HR: 13:40h
AN: H53H-01 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Representing Subsurface Processes in Hydrological Models: A Challenge for Field Hydrologists and Modeler
AU: * Weiler, M
EM: markus.weiler@ubc.ca
AF: University of British Columbia, Department of Forest Resources Management and Geography, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
AU: McGuire, K J
EM: kmcguire1@plymouth.edu
AF: Plymouth State University, Center for the Environment, Plymouth, NH 03264-1595 United States
AB: Often the greatest source of uncertainty in any hydrological model is related to subsurface flow processes in the soil and bedrock. The subsurface, by nature, is difficult to characterize because processes are not readily observed and the scale of field measurements typically does not match the scale of the process represented by the model. Field observations can yield complex hydrological descriptions reflecting the spatial and temporal variability of water source and flow path, yet most modeling efforts find it challenging to incorporate this information into a model. Many model structures remain constrained by assumptions (e.g., steady-state and impermeable soil/boundary) and data variability (e.g., soil properties and inputs), which ultimately lead to uncertain model predictions and/or a false sense of conceptual understanding. By combining field experiments and modeling, we will show several examples of how additional information can be used in the model calibration process and in the development of new model structures that represent the hydrologic active layer in the subsurface. A model calibration incorporating tracer and detailed soil property data shows that acceptable hydrologic simulations with an improved parameter uncertainty can be found within the range field data. We also present a model that integrates fuzzy information about pipeflow processes (i.e., pipe depth, angle, etc.) and visualization to explore first-order controls on hillslope hydrology, where the experimentalist and modeler can work together to cooperatively develop and analyze the results.
UR: http://faculty.forestry.ubc.ca/weiler/
DE: 1804 Catchment
DE: 1839 Hydrologic scaling
DE: 1847 Modeling
DE: 1848 Monitoring networks
DE: 1875 Vadose zone
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005