Wetlands Dynamic Water Budget Model
Abstract
The hydraulic and hydrologic characteristics of a wetland influence all wetland functions, and consequently are of primary importance in evaluating these functions. The processes by which water is introduced to, temporarily stored in, and removed from a wetland are commonly known as the "water budget." A Wetlands Dynamic Water Budget Model (WDWBM) has been developed through the Wetlands Research Program (WRP) at the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station to predict the interaction of surface water, groundwater, and vertical transport processes within wetlands (Walton et al. 1995). The model has been designed to simulate the major components of the hydrologic cycle, which include meteorological input, canopy interception, overland flow, channel routing, infiltration, saturated groundwater flow, evapotranspiration, and upstream watershed inflows. This Technical Note describes the features of the WDWBM. The WDWBM is a coupled surface/aquifer simulation program that computes the dynamic movement of water through various types of watersheds, such as wetlands. The model has three modules that predict surface water flow, vertical processes, and horizontal groundwater flow. Emphasizing efficiency and ease of use, the model uses an explicit quasi-three-dimensional link-node structure. Input is organized into files containing information required by each of the modules. Output consists of files containing water surface elevations, flows, velocities, groundwater heads, and volume balances. An interactive PC tutorial is available to help the user identify data sources, prepare input data files, execute and calibrate the model, and select output options. A postprocessing program is available to model the output for graphical display. This note describes the WDWBM surface water module, vertical processes module, and horizontal groundwater flow module, and discusses model linkage and stability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA434509