Earth Scientist
Earth Scientist

Biography

Gautam Bisht has extensive research experience in developing robust global terrestrial biophysical models that efficiently use high-performance computing. He is the principal investigator of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing project that is developing a terrestrial dynamical core for the Energy Exascale Earth System Model. Gautam also is a co-principal investigator of the Land Climate Process Team project, jointly funded by the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and DOE; its purpose is to improve land–atmosphere interactions by explicitly accounting for topographic attributes on the surface radiation budget. 

Research Interest

  • Subsurface hydrologic and thermal processes
  • Land-atmosphere interactions
  • High-performance computing

Disciplines and Skills

  • Earth system models
  • Ecohydrology
  • Hydrology
  • Numerical simulation

Education

  • PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010
  • MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, 2004
  • B Tech at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, 2002

Affiliations and Professional Service

  • American Geophysical Union

Awards and Recognitions

  • ACME Outstanding Contribution, Department of Energy (2015)
  • Martin Family Foundation Fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2006) 

Publications

2025

  • Feng D., Z. Tan, S. Pinel, D. Xu, J. Amaral, A. Fassoni-Andrade, and M. Bonnet, et al. 2025. "Drivers and impacts of sediment deposition in Amazonian floodplains." Nature Communications 16. PNNL-SA-200094. doi:10.1038/s41467-025-57495-1
  • Huang H., Y. Qian, G. Bisht, J. Wang, T. Chakraborty, D. Hao, and J. Li, et al. 2025. "WRF-ELM v1.0: a regional climate model to study land-atmosphere interactions over heterogeneous land use regions." Geoscientific Model Development 18. PNNL-SA-199431. doi:10.5194/gmd-18-1427-2025
  • Liao C., D. Xu, M.G. Cooper, T. Zhou, D. Engwirda, Z. Tan, and G. Bisht, et al. 2025. "Evaluation of flow routing on the unstructured Voronoi meshes in earth system modeling." Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 17, no. 5:Art. No. e2024MS004737. PNNL-SA-204062. doi:10.1029/2024MS004737
  • Tan Z., D. Xu, S. Taraphdar, J. Ma, G. Bisht, and L. Leung. 2025. "An efficient hybrid downscaling framework to estimate high-resolution river hydrodynamics." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 29, no. 16:3833-3852. PNNL-SA-206447. doi:10.5194/hess-29-3833-2025
  • Xu D., G. Bisht, D. Engwirda, D. Feng, Z. Tan, and V. Ivanov. 2025. "Uncertainties in Simulating Flooding During Hurricane Harvey Using 2D Shallow Water Equations." Water Resources Research 61, no. 1:e2024WR038032. PNNL-SA-198641. doi:10.1029/2024WR038032

2024

  • Bisht G., W. Riley, and R. Mills. 2024. "Development of a multi-layer canopy model for E3SM Land Model with support for heterogeneous computing." Journal of Computational Science 81. PNNL-SA-183928. doi:10.1016/j.jocs.2024.102366
  • Feng D., Z. Tan, D. Engwirda, J. Wolfe, D. Xu, C. Liao, and G. Bisht, et al. 2024. "Simulation of Compound Flooding using River-Ocean Two-way Coupled E3SM Ensemble on Variable-resolution Meshes." Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 16, no. 6:Art. No, e2023MS004054. PNNL-SA-191225. doi:10.1029/2023MS004054
  • Li L., G. Bisht, D. Hao, and L. Leung. 2024. "Global 1 km Land Surface Parameters for Kilometer-Scale Earth System Modeling." Earth System Science Data 16, no. 4:2007-2032. PNNL-SA-186655. doi:10.5194/essd-16-2007-2024
  • Qiu H., G. Bisht, L. Li, D. Hao, and D. Xu. 2024. "Development of inter-grid-cell lateral unsaturated and saturated flow model in the E3SM Land Model (v2.0)." Geoscientific Model Development 17, no. 1:143-167. PNNL-SA-182385. doi:10.5194/gmd-17-143-2024
  • Xu D., G. Bisht, D. Feng, Z. Tan, L. Li, H. Qiu, and L. Leung. 2024. "Impacts of Sea-level Rise on Coastal Groundwater Table simulated by an Earth System Model with a Land-Ocean Coupling Scheme." Earth's Future 12, no. 8:e2024EF004479. PNNL-SA-194173. doi:10.1029/2024EF004479
  • Xu D., G. Bisht, Z. Tan, C. Liao, T. Zhou, H. Li, and L. Leung. 2024. "Disentangling the hydrological and hydraulic controls on streamflow variability in Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) V2-a case study in the Pantanal region." Geoscientific Model Development 17, no. 3:1197 - 1215. PNNL-SA-189594. doi:10.5194/gmd-17-1197-2024
  • Xu D., G. Bisht, Z. Tan, E. Sinha, A. Di Vittorio, T. Zhou, and V. Ivanov, et al. 2024. "Climate change will reduce North American inland wetland areas and disrupt their seasonal regimes." Nature Communications 15, no. _:Art. No. 2438. PNNL-SA-184173. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-45286-z
  • Zahura F., G. Bisht, Z. Li, S. McKnight, and X. Chen. 2024. "Impact of Topography and Climate on Post-fire Vegetation Recovery Across Different Burn Severity and Land Cover Types through Random Forest." Ecological Informatics 82, no. _:Art. No. 102757. PNNL-SA-191894. doi:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2024.102757
  • Zhu B., M. Huang, X. Chen, G. Bisht, P. Shuai, and X. Xie. 2024. "River-Aquifer Interactions enhancing evapotranspiration in a semiarid riparian zone: A modelling study." Hydrological Processes 38, no. 7:Art. No. e15230. PNNL-SA-193696. doi:10.1002/hyp.15230

2023

  • Hao D., G. Bisht, H. Wang, D. Xu, H. Huang, Y. Qian, and L. Leung. 2023. "A cleaner snow future mitigates Northern Hemisphere snowpack loss from warming." Nature Communications 14. PNNL-SA-190229. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-41732-6
  • Hao D., G. Bisht, K. Rittger, E. Bair, C. He, H. Huang, and C. Dang, et al. 2023. "Improving snow albedo modeling in E3SM land model (version 2.0) and assessing its impacts on snow and surface fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau." Geoscientific Model Development 16, no. 1:75-94. PNNL-SA-170799. doi:10.5194/gmd-16-75-2023
  • Hao D., G. Bisht, K. Rittger, T. Stillinger, E. Bair, Y. Gu, and L. Leung. 2023. "Evaluation of E3SM land model snow simulations over the western United States." The Cryosphere 17, no. 2:673-697. PNNL-SA-178913. doi:10.5194/tc-17-673-2023
  • Hao D., G. Bisht, Y. Gu, and L. Leung. 2023. "Regional and Teleconnected Impacts of Solar Radiation-Topography Interaction over the Tibetan Plateau." Geophysical Research Letters 50, no. 23:Art. No. e2023GL106293. PNNL-SA-190228. doi:10.1029/2023GL106293
  • Liao C., T. Zhou, D. Xu, Z. Tan, G. Bisht, M.G. Cooper, and D. Engwirda, et al. 2023. "Topological relationship-based flow direction modeling: stream burning and depression filling." Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 15, no. 11:Art. No. e2022MS003487. PNNL-SA-183275. doi:10.1029/2022MS003487
  • Sinha E., B. Bond-Lamberty, K.V. Calvin, B.A. Drewniak, G. Bisht, C. Bernacchi, and B. Blakely, et al. 2023. "The Impact of Crop Rotation and Spatially Varying Crop Parameters in the E3SM Land Model (ELMv2)." Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 128, no. 3:Art. No. e2022JG007187. PNNL-SA-177430. doi:10.1029/2022JG007187

2022

  • Fang Y., L. Leung, C.D. Koven, G. Bisht, M. Detto, Y. Cheng, and N.G. McDowell, et al. 2022. "Modeling the topographic influence on aboveground biomass using a coupled model of hillslope hydrology and ecosystem dynamics." Geoscientific Model Development 15, no. 20:7879-7901. PNNL-SA-168572. doi:10.5194/gmd-15-7879-2022
  • Feng D., Z. Tan, D. Engwirda, C. Liao, D. Xu, G. Bisht, and T. Zhou, et al. 2022. "Investigating coastal backwater effects and flooding in the coastal zone using a global river transport model on an unstructured mesh." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 26, no. 21:5473-5491. PNNL-SA-174859. doi:10.5194/hess-26-5473-2022
  • Hao D., G. Bisht, M. Huang, P. Ma, T.K. Tesfa, W.L. Lee, and Y. Gu, et al. 2022. "Impacts of Sub-Grid Topographic Representations on Surface Energy Balance and Boundary Conditions in the E3SM Land Model: A Case Study in Sierra Nevada." Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 14, no. 4:e2021MS002862. PNNL-SA-167225. doi:10.1029/2021MS002862
  • Huang M., P. Ma, N. Chaney, D. Hao, G. Bisht, M. Fowler, and V.E. Larson, et al. 2022. "Representing surface heterogeneity in land-atmosphere coupling in E3SMv1 single-column model over ARM SGP during summertime." Geoscientific Model Development 15, no. 16:6371-6384. PNNL-SA-177124. doi:10.5194/gmd-15-6371-2022
  • Li L., G. Bisht, and L. Leung. 2022. "Spatial heterogeneity effects on land surface modeling of water and energy partitioning." Geoscientific Model Development 15, no. 14:5489-5510. PNNL-SA-174760. doi:10.5194/gmd-15-5489-2022
  • Liao C., T. Zhou, D. Xu, R. Barnes, G. Bisht, H. Li, and Z. Tan, et al. 2022. "Advances in hexagon mesh-based flow direction modeling." Advances in Water Resources 160. PNNL-SA-160344. doi:10.1016/j.advwatres.2021.104099
  • Xu D., G. Bisht, K. Sargsyan, C. Liao, and L. Leung. 2022. "Using a surrogate-assisted Bayesian framework to calibrate the runoff-generation scheme in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) v1." Geoscientific Model Development 15, no. 12:5021-5043. PNNL-SA-174759. doi:10.5194/gmd-15-5021-2022
  • Xu D., G. Bisht, T. Zhou, L. Leung, and M. Pan. 2022. "Development of Land-River Two-Way Hydrologic Coupling for Floodplain Inundation in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model." Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 14, no. 8:Art. No. e2021MS002772. PNNL-SA-165762. doi:10.1029/2021MS002772

2021

  • Agee E., L. He, G. Bisht, V. Couvreur, P. Shahbaz, F. Meunier, and C. Gough, et al. 2021. "Root lateral interactions drive water uptake patterns under water limitation." Advances in Water Resources 151. PNNL-SA-153788. doi:10.1016/j.advwatres.2021.103896
  • Cheng Y., M. Huang, B. Zhu, G. Bisht, T. Zhou, Y. Liu, and F. Song, et al. 2021. "Validation of the Community Land Model Version 5 over the Contiguous United States (CONUS) using in situ and remote sensing data sets." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 126, no. 5:e2020JD033539. PNNL-SA-148629. doi:10.1029/2020JD033539
  • Hao D., G. Bisht, Y. Gu, W. Lee, K.N. Liou, and L. Leung. 2021. "A Parameterization of Sub-grid Topographical Effects on Solar Radiation in the E3SM Land Model (Version 1.0): Implementation and Evaluation over the Tibetan Plateau." Geoscientific Model Development 14, no. 10:6273-6289. PNNL-SA-160129. doi:10.5194/gmd-2021-55
  • Wu R., X. Chen, G.E. Hammond, G. Bisht, X. Song, M. Huang, and G. Niu, et al. 2021. "Coupling Surface Flow with High-performance Subsurface Reactive Flow and Transport Code PFLOTRAN." Environmental Modelling & Software 137. PNNL-SA-156109. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2021.104959
  • Zhu B., M. Huang, Y. Cheng, X. Xie, Y. Liu, G. Bisht, and X. Chen. 2021. "Impact of vegetation physiology and phenology on watershed hydrology in a semiarid watershed in the Pacific Northwest in a changing climate." Water Resources Research 57, no. 3:e2020WR028394. PNNL-SA-154491. doi:10.1029/2020WR028394

2020

  • Zhu B, M Huang, Y Cheng, X Xie, Y Liu, X Zhang, G Bisht, X Chen, J Missik, and H Liu. 2020. “Effects of irrigation on water, carbon, and nitrogen budgets in a semi‐arid watershed in the Pacific Northwest: A modelling study”. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems. p.e2019MS001953.

2019

  • Bisht G and WJ Riley. 2019. “Development and verification of a numerical library for solv-ing global terrestrial multi‐physics problems.” Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 11. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018MS001560
  • Lawrence DM, RA Fisher, CD Koven, K Oleson, SC Swenson, G Bonan, N Collier, et al. 2019. "The Community Land Model Version 5: Description of New Features, Benchmarking, and Impact of Forcing Uncertainty." Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 11, no. 12:4245-4287. PNNL-SA-150848. doi:10.1029/2018MS001583
  • Cai X, WJ Riley, Q Zhu, J Tang, Z Zeng, G Bisht, and JT Randerson. 2019. “Improving Representation of Deforestation Effects on Evapotranspiration in the E3SM Land Model.” J. Adv. Model. Earth Syst., 11, 2412– 2427. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018MS001551.

  • Zhu Q, WJ Riley, J Tang, N Collier, FM Hoffman, X Yang, and G Bisht. 2019. “Representing nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon interactions in the E3SM land model: Devel-opment and global benchmarking.” Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 11, 2238– 2258. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018MS001571

  • Golaz J‐C, PM Caldwell, LP Van Roekel, MR Petersen, Q Tang, JD Wolfe, et al 2019. “The DOE E3SM coupled model version 1: Overview and evaluation at standard resolution.” Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 11. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018MS001603

2018

  • Bisht G, WJ Riley, GE Hammond, and DM Lorenzetti. 2018. “Development and evaluation of a variably saturated flow model in the global E3SM Land Model (ELM) version 1.0, Geosci. Model Dev.,” 11, 4085-4102, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4085-2018.
  • Bisht G, WJ Riley, HM Wainwright, B Dafflon, F Yuan, and VE Romanovsky. 2018. “Impacts of microtopographic snow redistribution and lateral subsurface processes on hydro-logic and thermal states in an Arctic polygonal ground ecosystem: a case study using ELM-3D v1.0.” Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 61-76, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-61-2018.

2017

  • Bisht G, M Huang, T Zhou, X Chen, H Dai, GE Hammond, WJ Riley, JL Downs, Y Liu, and JM Zachara. 2017. “Coupling a three-dimensional subsurface flow and transport model with a land surface model to simulate stream–aquifer–land interactions (CP v1.0).” Ge-osci. Model Dev., 10, 4539-4562, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4539-2017.

2016

  • Kumar J, N Collier, G Bisht, RT Mills, PE Thornton, CM Iversen, and V Romanovsky. 2016. "Modeling the spatiotemporal variability in subsurface thermal regimes across a low-relief polygonal tundra landscape." The Cryosphere, 10, 2241–2274; DOI: 10.5194/tc-10-2241-2016.
  • Tang G, F Yuan, G Bisht, GE Hammond, PC Lichtner, J Kumar, RT Mills, X Xu, B Andre, FM Hoffman, SL Painter, and PE Thornton. 2016. “Addressing numerical challenges in introducing a reactive transport code into a land surface model: a biogeochemical modeling proof-ofconcept with CLM-PFLOTRAN 1.0.” Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 927–946; DOI: 10.5194/gmd-9-927- 2016.
  • Liu Y, G Bisht, ZM Subin, WJ Riley, and GSH Pau. 2016 “A hybrid reduced-order model of fineresolution hydrologic simulations at a polygonal tundra site.” Vadose Zone Journal, 15; DOI: 10.2136/vzj2015.05.0068.

2014

  • Pau GSH, G Bisht, and WJ Riley. 2014. "A reduced-order modeling approach to represent subgridscale hydrological dynamics for land-surface simulations: application in a polygonal tundra landscape." Geosci. Model Dev., 7, 2091–2105; DOI: 10.5194/gmd-7-2091-2014.

2011

  • Bisht G and RL Bras. 2011. "Estimation of net radiation from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer over the continental United States." IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 49, 2448–2462; DOI: 10.1109/TGRS.2010.2096227.
  • Knox R, G Bisht, J Wang, and R Bras. 2011. "Precipitation variability over the forest-to-nonforest transition in Southwestern Amazonia." Journal of Climate, 24, 2368–2377; DOI: 10.1175/2010jcli3815.1.

2010

  • Bisht G and RL Bras. 2010. "Estimation of net radiation from the MODIS data under all sky conditions: Southern Great Plains case study." Remote Sensing of Environment, 114, 1522–1534; DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2010.02.007.

2009

  • Wang J, FJF Changnon, ER Williams, AK Betts, NO Renno, LAT Machado, G Bisht, R Knox, and RL Bras. 2009. "The impact of deforestation in the Amazon basin on cloud climatology." PNAS, 106, 3670–3674. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0810156106.

2008

  • Vivoni ER, AJ Rinehart, LA Méndez-Barroso, CA Aragón, G Bisht, MG Cardenas, E Engle, BA Forman, MD Frisbee, HA Gutiérrez-Jurado, S-H Hong, TH Mahmood, K Tai, and RL Wyckoff. 2008. "Vegetation controls on soil moisture distribution in the Valles Caldera, New Mexico, during the North American monsoon." Ecohydrology, 1, 225–238; DOI: 10.1002/eco.11.

2006

  • Batra N, S Islam, V Venturini, G Bisht, and L Jiang. 2006. "Estimation and comparison of evapotranspiration from MODIS and AVHRR sensors for clear sky days over the Southern Great Plains." Remote Sensing of Environment, 103, 1–15; DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2006.02.019.

2005

  • Bisht G, V Venturini, S Islam, and L Jiang. 2005. "Estimation of the net radiation using MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data for clear sky days." Remote Sensing of Environment, 97, 52–67; DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2005.03.014.