ABSTRACT
NVE is developing a new method to produce soil-moisture and groundwater maps based on daily model simulations and real-time observations. A distributed version of the HBV-model is used to model hydrological processes for the entire land surface of Norway. The model describes interfaces between the land surface and the atmosphere, soil moisture and groundwater storage, groundwater flow and river flow. It provides a realistic framework for regional hydrological modelling by integrating the contributions by several small-scale elements. The model operates on a 1-km2 grid and one-day resolution is used. The project is divided into three parts: (1) development of a GIS-based system to visualize daily maps of groundwater and soil water situations based on real-time and manual observations; (2) validation of the distributed model by comparing simulations with observations, as well as with simulations of a physically-based 1-dimensional model (COUP) at representative soil-monitoring stations; (3) based on (2), improving the distributed HBV-model by refining some of the sub-routines used in this model. Development and implementation of methods producing groundwater and soil-water maps for Norway provide national and local stakeholders with tools for assessing groundwater-related risks in a new way.
