Keywords

Water Resources Management, Integrated Hydrologic Model, Anthropogenic Impacts, Climate Variability, Multiscale Hydrologic Model, Windows Forms Application Development, ArcGIS Script Tool Development, Groundwater Evapotranspiration, Land Use Change, Groundwater Pumping

Abstract

The main objective of this dissertation was to investigate the impacts of human activities and climate control on hydrologic responses using the Integrated Hydrologic Model (IHM), which dynamically couples HSPF and MODFLOW. The study first evaluated the impacts of land use change and rainfall variability on hydrologic responses—such as streamflow, evapotranspiration (ET), groundwater ET, recharge, and groundwater heads—in the Anclote River basin (ARB), Florida. The results provided insights into the uncertainties in hydrologic responses due to rainfall variability. Secondly, hydrologic response flux changes were partitioned into anthropogenic causes, including groundwater pumping, irrigation, and land use change, by the IHM in the Trout Creek Watershed, Florida. Hydrologic response flux changes per unit of human stress flux change were calculated and assessed at mean annual and monthly scales, offering insights for projecting hydrologic changes due to anthropogenic stressors. For climate control, a three-stage precipitation partitioning framework was proposed to study climate impacts on mean annual groundwater ET across 33 gauged watersheds in west-central Florida using the IHM. The roles of groundwater ET in long-term water balance were quantified through four ratios, and the contributions of various climate variabilities to groundwater ET were determined, providing new insights into sustainable groundwater management. Moreover, the dissertation explored the development and application of a multi-scale framework for the IHM, enhancing simulation accuracy and efficiency across different spatial scales and facilitating better water resource management. Applied to the ARB, this framework demonstrated improved model performance in capturing hydrologic changes due to local human activities and climate variability. This research underscored the significance of integrated surface-groundwater models in accurately assessing hydrologic impacts for water resource management, especially in regions with shallow water tables. It advanced the understanding of human and climate impacts on hydrologic systems, offering valuable tools and methodologies for integrated water resource management.

Completion Date

2024

Semester

Summer

Committee Chair

Wang, Dingbao

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering

Degree Program

Civil Engineering

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

DP0028887

URL

https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1482&context=etd2023

Language

English

Rights

In copyright

Release Date

2-15-2025

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

Accessibility Status

Meets minimum standards for ETDs/HUTs

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