Masoodi et al. (2026) Evaluating different roughness approaches and infiltration parameters for vegetation-influenced overland flow in hydrological model

Identification

• Journal: Hydrology and earth system sciences
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-02
• Authors: Azam Masoodi, Philipp Frederik Kraft
• DOI: 10.5194/hess-30-5551-2026

Research Groups

• Department of Landscape Ecology and Resources Management, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany

Short Summary

This study evaluates the impact of vegetation on overland flow in hydrological models by comparing various roughness approaches and infiltration parameters. The results show that incorporating water depth-dependent roughness into the model improves its performance in simulating overland flow.

Objective

• To evaluate different methods for estimating Manning's roughness coefficient and explore the influence of vegetation on infiltration parameters, namely saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) and wetting front suction (Psi), using the OpenLISEM model.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Local scale, with experiments conducted at 23 sites in southwest Germany.
• Temporal Scale: Event-based, with rainfall experiments simulating a 100-year return period event.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: OpenLISEM (Open LImburg Soil Erosion Model)
• Data sources: Artificial rainfall experiments conducted by Ries et al. (2020) at 23 sites in southwest Germany, with measurements of discharge, rainfall intensity, and initial soil moisture.

Main Results

• The study found that incorporating water depth-dependent roughness into the model improves its performance in simulating overland flow.
• Vegetation was shown to significantly alter soil hydraulic properties, particularly saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat).
• Paired site comparisons revealed that increased vegetation cover corresponded with higher infiltration capacities.

Contributions

• This study contributes to improving the accuracy of hydrological models by exploring the influence of vegetation on infiltration parameters and roughness approaches.
• The findings highlight the importance of considering both surface and subsurface impacts of vegetation in overland flow modeling.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Masoodi2026Evaluating,
  author = {Masoodi, Azam and Kraft, Philipp Frederik},
  title = {Evaluating different roughness approaches and infiltration parameters for vegetation-influenced overland flow in hydrological model},
  journal = {Hydrology and earth system sciences},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.5194/hess-30-5551-2026},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-5551-2026}
}