Samira Soltani – Integrated Advances in Hydrological Modeling: From Data Assimilation to River Parameterization

CESOC kindly invites you to a talk given by Dr. Samira Soltani, from the Institute for Bio- und Geosciences (IBG), Agrosphere (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), with the title:

Integrated Advances in Hydrological Modeling: From Data Assimilation to River Parameterization

Date: 09 September 2025,
Time: 15:00 CEST
Location: Meeting room, Nußallee 15, IGG, 53115 Bonn

For online participation, please contact info@cesoc.net

Abstract:

This talk presents recent advances in hydrological modeling through the integration of remote sensing, data assimilation, and physically-based simulation techniques. One area of focus involves the use of GRACE and SMOS satellite data within the fully coupled ParFlow-CLM model to enhance the estimation of soil moisture and groundwater levels. This approach offers deeper insight into terrestrial water storage across large spatial scales, particularly relevant for long-term water balance studies.
In a separate effort targeting real-time applications, high-resolution soil moisture data from Sentinel-1 and ESA CCI are assimilated using the ensemble Kalman filter. This technique significantly improves streamflow forecasts by better capturing the timing and magnitude of peak flows during extreme flood events, providing a valuable tool for operational flood management.
Complementing these developments is a novel subgrid-scale river parameterization method that refines flow dynamics by adjusting roughness coefficients based on river width and model resolution. This technique enhances the simulation of discharge, particularly in regions with complex terrain.
Together, these distinct advancements illustrate how the fusion of observational data with tailored modeling approaches can address diverse challenges in hydrology from understanding large-scale water storage dynamics to improving predictive capabilities for flood response.

Bio:

Samira Sadat Soltani is a Hydrologist and Postdoctoral Researcher at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany. She holds a dual Ph.D. in Water Resources Management and Earth Science from the University of Strasbourg (France) and Sharif University of Technology (Iran). Her expertise lies in integrated modeling, data assimilation, remote sensing, and machine learning, with a strong focus on sustainable water management, flood forecasting, and groundwater modeling.