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Upland contributing area for the project run | |
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The Great Lakes Watershed Management System (GLWMS) is an on-line tool that allows users to evaluate non-point source (NPS) pollution model
estimates at watershed and field scales. The system links two water quality models, High Impact Targeting (HIT)
from the Institute of Water Research at Michigan State University,
and the Long Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) from Purdue University's
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. HIT estimates sediment loading from agricultural lands to nearby streams; L-THIA estimates
run-off volumes and pollutant loads.
The GLWMS allows users to view HIT and L-THIA estimates at watershed scales, and conduct field scale scenario evaluations of land cover changes or best management practices (BMPs).
The system is currently available for the priority basins of the EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: the Fox River Basin of Wisconsin, the Saginaw River Basin of Michigan, the Maumee River Basin of Ohio, and the Genessee River Basin of New York.
Zoom to an area of interest and utilize the tabs below to get started.
The GLWMS allows users to view HIT and L-THIA estimates at watershed scales, and conduct field scale scenario evaluations of land cover changes or best management practices (BMPs).
The system is currently available for the priority basins of the EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: the Fox River Basin of Wisconsin, the Saginaw River Basin of Michigan, the Maumee River Basin of Ohio, and the Genessee River Basin of New York.
Zoom to an area of interest and utilize the tabs below to get started.
Click on a map layer name for a description.
To analyze data at the field level, or run land-cover change scenario models click on 'Field-scale Analysis'.
To analyze sediment and nutrient loading at watershed scales click on 'Watershed-scale Analysis'.
To analyze sediment and nutrient loading at watershed scales click on 'Watershed-scale Analysis'.
About the Models
Estimates of non-point source pollution in the GLWMS are based upon two models, High Impact Targeting (HIT) and Long-term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA).
Erosion and sediment loading are based on HIT, which is a combination of two sub-models, RUSLE and SEDMOD. RUSLE estimates annual soil erosion caused by rainfall, and SEDMOD estimates the fraction of eroded soil that reaches the stream network. HIT estimates erosion and sediment for each 100 square-meter pixel on the landscape, using inputs from the USDA’s Cropland Data Layer to simulate land cover and crop rotations, USDA’s SSURGO soil surveys to estimate soil texture and erodibility, USGS digital elevation models to estimate surface slope and run-off paths, USGS’ National Hydrography Dataset for stream locations, Purdue’s Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) county-scale surveys to estimate tillage practices, and Oregon State University’s PRISM dataset for precipitation. A summary of how HIT is employed within the GLWMS is available here. You can also read detailed metadata for how HIT data was generated here: erosion and sediment.
Click here to read about the uncertainty in HIT model outputs.
L-THIA is a hydrologic model that estimates pollutant runoff using curve numbers based on land-cover and soil relationships, and published pollution concentrations. Though L-THIA’s approach is fundamentally different than HIT’s, it utilizes similar inputs of land cover, USDA SSURGO soil surveys, and USGS digital elevation models and stream locations. L-THIA provides estimates of specific pollutants (such as Phosphorus and Nitrogen) whereas HIT can only estimate soil erosion and sediment. You can read more about how L-THIA works here.
Click here to read about the uncertainty in L-THIA model outputs.
Estimates of non-point source pollution in the GLWMS are based upon two models, High Impact Targeting (HIT) and Long-term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA).
Erosion and sediment loading are based on HIT, which is a combination of two sub-models, RUSLE and SEDMOD. RUSLE estimates annual soil erosion caused by rainfall, and SEDMOD estimates the fraction of eroded soil that reaches the stream network. HIT estimates erosion and sediment for each 100 square-meter pixel on the landscape, using inputs from the USDA’s Cropland Data Layer to simulate land cover and crop rotations, USDA’s SSURGO soil surveys to estimate soil texture and erodibility, USGS digital elevation models to estimate surface slope and run-off paths, USGS’ National Hydrography Dataset for stream locations, Purdue’s Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) county-scale surveys to estimate tillage practices, and Oregon State University’s PRISM dataset for precipitation. A summary of how HIT is employed within the GLWMS is available here. You can also read detailed metadata for how HIT data was generated here: erosion and sediment.
Click here to read about the uncertainty in HIT model outputs.
L-THIA is a hydrologic model that estimates pollutant runoff using curve numbers based on land-cover and soil relationships, and published pollution concentrations. Though L-THIA’s approach is fundamentally different than HIT’s, it utilizes similar inputs of land cover, USDA SSURGO soil surveys, and USGS digital elevation models and stream locations. L-THIA provides estimates of specific pollutants (such as Phosphorus and Nitrogen) whereas HIT can only estimate soil erosion and sediment. You can read more about how L-THIA works here.
Click here to read about the uncertainty in L-THIA model outputs.
The Great Lakes Watershed Management System represents the integration of several water quality modeling
projects across the region, led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC),
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago
District (USACE), the Institute of Water Research at Michigan State University (IWR-MSU),
and the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University (ABE-Purdue).
funded the development of erosion and sediment models within the Saginaw Bay Watershed, and the ability to re-run those models online for user-defined areas of BMPs or land cover change. also funded the development of watershed-scale prioritization functionality, whereby users could specify a target % of land to focus conservation practices within a particular watershed and then estimate resulting erosion and sediment load reductions.
funded the development of erosion and sediment models for the Fox, Genesee, Maumee, and Saginaw River basins. also funded the development of a web-service version of L-THIA model allowing for an integration of L-THIA estimates of non-point source pollution with estimates of erosion and sediment loading from HIT model.
developed the web-service version of L-THIA, the expanded list of land cover change and BMP practices available for dynamic simulation, and assembled the necessary backend data to make analysis available for the system's current focus watersheds.
developed erosion and sediment model for the system's current focus watersheds, the ability to re-run those model on-line under various BMP and land cover change conditions, and the watershed-scale analysis capabilities. also led the integration of its and analysis tools within this single mapping interface.
Privacy Statement
Version 2.7
Release Date 5/16/2016
Glenn O'Neil (oneilg@msu.edu): 609-557-3017
Jeremiah Asher (asherjer@msu.edu): 517-432-5586
funded the development of erosion and sediment models within the Saginaw Bay Watershed, and the ability to re-run those models online for user-defined areas of BMPs or land cover change. also funded the development of watershed-scale prioritization functionality, whereby users could specify a target % of land to focus conservation practices within a particular watershed and then estimate resulting erosion and sediment load reductions.
funded the development of erosion and sediment models for the Fox, Genesee, Maumee, and Saginaw River basins. also funded the development of a web-service version of L-THIA model allowing for an integration of L-THIA estimates of non-point source pollution with estimates of erosion and sediment loading from HIT model.
developed the web-service version of L-THIA, the expanded list of land cover change and BMP practices available for dynamic simulation, and assembled the necessary backend data to make analysis available for the system's current focus watersheds.
developed erosion and sediment model for the system's current focus watersheds, the ability to re-run those model on-line under various BMP and land cover change conditions, and the watershed-scale analysis capabilities. also led the integration of its and analysis tools within this single mapping interface.
Privacy Statement
Version 2.7
Release Date 5/16/2016
Glenn O'Neil (oneilg@msu.edu): 609-557-3017
Jeremiah Asher (asherjer@msu.edu): 517-432-5586