Integrated hydrologic modeling in the inland Heihe River Basin, Northwest China

As a typical inland river basin in arid Northwest China, having distinct hydrological characteristics and severe and representative water problems, the Heihe River Basin (HRB) has attracted considerable research interest worldwide and in 2007 became a pilot basin of the G-WADI network of UNESCO/IHP. Many research programs have been conducted in the HRB since the 1980s, producing rich knowledge and data about the basin, which will be very helpful to further studies. This paper reviews research efforts related to hydrologic modeling and ongoing model integration studies performed in the HRB in recent years. Recently, an observation network covering the whole area and a Web-based data-sharing system have been established which can greatly improve data acquisition. This paper tabulates modeling activities in past years, including model applications, model modifications and enhancements, and model coupling efforts. Also described is a preliminary modeling integration tool designed to quickly build new models, which has been developed for hydrologic modeling purposes. Challenges and issues confronted in current studies are discussed, pointing toward key research directions in the future.