Comparative Analysis of Global Terrestrial Water Storage Simulations: Assessing CABLE, Noah-MP, PCR-GLOBWB, and GLDAS Performances during the GRACE and GRACE-FO Era

Hydrology and land surface models (HM LSM) are essential tools for estimating global terrestrial water storage (TWS), an important component of the budget assessing accessibility long-term variability supplies. With expansion open-source open-data policies, community can now perform model TWS simulation from source codes as well directly exploit end-user hydrologic products resource applications. Regardless effectiveness usability, accuracy assessment is necessary to quantify model’s regional strengths, weaknesses, reliability. This paper compares most recent estimates six models, namely PCRaster Global Water Balance (PCR-GLOBWB), Noah, Noah-Multiparameterization (Noah-MP), Catchment LSM, Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC), Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE)—the latter which cross validated first time. observations Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellite missions between 2002 2021 used validate model. The analyses show that Noah-MP outperforms other in terms average correlations root mean square errors. PCR-GLOBWB performance superior irrigated regions because inclusion human intervention components CABLE, a core LSM Australian climate model, significantly all others Australia. CLSM performs reasonably well, but trend appears be incorrect due overestimated groundwater component. Noah similarly (but inferiorly) Noah-MP, likely physics sharing. VIC has least agreement with GRACE-FO. evaluation also sheds some light on role forcing data performance, particularly ready-to-use such GLDAS, where incorporating MERRA-2 or ERA5 into GLDAS simulations may potentially improve its accuracy, previously been overlooked limited modeling capacity. Despite each unique strength, ensemble TWS, when included, yields better than individual result. findings this study could serve benchmark future development published aid scientific advancement discoveries hydrology community.