Abstract
Runoff modeling of glaciated watersheds is required to predict runoff for water supply, aquatic ecosystem management and flood prediction, and to deal with questions concerning the impact of climate and land use change on the hydrological system and watershed export of contaminants of glaciated watersheds. A widely used pollutant loading model, Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution (AnnAGNPS) was applied to simulate runoff from three watersheds in glaciated geomorphic settings. The objective of this study was to evaluate the suitability of the AnnAGNPS model in glaciated landscapes for the prediction of runoff volume. The study area included Sugar Creek watershed, Indiana; Fall Creek watershed, New York; and Pawcatuck River watershed, Rhode Island, USA. The AnnAGNPS model was developed, calibrated and validated for runoff estimation for these watersheds. The daily and monthly calibration and validation statistics (NSE > 0.50 and RSR < 0.70, and PBIAS ± 25%) of the developed model were satisfactory for runoff simulation for all the studied watersheds. Once AnnAGNPS successfully simulated runoff, a parameter sensitivity analysis was carried out for runoff simulation in all three watersheds. The output from our hydrological models applied to glaciated areas will provide the capacity to couple edge-of-field hydrologic modeling with the examination of riparian or riverine functions and behaviors.
Highlights
Excess nutrient losses from agricultural watersheds in glaciated settings of the Midwest and Northeast of USA are one of the greatest water quality problems tied to modern agriculture [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Based on the review of literature, we found that AnnAGNPS has not been applied in watersheds of glacial geomorphic settings, such as our studied watersheds, to model runoff generation and other hydrological processes
The observed runoff volumes from January 2000 to December 2013 at the watershed outlet were used for model calibration and validation at daily and monthly scales
Summary
Excess nutrient (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus) losses from agricultural watersheds in glaciated settings of the Midwest and Northeast of USA are one of the greatest water quality problems tied to modern agriculture [1,2,3,4,5,6]. These water quality problems include eutrophication, harmful algae blooms, and fish kills in the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay, the Hudson River Estuary, and other coastal areas [7,8,9,10]. Water 2020, 12, 3525 between the landscape-generated “edge-of-field” waterborne losses and riparian functioning to improve riparian design and to better quantify the extent of treatment within riparian zones [20].
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