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Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology

Developing a physics-based modeling framework to predict water quality from hillslope to watershed scales

Developing a physics-based modeling framework to predict water quality from hillslope to watershed scales

Day 2 Session 2 (0:00AM)

Presenters:

Jesus Gomez-Velez, University of Iowa
Felipe Quintero, University of Iowa,
Ruben Molina, University of Iowa
Larry Weber, University of Iowa

This workshop introduces students to the conceptualization and implementation of a physics-based modeling framework to predict water quality from hillslope to watershed scales. It emphasizes fundamental concepts, including design and implementation decisions on the model structures, boundary and initial conditions, and forcing factors. As a practical example, the course examines the fate and transport of nitrate in heavily managed agricultural areas. Participants will use a new water quality module integrated into the Hillslope Link Model (HLM), developed at the University of Iowa.

Workshop Slides

Participants will explore:

  • Processes that govern the flow, transport, and transformations of nitrate within the landscape and along river corridors.
  • Concepts and terminology of water quality modeling within an integrated framework that combines water flow and biogeochemistry, linking surface and subsurface processes, river corridors, and human influences.
  • The conceptualization of the HYPE water quality model for nitrate transformations.
  • The use of transit-time theory to describe subsurface flow, transport, and transformations.
  • Hands-on modeling examples demonstrating water quality data curation and applications using HLM and HYPE.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand the fundamental processes that control water quality across the landscape and in river corridors.
  • Learn how to represent these processes as computational components within an existing hydrologic modeling framework.
  • Apply the water quality model to examine the implications of its structure, including surface runoff, tile drainage, and legacy effects.

Prerequisites:

  • HydroShare account
  • Access to CIROH-2i2c JupyterHub (via HydroShare)
  • Familiarity with Python.
  • Basic familiarity with physics-based hydrologic and water quality modeling is helpful but not necessary.

Additional Details:

As our ability to forecast water flow at the continental level advances, it becomes increasingly important to assess water quality for both human and ecosystem health. This workshop provides participants with foundational knowledge necessary to develop the next generation of large-scale water quality models that can be seamlessly integrated with the National Water Model.

References:

  • Lindstrom, G., Pers, C., Rosberg, J., & Stromqvist, J. (2010). Development and testing of the HYPE (Hydrological Predictions for the Environment) water quality model for different spatial scales. Iwaponline.Com. http://www.iwaponline.com/nh/041/nh0410295.htm
  • Benettin, P., Rodriguez, N. B., Sprenger, M., Kim, M., Klaus, J., Harman, C. J., van der Velde, Y., Hrachowitz, M., Botter, G., McGuire, K. J., Kirchner, J. W., Rinaldo, A., & McDonnell, J. J. (2022). Transit Time Estimation in Catchments: Recent Developments and Future Directions. Water Resources Research, 58(11), e2022WR033096. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR033096