Jan. 22, 2015 -- The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a convenient and informative new method for the analysis of groundwater and surface-water hydrologic data.
Called the Groundwater (GW) Toolbox, the GIS-driven graphical and mapping interface is a significant advancement in USGS software for estimating base flow (the groundwater-discharge component of streamflow), surface runoff and groundwater recharge from streamflow data.
The GW Toolbox brings together several analysis methods previously developed by the USGS and Bureau of Reclamation. Each of the methods use daily streamflow data automatically retrieved from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) for more than 26,000 streamgage sites across the nation.
In addition to streamflow data, the GW Toolbox also facilitates the retrieval of groundwater-level and precipitation time-series data from the NWIS database. The software will be of use to engineers, academia and government agencies at all levels for the analysis of many of the water-budget components of a typical watershed.
The intensively visual interface will help shed light on water availability and hydrologic trends in response to climate and land-use changes and variability in these watersheds. The GW Toolbox runs in a Microsoft Windows environment and includes the Base Flow Index (BFI), HYSEP and PART hydrograph-separation methods to estimate base flow and surface runoff and the RORA and RECESS methods to estimate groundwater recharge.
See also:
"New USGS website offers data-driven insights on California drought"
"USGS report indicates national water use at lowest levels in over 40 years"
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