HR: 17:30h
AN: H34C-07 [Abstracts]
TI: Regional hydrologic synthesis using a system model for watersheds: a new integrative tool to
advance knowledge and predictability of hydrologic systems
AU: Kanivetsky, R
EM: kaniv001@umn.edu
AF: Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota,
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Bldg., 1390 Eckles Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, United States
AU: Shmagin, B
EM: Boris.Shmagin@SDSTATE.EDU
AF: Water Research Institute, South Dakota State University, Ag Engineering 211, Box 2120,
Brookings, SD 57007, United States
AU: * Nieber, J
EM: nieber@umn.edu
AF: Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota,
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Bldg., 1390 Eckles Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, United States
AU: Mulla, D
EM: mulla003@umn.edu
AF: Department of Soil, Water and Climate, University of Minnesota, Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper
Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States
AU: Wilson, B
EM: wilson@umn.edu
AF: Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota,
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Bldg., 1390 Eckles Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, United States
AB:
The new integrative tool based on a cyber model of landscapes is developed to address the behavior of
hydrologic systems. This cyber model of landscapes in spatial organization consists of the following
subsystems: atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, pedosphere, biosphere and antroposphere. Using
watershed (catchment, basin) as a unit of the landscape in three-dimensional format and combining it with the
cyber model subsystems provides the opportunity to address the issues of hydrologic structure and similarity.
Derived from the cyber model the system model architecture using watershed units can provide the quantification
of hydro-climate characteristics (stream runoff, ground-water levels, precipitation, air temperature) as well as
classification of hydrologic units derived from landscape components (climate, soil, vegetation, topography, and
geology). This approach uses a multi-level system architecture for landscapes in which the watershed as a
subsystem is analyzed from the global to continental to regional and finally to a local scales to quantify hydro-
climatic characteristics. The hydrologic units in this tool are represented by a set of watersheds that are quantified
by linkages to landscape components using statistical tools.
Regional analysis based on such a system model for watersheds was completed at different scales for the
conterminous US, the Great Lakes Region and the territory of Minnesota. Regional hydrologic synthesis was
used to map stream flow as well as recharge/discharge in Minnesota, East Central Minnesota and the Twin
Cities Metropolitan area.
The analysis for Minnesota is based on the quantification of stream runoff attributes and their association with
landscape components defined as the geology, hydrogeology, the stream network system, relief, soils, vegetation
and atmosphere characteristic (climate). The analysis of stream runoff components (annual, seasonal and
monthly minimal) includes three phases: (1) system analysis of the geosphere, i.e. Earth landscape systems in
three-dimensional format, (2) hierarchical subdivision of landscape components features and (3) spatial-
temporal mapping of stream runoff. The investigation proceeds from a global to a regional or basin level and then
to a local level, with the greater detail available at the lower levels adding refinement to the description of the
natural landscapes. The spatio-temporal structure of annual, seasonal, monthly and minimal monthly runoff and
its linkage to landscape components was achieved by using multidimensional statistics tools.
DE: 1804 Catchment
DE: 1819 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1830 Groundwater/surface water interaction
DE: 1839 Hydrologic scaling
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting