Use of a nested modeling framework to study multiscale hydrological processes

Within hydrology the trend is to integrate different mathematical models coming from related disciplines. These models operate most often on different scales. Therefore, there is a need for a modeling environment in which stand-alone models can operate simultaneously on the corresponding scales with possible cross-scale interference. We propose a framework that takes advantage of the inherent nested spatial character of hydrological processes and lets the process knowledge exactly operate on the scale it was studied. We show that with this multi-scale framework, nonlinear hydrological response can be simulated and argue that using a nested modeling strategy, our understanding of hydrological response can be improved and cross-scale interaction of multiscale controls can be investigated.