It is imperative that an EFDC+ model be built step by step, with each step building on the previous step and increasing in complexity. For example, the HEM3D water quality sub-model can only be developed after the EFDC hydrodynamics has been calibrated. The basic development steps are provided below.
1.
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Gather Existing and/or New Data
- Domain GIS/mapping coverages for reference and support grid development
- Bathymetry
- Highest available data density
- Flows
- Upstream river(s)
- Ungauged tributaries
- Groundwater
- Point and non-point sources
- Rainfall (optional)
- Evaporation (optional)
- Water levels
- Levels should be tied to a vertical datum, if possible
- Wind data
- Wind speed
- Wind direction
- Best if these data are 15-minute or shorter duration averaged data from 1 to 10 second sampled anemometers.
- Atmospheric data (for temperature modeling)
- Pressure
- Temperature
- Relative humidity
- Solar radiation
- Cloud cover
- Best if these data are hourly or of a shorter duration
- Water column data for all constituents of interest
- For sediment transport also need settling speeds and flocculation
- Vertical concentration gradients, if exist
- Sediment bed characteristics (horizontal and vertical)
- Grain-size distributions
- Sediment erodibility characteristics
- Sediment thickness and hard bottom (e.g. rock)
- Organic carbon characteristics
- Kinetic rates and/or transformation process rates
- Dissolved/sorbed partitioning characteristics
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