Technical Notes
Mar 22, 2019

New Transboundary Hydrographic Data Set for Advancing Regional Hydrological Modeling and Water Resources Management

Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 145, Issue 6

Abstract

The authors document the development and testing of a new suite of hydrologic and hydraulic data for the customization of the new National Water Model (NWM) to the Great Lakes basin. The NWM was recently (August 2016) deployed operationally across the United States, including extensions across the international basins of the Columbia and Rio Grande Rivers. In its current configuration the NWM does not extend across the entire Great Lakes basin due to the challenges of reconciling data discontinuities along the United States–Canada border. The new hydrographic data set was developed by harmonizing data from existing sources across the Great Lakes basin, and by leveraging a strong binational partnership between US and Canadian federal agencies and research institutions. The completed hydrographic data set allows the NWM to be customized to the Great Lakes basin, and to be applied to water resources management problems including differentiating drivers behind long-term changes in Great Lakes water levels, forecasting water supplies for regional hydropower management, and understanding the physical processes along the Great Lakes coastline that govern the fate and transport of waterborne pollutants.

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Data Availability Statement

The new hydrographic data set is not yet publicly available. Updates on its availability can be obtained from the corresponding author by request.

Acknowledgments

Funding for this project was provided by the NOAA Joint Technology Transfer Initiative (Award No. NA16OAR4590240) and by NOAA-GLERL. Kaye LaFond, Nicole Rice, and Joe Smith provided graphical and data management support. Chuliang Xiao provided WRF-Hydro model simulation results. This is NOAA-GLERL contribution no. 1912.

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Information & Authors

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Go to Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 145Issue 6June 2019

History

Received: Mar 22, 2018
Accepted: Nov 8, 2018
Published online: Mar 22, 2019
Published in print: Jun 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Aug 22, 2019

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Authors

Affiliations

Lacey A. Mason
Data Manager and Spatial Analyst, School for Environment and Sustainability, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; NOAA Great Lakes Environmenal Research Laboratory, 4840 South State Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
Associate Professor, School for Environment and Sustainability, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 41809; NOAA Great Lakes Environmenal Research Laboratory, Dana Bldg., 440 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (corresponding author). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3576-2529. Email: [email protected]
Michael Laitta
Senior Physical Science Advisor and GIS Coordinator, International Joint Commission, US Section, 1717 H St. NW, Washington, DC 20006.
David Gochis
Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 3450 Mitchell Ln., Boulder, CO 80301.
Kevin Sampson
Associate Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 3450 Mitchell Ln., Boulder, CO 80301.
Laura Read
Associate Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 3450 Mitchell Ln., Boulder, CO 80301.
Erika Klyszejko
Water Resource Engineer, Water Survey of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0H3.
Judy Kwan
GIS Scientist, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 3S5.
Lauren Fry
Civil Engineer, US Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit, MI 48226.
Kimberly Jones
Supervisory GIS Specialist, Utah Water Science Center, US Geological Survey, Salt Lake City, UT 84119.
Peter Steeves
Physical Scientist - GIS, New England Water Science Center, US Geological Survey, Northborough, MA 01532.
Alain Pietroniro
Director, National Hydrological Services, Water Survey of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 3H5.
Mike Major
Project Manager, Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation, Natural Resource Canada, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada J1H 4G9.

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