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MECHANISTIC SIMULATION OF TREE EFFECTS IN AN URBAN WATER BALANCE MODE

Reference Type
Journal, Research (Article)

A semidistributed, physical-based Urban Forest Effects – Hydrology (UFORE-Hydro) model was created to simulate and study tree effects on urban hydrology and guide management of urban runoff at the catchment scale. The model simulates hydrological processes of precipitation, interception, evaporation, infiltration, and runoff using data inputs of weather, elevation, and land cover along with nine channel, soil, and vegetation parameters. Weather data are pre-processed by UFORE using Penman-Monteith equations to provide potential evaporation terms for open water and vegetation. Canopy interception algorithms modified established routines to better account for variable density urban trees, short vegetation, and seasonal growth phenology.  Actual evaporation algorithms allocate potential energy between leaf surface storage and transpiration from soil storage. Infiltration algorithms use a variable rain rate Green-Ampt formulation and handle both infiltration excess and saturation excess ponding and runoff. Stream discharge is the sum of surface runoff and TOPMODEL-based subsurface flow equations. Automated calibration routines that use observed discharge has been coupled to the model. Once calibrated, the model can examine how alternative tree management schemes impact urban runoff. UFORE-Hydro model testing in the urban Dead Run catchment of Baltimore, Maryland, illustrated how trees significantly reduce runoff for low intensity and short duration precipitation events. [abstract]

Authors
J. Wang, T.A. Endreny, D.J. Nowak
Date Published
February 2008
Journal/Conference
Journal of the American Water Resources Association
Publisher
American Water Resources Association
Publisher Location
Middleburg, VA (US)
Volume/Issue/Number
44/1
Start Page
75
End Page
85
Sub-Topics
Hydrology, Modeling (other)
State(s)/Region(s)
National
Keywords
runoff reduction, canopy interception, i-Tree, Hydro
Indexed By
UFS - drh
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