Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2023_ID_Zhao

Improving hydrological predictions across CONUS through better characterization of below-ground soil-vegetation processes

Institute: Idaho
USGS Grant Number:
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2024-01-01 End Date: 2026-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $309,324 Total Non-Federal Funds: $309,324

Principal Investigators: Meng Zhao

Project Summary: Models are important tools for preparing for environmental changes and managing water resources. However, current models do not fully account for below-ground processes concerning how water, soil, and vegetation interact. We propose to improve related processes for enhanced water budget predictions in the CONUS. We hypothesize three aspects may make large impacts in this regard: 1) how much water can be held in the root zone; 2) how much water plants would uptake, especially when stressed; and 3) how water flows across soil profiles. We will test these hypotheses by modifying a state-of-the-art model and comparing it with various water budget observations. Our approach is unique because we will use a high-resolution forcing dataset to capture weather conditions at a 4 km grid spacing, allowing us to test our hypotheses thoroughly. Our findings could improve evapotranspiration modeling and water budget predictions, enhancing the nation's resilience to water scarcity and hazards.