HR: 0800h
AN: H31D-0643 [Abstracts]
TI: Modeling Stream/Aquifer Interactions on a Reach of the Upper San Pedro River Basin, AZ, by Integrating KINEROS and MODFLOW
AU: Rodriguez, L
EM: Leticia@fich1.unl.edu.ar
AF: Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Hídricas
Universidad Nacional del Litoral, CC 217, Paraje El Pozo, Santa Fe, 3000, Argentina
AU: Vionnet, C A
EM: cvionnet@fich1.unl.edu.ar
AF: Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Hídricas
Universidad Nacional del Litoral, CC 217, Paraje El Pozo, Santa Fe, 3000, Argentina
AU: * Goodrich, D C
EM: Dave.Goodrich@ars.usda.gov
AF: USDA-ARS-SWRC, 2000 E. Allen Rd., Tucson, AZ 85719, United States
AB:
In a groundwater model, the exchange with the surface water system is commonly simulated with boundary
conditions. By the same token, in physically based rainfall-runoff models, the interaction with the groundwater
system is represented in a simplified manner. Both approaches are defendable in many practical applications.
However, in semiarid regions, stream/aquifer interactions play a critical role and a more integrated approach is
advisable.
Integrating two models commonly used in scientific and engineering applications is an approach successfully
pursued by several researchers. In turn, that approach is the main concern of this short communication. A semi-
automatic methodology that allows simulating stream/aquifer interactions combining two public domain codes,
MODFLOW for groundwater flow, and KINEROS, for surface flow, is then presented. The feasibility of the
approach was first tested against analytical solutions, were feedback from both models were exchanged by
means of auxiliary computational codes. A study reach along the Upper San Pedro River, AZ, was selected to test
the methodology in a real case situation. The site was selected due to its perennial character and well data
availability for model calibration. Previous modeling efforts in the area were also a factor in the selection. No
rainfall-generated runoff was simulated at this point, only a flood wave propagating through the reach interacting
with the alluvial aquifer, including evapotranspiration from riparian vegetation. Exchange flows between
subsurface and surface systems were computed as the flood wave traversed the study reach. Groundwater flow
patterns and mass balance terms were acceptable for the study, establishing how feasible is to couple
MODFLOW with KINEROS, though a more fine-tuning calibration is needed.
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1830 Groundwater/surface water interaction
DE: 1860 Streamflow
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting