An event-based hydrologic simulation model for bioretention systems

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 1524-1533 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Roy-Poirier ◽  
Y. Filion ◽  
P. Champagne

Bioretention systems are designed to treat stormwater and provide attenuated drainage between storms. Bioretention has shown great potential at reducing the volume and improving the quality of stormwater. This study introduces the bioretention hydrologic model (BHM), a one-dimensional model that simulates the hydrologic response of a bioretention system over the duration of a storm event. BHM is based on the RECARGA model, but has been adapted for improved accuracy and integration of pollutant transport models. BHM contains four completely-mixed layers and accounts for evapotranspiration, overflow, exfiltration to native soils and underdrain discharge. Model results were evaluated against field data collected over 10 storm events. Simulated flows were particularly sensitive to antecedent water content and drainage parameters of bioretention soils, which were calibrated through an optimisation algorithm. Temporal disparity was observed between simulated and measured flows, which was attributed to preferential flow paths formed within the soil matrix of the field system. Modelling results suggest that soil water storage is the most important short-term hydrologic process in bioretention, with exfiltration having the potential to be significant in native soils with sufficient permeability.

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 781-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Gourley ◽  
Scott E. Giangrande ◽  
Yang Hong ◽  
Zachary L. Flamig ◽  
Terry Schuur ◽  
...  

Abstract Rainfall estimated from the polarimetric prototype of the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler [WSR-88D (KOUN)] was evaluated using a dense Micronet rain gauge network for nine events on the Ft. Cobb research watershed in Oklahoma. The operation of KOUN and its upgrade to dual polarization was completed by the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Storm events included an extreme rainfall case from Tropical Storm Erin that had a 100-yr return interval. Comparisons with collocated Micronet rain gauge measurements indicated all six rainfall algorithms that used polarimetric observations had lower root-mean-squared errors and higher Pearson correlation coefficients than the conventional algorithm that used reflectivity factor alone when considering all events combined. The reflectivity based relation R(Z) was the least biased with an event-combined normalized bias of −9%. The bias for R(Z), however, was found to vary significantly from case to case and as a function of rainfall intensity. This variability was attributed to different drop size distributions (DSDs) and the presence of hail. The synthetic polarimetric algorithm R(syn) had a large normalized bias of −31%, but this bias was found to be stationary. To evaluate whether polarimetric radar observations improve discharge simulation, recent advances in Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation using the Hydrology Laboratory Research Distributed Hydrologic Model (HL-RDHM) were used. This Bayesian approach infers the posterior probability density function of model parameters and output predictions, which allows us to quantify HL-RDHM uncertainty. Hydrologic simulations were compared to observed streamflow and also to simulations forced by rain gauge inputs. The hydrologic evaluation indicated that all polarimetric rainfall estimators outperformed the conventional R(Z) algorithm, but only after their long-term biases were identified and corrected.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 5017-5031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron A. Mohammed ◽  
Igor Pavlovskii ◽  
Edwin E. Cey ◽  
Masaki Hayashi

Abstract. Snowmelt is a major source of groundwater recharge in cold regions. Throughout many landscapes snowmelt occurs when the ground is still frozen; thus frozen soil processes play an important role in snowmelt routing, and, by extension, the timing and magnitude of recharge. This study investigated the vadose zone dynamics governing snowmelt infiltration and groundwater recharge at three grassland sites in the Canadian Prairies over the winter and spring of 2017. The region is characterized by numerous topographic depressions where the ponding of snowmelt runoff results in focused infiltration and recharge. Water balance estimates showed infiltration was the dominant sink (35 %–85 %) of snowmelt under uplands (i.e. areas outside of depressions), even when the ground was frozen, with soil moisture responses indicating flow through the frozen layer. The refreezing of infiltrated meltwater during winter melt events enhanced runoff generation in subsequent melt events. At one site, time lags of up to 3 d between snow cover depletion on uplands and ponding in depressions demonstrated the role of a shallow subsurface transmission pathway or interflow through frozen soil in routing snowmelt from uplands to depressions. At all sites, depression-focused infiltration and recharge began before complete ground thaw and a significant portion (45 %–100 %) occurred while the ground was partially frozen. Relatively rapid infiltration rates and non-sequential soil moisture and groundwater responses, observed prior to ground thaw, indicated preferential flow through frozen soils. The preferential flow dynamics are attributed to macropore networks within the grassland soils, which allow infiltrated meltwater to bypass portions of the frozen soil matrix and facilitate both the lateral transport of meltwater between topographic positions and groundwater recharge through frozen ground. Both of these flow paths may facilitate preferential mass transport to groundwater.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 3727-3748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Angermann ◽  
Conrad Jackisch ◽  
Niklas Allroggen ◽  
Matthias Sprenger ◽  
Erwin Zehe ◽  
...  

Abstract. The phrase form and function was established in architecture and biology and refers to the idea that form and functionality are closely correlated, influence each other, and co-evolve. We suggest transferring this idea to hydrological systems to separate and analyze their two main characteristics: their form, which is equivalent to the spatial structure and static properties, and their function, equivalent to internal responses and hydrological behavior. While this approach is not particularly new to hydrological field research, we want to employ this concept to explicitly pursue the question of what information is most advantageous to understand a hydrological system. We applied this concept to subsurface flow within a hillslope, with a methodological focus on function: we conducted observations during a natural storm event and followed this with a hillslope-scale irrigation experiment. The results are used to infer hydrological processes of the monitored system. Based on these findings, the explanatory power and conclusiveness of the data are discussed. The measurements included basic hydrological monitoring methods, like piezometers, soil moisture, and discharge measurements. These were accompanied by isotope sampling and a novel application of 2-D time-lapse GPR (ground-penetrating radar). The main finding regarding the processes in the hillslope was that preferential flow paths were established quickly, despite unsaturated conditions. These flow paths also caused a detectable signal in the catchment response following a natural rainfall event, showing that these processes are relevant also at the catchment scale. Thus, we conclude that response observations (dynamics and patterns, i.e., indicators of function) were well suited to describing processes at the observational scale. Especially the use of 2-D time-lapse GPR measurements, providing detailed subsurface response patterns, as well as the combination of stream-centered and hillslope-centered approaches, allowed us to link processes and put them in a larger context. Transfer to other scales beyond observational scale and generalizations, however, rely on the knowledge of structures (form) and remain speculative. The complementary approach with a methodological focus on form (i.e., structure exploration) is presented and discussed in the companion paper by Jackisch et al.(2017).


2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 935-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Anderson ◽  
M. Weiler ◽  
Y. Alila ◽  
R. O. Hudson

Abstract. Preferential flow paths have been found to be important for runoff generation, solute transport, and slope stability in many areas around the world. Although many studies have identified the particular characteristics of individual features and measured the runoff generation and solute transport within hillslopes, very few studies have determined how individual features are hydraulically connected at a hillslope scale. In this study, we used dye staining and excavation to determine the morphology and spatial pattern of a preferential flow network over a large scale (30 m). We explore the feasibility of extending small-scale dye staining techniques to the hillslope scale. We determine the lateral preferential flow paths that are active during the steady-state flow conditions and their interaction with the surrounding soil matrix. We also calculate the velocities of the flow through each cross-section of the hillslope and compare them to hillslope scale applied tracer measurements. Finally, we investigate the relationship between the contributing area and the characteristics of the preferential flow paths. The experiment revealed that larger contributing areas coincided with highly developed and hydraulically connected preferential flow paths that had flow with little interaction with the surrounding soil matrix. We found evidence of subsurface erosion and deposition of soil and organic material laterally and vertically within the soil. These results are important because they add to the understanding of the runoff generation, solute transport, and slope stability of preferential flow-dominated hillslopes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Pierrard ◽  
G. Lopez Rosson

Abstract. With the energetic particle telescope (EPT) performing with direct electron and proton discrimination on board the ESA satellite PROBA-V, we analyze the high-resolution measurements of the charged particle radiation environment at an altitude of 820 km for the year 2015. On 17 March 2015, a big geomagnetic storm event injected unusual fluxes up to low radial distances in the radiation belts. EPT electron measurements show a deep dropout at L > 4 starting during the main phase of the storm, associated to the penetration of high energy fluxes at L < 2 completely filling the slot region. After 10 days, the formation of a new slot around L = 2.8 for electrons of 500–600 keV separates the outer belt from the belt extending at other longitudes than the South Atlantic Anomaly. Two other major events appeared in January and June 2015, again with injections of electrons in the inner belt, contrary to what was observed in 2013 and 2014. These observations open many perspectives to better understand the source and loss mechanisms, and particularly concerning the formation of three belts.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efstathios Diamantopoulos ◽  
Maja Holbak ◽  
Per Abrahamsen

&lt;p&gt;Preferential water flow and solute transport in agricultural systems affects not only the quality of groundwater but also the quality of surface waters like streams and lakes. This is due to the rapid transport of agrochemicals, immediately after application, through subsurface drainpipes and surface water. Experimental evidence attributes this to the occurrence of continuously connected pathways, connecting the soil surface directly with the drainpipes. We developed a physically-based model describing preferential flow and transport in biopores and implemented it in the agroecological model Daisy. The model simulates the often observed rapid transport of chemicals from&amp;#160;&amp;#160; the upper soil layers to the drainpipes or to deeper layers of the soil matrix. Based on field investigations, biopores with specific characteristics can be parameterized as classes with different vertical and horizontal distributions. The model was tested against experimental data from a column experiment with an artificial biopore and showed good results in simulating preferential flow dynamics. We illustrate the performance of the new approach, by conducting five simulations assuming a two-dimensional simulation domain with different biopore parametrizations, from none to several different classes. The simulation results agreed with experimental observations reported in the literature, indicating rapid transport from the soil to the drainpipes. Furthermore, the different biopore parametrizations resulted in distinctly different leaching patterns, raising the expectation that biopore properties could be estimated or constrained based on observed leaching data and direct measurements.&lt;/p&gt;


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan T. García ◽  
Joseph R. Harrington

The River Bandon located in County Cork (Ireland) has been time-continuously monitored by turbidity probes, as well as automatic and manual suspended sediment sampling. The current work evaluates three different models used to estimate the fine sediment concentration during storm-based events over a period of one year. The modeled suspended sediment concentration is compared with that measured at an event scale. Uncertainty indices are calculated and compared with those presented in the bibliography. An empirically-based model was used as a reference, as this model has been previously applied to evaluate sediment behavior over the same time period in the River Bandon. Three other models have been applied to the gathered data. First is an empirically-based storm events model, based on an exponential function for calculation of the sediment output from the bed. A statistically-based approach first developed for sewers was also evaluated. The third model evaluated was a shear stress erosion-based model based on one parameter. The importance of considering the fine sediment volume stored in the bed and its consolidation to predict the suspended sediment concentration during storm events is clearly evident. Taking into account dry weather periods and the bed erosion in previous events, knowledge on the eroded volume for each storm event is necessary to adjust the parameters for each model.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Cheah ◽  
Lawal Billa ◽  
Andy Chan ◽  
Fang Yenn Teo ◽  
Biswajeet Pradhan ◽  
...  

Conservative peak flood discharge estimation methods such as the rational method do not take into account the soil infiltration of the precipitation, thus leading to inaccurate estimations of peak discharges during storm events. The accuracy of estimated peak flood discharge is crucial in designing a drainage system that has the capacity to channel runoffs during a storm event, especially cloudbursts and in the analysis of flood prevention and mitigation. The aim of this study was to model the peak flood discharges of each sub-watershed in Selangor using a geographic information system (GIS). The geospatial modelling integrated the watershed terrain model, the developed Soil Conservation Service Curve Cumber (SCS-CN) and precipitation to develop an equation for estimation of peak flood discharge. Hydrological Engineering Center-Hydrological Modeling System (HEC-HMS) was used again to simulate the rainfall-runoff based on the Clark-unit hydrograph to validate the modelled estimation of peak flood discharge. The estimated peak flood discharge showed a coefficient of determination, r2 of 0.9445, when compared with the runoff simulation of the Clark-unit hydrograph. Both the results of the geospatial modelling and the developed equation suggest that the peak flood discharge of a sub-watershed during a storm event has a positive relationship with the watershed area, precipitation and Curve Number (CN), which takes into account the soil bulk density and land-use of the studied area, Selangor in Malaysia. The findings of the study present a comparable and holistic approach to the estimation of peak flood discharge in a watershed which can be in the absence of a hydrodynamic simulation model.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 115-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. R. Pettersson

The aim of this study was to investigate a small open detention pond predominantly receiving stormwater drainage from a highway. The results showed a difference in pollutant removal characteristics. Particle-associated pollutants were effectively removed during storm events as indicated by EMC (Event Mean Concentrations) while dissolved pollutants were not effectively removed. Outflow pollutant loads followed linear profiles when seven consecutive storm events were represented as cumulative graphs. PEMC's (Partial EMC's) during a storm event showed an association between the specific surface area of small particles and lead content. A detention pond should be designed according to capacity to detain the complete storm volume, thus avoiding short-circuiting of the pond by pollutants.


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