The document discusses the National Water Model and its significance in predicting streamflow, highlighting university engagement through summer institutes and collaborative research. It emphasizes the need for region-specific hydrologic mechanisms and new physics to improve modeling, particularly in groundwater processes and water routing. Future research aims to validate models using new satellite data and enhance understanding of hydrological dynamics.

1. 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

2. 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

3. Summer Institute at National Water Center
University Engagement in National Water Model
• 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

4. Summer Institute at National Water Center
University Engagement in National Water Model
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)

5. Summer Institute at National Water Center
University Engagement in National Water Model
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

6. 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)
University Engagement in National Water Model