Introduction of the soil/vegetation/atmosphere continuum in a conceptual rainfall/runoff model

Abstract

This paper presents the inclusion of the soil-vegetation-atmosphere interactions in a proven conceptual model. This new scheme simulates the daily streamflows over small catchments by taking into account the average characteristics of the surface (soil and vegetation) for the calculation of actual evaporation and evapotranspiration. The model also simulates the daily evolution of soil moisture in two layers: the surface layer representing the first ten centimetres of the soil and the bulk layer representing the root zone. The results of the model calibration on a test site, and the results of the model validation on 36 watersheds, show its good capability to simulate streamflows and soil moisture in the surface layer and in the hulk soil layer. These first results are very encouraging and open the possibility of using these quantities for hydrological applications.