Obtaining adequate input data for distributed hydrological models is a major callenge to the use of such models. This is especially true in areas where conventionel data sources like synoptic stations are few and far apart. This is true... more
Obtaining adequate input data for distributed hydrological models is a major callenge to the use of such models. This is especially true in areas where conventionel data sources like synoptic stations are few and far apart. This is true for the Okavango Delta in Botswana, where no operational synoptic stations are present within the delta, and where access to the delta is difficult due to annual floods. Furthermore the complex hydrology of the delta requires spatially distributed, high quality data to adequately model the distribution of water and the evapotranspiration from the surface. Conventional outflow validation is not viable due to the low percentage of water leaving the delta in streams (approximately 3%). In this study methods for estimating some of the key driving variables for the model based on data from the SEVIRI sensor onboard the Meteosat Second Generation satellites have been applied. The SEVIRI sensor provides imagery every 15 minutes in 12 spectral channels at a ...
SVAT (Soil Vegetation Atmosphere Transfer) modeling is essential in understanding land surface processes both at the plot scale and at the regional scale. However, data availability at regional scale usually becomes limited in the details... more
SVAT (Soil Vegetation Atmosphere Transfer) modeling is essential in understanding land surface processes both at the plot scale and at the regional scale. However, data availability at regional scale usually becomes limited in the details required, both spatially and temporally. Remotely sensed data solve some of the inherent problems, spatially by using medium resolution products from e.g. MODIS (1 km
West Africa has undergone some of the most dramatic recorded changes in climate during the last decades, having affected people directly due to large impact on food production and water resources. The livelihood of future generations in... more
West Africa has undergone some of the most dramatic recorded changes in climate during the last decades, having affected people directly due to large impact on food production and water resources. The livelihood of future generations in this very vulnerable region of the World is dependent on access to water, influenced directly by changes in climate and land cover. The goal of this study is thus to investigate the relative effects of future changes in climate and land cover in one of the large river basins in the region, the transnational Senegal Basin, from a water resource perspective. Based on predictions from an ensemble of up to nine regional climate models over West Africa and associated land cover change scenarios, the effect on components of the water balance in the Senegal Basin is analysed. We apply a distributed hydrological model based on the MIKE SHE code to simulate changes in stream flow and in the partitioning of evapotranspiration for the years 2030-2050. The model...
Abstract Land surface data from MODIS and AVHRR have been extensively used for vegetation monitoring. In cloud-prone areas like West Africa the use of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data for vegetation monitoring is... more
Abstract Land surface data from MODIS and AVHRR have been extensively used for vegetation monitoring. In cloud-prone areas like West Africa the use of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data for vegetation monitoring is hampered by ...
In recent years, a number of simulation platforms with varying complexity which couple groundwater, land surface, and atmospheric models have emerged. These platforms are designed to include processes affecting energy fluxes and soil... more
In recent years, a number of simulation platforms with varying complexity which couple groundwater, land surface, and atmospheric models have emerged. These platforms are designed to include processes affecting energy fluxes and soil moisture variations at the land surface such as shallow groundwater, overland flow, and subsurface lateral flow. Previous studies demonstrate the sensitivity of atmospheric boundary layer dynamics and precipitation to land surface energy fluxes and groundwater dynamics, as well as the importance of capturing these interactions through coupled models. This study compares two distributed, physically-based, state-of-the-art hydrological modelling platforms: The ParFlow-CLM-COSMO platform TerrSysMP (Terrestrial System Modelling Platform), developed within the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre 32 (TR32), and the HIRHAM-MIKE SHE platform developed within the HOBE Centre for Hydrology and the HYdrological Modelling for Assessing Climate Change Impact...
