National Water Model: First Comprehensive Framework for Predicting Streamflow

September 13, 2016

Richard P. Hooper Executive Director The Consortium for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) Medford, Massachusetts

The National Water Model: The first comprehensive framework for predicting streamflow

Impact to University Research of National Water Model

University Engagement in National Water Model

•  Framework for Collabora.on – Hydrofabric –  Interdisciplinary research

•  Research to Opera.ons – Regionally specific hydrologic mechanisms – Test bed for different process representa.ons

•  Plumbing of con.nent to link sky to sea – Mountains-‐to-‐sea at high resolu.on – Transport layer

Summer Institute at National Water Center


•  Na.onal Water Model and Training – Summer Ins.tutes at Na.onal Water Center in 2015 and 2016

– ~70 graduate students engaged 7-‐week training •  Research Contribu.ons

– Exploratory test beds for new ideas – Proof of concept



Catchments and Flowlines

Digital Elevation Model

Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND) (relative elevation of land surface cell above cell in stream to which it flows)



Real-‐Time Flood Inundation Mapping

Existing Proposed

Existing Proposed Ratio Number of Mapped Reaches 130 2691344

Total Mapped Length (Mile) 1402 3226671 2302 Average Reach Length (Mile) 10.8 1.20 0.11

Future Research: Refining Physics of National Water Model

•  Groundwater Processes –  Including aquifers, as well as soils –  Cri.cal for understanding drought

•  Water rou.ng – Move beyond wave of water to parcels of water –  Cri.cal for water chemistry

•  New Data for Model Valida.on –  Incorporate new NASA satellite data (GRACE, SMAP) –  Test at research catchment scale (NSF, USFS, USDA, DoE, USGS)
