absence of station data in that region. To perform large-scale assessments we use the satellite-derived daily SWE product of ESA DUE GlobSnow from 1987 to 2010. Russian station SWE data is used for cross-checking the findings. In January (mid-winter), the SWE hindcast is in good agreement with GlobSnow, whereas it overestimates SWE during the melting season. CCLM shows a clear added value in providing realistic SWE information compared to the driving reanalysis. The temporal consistency of CCLM is higher than that presented by ERA-Interim and NCEP-R2.

Description: The aim of this study is to derive a realistic estimation of the Surface Mass Balance (SMB) of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) through statistical downscaling of Global Coupled Model (GCM) outputs. To this end, climate simulations performed with the CNRM-CM5.1 Atmosphere-Ocean GCM within the CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5) framework are used for the period 1850–2300. From the year 2006, two different emission scenarios are considered (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Simulations of SMB performed with the detailed snowpack model Crocus driven by CNRM-CM5.1 surface atmospheric forcings serve as a reference. On the basis of these simulations, statistical relationships between total precipitation, snow-ratio, snowmelt, sublimation and near-surface air temperature are established. This leads to the formulation of SMB variation as a function of temperature variation. Based on this function, a downscaling technique is proposed in order to refine 150 km horizontal resolution SMB output from CNRM-CM5.1 to a 15 km resolution grid. This leads to a much better estimation of SMB along the GrIS margins, where steep topography gradients are not correctly represented at low-resolution. For the recent past (1989–2008), the integrated SMB over the GrIS is respectively 309 and 243 Gt yr–1 for raw and downscaled CNRM-CM5.1. In comparison, the Crocus snowpack model forced with ERA-Interim yields a value of 245 Gt yr–1. The major part of the remaining discrepancy between Crocus and downscaled CNRM-CM5.1 SMB is due to the different snow albedo representation. The difference between the raw and the downscaled SMB tends to increase with near-surface air temperature via an increase in snowmelt.

Description: This study analyzes the added value of a regional climate model hindcast of CCLM compared to global reanalyses in providing a reconstruction of recent past snow water equivalent (SWE) for Siberia. Consistent regional climate data in time and space is necessary due to lack of station data in that region. We focus on SWE since it represents an important snow cover parameter in a region where snow has the potential to feed back to the climate of the whole Northern Hemisphere. The simulation was performed in a 50 km grid spacing for the period 1948 to 2010 using NCEP Reanalysis 1 as boundary forcing. Daily observational reference data for the period of 1987–2010 was obtained by the satellite derived SWE product of ESA DUE GlobSnow that enables a large scale assessment. The analyses includes comparisons of the distribution of snow cover extent, example time series of monthly SWE for January and April, regional characteristics of long-term monthly mean, standard deviation and temporal correlation averaged over subregions. SWE of CCLM is compared against the SWE information of NCEP-R1 itself and three more reanalyses (NCEP-R2, NCEP-CFSR, ERA-Interim). We demonstrate a significant added value of the CCLM hindcast during snow accumulation period shown for January for many subregions compared to SWE of NCEP-R1. NCEP-R1 mostly underestimates SWE during whole snow season. CCLM overestimates SWE compared to the satellite-derived product during April – a month representing the beginning of snow melt in southern regions. We illustrate that SWE of the regional hindcast is more consistent in time than ERA-Interim and NCEP-R2 and thus add realistic detail.

Description: Storfjorden (Svalbard) is a sill-fjord with an active polynya and exemplifies the dense water formation process over the Arctic shelves. Here we report on our simulations of Storfjorden covering the freezing season of 1999–2000 using an eddy-permitting 3-D ocean circulation model with a fully coupled dynamic and thermodynamic sea-ice model. The model results in the polynya region and of the dense water plume flowing over the sill crest are compared to observations. The connections of the overflow at the sill to the dense water production at the polynya and to the local wind forcing are investigated. Both the overflow and the polynya dynamics are found to be sensitive to wind forcing. In response to freezing and brine rejection over the polynya, the buoyancy forcing initiates an abrupt positive density anomaly. While the ocean integrates the buoyancy forcing over several polynya events (about 25 days), the wind forcing dominates the overflow response at the sill at weather scale. In the model, the density excess is diluted in the basin and leads to a gradual build-up of dense water behind the sill. The overflow transport is typically inferred from observations using a single current profiler at the sill crest. Despite the significant variability of the plume width, we show that a constant overflow width of 15 km produces realistic estimates of the overflow volume transport. Another difficulty in monitoring the overflow is measuring the plume thickness in the absence of hydrographic profiles. Volume flux estimates assuming a constant plume width and the thickness inferred from velocity profiles explain 58% of the modelled overflow volume flux variance and agrees to within 10% when averaged over the overflow season.

Description: The formation of deep and intermediate waters in the Arctic Ocean is primarily due to high salinity shelf waters sinking down the continental slopes. Storfjorden (Svalbard) is a sill-fjord with an active polynya and exemplifies the dense water formation process over the Arctic shelves. Here we report on our simulations of Storfjorden covering the freezing season of 1999–2000 using an eddy-permitting 3-D ocean circulation model with a fully coupled dynamic and thermodynamic sea-ice model. The model results in the polynya region and of the dense water plume flowing over the sill crest are compared to observations. The connections of the overflow at the sill to the dense water production at the polynya and to the local wind forcing are investigated. Both the overflow and the polynya dynamics are found to be sensitive to wind forcing. In response to freezing and brine rejection over the polynya, the buoyancy forcing initiates an abrupt positive density anomaly. While the ocean integrates the buoyancy forcing over several polynya events (about 25 days), the wind forcing dominates the overflow response at the sill at weather scale. In the model, the density excess is diluted in the basin and leads to a gradual build-up of dense water behind the sill. The overflow transport is typically inferred from observations using a single current profiler at the sill crest. Despite the significant variability of the plume width, we show that a constant overflow width of 15 km produces realistic estimates of the overflow volume transport. Another difficulty in monitoring the overflow is measuring the plume thickness in the absence of hydrographic profiles. Volume flux estimates assuming a constant plume width and the thickness inferred from velocity profiles explain 58% of the modelled overflow volume flux variance and agrees to within 10% when averaged over the overflow season.

Description: Due to their heterogeneous nature, karst aquifers pose a major challenge for hydrogeological investigations. Important procedures like the delineation of catchment areas for springs are hindered by the unknown locations and hydraulic properties of highly conductive karstic zones. In this work numerical modeling was employed as a tool in delineating catchment areas of several springs within a karst area in southwestern Germany. For this purpose, different distributive modeling approaches were implemented in the finite element simulation software Comsol Multiphysics®. The investigation focuses on the question to which degree the effect of karstification has to be taken into account for accurately simulating the hydraulic head distribution and the observed spring discharges. The results reveal that the representation of heterogeneities has a large influence on the delineation of the catchment areas. Not only the location of highly conductive elements but also their geometries play a major role for the resulting hydraulic head distribution and thus for catchment area delineation. The size distribution of the karst conduits derived from the numerical models agrees with knowledge from karst genesis. It was thus shown that numerical modeling is a useful tool for catchment delineation in karst aquifers based on results from different field observations.

Description: In this paper we present a semi-automatic method to infer groundwater flow-paths based on the extraction of lineaments from digital elevation models. This method is especially adequate in remote and inaccessible areas where in-situ data are scarce. The combined method of linear filtering and object-based classification provides a lineament map with a high degree of accuracy. Subsequently, lineaments are differentiated into geological and morphological lineaments using auxiliary information and finally evaluated in terms of hydro-geological significance. Using the example of the western catchment of the Dead Sea (Israel/Palestine), the orientation and location of the differentiated lineaments are compared to characteristics of known structural features. We demonstrate that a strong correlation between lineaments and structural features exists. Using Euclidean distances between lineaments and wells provides an assessment criterion to evaluate the hydraulic significance of detected lineaments. Based on this analysis, we suggest that the statistical analysis of lineaments allows a delineation of flow-paths and thus significant information on groundwater movements. To validate the flow-paths we compare them to existing results of groundwater models that are based on well data.

Description: The objective of this work is the simulation of saturated and unsaturated flow in a karstified aquifer using a double continuum approach. The HydroGeoSphere code (Therrien et al., 2006) is employed to simulate spring discharge with the Richards equations and van Genuchten parameters to represent flow in the (1) fractured matrix and (2) conduit continuum coupled by a linear exchange term. Rapid vertical small-scale flow processes in the unsaturated conduit continuum are accounted for by applying recharge boundary conditions at the bottom of the saturated model domain. An extensive sensitivity analysis is performed on single parameters as well as parameter combinations. The transient hydraulic response of the karst spring is strongly controlled by the matrix porosity as well as the van Genuchten parameters of the unsaturated matrix, which determine the head dependent inter-continuum water transfer when the conduits are draining the matrix. Sensitivities of parameter combinations partially reveal a non-linear dependence over the parameter space. This can be observed for parameters not belonging to the same continuum as well as combinations, which involve the exchange parameter, showing that results of the double continuum model may depict a certain degree of ambiguity. The application of van Genuchten parameters for simulation of unsaturated flow in karst systems is critically discussed.

Description: The deduction by conventional means of qualitative and quantitative information about groundwater discharge into lakes is complicated. Nevertheless, at least for semi-arid regions with limited surface water availability, this information is crucial to ensure future water availability for drinking and irrigation purposes. Overcoming this lack of discharge information, we present a satellite-based multi-temporal sea-surface-temperature (SST) approach. It exploits the occurrence of thermal anomalies to outline groundwater discharge locations using the example of the Dead Sea. Based on a set of 19 Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) images 6.2 (high gain), recorded between 2000 and 2002, we developed a novel approach which includes (i) an objective exclusion of surface-runoff-influenced data which would otherwise lead to erroneous results and (ii) a temporal SST variability analysis based on six statistical measures amplifying thermal anomalies caused by groundwater. After excluding data influenced by surface runoff, we concluded that spatial anomaly patterns of the standard deviation and range of the SST data series spatially fit best to in situ observed discharge locations and, hence, are most suitable for detecting groundwater discharge sites.

Description: Karst aquifers are characterized by highly conductive conduit flow paths embedded in a less conductive fissured and fractured matrix, resulting in strong permeability contrasts with structured heterogeneity and anisotropy. Groundwater storage occurs predominantly in the fissured matrix. Hence, most mathematical karst models assume quasi-steady-state flow in conduits neglecting conduit-associated drainable storage (CADS). The concept of CADS considers storage volumes, where karst water is not part of the active flow system but hydraulically connected to conduits (for example karstic voids and large fractures). The disregard of conduit storage can be inappropriate when direct water abstraction from karst conduits occurs, e.g., large-scale pumping. In such cases, CADS may be relevant. Furthermore, the typical fixed-head boundary condition at the karst outlet can be inadequate for water abstraction scenarios because unhampered water inflow is possible. The objective of this work is to analyze the significance of CADS and flow-limited boundary conditions on the hydraulic behavior of karst aquifers in water abstraction scenarios. To this end, the numerical discrete-continuum model MODFLOW-2005 Conduit Flow Process Mode 1 (CFPM1) is enhanced to account for CADS. Additionally, a fixed-head limited-flow (FHLQ) boundary condition is added that limits inflow from constant head boundaries to a user-defined threshold. The effects and the proper functioning of these modifications are demonstrated by simplified model studies. Both enhancements, CADS and FHLQ boundary, are shown to be useful for water abstraction scenarios within karst aquifers. An idealized representation of a large-scale pumping test in a karst conduit is used to demonstrate that the enhanced CFPM1 is able to adequately represent water abstraction processes in both the conduits and the matrix of real karst systems, as illustrated by its application to the Cent Fonts karst system.