Enhancement of a Parsimonious Water Balance Model to Simulate Surface Hydrology in a Glacierized Watershed

The U.S. Geological Survey monthly water balance model (MWBM) was enhanced with the capability to simulate glaciers in order to make it more suitable for simulating cold region hydrology. The new model, MWBMglacier, is demonstrated in the heavily glacierized and ecologically important Copper River w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geophysical research. Earth surface 2018-05, Vol.123 (5), p.1116-1132
Main Authors: Valentin, Melissa M., Viger, Roland J., Van Beusekom, Ashley E., Hay, Lauren E., Hogue, Terri S., Foks, Nathan Leon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alaska
Climate
Climate change
Climate trends
Cold
Cold regions
Computer simulation
Copper
Copper River
Evapotranspiration
Fisheries
Fishery data
Freshwater fishes
Geological surveys
Glacial runoff
glacier
Glacier ice
Glacier mass balance
Glacier melting
Glaciers
Glaciohydrology
hydroclimatology
Hydrologic models
Hydrology
Ice melting
Mass balance of glaciers
Meltwater
Northern Hemisphere
Pacific Decadal Oscillation
Precipitation
River basins
Rivers
Runoff
Salmon
Satellite observation
Satellites
Simulation
Statistical analysis
Stream discharge
Stream flow
Surveying
Trends
Tributaries
Water balance
Water budget
Water management
Water resources
Water resources management
Water storage
Watersheds
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Summary:The U.S. Geological Survey monthly water balance model (MWBM) was enhanced with the capability to simulate glaciers in order to make it more suitable for simulating cold region hydrology. The new model, MWBMglacier, is demonstrated in the heavily glacierized and ecologically important Copper River watershed in Southcentral Alaska. Simulated water budget components compared well to satellite‐based observations and ground measurements of streamflow, evapotranspiration, snow extent, and total water storage, with differences ranging from 0.2% to 7% of the precipitation flux. Nash Sutcliffe efficiency for simulated and observed streamflow was greater than 0.8 for six of eight stream gages. Snow extent matched satellite‐based observations with Nash Sutcliffe efficiency values of greater than 0.89 in the four Copper River ecoregions represented. During the simulation period 1949 to 2009, glacier ice melt contributed 25% of total runoff, ranging from 12% to 45% in different tributaries, and glacierized area was reduced by 6%. Statistically significant (p 
ISSN:2169-9003
2169-9011
DOI:10.1029/2017JF004482