Mechanism analysis of simulation differences with two frozen soil permeability schemes in Noah-MP over the Tibetan Plateau

Noah-MP Frozen soil permeability Tibetan Plateau
["Hu, Wei","Ma, Weiqiang","Yang, Zong-Liang","Ma, Yaoming","Han, Cunbo","Xie, Zhipeng","Xu, Yue","Han, Yizhe"] 2025-10-01 期刊论文
Frozen soil, covering most of the Tibetan Plateau (TP), critically influences land surface and climate simulations. Although some studies have made advancements in simulations, further investigation into the distinct mechanisms underlying relevant parameterization schemes remains essential. This study compares two frozen soil permeability schemes in Noah-MP (NY06: high-permeability; Koren99: low-permeability) to elucidate their distinct hydrological mechanisms. Although significant disparities exist in the simulation of soil water and ice content between the two schemes in permafrost regions, the simulated soil water content in the shallow layer exhibits similarity. Their underlying physical processes behind this similarity differ fundamentally: Koren99 relies on cross-seasonal ice melt recharge, whereas NY06 depends more on current-season precipitation and snowmelt. With greater soil depth, soil water differences progressively propagate downward, amplifying variations in hydraulic conductivity, and soil memory effects become increasingly dominant. Meanwhile, the Koren99 scheme more effectively impedes bottom-up melting water transport than top-down effect. However, the aforementioned disparities are not apparent in seasonally frozen soil. Notable disparities also exist in simulated evapotranspiration and surface runoff over permafrost regions, particularly during the summer months. This research investigates the differences in water transport within frozen soil over the TP, elucidates the distinct hydrological mechanisms underlying different frozen soil permeability schemes, and highlights that similar soil hydrothermal simulations are associated with different physical processes, leading to varying degrees of effectiveness in soil memory. Furthermore, this research elucidates the dual role of soil ice (permeability restriction and water storage) in hydrological processes, providing a theoretical basis for improving frozen soil parameterization.
来源平台:JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY