APPLICATION OF A DISTRIBUTED HYDROLOGICAL MODEL AND SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS FOR SOIL MOISTURE AND GROUNDWATER LEVEL SIMULATION

Abstract

A distributed biosphere hydrological model, WEB-DHM, was applied to the semi-arid basin of the Medjerda River in Tunisia for simulation of soil moisture and groundwater variations. First, the model performance is checked and calibrated with daily observed river discharge. Second, satellite data from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) was extracted and checked by using the observed groundwater data. Then, the model applicability to soil moisture and groundwater simulation was validated by the GRACE data. Satellite-observed and simulated soil moisture and groundwater showed reasonable congruity as to their seasonal variation patterns, demonstrating the model’s potential for assessment of groundwater resources in semi-arid regions.