Soil–Vegetation–Atmosphere Transfer Schemes
and Large-Scale Hydrological Models

Edited by A. J. Dolman, A. J. Hall, M. L. Kavvas, T. Oki & J. W. Pomeroy

IAHS Publication no. 270 (published July 2001) in the IAHS Series of Proceedings and Reports
ISBN 1-901502-61-9; 372 + x pp.; price £ 59.50

Soil–vegetation–atmosphere interactions determine, to a large extent, the global climate and the behaviour of the hydrological cycle. Model predictions thus depend critically on adequate parameterization of this interaction. This volume represents a "state of the art" in Soil–Vegetation–Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT) modelling in the hydrological community; it contains 48 papers presented at a symposium on SVAT schemes held during the Sixth IAHS Scientific Assembly (Maastricht, July 2001).

Several key issues in SVAT models are poorly parameterized or simply not well enough understood. Current SVAT schemes include increasingly complex descriptions of the physical mechanisms governing land surface processes requiring large numbers of soil and land surface parameters controlling the vertical fluxes. The underlying rationale is that improved process representation will result in parameters which are easier to measure or estimate, and in improved model performance and robustness. However, this is not necessarily so. Studies show that characterizing surface properties is fraught with difficulties, as determining representative parameterizations is non-trivial due to our inability to accurately measure land surface properties. Hence, data assimilation, whereby measurements are integrated with models, is increasingly used to keep hydrological models on track. Remote sensing of the state of the land surface plays is important in efforts to improve data assimilation. However, these issues are particularly difficult for snow-covered areas, where vegetation communities are strongly coupled with patterns of snow accumulation and snowmelt.

This book is organized into five sections:


 

Alphabetical list of Authors
 
Contents


     
  1. General SVAT Modelling
     
     
  2. SVAT and Precipitation Runoff Modelling
     
     
  3. Parameter Estimation for Large-Scale Hydrological Models
     
     
  4. Data Assimilation in Large-Scale Hydrological Models
     
     
  5. Snow–Vegetation Interaction