Global Groundwater Modeling and Monitoring: Opportunities and Challenges. Issue 12 (8th December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Condon, Laura E.; Kollet, Stefan; Bierkens, Marc F. P.; Fogg, Graham E.; Maxwell, Reed M.; Hill, Mary C.; Fransen, Harrie‐Jan Hendricks; Verhoef, Anne; Van Loon, Anne F.; Sulis, Mauro; Abesser, Corinna
• Is Part Of: Water resources research. Volume 57:Issue 12(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-12-08
• Subjects: groundwater -- modeling -- global; Hydrology -- Periodicals; 333.91
• DOI: 10.1029/2020WR029500
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0043-1397

Abstract

Abstract: Groundwater is by far the largest unfrozen freshwater resource on the planet. It plays a critical role as the bottom of the hydrologic cycle, redistributing water in the subsurface and supporting plants and surface water bodies. However, groundwater has historically been excluded or greatly simplified in global models. In recent years, there has been an international push to develop global scale groundwater modeling and analysis. This progress has provided some critical first steps. Still, much additional work will be needed to achieve a consistent global groundwater framework that interacts seamlessly with observational datasets and other earth system and global circulation models. Here we outline a vision for a global groundwater platform for groundwater monitoring and prediction and identify the key technological and data challenges that are currently limiting progress. Any global platform of this type must be interdisciplinary and cannot be achieved by the groundwater modeling community in isolation. Therefore, we also provide a high‐level overview of the groundwater system, approaches to groundwater modeling and the current state of global groundwater representations, such that readers of all backgrounds can engage in this challenge. Plain Language Summary: Groundwater is an important part of the water cycle but we are still working on the best ways to include it in global models. This study provides an overview of the state of the science for groundwater modeling and outlines a road map for what is needed to improve global groundwater models. Key Points: A global groundwater framework is needed to address critical gaps in our understanding and predictive capacity of the hydrologic cycle We envision a framework that will combine observations and models to provide spatially and temporally continuous groundwater information The proposed framework could improve predictability in existing models and provide valuable new information for water management