WRRC Seminar -watershed water quantity and quality simulation

February 5, 3:00pm - 4:15pm
Mānoa Campus, Watanabe 420

An integrated media, integrated processes hydrological model and its application to the watershed water quantity and quality simulation

Presented by: Fan Zhang, Ph.D.
Professor, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Chinese Academy of Sciences

Physics-based, process-level, distributed models that have the design capability to cover multimedia and multi-processes and are applicable to various scales have been practically nonexistent until late 1990s. It has long been recognized that only such models have the potential to further the understanding of the fundamental factors that take place in nature hydrologic regimes; to give mechanistic predictions; and to be able to couple and interact with weather/climate models. This study presents the development of an integrated media (river/stream networks, overland regime, and subsurface media), integrated processes (fluid flow, sediment transport and reactive transport) watershed model to address these issues.

Application of this model to fluid flow simulation is difficult in alpine regions due to the limited availability of meteorological and hydrological data. Numerical experiments, such as modeling sensitivity to river-bed geometry and stream water stable isotope composition evolution after rainfall events, have been conducted to design field observation strategy to efficiently obtain input data for model application. Studies on parameterization methods, including temperature lapse rate and precipitation gradient in high altitude catchments, have also been implemented to reduce the simulation inaccuracy and uncertainty. In addition, application examples on surface water eutrophication and groundwater contamination are introduced to illustrate the water quality modeling capacity involving complex geochemical processes.


Ticket Information
free

Event Sponsor
Water Resources Research Center, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Philip Moravcik, 956-3097, morav@hawaii.edu, http://www.wrrc.hawaii.edu/seminars.php

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