Monday, November 5, 2007 - 2:15 PM
89-6

Measurement and Modeling of Soil Wetness and Streamflow in Snowmelt-Driven Mountainous Terrain.

Thijs Kelleners, renewable resources, university of wyoming, 1000 E. University Ave, Laramie, WY 82071-3354, Jim Mcnamara, geosciences, boise state university, 1910 universiy drive, Boise, ID 83725-1535, Mark Seyfried, USDA-ARS, USDA-ARS, 800 Park Blvd. Plaza IV, Boise, ID 83712-7716, and David Chandler, civil engineering, kansas state university, 2109 fiedler hall, manhattan, KS 66506-5000.

The dry creek experimental watershed was established in 1999 to investigate hydrologic processes in the semi-arid foothills near Boise, ID. A 1.4 ha sub-catchment of dry creek is used to study snow pack dynamics, soil water dynamics, lateral subsurface flow, and streamflow. The complex interactions between the atmosphere, the vegetation, and the soils are quantified using a comprehensive modeling approach. The model calculates the vegetation energy balance, the surface energy balance, subsurface water flow, and subsurface heat transport using a combination of iterative and non-iterative methods. The performance of the model is evaluated by comparing measured and modeled snow depth, soil water content, soil temperature, and streamflow.