Gauvain et al. (2026) A global high-resolution hydrological model to simulate the dynamics of surface liquid reservoirs: application on Mars

Identification

• Journal: Geoscientific model development
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-29
• Authors: Alexandre Gauvain, F. Forget, Martin Turbet, Jean-Baptiste Clément, Lucas Lange, Romain Vandemeulebrouck
• DOI: 10.5194/gmd-19-6909-2026

Research Groups

• Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
• Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

Short Summary

This paper presents a global high-resolution hydrological model to simulate the dynamics of surface liquid reservoirs on Mars. The model uses a pre-computed hydrological database that maps topographic depressions and their hierarchical connections, allowing for efficient simulation of water redistribution between reservoirs.

Objective

• To develop a global high-resolution hydrological model capable of simulating the dynamics of surface liquid reservoirs on Mars.
• To investigate where surface water could accumulate and how it may have been redistributed on early Mars.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global, with a resolution of 1 km.
• Temporal Scale: Long-term equilibrium behavior, with simulations iterated to reach steady state.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: A global high-resolution hydrological model based on the depression hierarchy concept and fill-spill-merge algorithm introduced by Barnes et al. (2020, 2021).
• Data sources: High-resolution topographic map of Mars measured by MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter).

Main Results

• The model outputs show a transition toward a contiguous northern ocean between low (1-10 m) GEL values and increasing concentration of water in northern lowlands and major impact basins at higher GEL.
• The results highlight the importance of considering the dynamics of surface liquid reservoirs on Mars, including their formation, growth, merging, and drying.

Contributions

• This study provides a quantitative tool to link preserved geomorphology with plausible past hydrological states on Mars.
• The model's framework can be used as a component for a future Planetary Evolution Model (PEM) to study transient water redistribution and climate-hydrology feedbacks on Mars.

Funding

• Not specified in the paper.

Citation

@article{Gauvain2026global,
  author = {Gauvain, Alexandre and Forget, F. and Turbet, Martin and Clément, Jean-Baptiste and Lange, Lucas and Vandemeulebrouck, Romain},
  title = {A global high-resolution hydrological model to simulate the dynamics of surface liquid reservoirs: application on Mars},
  journal = {Geoscientific model development},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.5194/gmd-19-6909-2026},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-6909-2026}
}