Toward hyper-resolution global hydrological models including human activities: application to Kyushu island, Japan

Abstract

Global hydrological models that include human activities are powerful tools for assessing water availability and use at global and continental scales. Such models are typically applied at a spatial resolution of 30 arcmin (approximately 50 km). In recent years, some 5 arcmin (9 km) applications have been reported but with numerous technical challenges, including the validation of calculations for more than 1 × 106 grid cells and the conversion of simulation results into meaningful information relevant to water resource management. Here, the H08 global water resources model was applied in two ways to Kyushu island in Japan at a resolution of 1 arcmin (2 km), and the detailed results were compared. One method involved feeding interpolated global meteorological and geographic data into the default global model (GLB; in accordance with previous high-resolution applications). For the other method, locally derived boundary conditions were input to the localized model (LOC; this method can be easily extended and applied to other regions, at least across Japan). The results showed that the GLB cannot easily reproduce the historical record, especially for variables related to human activities (e.g., dam operation and water withdrawal). LOC is capable of estimating natural and human water balance components at daily timescales and providing reliable information for regional water resource assessment. The results highlight the importance of improving data preparation and modeling methods to represent water management and use in hyper-resolution global hydrology simulations.