This paper provides a general overview of the issues related to the modeling of surface processes in atmospheric models. The role of surface processes is first discussed as an essential coupling between the surface and the atmosphere. The issue of parameterization of small‐scale processes in large‐scale atmospheric models is addressed next, paying special attention to the cases of bare ground and vegetated surfaces. The paper focuses on the issues rather than the details of implementation, and extensive citations to the published literature are given for further investigati