Assessment of Watershed Model Simplification and Potential Application in Small Ungaged Watersheds: A Case Study of Big Creek, Atlanta, GA

Author

Zoia A. Comarova Ms, Georgia State UniversityFollow

Date of Award

Summer 8-11-2011

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geosciences

First Advisor

Jordan Clayton

Second Advisor

Jeremy Diem

Third Advisor

Dajun Dai

Fourth Advisor

Brian Watson

Abstract

Technological and methodological advances of the past few decades have provided hydrologists with advanced and increasingly complex hydrological models. These models improve our ability to simulate hydrological systems, but they also require a lot of detailed input data and, therefore, have a limited applicability in locations with poor data availability. From a case study of Big Creek watershed, a 186.4 km² urbanizing watershed in Atlanta, GA, for which continuous flow data are available since 1960, this project investigates the relationship between model complexity, data availability and predictive performance in order to provide reliability factors for the use of reduced complexity models in areas with limited data availability, such as small ungaged watersheds in similar environments. My hope is to identify ways to increase model efficiency without sacrificing significant model reliability that will be transferable to ungaged watersheds.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/2101750

Recommended Citation

Comarova, Zoia A. Ms, "Assessment of Watershed Model Simplification and Potential Application in Small Ungaged Watersheds: A Case Study of Big Creek, Atlanta, GA." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2011.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/2101750