HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – Characterizing the effects of dry antecedent soil moisture conditions, channel transmission losses, and variable precipitation on peak flow scaling
While the historic flooding in British Columbia this month can obviously be attributed to extreme rainfall, it’s also believed that the extreme heat of the summer months made soils less permeable. This means that rain is more likely to run off the land rather than being absorbed, resulting in flash floods and landslides. In this case the diminished permeability can likely be attributed to soil ‘crusting’ (wildfires disperse waxy compounds which coat soil minerals and make the top layer of soil hydrophobic). But extremely dry conditions are also known to reduce the permeability of soils, even without the compounded effects of wildfires. A recent study by researchers at HDR Engineering, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, Iowa State University and The University of Iowa investigates this very phenomenon.
Research for Industries (RFI) Lecture Series: Steven K. Frey
Aquanty, which is a research spin off from the University of Waterloo, is at the forefront of developing state-of-the-art fully-integrated hydrologic models to better understand and predict water resource behavior and availability under both near term weather, and long term climate change scenarios. Aquanty’s flagship software platform, HydroGeoSphere (HGS), is a state-of-the-art fully-integrated GW-SW simulator that can couple with both weather forecasts and future climate scenarios in order to derive predictive insight on water resources. As part of the continental scale Canada 1 Water (C1W) project, HGS models are being built for all of Canada.
HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – Estimating Anthropogenic Effects on a Highly-Controlled Basin with an Integrated Surface-Subsurface Model
Our ongoing research with partners at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources has led to a new publication. This paper seeks to quantify the impacts of water management practices (e.g. groundwater pumping, dam and weir operations, etc.) on the surface and groundwater system of the Geum River Basin, South Korea.
The results indicate that the water budget of the Geum River Basin (GRB) is typically balanced or shows a slight surplus (resulting in GW recharge). However, water deficits were frequently simulated during the dry season, and groundwater seepage along the rivers within the basin was an important water source component that can sustain environ-mental flow under severe water deficit conditions.
Calculate fluid volumes for selected elements
This post introduces three new commands added in Revision 2321 (November 2021) for tracking fluid volumes in selected elements within a model. These commands allow users to calculate the total fluid volume for both the porous media and surface flow domains:
HGS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – Integrated modelling to assess climate change impacts on groundwater and surface water in the Great Lakes Basin using diverse climate forcing
HydroGeoSphere is an excellent tool for evaluating climate change impacts to integrated hydrologic systems, since HGS can be effectively coupled with climate forecasting simulators like the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) and the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM). HydroGeoSphere accounts for water dynamics in the atmosphere, ground surface and subsurface in a seamless manner and thus is the best modeling tool for evaluating the impact and risk associated with climate change on water resources.
Nodal flux reduction by pressure head boundary condition modifier
This post describes how to use the flux nodal boundary condition modifier: nodal flux reduction by pressure head. This modifier is used when the flux rate is set higher than the available water, which can cause numerical instability and model crashes.