Weinkaemmerer et al. (2026) The ICON‐ParFlow Coupling: Integrating a Continental‐Scale Hydrological Model Into a Global Atmospheric Model

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Identification

• Journal: Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-01
• Authors: Jan Weinkaemmerer, Reiner Schnur, Klaus Goergen, Moritz Hanke, Stefan J Kollet
• DOI: 10.1029/2025ms005072

Research Groups

• Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (IAC), ETH Zurich
• Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich
• German Weather Service (DWD)

Short Summary

This study couples the ParFlow hydrological model with the ICON modeling framework to simulate global-scale subsurface hydrodynamics. The results show enhanced land-atmosphere coupling and seasonal changes in soil water content.

Objective

• Investigate the effects of prognostic subsurface hydrodynamics on Earth system models at the global scale

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global, with a focus on the pan-European region
• Temporal Scale: Five consecutive years (extended summer months)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: ParFlow hydrological model coupled to ICON-Land land model
• Data sources: Simulated data from global simulations of atmosphere and land

Main Results

• Enhanced soil moisture variability and lateral redistribution of moisture
• Regionally stronger land-atmosphere coupling, as shown by correlations with surface latent heat flux and precipitation
• Seasonal changes in soil water content in Central Europe during the summer
• Lateral flow of near-surface groundwater influences the evolution of river networks

Contributions

This study contributes to the development of Earth system models capable of simulating kilometer-scale continental hydrology. The coupling of ParFlow with ICON-Land demonstrates the importance of prognostic subsurface hydrodynamics for land-atmosphere interactions.

Funding

• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) project "Hydrological modeling at high spatial resolution"
• German Research Foundation (DFG) project "Coupled atmosphere-hydrology simulations"

Citation

@article{Weinkaemmerer2026ICONParFlow,
  author = {Weinkaemmerer, Jan and Schnur, Reiner and Goergen, Klaus and Hanke, Moritz and Kollet, Stefan J},
  title = {The ICON‐ParFlow Coupling: Integrating a Continental‐Scale Hydrological Model Into a Global Atmospheric Model},
  journal = {Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2025ms005072},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025ms005072}
}