Multi-scale modelling of water resources in Northern China

The range of space-based observations valuable for studies in water resources management has steadily increased over the past decade, and now (or soon will) include measurements of total water storage (GRACE), soil moisture (Metop, SMOS), precipitation (TRMM), and others. While there is great potential in these data sets, much of what can be achieved remains unrealized because the various measurements have not been sufficiently integrated. This project will seek to address this by assimilating data from many different satellite missions with in-situ and regional hydrology models to create what should ultimately result in as accurate assessment of basin-scale water resources currently as possible. The region of interest will be selected areas in Northern China, such as the Shule River Basin (a significant area in Gobi desert) and others, where accurate knowledge of the water resources are critical to the protection of these ecologically sensitive areas. One of the primary technical challenges of the proposal will involve the blending of data sets of varying scales. Satellite data typically provides data on spatial scales ranging from tens to hundreds of kilometres, at time scales ranging from weeks to months, while in-situ data have much more limited coverage (as single data points), but usually offer much greater accuracy and higher temporal resolution (i.e., hours, days). Another technical challenge the project will face is the fact that, for some of the regions in the target areas, land survey data does not exist, or is only intermittent. In these regions, the proper integration of the satellite and in-situ data points will be critical. If successful, however, the results of the project should be extremely beneficial for the water management of Northern China, with further applications likely for other regions around the globe.