Sensitivity of land surface processes to frozen soil permeability and surface water storage

The sensitivity of land surface processes to frozen soil permeability and surface water storage is examined, using a one‐dimensional land surface model that can be implemented in a climate model. The atmospheric conditions are specified at three stations in frozen ground regions of Russia. Soil moisture has its maximum in spring and minimum in summer, which corresponds with the observations. By taking the frozen soil permeability into consideration, both the wet zone above the thaw front in spring and the water uptake towards the freezing front in winter can be reproduced by the model. The surface depression storage increases the soil moisture in spring by holding snowmelt water and in summer after rainfall, which induces changes in the annual heat and water budget. The annual evaporation is reduced by the frozen soil permeability and it is enhanced by the surface storage.