GEOG 405

Water in the Environment

T. Giambelluca

WATER BALANCE MODELING

INPUT = OUTPUT
P + Irr = RO + ET + Rchg + SM

Irr

ET
RO

SM

Rchg

Estimating ET
The water balance approach to modeling surface water fluxes employs a relatively simple
method of estimating the partition of soil water into evaporation and recharge.

1
AE/PE

0
0
Wilting Point

AW/AWC

1
Field Capacity

Where: AE = actual evapotranspiration, PE = potential evapotranspiration, AW =

available water content of the soil, and AWC = available water capacity of the soil.
Estimating Recharge
Estimating groundwater recharge is often the primary purpose of conducting a water
balance. Recharge largely determines the rate at which groundwater can be withdrawn
from wells. Water resource planning on O'ahu, which is almost entirely dependent on
groundwater for agricultural, industrial, and domestic water supplies, is based on
estimates of groundwater recharge. Recharge is estimated in the water balance model
based on the accounting of soil water content. When the water stored in the soil exceeds
the field capacity, excess water is assumed to percolate downward beyond the lowest
roots. In the model, this water is assigned to ground water recharge, although it may take
months or years to actually reach the water table.

THORNTHWAITE WATER BALANCE METHOD

AWi min[( AWi 1 Pi Ei ), AWC )]

If Pi> PEi

Ei PEi
Ei Pi [ AWi 1 (1 e

Pi PEi
AWC

)]

If Pi< PEi
Change in soil moisture: AWi = AWi - AWi-1
Deficit: Di = PEi - Ei
Surplus: Si = AWi-1 + Pi - Ei - AWi
Runoff: RO = 1/2 of Amount available for RO
Amount available for RO = Si + Detentioni-1
Detentioni = Amount available for ROi - ROi
Start calculation at the beginning of the wet season. Use
iterative approach to correct first go around.
Problems with this method:
Use of averages
Use of monthly interval
Assumption that all rainfall in interval is evaporated at
the PE rate
No provision for direct runoff
Simplistic soil moisture drying curve