Chief Seattle, 1854

Chief Seattle, 1854

Man did not weave the web of

life: he is merely a strand of it.

Whatever he does to the web,

he does to himself.

Use of the Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Model (WEBMOD) to Simulate Water Quality at Five U.S. Geological Survey Research

Watersheds

Rick Webb and fellow WEBBsters

Relations between hydrology and solute fluxes at the five Water, Energy, and

Biogeochemical Budget (WEBB) watersheds of the United States

Geological Survey

Rick Webb and fellow WEBBsters

• WEBB, XTOP_PRMS, and Net Solute Fluxes

– What questions should WEBMOD be able to answer?

• Five Principal Components

– What does diametrically opposed mean anyway?

• WEBMOD = XTOP_PRMS + PHREEQC

– But will it be able to pick the best restaurant for Wednesday lunch?







Sleepers River, Vermont

Trout Lake, Wisconsin

Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Loch Vale, Colorado

Panola Mountain, Georgia

Loch Vale

• Alpine /Subalpine ecosystem

• Distinctions– 1 km of relief

– 70% rock and talus

– Ponds are wide spots on drainage

– Very young soils

Trout Lake (Allequash Creek)

• Northern Temperate Lakes – Snow/GW system.

• Distinctions– Sand box

– Lakes and wetlands

– Beaver dams

– Limnology Center

Sleepers River

• Snowmelt dominated• Distinctions

– History of watershed studies.

– CRREL

– Freeze-thaw studies

– Includes different land uses.

Panola Mountain

• Secondary Forest• Distinctions

– Granite outcrop

– Variable subsurface and geology

– Detailed hillslope data

– Disconnected hillslope drainage after dry periods

Luquillo Experimental Forest(Icacos Watershed)

• Lower montane tropical rain forest

• Distinctions– Ultisols with preferential

flow paths (macropore and along regolith)

– Hortonian overflow– Mass wasting– Cloud interception offset

by Canopy evaporation– Tightly cycled nutrients

Inputs•Incident radiation and ground heat flux•Precipitation with aerosols•Cloud interception•Regional ground water flow•Atmospheric aerosols and gases

Outputs•Sensible and latent heat •Runoff•Regional ground water flow•Inorganic mass and solutes•Biomass and organic matter

Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budget

StorageBedrock, SnowpackSoil moisture, Surface waterGround water, Biomass, Soils

Hypothesis: The residence times and biogeochemical processes active along the various flow paths will determine the quality of surface and ground water in the watershed.

Inputs - Outputs = Change in storage

EnergyNet Radiation – Soil Heat Flux – Storage = Sensible + Latent Heat

(Precipitation) (Stream)

PRMS+NWS Snow-17 + TOPMODEL = XTOP_PRMS

Water fluxes in TOPMODEL

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

Ksat(z)

Depth

(z)

, in

mete

rs

5.002.501.701.000.500.250.170.10

m values(SZM)

Increasing topographic index, ln(a/tan

Topographicindex

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

exfiltratedwater

IndexSaturationSurplusSD(-)

IndexSaturationDeficitSD(+) Land Surface

Average water table

AverageSaturationDeficitSBAR

Field Capacity

Wilting Point

rootzone

rootzone

WEBMOD

Snow

Snowmelt

Rain onSnow

Soil MoistureDeficit

UnsaturatedZone Storage

Rain Snow

CanopyEvaporation

XTOP_PRMS

Rain onBare

Ground

Snow unloading

Canopy Storage

AblationSnowpack

Root zone ET

Flow through Unsaturated Zone

Macropore flow

Root Zone Deficit

Baseflow and

Exfiltration

Hortonian Overland Flow

Dunnian Overland Flow

Basin RunoffDeliveryto stream

Rain + Melt

Precipitatio

For each subcatchment

For each topographic index

MARCH 1996

6 7 8

0

20

10

DIS

CH

AR

GE, IN

CU

BIC

FEET P

ER

SEC

ON

D ObservedSimulated

Basin Discharge

Panola Mountain – Basin discharge

MARCH 1996

6 7 8

0

20

10

DIS

CH

AR

GE, IN

CU

BIC

FEET P

ER

SEC

ON

D

ValleyOutcrop

Panola Mountain – Basin, valley, and outcrop discharge

Basin

MARCH 1996

6 7 8

0

20

10

DIS

CH

AR

GE, IN

CU

BIC

FEET P

ER

SEC

ON

D

TotalMacroporeBaseflowOverland flow

Panola Mountain – Flow generation in valley area

Valley Flows

MARCH 1996

6 7 8

0

20

10

DIS

CH

AR

GE, IN

CU

BIC

FEET P

ER

SEC

ON

D

BasinValleyOutcrop

Panola Mountain – Basin, valley, and outcrop discharge

MARCH 1996

6 7 8

0

20

10

DIS

CH

AR

GE, IN

CU

BIC

FEET P

ER

SEC

ON

D

TotalMacroporeBaseflowOverland flow

Infiltration excessSaturated overland flow

Panola Mountain – Flow generation in outcrop area

Outcrop Flows

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 11 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 11 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 11 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 11 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 11 12

Allequash Icacos Loch Vale Panola Sleepers

EvapotranspirationOverland FlowMacropore flowBaseflow and exfiltration

Avera

ge m

onth

ly fl

ux,

in c

enti

mete

rs

Hydrologic Variables• Net precipitation • Snowmelt• Actual evapotranspiration• Overland flow from infiltration-excess • Saturated overland flow • Root zone moisture • Flux of water from the saturated zone to the root zone• Macropore flow• Baseflow and exfiltration

Solutes• Cations

H+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, NH4+

• Anions

HCO3-, Cl-, SO4

2-, NO3-

• and silica

H4SiO4

Ca2+Mg 2+ K+ Na+

HCO 3- CO3

2- SO42- Cl- NO3

-

Base Cations

Acid AnionsAlkalinity

Ca2+Mg 2+ K+ Na+

HCO 3- CO3

2- SO42- Cl- NO3

-

Base Cations

Acid AnionsAlkalinity







Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a linear dimensionality reduction technique.

Read “Reduce the number of variables needed to explain the data”

Component 1

(50 percent of variance):

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Month

Allequash

Andrews

Icacos

Panola

Sleepers

Component 1 – Wet/Dry(+) Deluge/Melt

(-) Drought/Freeze (50 percent of variance)

• Accumulated solutes are flushed from the watershed by snow melt or alternately retained when precipitation and solutes are locked up when the basin freezes.

Active system

Base flow

• Retention of ammonia, nitrate, and sulfate is less during dry and cool periods with saturated soils than it is during wet warm periods with available root zone storage.

Component 2(+) Dry periods with cool, wet soils

(-) Wet periods with warm soils with available root zone storage

(14 percent of variance)

Component 3 (+) Dry soils during warm, dry periods(-) Wet soils during cool, wet periods

(8 percent of variance)• This component describes the upward flux of water from

the saturated zone into drying riparian soils during periods of high evapotranspiration. Exfiltration through desiccating surfaces increases the net export of nitrate and chloride; during wet and cool periods, the nitrate and chloride in the precipitation may move from the base of wet soils down to mix with ground water as might occur during ground water ridging.

Component 4(+) Low base flows with limited recharge

(-) Moderate baseflows with some recharge(7 percent of variance)

• During very low flows, ions from deep in the soil profile are released; nutrients and sulfate are tightly retained near the surface. During moderate recharge events the nutrients and sulfate exports are rinsed into a more saturated soil profile to be released in the base flow as the contribution of base cations diminishes.

Component 5(+) Spring melts or rains on dry soils

(-) Late summer rains on wet soils(4 percent of variance)

• Ammonia is taken up by growing vegetation in the spring. Mineralization of organic debris reintroduces the ammonia into the system to be released during late summer rains when transpiration begins shutting down.

Mon

th

Water Years 1992-1997

Dominant Component by Month and Year

-2 2Wet, warm, retention of nutrients and sulfate.

Dry, cool, less retention on nutrients and sulfate14%

-5 5Late summer rains on wetsoils, less NH4 retention

Melt on dry soils, NH4 retention4%

-1 1Drought/Freeze. Everything Retained Deluge/Melt. Everything exported.50%

Variance

-3 3 Dry, warm periods, increased export of Cl and NO3

8%Wet, cool periods. Less export of Cl and NO3

-4 4Recharge , decr. wx products,Increased nutrients and SO4

7% Base flows, increased wx products,Decrease nutrients and SO4

Allequash Loch Vale Luquillo SleepersPanolaOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep

1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 -1 -1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1

1 -1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 -1 1 1

1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 -1 -1 1 -1 -1 1

1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 -1 1 1 -1 -1 -1

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1

1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 -1 1

1 1 -1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

-1 1 1 -1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 1

-1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 -1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1

-1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 1 -1 -1 -1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1

-1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 1 -1 -1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1

-1 -1 -1 1 1 -1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1

1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 -1 -2 1 -1 2 -1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1

1 2 2 -1 2 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 2 2 1 -1 1 -1 2 1 -1 2 -1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 1 -1 2 2 -1 1 2 2 2 -1 2 2 2 -1 1

2 2 2 2 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 -1 2 1 2 1 2 -1 -1 2 -1

2 2 2 2 2 2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1

2 2 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 -1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 -1 -1 1 2

1 1 -1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

-2 -1 -2 -2 1 1 -1 1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 1 2 1 1

-1 -2 -1 -1 -1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 -1 -2 1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -2 -2 -2 -1

-2 -1 -2 -2 -2 1 1 1 1 1 -2 -1 1 -1 -1 -1 1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -2 -2

-1 -1 -1 -1 -2 1 -2 1 1 -1 -1 1 -2 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2

-2 -1 -2 -1 -1 1 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 1 -1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1

1 -1 -1 -3 -3 -2 3 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 -1 -2 1 -1 2 -1 1 1 -1 -3 -1 -1 -1 1 -3

1 2 2 -1 2 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -3 1 1 2 2 1 -1 1 -1 2 1 -1 2 -3 -3 -1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -3 2 1 -1 2 2 -1 1 2 2 2 -1 2 2 -3 2 -1 1

2 2 2 2 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 -1 2 -3 -3 1 -3 2 1 2 -1 -1 2 -1

2 2 2 2 2 2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 2 -3 -3 1 2 1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -3 -1

2 2 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 -1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 -3 -1 -1 1 2 -3

1 1 -1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 1 1 -3 1 1 1 1 1

-2 -1 -2 -2 1 1 -1 1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 3 1 2 1 1

-1 -2 -1 -1 -1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 -1 -2 1 3 -2 -1 -1 3 3 -1 -2 -2 3 -2 -1

-2 -1 -2 -2 3 -2 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 -2 -1 3 1 -1 -1 -1 1 -1 -1 -2 -1 3 -1 -1 -2 -2

-1 -1 -1 -1 3 -2 3 1 -2 1 3 1 3 -1 -1 1 3 -2 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 3 -2

-2 -1 -2 -1 -1 1 3 -2 -2 -2 -2 3 -2 1 -1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1

1 -1 -1 -3 -3 -2 3 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 -1 4 -2 4 1 -1 2 -1 1 1 -1 -3 -1 -1 -1 1 -3

1 2 2 -1 2 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -3 1 -4 1 2 2 1 -1 1 -1 2 1 -1 2 -3 -3 -1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -3 2 1 -1 -4 2 2 -1 1 2 2 2 -1 2 2 -3 2 -1 1

2 2 2 2 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 -1 2 -4 -3 -3 1 -3 2 1 2 -1 -1 2 4 -1

2 2 2 2 2 2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 4 -1 2 2 -3 -3 1 2 1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -3 -1

-4 2 2 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 4 -1 2 -1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 -3 -1 -1 1 2 -3

1 1 -1 -4 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 4 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 1 4 4 1 -3 1 1 1 4 1 1

-2 -1 -2 -2 1 1 -1 1 -2 -1 4 -1 -1 -1 4 -1 4 4 -2 3 4 1 2 1 1

-1 -2 -1 -1 -1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 -1 -2 1 3 -2 4 -1 -1 3 3 -1 -2 -2 3 -2 -1

-2 -1 -2 -2 3 -2 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 -2 -1 3 1 -1 -1 -1 1 -1 -1 -2 -1 3 -1 -1 -2 -2

-1 -1 -1 -1 3 -2 3 1 -2 1 3 1 3 -1 -1 1 -4 3 -2 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 3 -2

-2 -1 -2 -1 -1 1 3 -2 -2 -2 -2 3 -2 1 -1 4 1 4 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1

1 -1 -1 -3 -3 -2 3 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 -1 4 -2 4 1 -1 2 -1 1 1 -1 -3 -1 -1 -1 1 -3

1 2 2 -1 2 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -3 1 -4 1 2 2 1 -1 1 -1 2 1 -1 2 -3 -3 -1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -3 2 1 -1 -4 2 2 -1 1 2 2 2 -1 2 2 -3 2 -1 1

2 2 2 2 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 -1 2 -4 -3 -3 1 -3 2 1 5 2 -1 -1 2 4 -1

2 2 2 2 2 2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 4 -1 2 2 -3 -3 1 2 1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -3 -1

-4 2 5 2 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 4 -1 2 -1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 -3 -1 -1 1 2 -3

1 1 -1 -4 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 4 -1 -1 -1 -1 2 1 4 4 1 -3 1 1 1 4 1 1

-2 -5 -1 -2 -2 5 1 5 1 -1 5 5 1 -2 -1 4 -1 -1 -1 4 -1 4 4 -2 3 4 1 2 1 1

-1 -2 -1 -1 -1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 -1 -2 1 3 -2 4 -1 -1 3 3 -1 -2 -2 3 -2 -1

-2 -1 -2 -2 3 -2 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 -2 -1 3 1 -1 -1 -1 1 -1 -1 -2 -1 3 -1 -1 -2 -2

-1 -1 -1 -1 3 -2 3 1 -2 1 3 1 3 -1 -1 1 -4 3 -2 -1 -5 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -5 3 -2

-2 -1 -2 -1 -1 1 3 -2 -2 -2 -2 3 -2 1 -1 4 1 4 -1 -1 -5 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1

OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep

92 93 94 95 96 97 92 93 94 95 96 97 92 93 94 95 96 97 92 93 94 95 96 97 92 93 94 95 96 97

Oct-93 Apr-94 Oct-94 Apr-95 Oct-95 Apr-96

0

5

10

15

20

25

Oct-93 Apr-94 Oct-94 Apr-95 Oct-95 Apr-96

0

5

10

15

20

25

0

5

10

15

20

25

Co

mp

on

ent

Sco

re

Allequash Creek, WI

Loch Vale, CO

Sleepers River, VT

Panola Mountain, GA

Luquillo, PR

Component Legend

Fall rain releases NH4 Melt on dry soil; NH4 retained

Low flow; Wx export, nuts ret.Recharge; Dilute wx, nuts exp.

Dry, warm; NO3, Cl exportedWet, cool; NO3, Cl retained

Dry,cool; Nutrients exportedWet, warm; nutrients assim.

Storm/Melt; Solutes exportedDry/Freeze; Solutes retained







WEBMOD• Modifications to XTOP_PRMS to enable forward

feeding series of batch reactors:– Soil properties

• Porosity, field capacity, wilting point, rooting depth, depth to bedrock, log-normal distribution of vertical hydraulic conductivity.

– Explicit flow paths• Throughfall, transpiration, deep preferential flow

– Track solute fluxes and storage• Couple with PHREEQC to enable geochemical

simulations

PHREEQC Capabilities• Aqueous, mineral, gas, surface, ion-exchange, and

solid-solution equilibria • Kinetic reactions • 1D diffusion or advection and dispersion with

dual-porosity medium • A powerful inverse modeling capability allows

identification of reactions that account for the chemical evolution in observed water compositions

• Extensive geochemical databases

• WEBMOD will– aid in understanding the seasonality of water quantity

and quality in watersheds in diverse hydroclimatic settings, and

– provide estimates of antecedent and forecasted watershed hydrology and climatology to optimize water use and water quality for any given period

Implications for Watershed Management

Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budget Programhttp://water.usgs.gov/webb/about.html

MMS – Modular Modeling Systemhttp://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/mms/

PHREEQC - A Computer Program for Speciation, Batch-Reaction, One-Dimensional Transport, and Inverse Geochemical Calculations

http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/projects/GWC_coupled/phreeqc/index.html

GIS Weaselhttp://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/weasel/

PRMS – Precipitation Runoff Modeling Systemhttp://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/mms/html/prms_page.html

TOPMODELhttp://www.es.lancs.ac.uk/hfdg/topmodel.html

SNOW-17 model: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hrl/nwsrfs/users_manual/htm/xrfsdochtm.htm







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Chief Seattle, 1854