2025 CSDMS meeting-026
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Simulation of seasonal water table dynamics Across North America using the Water Table Model (WTM)
Mohammad Haghiri,
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago Illinois, United States. mhaghi2@uic.edu
Kerry Callaghan, University of Illinois Chicago Chicago Illinois, United States. kerryc@uic.edu
Understanding trends in water table dynamics is critical for closing the global water budget and for water resources management and environmental sustainability. Continental-scale hydrological simulations typically assume that the water table is at steady-state, despite the fact that this is unlikely to be true under changing climate. Here, we present monthly water table fields for the year 2020 across North America based on a simulation using the Water Table Model (WTM). To obtain these, we initialised the WTM using a transiently simulated water table from 500 years before present, and performed a model spin-up to obtain our monthly temporal resolution. The WTM integrates climate variables, topography, and hydrogeological characteristics to simulate depth to the water table, including groundwater and lakes. Our results offer insights into spatial and temporal patterns of water table response to seasonal climatic conditions. Results indicate significant regional variations in water table fluctuations driven by seasonal precipitation and evapotranspiration. This study shows a lag time of approximately 3 to 4 months between measured changes in climate variables and the corresponding response in the water table level. Our study emphasizes the need for targeted, regional management practices to mitigate potential adverse impacts and to optimize water resources under climatic changing conditions.
