The USGS National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure supports the efficient construction of local-, regional-, and national-scale hydrologic models. The NHM infrastructure consists of: 1) an underlying geospatial fabric of modeling units with an associated parameter database, 2) a model input data archive, and 3) a repository of the physical model simulation code bases.
The USGS National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure was developed to support the efficient construction of local-, regional-, and national-scale hydrologic models for the conterminous United States (Regan and others, 2019 and 2018). The NHM is a modeling infrastructure consisting of three main parts: 1) an underlying geospatial fabric of modeling units (hydrologic response units and stream segments) with an associated parameter database, 2) a model input data archive, and 3) a repository of the physical model simulation code bases. The NHM has been used for a variety of applications since its initial development.
1. Geospatial Fabric
The geospatial fabric was originally developed by Viger and Bock (2014) and is based on an aggregation of the spatial features associated with NHDPlus version 1. The more than two million catchments in the NHDPlus version 1 dataset were aggregated to approximately 110,000 hydrologic response units (HRUs). Model parameter values were computed for each HRU and are stored in a centralized parameter database.
2. Model Input Datasets
Inputs of climate forcings are necessary to run the hydrologic model simulations in the NHM. Primarily, time series of maximum and minimum daily temperature and daily precipitation accumulation are needed by the simulations. Many gridded climate datasets are currently available for the conterminous United States. The three climate datasets that have been used with the NHM to this point are Daymet (Thornton and others, 2016), gridMET (Abatzoglou, 2013), and the forcings developed by Maurer and others (2002). These gridded climate forcings were transferred to the HRUs using an area-weighted averaging algorithm.
3. Physical Models
Currently, two physical model simulation codes have been included in the NHM Infrastructure: 1) the Monthly Water Balance Model (MWBM; McCabe and Markstrom, 2007) and 2) the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS; Markstrom and others, 2015; Leavesley and others, 1983).
Applications using the NHM
2019
- National Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs)
- Calibration of the US Geological Survey National Hydrologic Model in ungauged basins using statistical at-site streamflow simulations (Farmer, W.H., LaFontaine, J.H., Hay, L.E.)
- Estimation of base flow by optimal hydrograph separation for the conterminous United States and implications for national-extent hydrologic models (Foks, S.S., Raffensperger, J.P., Penn, C.A., and Driscoll, J.M.)
- Simulation of water availability in the Southeastern United States for historical and potential future climate and land-cover conditions (LaFontaine, J.H., Hart, R.M., Hay, L.E., Farmer, W.H., Bock, A.R., Viger, R.J., Markstrom, S.L., Regan, R.S., and Driscoll, J.M.)
- Spatiotemporal Variability of Modeled Watershed Scale Surface‐Depression Storage and Runoff for the Conterminous United States (Driscoll, J.M., Hay, L.E., Vanderhoof, M., Viger, R.J.)
2018
- Quantifying uncertainty in simulated streamflow and runoff from a continental-scale monthly water balance model (Bock, A.R, Farmer, W.H., and Hay, L.E.)
- Modelling surface-water depression storage in a Prairie Pothole region (Hay, L.E., Norton, P.A., Viger, R.J., Markstrom, S.L., Regan, R.S., and Vanderhoof, M.)
2017
- The U.S. Geological Survey Monthly Water Balance Model Futures Portal (Bock, A.R., Hay, L.E., Markstrom, S.L., Emmerich, Chris, and Talbert, Marian)
- Spatiotemporal variability of snow depletion curves derived from SNODAS for the conterminous United States, 2004-2013 (Driscoll, J.M., Hay, L.E., and Bock, A.R.)
- National Hydrologic Model Parameter Database—2017-05-08 Download (Driscoll, J.M., Markstrom, S.L., Regan, R.S., Hay, L.E., and Viger, R.J.)
- Simulations of hydrologic response in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, Southeastern United States (LaFontaine, J.H., Jones, L.E., and Painter, J.A.)
2016
- Parameter regionalization of a monthly water balance model for the conterminous United States (Bock, A.R., Hay, L.E., McCabe, G.J., Markstrom, S.L., and Atkinson, R.D.)
- Towards simplification of hydrologic modeling: identification of dominant processes (Markstrom, S.L., Hay, L.E., and Clark, M.P.)
Below are other science projects associated with the National Hydrologic Model.
Integrated Water Availability Assessments
- Overview
The USGS National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure supports the efficient construction of local-, regional-, and national-scale hydrologic models. The NHM infrastructure consists of: 1) an underlying geospatial fabric of modeling units with an associated parameter database, 2) a model input data archive, and 3) a repository of the physical model simulation code bases.
The USGS National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure was developed to support the efficient construction of local-, regional-, and national-scale hydrologic models for the conterminous United States (Regan and others, 2019 and 2018). The NHM is a modeling infrastructure consisting of three main parts: 1) an underlying geospatial fabric of modeling units (hydrologic response units and stream segments) with an associated parameter database, 2) a model input data archive, and 3) a repository of the physical model simulation code bases. The NHM has been used for a variety of applications since its initial development.
1. Geospatial Fabric
The geospatial fabric was originally developed by Viger and Bock (2014) and is based on an aggregation of the spatial features associated with NHDPlus version 1. The more than two million catchments in the NHDPlus version 1 dataset were aggregated to approximately 110,000 hydrologic response units (HRUs). Model parameter values were computed for each HRU and are stored in a centralized parameter database.
2. Model Input Datasets
Inputs of climate forcings are necessary to run the hydrologic model simulations in the NHM. Primarily, time series of maximum and minimum daily temperature and daily precipitation accumulation are needed by the simulations. Many gridded climate datasets are currently available for the conterminous United States. The three climate datasets that have been used with the NHM to this point are Daymet (Thornton and others, 2016), gridMET (Abatzoglou, 2013), and the forcings developed by Maurer and others (2002). These gridded climate forcings were transferred to the HRUs using an area-weighted averaging algorithm.
3. Physical Models
Currently, two physical model simulation codes have been included in the NHM Infrastructure: 1) the Monthly Water Balance Model (MWBM; McCabe and Markstrom, 2007) and 2) the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS; Markstrom and others, 2015; Leavesley and others, 1983).
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Illustration of the U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrologic Model infrastructure as applied to the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (NHM-PRMS). The NHM-PRMS includes: (1) process representation using the PRMS hydrologic simulation code; (2) a consistent geospatial structure for modeling; (3) a database of estimated parameter values; (4) climate input variables; and (5) model extraction software (Regan et al., 2018). Applications using the NHM
2019
- National Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs)
- Calibration of the US Geological Survey National Hydrologic Model in ungauged basins using statistical at-site streamflow simulations (Farmer, W.H., LaFontaine, J.H., Hay, L.E.)
- Estimation of base flow by optimal hydrograph separation for the conterminous United States and implications for national-extent hydrologic models (Foks, S.S., Raffensperger, J.P., Penn, C.A., and Driscoll, J.M.)
- Simulation of water availability in the Southeastern United States for historical and potential future climate and land-cover conditions (LaFontaine, J.H., Hart, R.M., Hay, L.E., Farmer, W.H., Bock, A.R., Viger, R.J., Markstrom, S.L., Regan, R.S., and Driscoll, J.M.)
- Spatiotemporal Variability of Modeled Watershed Scale Surface‐Depression Storage and Runoff for the Conterminous United States (Driscoll, J.M., Hay, L.E., Vanderhoof, M., Viger, R.J.)
2018
- Quantifying uncertainty in simulated streamflow and runoff from a continental-scale monthly water balance model (Bock, A.R, Farmer, W.H., and Hay, L.E.)
- Modelling surface-water depression storage in a Prairie Pothole region (Hay, L.E., Norton, P.A., Viger, R.J., Markstrom, S.L., Regan, R.S., and Vanderhoof, M.)
2017
- The U.S. Geological Survey Monthly Water Balance Model Futures Portal (Bock, A.R., Hay, L.E., Markstrom, S.L., Emmerich, Chris, and Talbert, Marian)
- Spatiotemporal variability of snow depletion curves derived from SNODAS for the conterminous United States, 2004-2013 (Driscoll, J.M., Hay, L.E., and Bock, A.R.)
- National Hydrologic Model Parameter Database—2017-05-08 Download (Driscoll, J.M., Markstrom, S.L., Regan, R.S., Hay, L.E., and Viger, R.J.)
- Simulations of hydrologic response in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, Southeastern United States (LaFontaine, J.H., Jones, L.E., and Painter, J.A.)
2016
- Parameter regionalization of a monthly water balance model for the conterminous United States (Bock, A.R., Hay, L.E., McCabe, G.J., Markstrom, S.L., and Atkinson, R.D.)
- Towards simplification of hydrologic modeling: identification of dominant processes (Markstrom, S.L., Hay, L.E., and Clark, M.P.)
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with the National Hydrologic Model.
Integrated Water Availability Assessments
The USGS Water Resources Mission Area is assessing how much water is available for human and ecological needs in the United States and identifying where and when the Nation may have challenges meeting its demand for water. - Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
- Software