![]() Figure 1, from IPCC (2007), provides an overview of the main terrestrial components and exchanges within the climate system. ![]() ![]() It constrains plant transpiration and photosynthesis and thus is of major relevance for the Earth's water and energy cycles and impacts the exchanges of trace gases on land, including carbon dioxide. The water stored on land is a key variable controlling numerous processes and feedback loops within the climate system (see, e.g., Dirmeyer 2000 Koster et al. In this review paper we provide a historical perspective of conceptual problems and discuss state-of-the-art hydrological observing, modelling and data assimilation systems. Data assimilation combines observational and model information and adds value to both the model and the observations, yielding increasingly consistent and complete estimates of hydrological components. Yet, neither the observations nor the models could give a complete picture of the hydrological cycle. We start from the premise that to understand the hydrological cycle we need to make observations and develop dynamic models that encapsulate our understanding. This article is published with open access at Ībstract This paper reviews the conceptual problems limiting our current knowledge of the hydrological cycle over land. Received: 9 October 2012/Accepted: 25 January 2013 Closing the Gaps in Our Knowledge of the Hydrological Cycle over Land: Conceptual Problems
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