A Freshwater Forecasting System for Resilient Watersheds.
Based on an extensive design review by end-users, Northern Yellowstone Basecamp is building a decision support system for water management that is capable of short-term forecasts (discharge, temperature, and sediment/pollution transport) and powerful What-if-Scenarios for mitigation and adaptation to changing climate and human land-use.
At the core of this Freshwater Forecasting System (FFS) is a hybrid of process-based simulation model; primarily USDA’s Soil-Water Assessment Tool for surface water and USGS’s MODFLOW for groundwater. These coupled models require the modification (scaling, fusion and amplification) of many biophysical inputs from a variety of sources, primarily NASA data, to attain the output at a spatial scale pertinent to the end-user.
Furthermore, in order to achieve short-term forecasting and real-time scenarios, quick turnaround satellite data are needed at various temporal frequencies to match the dynamic nature of FFS’s biophysical processes (disturbance, surface temperature, snowpack, plant harvest).
NYB is partnering with Yellowstone Ecological Research Center on this critical endeavor. Learn more about YERC here.