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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Boise, Idaho » Northwest Watershed Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #85299
Title: SCALING UP SPATIALLY DISTRIBUTED HYDROLOGIC MODELS OF SEMI-ARID WATERSHEDS

Author
item TARBOTON, DAVID - UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item NEALE, CHRISTOPHER - UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item PRASAD, RAJIO - UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item LUCE, CHARLIE - UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item WILLIAMS, KEVIN - UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item Cooley, Keith
item Flerchinger, Gerald
item Hanson, Clayton
item Seyfried, Mark
item Slaughter, Charles

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/17/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This paper describes a collaborative hydrologic modeling and measurement project whose goal is to understand interacting watershed processes over a range of scales in the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in southwest Idaho. We are developing a spatially distributed modeling framework that accounts for spatial variability in topography, vegetation and soils to facilitate physically realistic spatial integration of the complete water balance at a range of scales. The hydrology is SNOWMELT driven, and involves orographic precipitation effects, snow drifting due to wind and differential melt due to variable energy input at different slopes and aspects. This climactic variability interacts with varia- bility in soil moisture, vegetation distribution and evapotranspiration. Remotely sensed inputs obtained from multispectral airborne and satellite sensors will be used to map and parameterize certain model inputs as well as verify spatially distributed model outputs. The questions we are evaluating are: (1) What is the minimum level of complexity necessary to provide adequate characterization of runoff at various scales? (2) Can the variability of surface water inputs, including snow drifting and melt, be modeled as functions of topography, vegetation and wind? (3) What are the scales associated with the variability of surface conditions such as temperature and soil moisture vegetation and leaf area index.