Tiansong Qi (2024)

Project Title: Incorporating wetland characteristics in watershed-scale hydrologic modeling in depression-dominated areas

Fellow: Tiansong Qi

Adviser(s): Xuefeng Chu and Marinus Otte

Project Summary: Depressional wetlands strongly influence watershed hydrology by controlling runoff, flow paths, and water storage through dynamic filling and spilling. Traditional models oversimplify these processes by assuming constant contributing areas. This project improves modeling by introducing a new method that captures variations in terrain, soil, and land cover, along with dynamic wetland storage effects. Applied in North Dakota’s Upper Forest River watershed, it better simulates changing ponded water and runoff areas, offering a more accurate framework for water resource management.