Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.5194/gmd-18-2409-2025
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) Graphical representation of global water models
Author Müller Schmied, H.; Newland Gosling, S.; Garnsworthy, M.; Müller, L.; Telteu, C.-E.; Ahmed, A.K.; Andersen, L.S.; Boulange, J.; Buek, P.; Chang, J.; Chen, H.; Gudmunsson, L.; Grillakis, M.; Guillaumot, L.; Hanasaki, N.; Koutroulis, A.; Kumar, R. ORCID logo ; Leng, G.; Liu, J.; Liu, X.; Menke, I.; Mishra, V.; Pokhrel, Y.; Rakovec, O. ORCID logo ; Samaniego, L. ORCID logo ; Satoh, Y.; Lovekumar Shah, H.; Smilovic, M.; Stacke, T.; Sutanudjaja, E.; Thiery, W.; Tsilimigkras, A.; Wada, Y.; Wanders, N.; Yokohata, T.
Source Titel Geoscientific Model Development
Year 2025
Department CHS
Volume 18
Issue 8
Page From 2409
Page To 2425
Language englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Data and Software links https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15232551
Supplements https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/2409/2025/gmd-18-2409-2025-supplement.pdf
Abstract Numerical models are simplified representations of the real world at a finite level of complexity. Global water models are used to simulate the terrestrial part of the global water cycle, and their outputs contribute to the evaluation of important natural and societal issues, including water availability, flood risk, and ecological functioning. Whilst global water modeling is an area of science that has developed over several decades, and individual model-specific descriptions exist for some models, there has to date been no attempt to visualize the ways that several models work, using a standardized visualization framework. Here, we address this gap by presenting a community-driven process that developed a framework to visualize several global water models. The models considered participate in the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project phase 2b (ISIMIP2b). The diagrams were co-produced between a graphics designer and 16 modeling teams, based on extensive discussions and pragmatic decision-making that balanced the need for accuracy and detail against the need for effective visualization. The model diagrams are based on a standardized ISIMIP2b-complete global water model that represents what is theoretically possible to represent in the current generation of state-of-the-art global water models participating in ISIMIP2b. Model-specific diagrams are then copies of the ISIMIP2b-complete model, with individual processes either included or grayed out. An open-source tool has been developed and published jointly with the diagrams, which allows someone to generate a diagram for their own global water model by adapting the diagrams presented here. As well as serving an educational purpose, we envisage that the diagrams will help researchers in and outside of the global water model community to select suitable model(s) for specific applications, stimulate a community learning process, and identify missing components to help direct future model developments.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=30721
Müller Schmied, H., Newland Gosling, S., Garnsworthy, M., Müller, L., Telteu, C.-E., Ahmed, A.K., Andersen, L.S., Boulange, J., Buek, P., Chang, J., Chen, H., Gudmunsson, L., Grillakis, M., Guillaumot, L., Hanasaki, N., Koutroulis, A., Kumar, R., Leng, G., Liu, J., Liu, X., Menke, I., Mishra, V., Pokhrel, Y., Rakovec, O., Samaniego, L., Satoh, Y., Lovekumar Shah, H., Smilovic, M., Stacke, T., Sutanudjaja, E., Thiery, W., Tsilimigkras, A., Wada, Y., Wanders, N., Yokohata, T. (2025):
Graphical representation of global water models
Geosci. Model Dev. 18 (8), 2409 - 2425 10.5194/gmd-18-2409-2025