Integrated surface-subsurface hydrological modeling of a greenhouse-infiltration road system

Greenhouses play critical role in agricultural production, but their rapid expansion has led to serious environmental problems, especially in areas with high concentrations of greenhouses. By rendering the land surface largely impermeable, greenhouses disrupt natural infiltration processes, contributing to runoff which can cause flood. Such problems are solved by an engineered permeable road system that allows the water to infiltrate and be absorbed by the drainage systems. This thesis investigates the hydrological dynamics of a greenhouse-permeable road system through integrated surface-subsurface modeling, mainly with the purpose of gaining insight into how spatial heterogeneity in soil and terrain properties influence hydrological behavior and evaluates the consequences of simplifying model inputs. The study considers a domain representing a real greenhouse system, symmetrically divided along its length, with runoff from each half directed toward a central permeable road for infiltration. In this research CATchment Hydrology (CATHY) model is used to simulate a well-detailed interaction among surface runoff, infiltration, and subsurface flow. The study is performed based on systematically altering the spatial resolutions to observe how changes in model affect hydrological outputs. The study ultimately aims to derive mixed soil parameter values that represent both the greenhouse and permeable road systems. These aggregated parameters are intended to provide a reliable and computationally efficient approach for scaling the model to larger areas, maintaining the accuracy of hydrological predictions. A reference, high-resolution model explicitly resolves the interactions at the interface between surface runoff and subsurface infiltration; thus, it acts as a reference. Successive scenarios are carried out investigating the impact of spatial resolution coarsening, soil and terrain property averaging, and domain homogenization on the main hydrological variables. This research contributes to the development of methodologies in integrated hydrological modeling with practical applications for water management in mixed-use landscapes. It helps investigate issues with impermeable surface coverage, such as greenhouses, which are part of sustainable practices that balance agricultural productivity with environmental stewardship.