Simulation of a Semipermanent Wetland Basin in the Cottonwood Lake Area, East-Central North Dakota
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 10, Issue 1
Abstract
A coupled surface/subsurface hydrologic model was developed to examine the effects of climatic conditions on stage fluctuations within a semipermanent wetland located in the Prairie Pothole region of east-central North Dakota. Model calibration was accomplished using data collected from 1981 until 1996 to encompass extreme climatic conditions. Simulation results suggest that wetland inflows are dominated by runoff (36%), direct precipitation to the lake (45%) and groundwater inflows (19%), while outflow from the wetland is primarily evaporation (84%) and groundwater discharge to the underlying aquifer (16%). Modeled surface runoff produces short duration, high magnitude flows typically associated with spring thaw while modeled groundwater provides flows smaller in magnitude but longer in duration that may be increasingly important to wetland stage during extended periods of drought and flood. Despite an oversimplification of the complex groundwater component of the wetland system it was found that this modeling approach was able to predict system response over under extreme climatic conditions.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support of this project was provided by the U.S. Geological Survey Contract No. 1434-HQ97-RU-01549 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Contract No. DACW39-99-P-0680. A special thanks goes to Carter Johnson, Tagir Gilmanov, Richard Voldseth, and Bruce Millet at the South Dakota State University, Brookings for their support, ideas and data. Recognition is also given to Renee Parkhurst at the U.S. Geological Survey for access to all stage and well data, and to Karen Poiani who’s initial modeling efforts provided the foundation of this study.
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Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 10 • Issue 1 • January 2005
Pages: 70 - 84
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: May 5, 2003
Accepted: Dec 19, 2003
Published online: Jan 1, 2005
Published in print: Jan 2005
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