Water and Energy Abstracts

This paper introduces the motivations, objectives and scope of a PUB working group to investigate the linkage between orographic precipitation, surface water and groundwater interactions, and their impacts on water resources. The ultimate total of the working group is to assess the reduction of uncertainties in hydrological predictions for Ungauged basins through improvements of two important physical processes of land-atmosphere interactions: orographic precipitation and surface water and groundwater interactions. In particular, we will focus on, in our current work, cold season orographic precipitation, snowmelt recharge to groundwater bodies, and their impacts on water resources. Our objectives are to: (1) improve the prediction of cold season orgraphic precipitation processes in mountainous regions and estimate their impacts on hydrological predictions and regional climate through land-atmosphere interactions; (2) improve our understanding of snowmelt recharge to groundwater bodies and surface water and groundwater interactions; and (3) improve the management of water resources through improved understanding and predictions of snowpack and surface water and groundwater interactions. Preliminary results are presented based on a regional-scale coupled land-atmosphere model that has been recently developed to address science questions of the working group. The model includes a subgrid parameterization of orographic precipitation and dynamic surface water-groundwater interactions. Simulations with and without the dynamic groundwater component have been compared to investigate the potential impacts of surface water and groundwater interactions.