MIKE by DHI 2009

MIKE BASIN
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28 January 2010 6:24 am
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Please Note
Copyright
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by copyright. All rights are reserved. Copying or other reproduction of
this manual or the related programs is prohibited without prior written
consent of DHI. For details please refer to your 'DHI Software Licence
Agreement'.
Limited Liability
The liability of DHI is limited as specified in Section III of your 'DHI
Software Licence Agreement':
'IN NO EVENT SHALL DHI OR ITS REPRESENTATIVES (AGENTS
AND SUPPLIERS) BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSO-
EVER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, SPECIAL, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR DAMAGES
FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SAVINGS, BUSINESS
INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION OR OTHER
PECUNIARY LOSS ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR THE INA-
BILITY TO USE THIS DHI SOFTWARE PRODUCT, EVEN IF DHI
HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
THIS LIMITATION SHALL APPLY TO CLAIMS OF PERSONAL
INJURY TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. SOME COUN-
TRIES OR STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITA-
TION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES AND, ACCORDINGLY, SOME PORTIONS
OF THESE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. BY YOUR
OPENING OF THIS SEALED PACKAGE OR INSTALLING OR
USING THE SOFTWARE, YOU HAVE ACCEPTED THAT THE
ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR THE MAXIMUM LEGALLY APPLICA-
BLE SUBSET OF THESE LIMITATIONS APPLY TO YOUR PUR-
CHASE OF THIS SOFTWARE.'
Printing History
January 2009
iv MIKE BASIN
1
C O N T E N T S
2 MIKE BASIN
MIKE BASIN Users Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.1 About MIKE BASIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.2 About this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.3 Adding and Removing the MIKE BASIN Extension from ArcMap . . . . . 12
2 MIKE BASIN OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.1 The Graphical User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.1.1 The Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.1.2 Overview of MIKE BASIN drop-down menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.1.3 Property dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.2 Quick overview of MIKE BASIN building blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.2.1 Rivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.2.2 Catchments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.2.3 Water Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.2.4 Reservoirs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.2.5 Hydropower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.3 Starting up MIKE BASIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.3.1 Illustrating how to create a simple model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2.4 Running a MIKE BASIN Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.5 Result Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.5.1 MIKE BASIN Result Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3 TIME SERIES IN MIKE BASIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.1 The Engineering Unit Managenemt (EUM) System . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.2 Time series recycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.3 Constant values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.4 Adding time series to MIKE BASIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.5 Item type editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.6 Table editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.6.1 Copy / Paste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.6.2 Importing time series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4 RULES IN MIKE BASIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5 RIVER NETWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
5.1 Creating a river network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
5.2 General River Reach Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
5.2.1 Flow losses (optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
5.2.2 Flow capacity time series (optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.3 River Hydraulics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.3.1 No routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
5.3.2 Linear reservoir routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
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5.3.3 Muskingum Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5.3.4 Wave Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.3.5 Water level calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.3.6 Rating curve approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
5.3.7 Manning formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
5.3.8 Head Loss (Hydropower) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
5.4 Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6 RIVER NODES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6.1 Simple Node Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6.1.1 Priority of Downstream Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
6.1.2 Minimum Flow Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
6.2 Bifurcation Node properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
7 CATCHMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
7.1 Schematic Catchments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
7.2 Delineated catchments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
7.2.1 Importing catchment shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
7.2.2 Delineating catchments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
7.3 General catchment properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
7.4 Groundwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
7.4.1 Linear Reservoir model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
7.4.2 Groundwater Model Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
7.5 Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
7.5.1 WQ in Groundwater tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
8 WATER USER NODES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
8.1 General Water User Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
8.2 Groundwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
8.3 Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
9 RESERVOIRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
9.1 General Reservoir Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
9.2 Rule Curves Reservoirs and Lakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
9.3 Rules specifically for Allocation Pool reservoirs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
9.4 Spillways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
9.5 Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
10 HYDROPOWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
10.1 Hydropower - Formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
11 IRRIGATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
11.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
11.2 Node and sub-model relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
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11.2.1 Editing sub-model menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
11.3 The Irrigation Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
11.3.1 Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
11.3.2 Surface Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
11.3.3 Groundwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
11.4 Sub-Model Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
11.4.1 The Climate Sub-Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
11.4.2 Reference Evapotranspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
11.4.3 Soil Water Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
11.4.4 Irrigation Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
11.4.5 Crop Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
11.4.6 Yield Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
11.4.7 Crop Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
11.5 Simulation output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
12 FEATURE SYMBOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
12.1 The Classic Symbology option (default) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
12.2 The Advanced Symbology option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
13 RESULT PRESENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
13.1 MIKE BASIN Result Presentation Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
13.2 Result Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
13.3 Animated maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
14 MACRO PROGRAMMING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
14.1 Overview of interfaces and enumerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
14.2 Macro Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
14.3 Adding references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
14.4 Editing the Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
15 OPTIMIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
15.1 Theoretical background (brief) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
15.1.1 Lack of sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
15.1.2 Local vs global optima . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
15.1.3 Ill-defined problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
15.1.4 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
15.2 Working with Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
15.2.1 Optimization Problem Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
15.2.2 Run MIKE BASIN dialog - Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
15.2.3 Options Dialog (Advanced tab) - Numerical Settings . . . . . . . 157
15.3 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
16 WATER QUALITY MODELING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
16.1 Modeled Substances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
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16.2 Processes: Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
16.3 Rates: Temperature Dependency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
16.4 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
16.5 Within-Catchment Decay for Non-Point Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
16.6 Reservoirs: Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
16.7 Groundwater: Water Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
16.8 Re-aeration from Weirs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
17 LOAD CALCULATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
17.1 Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
17.1.1 Shape file attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
17.1.2 Time distribution (alpha time series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
17.1.3 Runoff Coefficients button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
17.1.4 Source Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
17.1.5 Runoff Coefficients Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
17.1.6 Load Reduction Factors Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
17.1.7 Load Sources Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
17.1.8 Load Source Fluxes Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
17.1.9 Treatment Efficiencies Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
17.2 Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
17.2.1 General Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
17.2.2 Distance Decay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
17.2.3 MIKE 11 Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
17.2.4 Transport Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.3 Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.3.1 .Maps and Statistics output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.3.2 MIKE BASIN output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
17.3.3 MIKE 11 output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
18 NAM RAINFALL-RUNOFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
18.1 NAM Overview Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
18.1.1 Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
18.2 Run NAM Simulation Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
18.3 Select TS Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
18.4 TS Weights Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
18.5 NAM Surface-Rootzone Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
18.5.1 Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
18.6 Ground Water Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
18.6.1 Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
18.7 Snow Melt Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
18.7.1 Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
18.8 Elevation Zones Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
6 MIKE BASIN
18.8.1 Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
18.9 Initial Conditions Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
18.9.1 Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
18.10 Rainfall Runoff Step-by-Step (for MIKE BASIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
19 NAM RAINFALL-RUNOFF TECHNICAL REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
19.1 NAM - Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
19.2 Data Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
19.2.1 Meteorological data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
19.2.2 Hydrological data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
19.3 Model Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
19.4 Basic modelling components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
19.5 Extended groundwater components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
19.6 Snow module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
19.6.1 Altitude-distributed snowmelt model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
19.6.2 Adjustment of temperature and precipitation to altitude zones . 223
19.6.3 Extended components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
19.7 Model parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
19.7.1 Surface and root zone parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
19.7.2 Groundwater parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
19.7.3 Snow module parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
19.8 Initial conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
19.9 Model calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
19.9.1 Calibration objectives and evaluation measures . . . . . . . . . 232
19.9.2 Manual calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
19.10 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Interface Programming Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
20 FOR VISUAL BASIC MACRO PROGRAMMING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
20.1 Overview of interfaces and enumerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
20.2 Some tips and tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
20.2.1 Call by reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
20.2.2 Call by value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
20.2.3 Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
20.2.4 Option Explicit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
20.2.5 Static vs dim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
20.2.6 Daisy-chaining vs temporary variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
20.3 DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine interface methods . . . . . . . . . . . 245
20.3.1 Initialize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
20.3.2 Simulate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
20.3.3 Optimize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
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20.3.4 RunAll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
20.3.5 SimulateTimeStep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
20.3.6 AdvanceTimeStep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
20.3.7 RememberForHotstart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
20.3.8 GetModelObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
20.3.9 GetIthRuleForNode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
20.4 Lesser used DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine methods . . . . . . . . . 247
20.4.1 SetSimulationOptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
20.4.2 SetSimulationTiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
20.4.3 SetInputTimeSeriesValue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
20.4.4 GetCurrTimeStepInfo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
20.4.5 ShowStatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
20.4.6 ShowAnyWarnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
20.4.7 FinishSimulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
20.4.8 GetResultsTSObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
20.4.9 GetTemplateModelObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
20.4.10 PreInitialize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
20.4.11 Initialize2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
20.4.12 Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
20.4.13 FindModelObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
20.4.14 GetRulesForNode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
20.4.15 RestoreFromHotstartFile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
20.5 DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine interface properties . . . . . . . . . . 252
20.5.1 Initialized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
20.5.2 WorkingDirectory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
20.5.3 WriteOutput . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
20.5.4 NumberOfNetworkElements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
20.5.5 NumberOfObjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
20.5.6 SimulationStart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
20.5.7 SimulationEnd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
20.5.8 TimeOfForecast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
20.5.9 TimeStep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
20.5.10 StochasticPeriod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
20.5.11 NumberOfTimeSteps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
20.5.12 Silent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
20.5.13 OptimizationMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
20.5.14 SimulationDescription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
20.6 DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.ModelObject interface methods . . . . . . . 254
20.6.1 GetBasicInfo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
20.6.2 FindResultIndex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
20.6.3 GetCurrentResult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
20.6.4 GetAverageResult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
20.6.5 FindInputIndex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
20.6.6 GetInputSpecs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
8 MIKE BASIN
20.6.7 GetInputOriginalValue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
20.6.8 SetInput . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
20.7 Lesser used DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.ModelObject methods . . . . . . 257
20.7.1 GetExtendedInfo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
20.7.2 GetResultSpecs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
20.7.3 GetDayResult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
20.7.4 GetMonthResult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
20.7.5 GetInputTSObject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
20.7.6 GetOverwriteableVariableSpecs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
20.7.7 OverwriteVariableInComingTimeStep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
20.8 DHI_MikeBasin_Data enumerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
20.8.1 ObjectTypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
20.8.2 WqSimulationModes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
20.8.3 OptimizationModes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
20.8.4 RuleTypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
21 MIKE BASIN DATA MODEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
21.1 Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
21.2 Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
21.3 Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
21.4 Physical Values (Units) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
21.5 Time series and XY-type lookup tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
9
M I K E B A S I N
Users Guide
10 MIKE BASIN
About MIKE BASIN
MIKE BASIN Users Guide 11
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 About MIKE BASIN
The rationale of undertaking water resources studies on a basin scale
instead of on a project by project basis is based on the recognition that the
water and land resources of a basin forms a unity and hence must be
treated as such if future conflicts over water utilization are to be avoided.
For addressing water allocation, conjunctive water use, reservoir opera-
tion, or water quality issues, MIKE BASIN couples the power of ArcGIS
with comprehensive hydrologic modelling to provide basin-scale solu-
tions. The MIKE BASIN philosophy is to keep modelling simple and intu-
itive, yet provide in-depth insight for planning and management.
Being an ArcGIS extension, MIKE BASIN allows for some integration
between model input/output and existing GIS data. Moreover, MIKE
BASIN embeds another DHI GIS Extension, Temporal Analyst, which
implies that an abundance of tools for spatial associations, analysis and
presentation of time series data are available.
Moreover, the MIKE BASIN code is open-ended, and through the exten-
sive COM/.NET interface all input, output and allocation rules can be
accessed and manipulated, allowing for extensive customization and even
allowing for full integration of MIKE BASIN in external modelling sys-
tems. Examples are economic or ecologic models, customized pre- and
postprocessors and tailor made decision support systems.
1.2 About this Manual
The MIKE BASIN includes the full documentation as part of the on-line
help system, which can be accessed from the MIKE BASIN toolbar. By
pressing the F1 key in the dialogs, the documentation is also accessed. The
online help for Temporal Analyst can be accessed from the Temporal Ana-
lyst toolbar.
The purpose of the overview section, ref. MIKE BASIN overview (p. 13)
is to provide just enough information for the user to get started. It is also
recommended to read the time series section , ref. Time series in MIKE
BASIN (p. 35) before you start setting up a model.
Additional resources are continually updated on the MIKE BASIN web
site, www.mikebasin.com.
Introduction
12 MIKE BASIN
1.3 Adding and Removing the MIKE BASIN Extension from
ArcMap
MIKE BASIN is an ArcGIS extension and can be added and removed
from the ArcMap document like any other ArcGIS extension. When you
remove the MIKE BASIN extension, the tools in the MIKE BASIN tool-
bar will be disabled. To disable/enable the MIKE BASIN extensions fol-
low the steps below:
1 From the ArcGIS menu, select Tools, and click on Extensions
2 In the Extensions dialog, check or uncheck the MIKE BASIN exten-
sion. Important: The Temporal Analyst Extension has to be enabled
before the MIKE BASIN extension can be enabled.
3 Click Close.
To remove or add the MIKE BASIN toolbar, follow the steps below:
1 From the ArcGIS menu, select Tools, and click on Customize.
2 Check or uncheck MIKE BASIN in the list under the Toolbars tab.
3 Click Close.
Notice: The MIKE BASIN toolbar may be disabled even though the
MIKE BASIN extension is enabled and visa versa.
13
2 MIKE BASIN OVERVIEW
MIKE BASIN is a powerful multi-purpose modelling package for profes-
sionals working with water resources projects.
At first glance MIKE BASIN gives the impression of being "just" a simu-
lation package for river basin water allocation investigations. But it pro-
vides functionalities within a GIS environment for many kinds of
investigations.
The philosophy behind MIKE BASIN is to be a simple, intuitive and easy-
to-use "office" package, which serves the analysis needs, large or small,
forof water resources practitioners. The main areas of work, which MIKE
BASIN supports are:
z Water allocation scenario modelling;
z Reservoir/hydropower operation;
z Hydrological modelling;
z Irrigation demand and yield assessment;
z In-stream nutrient modelling;
z Catchment nutrient load assessment;
z Time series data management and analysis.
For river basin modelling analysis, either on basin scale or project scale,
MIKE BASIN operates on the basis of a schematic river network, which
can either be digitized on the screen, based on an imported shape file or
traced from a digital elevation model. Besides rivers (referred to as
reaches or branches), other buidling blocks which constitues a MIKE
BASIN model are:
z Water User nodes;
z Irrigation usage nodes;
z Hydrological Catchment polygons;
z Reservoirs nodes (Lakes, Rule Curve Reservoirs, Allocation Pool res-
ervoirs);
z Hydropower Plant nodes;
z Link channel lines.
The behavior of the individual building blocks as well as the interactions
between them are defined using the built-in operation rules, or through
creation of customized rules in a macro program, which can access the
MIKE BASIN overview
14 MIKE BASIN
MIKE BASIN egine through its COM interface. A built-in Macro Assist-
ant helps the user to create the skeleton macro, on which the customization
is based.
All information regarding the configuration and the linkages between the
model building blocks are defined through on-screen editing in ArcMap.
Catchment boundaries are schematically represented by a given shape of a
ploygon. Catchment polygons can also be imported from existing GIS lay-
ers, delineated using a digital elevation model, or modified on the screen,
see Catchments (p. 65).
The computational engine of MIKE BASIN solves the flow between each
node/branch according to the input data and stores the stationary solution
for each time step. The simulation time step can be any positive time span
ranging from seconds to months. The time step of input data can be differ-
ent from the simulation time step, and may even vary throughout a time
series.
MIKE BASIN may be used together with optimization algorithms. The
concept for optimization is its generality, and MIKE BASIN can optimize
with respect to any objective.
With the WQ module, MIKE BASIN can simulate steady-state reactive
transport of the most important nutrient substances affecting water quality.
Point sources as well as non-point pollution can be modeled, and the Load
Calculator (p. 169), which is part of MIKE BASIN WQ, allows easy inte-
gration of other GIS-based data for automatic calculation of the non-point
nutrient loads from catchment areas. Certain point sources are included in
the Load Calculator as well.
Runoff from individual catchments can either be specified as time series
or computed using a hydrological modelling, see NAM Rainfall-Runoff
(p. 195).
Finally, the simulation results can be easily viewed by simple rigth click
on the node, branch or catchment of interest. Visualization as animations
or overlays can be created, and time series results can be analyzed using
the tools collection from another ArcGIS Extension, DHIs Temporal
Analyst, which is fully embedded in MIKE BASIN.
2.1 The Graphical User Interface
The MIKE BASIN graphical user interface (GUI) is empowered by
ESRIs ArcMAP. When MIKE BASIN is started up, an ArcMAP project
The Graphical User Interface
15
file (*.mxd) and a geodatabase file (*.mdb) are created. The layout of the
user interface is presented in Figure 2.1.
The central part of the GUI is the Model View, in which all models are
created. The model view can be seen as a dashboard, where objects (build-
ing blocks, layers etc) can be placed. The model can be geo-referenced,
which is particular useful if a model is displayed together with other GIS
information. The easiest way to make a model geo-referenced is to add a
georeferenced layer or image before starting to build a model.
All MIKE BASIN functionality for setting up a model and running a
model is available from a single toolbar, called MIKE BASIN, that appears
in the ArcMAP user interface when MIKE BASIN is installed. Extra tool-
bars are available for advanced result presentation, MIKE BASIN Results,
for time series analysis, Temporal Analyst.
The model building blocks and editing tools are available from the MIKE
BASIN Toolbar. Other tools and utilities are available from the MIKE
BASIN drop-down menu at the left hand-side of the toolbar as shown in
Figure 2.2.
Figure 2.1 The MIKE BASIN User Interface in ArcMAP.
MIKE BASIN overview
16 MIKE BASIN
In addition, the conventional ArcMAP toolbars are available for MIKE
BASIN applications.
Besides the specific toolbars for MIKE BASIN, the interface also differs
from the conventional ArcMap by having a Time Series tap at the bottom
of the Table of Content view. This allows you to access time series data
directly from the Table of Content as well as accessing different time
series functionalities and analysis tools.
A dockable window, the Time series Analysis window, appears whenever
a time series is being viewed or edited. Multiple time series can be viewed
under same or different taps that are created as more time series are
viewed or edited. This Time series Analysis window is also home for the
analysis tools in Temporal Analyst.
2.1.1 The Toolbars
The MIKE BASIN Toolbar is divided into different parts:
Part1: Start/Stop Editing.
Clicking on these tools will either start or end the edit mode. The map will
automatically be in edit mode when you click on a building block tool.
Editing mode will be terminated with a reminder to save the edits when
the Stop Editing tool or other tools that are not used for creating or modi-
fying the model network (not Part 3 tools) are selected.
Part2: River Trace/Catchment delineate tools.
These tools are used when a Digital Elevation Model is available and
added to the ArcMAP project for river tracing and catchment delineation.
This is explained in Delineating catchments (p. 67).
Part3: Model building tools.
The individual objects of a building block are added to the model by click-
ing on the relevant tool in Part 3. The object is then inserted in the model
view when clicked at a location in the view.
Part4: Properties tool.
This tool is selected (notice: the cursor changes shape) for specifying
attribute data, which describes the property of the individual object of a
building block. The property dialog is accessed by clicking on the object.
Part5: Run MIKE BASIN Simulation.
The Graphical User Interface
17
This tool is selected when the created model needs to be run, see Running
a MIKE BASIN Simulation (p. 30)
Part 6: Results Group Definitions.
This tool opens a dialog for specifying the variables to be stored for result
presentation, see MIKE BASIN Result Groups (p. 32).
Part 7: Drop down menu.
This part is described in detailed in Overview of MIKE BASIN drop-
down menu (p. 18) Section below.
Part 8: MIKE BASIN Results.
This toolbar contains several tools which assist you in creating result pres-
entation in the form of tables, graphs and animations. This is described in
detail in Result presentation (p. 133).
Figure 2.2 The MIKE BASIN Toolbar and drop-down menu.
MIKE BASIN overview
18 MIKE BASIN
2.1.2 Overview of MIKE BASIN drop-down menu
New/Open Project...
Opens the window to create a new project or opening an existing project
Figure 2.3 New/open dialog
Options...
MIKE BASIN options can be changed here. The dialog will automatically
appear when you start a new project with a new database.
Under the General tab, you can select additional modelling functionality,
e.g. Water quality and Groundwater.
Notice, that once the unit system has been selected in connection with a
new project, it can no longer be changed. The unit system selection is use-
ful, becaue it determines the default units of the time series templates,
which appear when you click on the New... button to open a new time
series. However, units can allways be changed when editing time series
files.
The Graphical User Interface
19
Figure 2.4 MIKE BASIN Options General tab
In Advanced tab, you can change numerical settings for simulation.
The old method can be used by ticking Add minimum release from reser-
voirs to total hydropower demand. More information is described in
Hydropower (p. 109).
Figure 2.5 MIKE BASIN Options Advanced tab
In symbology tab, you can switch Classic Symbology and Advanced sym-
bology. See more information about symbology in Feature Symbology
(p. 129)
MIKE BASIN overview
20 MIKE BASIN
Figure 2.6 MIKE BASIN Symbology tab.
MIKE BASIN Attributes
The the attributes of the individual building blocks can conveniently be
specified in a tabular form instead of the properties dialogs if there are
many objects of the same type of building blocks in the model setup. This
will allow you to edit several objects in a table and utilize e.g. copy/paste
functionality. Figure 2.7shows the table for the reservoir building blocks.
Figure 2.7 Example of the attribute table. Notice that the attribute table will
appear in the same dockable window e.g. the time series.
The Graphical User Interface
21
Copy Branch Shapes....
Shapes files of branches, which has been added to the project can be
imported and used in the MIKE BASIN network.
Copy Catchment Shapes....
Shape files of catchments polygons can be used as catchment building
block objects. In the dialog individual cathments can be associated to spe-
cific branches.
Process DEM...
This gives you access to a dialog where you can utilize a Digital Elevation
Model raster grid for tracing rivers and delineate catchments. In this dia-
log you can also use river and basin shapes for creating a pseudo DEM,
which can be used for an approximative catchment delineation in which
the catchment boundaries are defined as the geometric midpoint between
adjacent rivers. This is further described in Section: Delineating catch-
ments (p. 67)
Diagnostics
This menu item helps you to trace and repair possible errors in the model
setup thorugh the following tools:
Check model input. All the property menues are reviewed and missing
data are noticed;
Clean up and repair database. The data base is reviewed and repaired in
case wrong links or connections are occuring in the geodatabase;
Reload project.
Macro Assistant....
The Macro Assistant is a convenient tool for creating macros in VB. It
reviews the model setup and allow you to select the variable needed to be
defined and used in the macro. This concerns both input variables as well
as results. This is further decribed in Macro programming (p. 143)
Optimization Problem....
This gives you access to a Optimization Problem Definiton dialog, which
similar to the Macro Assistant dialog helps you to access the variables to
be optimized and the Object Function Terms.
Notice: that the in-built optimization in MIKE BASIN only allows you
limited optimization opportunities.
MIKE BASIN overview
22 MIKE BASIN
Irrigation data
This menu provides access to all dialogs required for developing irrigation
demand models for irrigation usage nodes. The irrigation model will cal-
culate irrigation demands based on climate, soil, crop and management
information. Options for calculating irrigation yields based on water avail-
ability is also available, ref. Irrigation (p. 113).
Rainfall Runoff
This gives you access to the hydrological model in MIKE BASIN, ref.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff (p. 195)
Load Calculator
This gives you access to the Load Calculator for catchment load calcula-
tions. Notice this is only access if the Load Calculator extension is enabled
in the ArcGIS extensions dialog (ArcGIS Tools->Extensions...).
Documentation...
An electronic version of the MIKE BASIN manual can be opened from
this menu.
MIKE BASIN Web Site...
This refers you to the MIKE BASIN Web Site, if you are online.
2.1.3 Property dialogs
When an object of a building block has been added to the model view, the
attributes are specified by clicking on the object, using the cursor that
appears after clicking on the MB features properties button (part 4) or by
right-clicking and selecting MIKE BASIN Properties. An example of a
property dialog is shown in Figure 2.8 (Water User).
A brief introduction to each of the building blocks are provided below, see
Quick overview of MIKE BASIN building blocks (p. 23). A more com-
prehensive description is given in later Chapters.
Even though the properties dialogs for the individual building blocks are
different, they share a number of common editing options. The common
editing options are marked in Figure 2.8 (part 1, 2, and 3).
Quick overview of MIKE BASIN building blocks
23
Figure 2.8 The Water User Property dialog.
Part 1 is common for all dialogs, and it may be used to name the object,
and optionally to provide a category. Classifying a building block in dif-
ferent categories may be important in connection with presenting model
results and enhance the visualisation of the model setup.
Part 2 is the common time series selection editing option. By moving the
cursor over the Use filter area, you can see the valid options for each time
series. By clicking on the New... button, a default timeseries file will be
created. The default time series can subsequently be modified.
The editing sections in Part 3 are examples of the common editing option
for specification of allocation rules, return flow options etc.
2.2 Quick overview of MIKE BASIN building blocks
2.2.1 Rivers
Rivers are added to the model by: 1) importing it from an existing GIS
layer; or 2) traced from an elevation model using the MIKE BASIN River
Tracing tool; or 3) by manually digitizing the rivers on a map background.
MIKE BASIN overview
24 MIKE BASIN
If required, three different routing options are available (Wave translation,
Linear routing, and Muskingum routing). Seepage and flow losses may be
included and for pipes and closed channel sections a time dependent flow
capacity can be specified.
2.2.2 Catchments
A model can include any number of hydrological catchments. Catchments
are added to the setup by 1) importing the appropriate shapes from an
existing GIS map; or 2) by using one of the tools for delimiting the catch-
ments directly from an elevation model. Catchments may also be repre-
sented schematically by 3) adding a catchment node on the river network.
Optionally, groundwater processes can be included in the runoff descrip-
tion of a catchment. The underlying conceptual hydraulic model is the lin-
ear reservoir model with one or two aquifers (fast/slow response).
Recharge to the groundwater has to be provided by the user, either as spe-
cific or absolute recharge.
Groundwater interacts with the surface water via groundwater recharge,
groundwater discharge and stream seepage, and can be pumped by the
water users in the area, allowing for studies of conjunctive use of surface-
and groundwater.
MIKE BASIN comes with a rainfall-runoff model (NAM). If the existing
flow records need gapfilling or extension, NAM can be used to calculate
runoff based on time series of rainfall and potential evapotranspiration.
NAM is a lumped, conceptual rainfall-runoff model simulating flow as a
function of the moisture content in each of four interconnected storages.
2.2.3 Water Users
A Water User node, including Irrigation User nodesThe building blocks
are added to the model by clicking a button in part 3 of the toolbar and the
selected building block is inserted when a point in the model view is
clicked., represents any user that abstracts, consumes and returns surface
and/or groundwater. Examples are municipal or industrial water supply.
Water demands are specified as time series, and water can be abstracted
from river nodes, reservoirs or groundwater. Each user can have multiple
sources, and a single source can provide water for multiple users. Return
flow can be to any number of nodes along the river, or re-infiltrated to the
groundwater.
In situations of water shortage, conflicts about the distribution of water
will occur. For surface water, a strict priority ("riparian rights") or a shared
priority ("fractional allocation"), or any combination thereof, can be
enforced. With strict priority, given a node with several users, the user
Quick overview of MIKE BASIN building blocks
25
with the highest local priority receives its entire demand (if available)
before the second node is considered. This second node receives its
demand from the remainder volume (i.e., after the first node has received
its water), and so on for the subsequent nodes.
With shared priority, a group of users each receive a predefined share of
the available water.
2.2.4 Reservoirs
MIKE BASIN has extensive reservoir modelling capabilities, and can
accommodate everything from simple lakes to complex multi-purpose
interconnected reservoir systems. MIKE BASIN has three different types
of reservoirs:
z Lakes
z Rule Curve Reservoirs
z Allocation pool reservoirs.
All reservoir types are characterized by a geometry (Level, area, volume
relationship) and a spillway relation that defines the level and optionally
the Q-h relation for the spillways. Losses and gains represented by precip-
itation, seepage and evaporation may also be included.
Lakes are the simplest reservoir type, and besides the options described
above, lakes are not operated.
The Rule curve reservoir has a common physical storage that all con-
nected users are drawing water from. Operation rules for each user apply
to the same storage. This mode of operation generally requires that a water
user is curtailed according to different reservoir levels. These levels can
vary throughout the year and the user will be curtailed when the water
level is within the zones defined by the rule curves. Different sets of rule
curves may apply to different users.
Rule curve reservoirs can also be operated such as to maintain certain
minimum (environmental) or maximum flows at some far downstream
control locations, and MIKE BASIN allows calculation of the mandatory
releases as a function of time. Releases through a bottom outlet (with a
limiting capacity) can also be modelled.
As an alternative to the rule curve reservoir, MIKE BASIN has the Allo-
cation Pool Reservoir. The allocation pool reservoir implements the
Water Banking system, also referred to as the Fractional Water Allocation
and Capacity Sharing (FWA-CS) system. For Allocation pool reservoirs,
MIKE BASIN overview
26 MIKE BASIN
the storage is divided into storages, and entitlements are issued according
to these storages.
From an operational point of view, water users will operate their share of
dam capacity like a bank account. Inflows will increase the account,
whereas releases, pro-rata evaporation and pro-rata seepage losses will be
deducted from their account. The account can be operated on a relevant
time step, e.g. weekly, forth-nightly or monthly.
Multiple reservoirs can have complicated inter-dependent rule curves.
MIKE BASIN can simulate reservoirs in tandem, both bi-directional
transfer between neighbouring reservoirs and uni-directional transfer
within reservoir cascades.
Realizing that some reservoirs may have even more complex operation
rules than what can be modelled with the above facilities, MIKE BASIN
offers the possibility to implement new, or modify existing rules through
the use of Visual Basic macros. This allows the user to define essentially
any operation policy. A built-in macro-assistant helps the user to get
started with the macro programming
2.2.5 Hydropower
MIKE BASIN has the ability to perform advanced hydropower simulation
be it for existing systems or to evaluate the feasibility of new develop-
ments. Hydropower is represented in MIKE BASIN as a node that extracts
water from one or more reservoirs, produces power according to effective
head difference and engine efficiencies, and returns water to one or more
downstream locations.
Optionally, conveyance losses, tail water level and backwater effects from
cascading reservoirs can be included in the calculations.
series can be analyzed and plotted simply by right-clicking on the individ-
ual building blocks and selecting Time Series from the context menu.
2.3 Starting up MIKE BASIN
MIKE BASIN is started up from Windows program manager:
Start ->Programs ->MIKE by DHI 2009 ->MIKE GIS ->MIKE GIS
The start-up window in ArcMAP will prompt you to specify a new map or
open an existing map.
Starting up MIKE BASIN
27
Figure 2.9 Start up dialog in ArcMap
If you do not have an existing model, you simply click OK in the dialog
and go to the MIKE BASIN Toolbar. In the MIKE BASIN pull-down
menu, click on Open/New Project. If you already have an existing project
you can select the mxd file in the dialog and click OK, you will then bye-
pass the MIKE BASIN Open/New Project dialog, see Figure 2.3.
Once you have selected e.g. a new project with a new database, you are
promted for specifying the location of the database. This will be your
working directory (workspace) where the project and your data usually
also will reside.
You can give the database a name, which relates to your project, by default
it will be called ProjectData.mdb.
Once you have specified the name, all the default MIKE BASIN layers
will be loaded and appear in the Table of Content. At the same time the
MIKE BASIN options dialog will appear, see Figure 2.4.
Once you have closed the options dialog you will be able to start creating
a MIKE BASIN model.
2.3.1 Illustrating how to create a simple model
This example illustrates the steps of creating a simple schematic model as
outlined in Figure 2.10 below. This model is created by 14 clicks with the
mouse (the numbers refer to the locations in Figure 2.10):
MIKE BASIN overview
28 MIKE BASIN
1: click on Digitize reach/ branch in the toolbar
2: click on a point in the model view for the upstream end of a
reach/branch
3: click on a second point in model view
4: doubble click on a point in the model view, where the downstream end
of the reach/branch should be located
5: click on a point for the upstream end of the tributary
6: doubble click on connection with first river branch (confluence)
7: click on catchment node in the toolbar
8: click on the confluence node to create two catchments
9: click on Digitize water user in the toolbar
10 click on the location where the water user should appear in the model
view
11: click on Add channel in the toolbar
12: click on a point on the river from where to water should be extracted
13: doubble click on the water user node to create the channel
14: click on Stop Editing on the toolbar.
Note, that as long as you are working in Edit mode, you can use the undo
bottom. After the structure has been saved and you are no longer in edit
mode, and changes to the model structure can only be done through the
Edit tool, e.g. by selecting the object and press Delete.
Starting up MIKE BASIN
29
Figure 2.10 A simple model (the numbers refer to the steps above)
The model structure is now finished, and attribute data can be added. The
following tasks need to be carried out to have a model that can be exe-
cuted.
1: click on MB Feature properties in the toolbar
2: click on one of the catchments, and a dialog appears
2a: disable the tickbox: Use shape area for assigned area
2b: specify an area (e.g. 1000)
2c: click on New...,and select the default time series
2d: click on apply
3: click on the other catchment
3a: repeate 2a and 2b
3b: click on Open..., and select the time series file created in step 2c
3c: click on OK (the dialog will disappear)
MIKE BASIN overview
30 MIKE BASIN
4: click on the water user node and a new dialog appears
4a: click on New...,and select the default time series
4b: click on OK
You are now ready to run the model by clicking on the Run MIKE BASIN
simulation... button in the toolbar, see also Running a MIKE BASIN Sim-
ulation (p. 30). Notice you can select any simulation period and time step
you prefer, the model will run with the input data you have specified, even
it does not cover the simulation period.
An example on a more comprehensive model layout is shown in
Figure 2.11.
Figure 2.11 Example of a model setup using the advanced symbology option.
2.4 Running a MIKE BASIN Simulation
A MIKE BASIN simulation is executed from the run dialog, see
Figure 2.12.
Running a MIKE BASIN Simulation
31
In this dialog the simualtion period can be specified. Notice that MIKE
BASIN allows for input time series which has different length than the
simulation period, and different temporal resolution than the simulation
time step.
If an input time series does not cover the entire simulation period it must
cover a period of at least one calender year when the simulation period is
longer than a year. If an input time series covers exactly one year it will
recycle the time series using the appropriate values for the simulation
period, both for the period before and after, for which data exist.
Figure 2.12 MIKE BASIN run dialog
If the input time series is longer than a year, input data from the first full
year will be used for the simulation period before data exist, and input data
from the last full year will be used for the simulation period after data
exists.
Any constant time step can be used in the simulation. Notice that the tem-
poral resolution of the input time series can be with any variable temporal
resolution different from the simulation time step. Depending on the value
type of the time series different interpolation method is used.
It is possible to run MIKE BASIN in a simple stochastic type of mode,
where the initial conditions are reset every year. This is convenient if you
want to analyse e.g. drought management scenario for a number of months
in the future for likely climatic/inflow conditions. Running in the stochas-
MIKE BASIN overview
32 MIKE BASIN
tic mode for say a 20 years period, a 20 years output file of e.g. water level
will be produced. It can can be interpretated as the realisation of 20 one
years simulations using the same initial condition, but for different inflows
and climatic conditions.
Every simulation should be given an ID. Simulation results with an ID
already used will overwrite the existing results. All the results from a sim-
ulation is stored in a dfs0 time series file with as many items as output var-
iables specified.
The output variables to be stored can be specified in a Result Group,
which can be defined as described in MIKE BASIN Result Groups (p. 32)
2.5 Result Presentation
All outputs from MIKE BASIN are in the form of time series, which are
associated to the building block they represents.
A large number of different plots and statistical tools are available.
Among the available plots are duration curves, double-mass curves,
within-year statistics and seasonal deviation plots.
For a spatial analysis and overviews, MIKE BASIN includes tools for
summarizing input and output time series and presenting the summary sta-
tistics as GIS layers. The summary statistics include the simple methods
such as minimum, maximum and time-weighed average, but a large
number of more advanced tools are available as well. Among the more
advance tools are duration quantiles, trend analysis tools, within.period
extremes, as well as ramp and event statistics.
Moreover, MIKE BASIN allows you to visualize simulation results as
movies, and includes functionality to quantify the difference between two
scenarios. MIKE BASIN has a specific toolbar, part 8 in Figure 2.2, for
creating maps, graphs and reports.
Finally, the MIKE BASIN Macros can be used in combination with e.g.
Microsoft Office to produce result summaries in Excel or Word.
2.5.1 MIKE BASIN Result Groups
Using MIKE BASIN Result Groups allows you to define exactly the time
series that are needed to be stored. If you have chosen <none> (full
results) every time series produced will be stored. This will often be useful
for small models, but large models with long simulation period and small
Result Presentation
33
time step can create a large quantity of data, which uses large storage
space and requires long time to write and subsequently read.
The MIKE BASIN Result Groups tool provides a convenient way of
selecting exactly the time series you need to store. It opens a dialog, which
has access to all the variables that can be produced in this particular model
setup. A name of the result group can be specified and all the relevant var-
iables selected. When running the model the name can be selcted in the
run dialog.
Figure 2.13 Result Group dialog for defining the time series stored in a simula-
tion
MIKE BASIN overview
34 MIKE BASIN
The Engineering Unit Managenemt (EUM) System
35
3 TIME SERIES IN MIKE BASIN
Time series are the main input to MIKE BASIN, and time series input is
required for all MIKE BASIN building blocks. Time series are records
with the time stamp in column one, and the data in one or more subse-
quent columns called items. Examples of such time series input include
Catchment Runoff, Water Demand for the water users, Target Power of the
hydropower plants etc.
Creation of new time series, importing esisting time series, as well as the
analysis and plotting of time series are generally handled by Temporal
Analyst part of MIKE BASIN, and the user is advised to read the docu-
mentation of Temporal Analyst in order to get the full benefit of MIKE
BASIN. Below is, however, given a brief description of the most impor-
tant aspects of time series handling and properties in MIKE BASIN.
3.1 The Engineering Unit Managenemt (EUM) System
Time series used in MIKE BASIN includes four important data property
attributes. These attributes are handled by DHIs so-called Engineering
Unit Management (EUM) system. The most important EUM attributes are
briefly described below. For a detailed discussion, please consult the Tem-
poral Analyst manual.
Property 1: Value Type
There are two fundamental types of time series in MIKE BASIN: (1) State
data (instantaneous) and (2) flux data (reverse mean step accumulated).
An example of a state varable is the water level in a reservoir, whereas a
rainfall rate is an example of a flux value type.
For a state time series the data value provided for a particular date/time is
assumed to be valid at that exact time. The value between two time stamps
is determined by linear interpolation.
For flux data the value at a given time stamp is assumed to represent the
average value between the given time stamp and the previous time stamp
(mean step accumulated) or between the given time stamp and the next
time stamp (reverse mean step accumulated).
The plot in Figure 3.1 illustrates the difference between flux data and state
data. The plot shows the same data plotted as flux and state data, respec-
tively. The time stamps and data values, on which both graphs are based,
are shown in the left hand side of the plot.
Time series in MIKE BASIN
36 MIKE BASIN
Figure 3.1 A plot showing the same time series plotted as flux data (full) and
state data (dashed). Notice in this example the time series file con-
tains two items, of which only the first is shown in the table view.
Notice that the graph for state variables ends one time step before the
graph showing the flux variable. The reason is that for state variables, the
data value at the last time step (1. December, 2006) represents that partic-
ular time only, whereas for the flux values this value represents the time
span between 01-12-2006 and the next time stamp (01-01-2007). Hence,
for flux data it is important to add a time stamp with no data at the end of
the time series to indicate the end of the time span for which the last data
value is valid. Otherwise the last data value is assumed valid for all future
time.
It is important to undersatnd the principle of value type in connection with
manipulation of time series records.
For a detailed discussion of the different time series types available in
MIKE BASIN, the user is referred to the Temporal Analyst documenta-
tion.
Property 2: Time Type
The Time Type refers to the type of the time-axis. A time axis can be equi-
distant, meaning that the time span between consecutive timesteps is con-
stant through the entire time series (e.g. a hourly or daily time step).
Alternatively, the time axis can be non-equidistant , implying that the time
span between consecutive time stamps are not constant through the entire
time series (e.g. a monthly time step).
Property 3: Item Type
The Item type defines the data type (eg. rainfall, discharge, Water Demand
etc.). When time series input is assigned to a MIKE BASIN model, only
time series that has a valid Item Type can be added
Time series recycling
37
Example: Only time series that has ItemType Water Flow can be used to
specify Water Demand for a Water User. Trying to use any other type will
result in an error message.
For some inputs more than one ItemType is allowed.
Example: Catchment runoff can be specified as either Discharge or Spe-
cific Runoff. If MIKE BASIN detects that the type is Specific Runoff, it
will automatically multiply the values in the time series by the catchment
area to get the total catchment runoff.
Property 4: Unit Type
For each variable type, a number of valid units are defined. This ensures
that e.g. discharge can not be specified in e.g. square meters, but on the
other hands allows the user to choose between a wide range of valid units.
Examples of valid units for e.g. discharge is m3/s and ft3/day, ac-ft/day
and many others. MIKE BASIN will automatically detect the used unit
and make the necessary conversions.
3.2 Time series recycling
Hydrologic records often do not cover the entire period of time for which
a simulation is desired, resulting in a data shortage problem. At the same
time, many hydrologic processes are cyclical with a period of one year.
Hence, often missing data can be 'borrowed' from equivalent periods in
other years for which data are available.
In MIKE BASIN, this otherwise laborious task is performed automati-
cally. It is referred to as 'recycling' and requires that the time series con-
tains data for at least one full year. If the simulation time is before the start
of a time series, data from the first year will be recycled, and if the simula-
tion time is after the end of the time series, data from the last year will be
recycled.
3.3 Constant values
To represent a constant value in a time series, just add the single constant
value with an appropriate time stamp (e.g. 01-01-2006), followed by an
additional time step at least one year later (e.g. 01-01-2007) with a blank
data value. The value at the forst time stamp will now be recycled for all
possible simulation periods.
Time series in MIKE BASIN
38 MIKE BASIN
3.4 Adding time series to MIKE BASIN
Most of the features require specification of time series data. These data
are always entered in a specific area of the dialogs which has the follow-
ing look:
Figure 3.2 The common time series selection dialog (Part 1in Figure 2.8).
Theproperties of the time series selection dialog are described below.:
Click on the New tool (A) to create a default time series file. Default
time series are time series files containing one year of monthly data. Using
default time series are very useful as templates for real datafiles, and
allows you to get the model running very quicky.
Click on the Open tool (B) to open an existing time series file. Only dfs0
time series files can be opened directly. However, other time series file
formats may be used as well (e.g Excel amd ascii formats). Please consult
the Temporal Analyst documentation for guidelines on how to import time
series.
If a time series has already been included in the model (e.g. if the same
time series is to be used for several water users, or if it has already been
manually imported into Temporal Analyst), it will already be registred in
the MIKE BASIN database. In such cases the desired time series can be
selected directly from the pull-down menu (E). If the Use Filter box is
checked only files with a valid combination of EUM Variable types are
shown in the pull-down menu. Notice, that moving the cursor over the
Use Filter field will show the valid EUM Variable types for the specific
time series.
After having selected a time series file it can be plotted and/or edited by
clicking on the Plot/Edit tool (C). For a detailed description of editing of
time series, please consult the Temporal Analyst manual.
Item type editing
39
The properties of the time series file can be reviewed by clicking on the
properties tool (D).
3.5 Item type editing
As mention above, e.g. for the catchment node, MIKE BASIN can use
several Item types for the same node. To change an item to another prop-
erty, Item type and corresponding value type or unit type, you can right
click in the Part 1 in the time series dock, on the time series name, as
shown in Figure 3.3.
Figure 3.3 Item type editing in the time series dock. The timeseries dock con-
tains three parts, 1) the item type part; 2) the tabular editing part,
and 3) the graphical editing part.
When pointing on the Item Properties.... the following dialog in Figure 3.4
opens.
Time series in MIKE BASIN
40 MIKE BASIN
Figure 3.4 Times series property dialog
3.6 Table editing
When you select a new time series a default time series from a template is
loaded. After clicking on the Edit/Plot button, Part C in Figure 3.2, the
time series dock appears, Figure 3.3, and the table, Part 2, can be edited.
After editing the file can be saved, Save Data, or saved as a new file.
3.6.1 Copy / Paste
If you have the data in another format e.g. Excel you can use Copy and
Paste to bring data to between the table editor and the Excel. This is a very
useful if you do not have too many time series to load into a model.
3.6.2 Importing time series
In the Time series collection part of the Table of Content, it is possible to
import time series. These time series can be in different formats e.g.
Excel, ASCII or others and important through so-called data bridges.
If you choose, eg. the Excel data bridge, you can keep your data en Excel
and MIKE BASIN can read the time series directly, provided that th time
series are specified with the correct properties.
Table editing
41
Figure 3.5 Import of time series
If you need to import a large number of time series from e.g. Excel, you
can use the Time Series Data Loader..., see for additional explanation in
the Temporal Analyst Documentation.
Time series in MIKE BASIN
42 MIKE BASIN
43
4 RULES IN MIKE BASIN
All building blocks, except Catchments can operate according to one or
more rules. Examples of available rules are:
Rules that defines how the water supplied to a water user is
restricted as a function of the reservoir level
Rules that defines how water should be distributed among water
users that draws water from the same river node,
Rules that defines the reservoir release as a function of the river
flow at some downstream location.
and many others...
In the building block properties dialogs rule are often grouped in tables.
Each line in the table represents a rule. The properties of the rules are sum-
marized in the table (Rule type, time series assiciated with the rule, and an
optional comment). Examples of such tables are shown in Figure 4.1 and
Figure 2.8 (marked by C).
Figure 4.1 The common MIKE BASIN Rules control.
Adding and editing rules are done by clicking the buttons next to the table
(right).
1 Click on the Edit Rule button ( ) to edit in an existing line in the dis-
play. You will edit the line with the pointer in the dark blue border area
to the right. Alternative you can double click on the pointer. Editing a
line will open a new dialog for specification of the items in the line
concerned.
2 Click on the Add rule ( ) to create a new rule. A new dialog will for
specification of the rule will be opened.
Notice that based on specifications given in other parts of the dialogs or
based on the network configurations, the fields may be filled for default
conditions. For example, when having specified the reservoir type as a
Rules in MIKE BASIN
44 MIKE BASIN
rule curve reservoir, the Flood control fields under Operation rules will
appear for further editing. This also applies e.g. for priority of downstream
users for a reservoir.
The specification in the dialogs that appear when clicking on Edit rule or
Add Rule are described in the sections for each of the different node types.
An example is given in Figure 4.2 that shows a typical Rule definition dia-
log for a Reservoir.
Figure 4.2 Rules Editing dialog for a reservoir
Typically, the rule type is selected from the drop-down menu, and often a
time series or a table that defines the rule needs to be be specified. If the
rule is used to relate a property of the current node to a remote node, the
remote node is specified as well.
Creating a river network
45
5 RIVER NETWORK
Rivers networks are made of segments called reaches. Reaches connects,
starts and ends in river nodes.
Channels are the segments that connects Water Users and Hydropower
nodes to a river or a reservoir. Channels may also be used to connect reser-
voirs. The symbology is illustrated in Figure 5.1.
Figure 5.1 MIKE BASIN Reach, Channel and River Node symbology.
Except for the different symbology, reaches and channels share the same
properties.
5.1 Creating a river network
River networks can be created in three different ways:
1 Networks can be digitized on-screen.
2 Imported from an existing shapefile
3 Derived from a digital elevation model (DEM)
In either case, it is recommended to reference your network geographi-
cally, so that features are located at their correct geographical coordinates.
The advantage of doing so is that you can overlay other sources of data to
calculate information such as water demand, point and non-point pollution
loads, and runoff areas. You will also be able to view results in context of
other map data. Georeferencing is, however, not required.
River network
46 MIKE BASIN
Method 1: Digitizing a river network
For schematic models and small river networks, the network can be digi-
tized directly on the screen. An aerial photograph or map is often used as
background maps in such situations.
To digitize a river select the Add River Branch tool ( ) from the MIKE
BASIN toolbar. Use the left mouse button and click at each point along
the river. Always digitize in the direction of flow from the upstream end to
the downstream end. To finish the branch, double-click on the last point.
If you make a mistake while you are still digitizing you can type Esc to
cancel the operation. If you have alreadyfinished a branch, you can select
"Undo" from the Edit menu. You can undo all edit operations back to
when you started editing. Once you stop editing however, your edits are
committed and saved.
River Nodes will be inserted automatically at beginning and end of a
reach, as well as in all confluences and diversions.
Important: Always digitize Rivers and Channels from upstream to down-
stream.
Method 2: Importing a river network
The river network may be imported from an existing shape layer using the
Copy Branch Shapes tool which is found in the MIKE BASIN drop-
down menu.
(CHECK MIKE 11 GIS Documentation)
Method 3: Derive the network from a DEM
River can be derived automatically from a DEM using the Trace River
tool which can be found in the MIKE BASIN toolbar ( ).
The tool will, however only be enabled if a processed DEM has been pro-
duced with the Process DEM tool which is found in the MIKE BASIN
drop-down menu.
Important: The Process DEM tool requires ArcGIS Spatial Analyst.
The purpose of the tool is to derive the flow direction from which the riv-
ers can be traced. Once the flow direction grid has been produced, the
Trace River tool will be enabled.
General River Reach Properties
47
To trace the river from an elevation model, start by adding your elevation
model to the project using the Add data button in the ArcGIS main tool-
bar ( ).
Open the Process DEM tool from the MIKE BASIN drop-down menu.
Figure 5.2 The Process DEM Tool.
Select your DEM from the pull-down menu, and press Calculate Flow
Direction. Depending on the resolution and extent of the selected DEM,
this may take several minutes. When the tool finishes, the Trace River
tool will be enabled in the MIKE BASIN toolbar.
After clicking the Trace River button, rivers can be added to the model
simply by clicking at the upstream end of the branch you want to add. The
tool will trace the river down to the outlet of the DEM. Subsequent rivers
will be traced down to the point where they flow into existing river
branches.
Important: Many DEMs contain inaccuracies because of their resolution
or artifacts in the method of creation. When delineating catchments and
rivers from the DEM, you may find some unexpected results. This can
particularly happen in flat areas where DEMs may not have the vertical
resolution to correctly delineate the rivers and watersheds.
5.2 General River Reach Properties
Properties are assinged for the individual reaches and channels, implying
that different properties can be assigned to different reaches. The proper-
ties are accessed by right-clicking on a reach and selecting MIKE BASIN
Properties. The properties dialog is shown in Figure 5.3
River network
48 MIKE BASIN
Figure 5.3 River Reach and Channel Properties dialog..
River reaches and Channels has no required attributes. The properties are
specified under the three tabs:
z General (p. 48)
z River Hydraulics (p. 49), and
z Water Quality (p. 55)
5.2.1 Flow losses (optional)
Rivers and reaches may loose or gain water due to seepage, and loose
water to evaporation. If these processes are considered to be of importance
the may be included in the model as a time series that specifies the
losses/gains. Both seepage and evaporation can be specified as a fraction
of the actual flow (dimensionless), or as flux (volume per time).
River Hydraulics
49
When the flow loss factor in a connection channels is different from zero,
the water demand (D) of the connected user is automatically adjusted ( D
*
) to take the loss into account:
(5.1)
This means the user-specified demands will still be fulfilled if sufficient
water is available at the downstream source. This also applies if the con-
veyance loss is given as a flux.
When groundwater is defined in the catchment where the reach runs
through, the seepage loss from the reach is added to the groundwater.
5.2.2 Flow capacity time series (optional)
Reaches and channels may be assigned a flow capacity [Volume per time]
that can never be exceeded. The flow capacity overrules all other rules that
may try to force more water through the channel.
Example: A water user may call for 5 m
3
/s. If the flow capacity of the con-
necting reach has been set to e.g. 4 m3/s, the user will only recieve max. 4
m3/s and hence suffer a deficit, even though there may be plenty of water
at the source.
If the flow capacity of a reach or a channel is reached, the model will
attempt to force the water in alternative direction. If this is not possible,
the simulation will terminate with a message.
5.3 River Hydraulics
Four different routing options are available under the Hydraulics tab of the
properties dialog. The four options are described below.
D
*
D 1 loss factor ( ) =
River network
50 MIKE BASIN
5.3.1 No routing
Per default routing is disabled for all reaches.
5.3.2 Linear reservoir routing
Linear reservoir routing distributes flow from the upstream node over all
time steps following an inflow and extraction to and from the node.
River Hydraulics
51
For a pulse inflow, outflow peaks after a time given by the time lag, and
then decays exponentially. The formula used is:
(5.2)
where qo is outflow from the node, dt is time step length, qi is inflow to
the node, s is storage in the subsurface, and K is the linear routing time lag
(or delay parameter).
Linear reservoir routing can be chosen as a special case of Muskingum
routing with x = 0. Unlike general Muskingum routing, linear routing is
defined for all combinations of time step lengths and K values.
This algorithm includes damping. For a given time step, reach storage
Storage is updated based on the following formula. Variables T and
DelayK are as explained previously, and T is an intermediate result.
(5.3)
(5.4)
= (Inflow Volume) - (Outflow Volume); [m
3
] (5.5)
Note that for linear reservoir routing, reach storage is a virtual quantity
that can be negative
5.3.3 Muskingum Routing
Selecting Muskingum routing causes the dialog to change, allowing you to
specify two routing parameters.
The K parameter specifies the time for the incremental flood wave to
traverse the branch between two nodes. Its value may also be estimated as
the observed time of travel of peak flow through the branch. The shape
parameter, x (dimensionless) depends on the shape of the modeled wedge
storage. In natural rivers, x has a value between >0 and 0.3 with a mean
qo 1 x dt ( ) K ( ) ( ) qi x s with x + 1 e
dt K ( )
= =
T 1.0 e
T DelayK ( ) ( )
; - | | =
OutflowVolume 1.0 T T DelayK ( ) ( )
InflowVolume T Storage m
3
| | +
=
Storage
River network
52 MIKE BASIN
value of 0.2 (always < 0.5). Greater accuracy in determining x may not be
necessary because the results are relatively insensitive to the value of this
parameter.
The Muskingum method is a commonly used hydrologic routing method
for handling a variable discharge-storage relationship. This method mod-
els the storage volume of flooding in a river channel by a combination of
wedge and prism storage. During the advance of a flood wave, inflow
exceeds outflow, producing a wedge of storage. During the recession, out-
flow exceeds inflow, resulting in a negative wedge. In addition, there is a
prism of storage, which is formed by a volume of constant cross section
along the length of the prismatic channel.
Assuming that the cross-sectional area of the flood flow is directly propor-
tional to the discharge of the section, the volume of prism storage is equal
to KQ, where K is a proportionality coefficient, and the volume of wedge
storage is equal to KX(I - Q), where X is a weighting factor having the
range. The total storage is therefore the sum of two components.
(5.6)
This expression can be rearranged to give the storage function for the
Muskingum method
(5.7)
which represents a linear model for routing flow in streams.
The value of X depends on the shape of the modeled wedge storage. The
value of X ranges from 0 for reservoir-type storage to 0.5 for a full wedge.
When X = 0, there is no wedge and hence no backwater. In this case,
Eq(5.7) results in a linear-reservoir model, S = KQ. The parameter K is the
time of travel of the flood wave through the channel reach. K and X are
specified and constant throughout the range of flow.
The values of storage at time j and j+1 can be written, respectively, as
(5.8)
(5.9)
S KQ KX I Q ( ) + =
S K XI 1 X ( )Q + | | =
S
j
K XI
j
1 X ( )Q
j
+ ( ) =
Sj 1 + K XIj 1 1 X ( )Qj 1 + + + | | =
River Hydraulics
53
Using Eqs. (5.8) and (5.9), the change in storage over time interval is
(5.10)
A comparison between linear reservoir routing and general Muskingum
routing is shown below for a case where the latter would be unstable.
5.3.4 Wave Translation
The wave translation algorithm basically uses a cyclical buffer with
"slots" for every time step. The inflow at a time step is put into the current,
and the corresponding earlier inflow that was stored in that slot is pulled
out. The index of the current slot cycles within the buffer, such that a new
inflow always replaces the "oldest" previous inflow. The number of slots
in the buffer is equal to the number of time steps that a flow gets delayed
with. The number of slots is computed as floor (T/K), where K can vary
among reaches, and T [time] is the simulation time step. The latter must
be constant during a simulation; for months, a standard month length (30
days) is assumed.
A good estimate of K can be the travel time of a distinct hydrograph peak
between an upstream and a downstream station on the given river.
5.3.5 Water level calculation
In most applications, MIKE BASIN is used to only calculate flows, not
water levels. It is not a hydraulic model and thus cannot be used for proper
flood modeling. DHIs MIKE 11 model is more suited for such purposes.
However, water level calculations in MIKE BASIN can be useful, particu-
larly when simulating water quality.
By default, water levels are not calculated. However, when required. two
options are available: the rating curve approach (Q-h table) and the Man-
ning's formula. Both apply for steady-state flow and are thus approxima-
tions, but usually reasonable as long as the water level does not change
rapidly (e.g. during a flood). The items on the dialog change depending on
the option chosen.
Sj 1 Sj + K XIj 1 1 1 X ( ) + ( )Qj + + | | XIj 1 X ( )Qj + | | =
River network
54 MIKE BASIN
5.3.6 Rating curve approach
When the rating curve approach is used, MIKE BASIN looks up the water
level in a user specified Q-h table. The table must cover the range of dis-
charges encountered during a simulation.
5.3.7 Manning formula
The Manning formula is
(5.11)
Where n is the Manning number, A is cross-sectional area, S is water sur-
face slope, R is the resistance radius:
(5.12)
assuming a rectangular cross-section with width B, and h(b)=h
so R can be written as:
and
(5.13)
Thus water level can be computed as:
(5.14)
You must specify slope and the Manning number. Generally, it is a good
approximation to equate surface and channel slope. Optionally, you can
also specify a maximum water depth up to which results from the Man-
ning formula are accepted. If you specify such a (non-zero) value, water
levels will never exceed it.
When selecting the Manning formula approach, the a width B, needs to be
specified under the General tap.
Q l n A R
2 3 ( )
S
1 2 ( )
=
R 1 A h b ( )
3 2 ( )
db ( )
0
B

\ .
|
| |
2
1 A h
3 2
B ( )
2
= =
1 h h
3 2
( )
2
as B A = 1 h h = =
Q l n h B h
2 3 ( )
S
1 2 ( )
l n h
5 3 ( )
B S
1 2 ( )
= =
h Q N ( ) B S
1 2 ( )
( ) ( )
3 5 ( )
=
Water Quality
55
5.3.8 Head Loss (Hydropower)
Significant additional head loss in hydropower systems can be caused by
friction in the pipes connecting reservoir and turbines. For channels con-
necting hydropower nodes to reservoirs, the head loss table section will be
enabled in the Reach property dialog. MIKE BASIN uses the following
relationship to take head loss into account:
(5.15)
The head loss (h) is specified as a function of discharge (Q) in tabular
form. Specification of a head loss table is optional, and if no table is pro-
vided, head loss will not be taken into consideration.
5.4 Water Quality
In MIKE BASIN, solute decay is modeled to occur in the river reaches,
depending on the rate parameters, water volume, and residence time
therein.
In the tab, the default choice is to assume conservative transport. When
you uncheck that option, you can choose between various methods to
specify or calculate residence time.
Residence time intuitively determines the degree of solute decay. Mathe-
matically, it is the upper integration limit of the first-order differential
equations shown in the Water Quality Modeling (p. 159) section. There
are various options to specify or calculate residence time, intended to pro-
vide you the highest degree of flexibility for all common types of data
available. The options are:
Residence time (and depth): you need to specify a time series group with
residence time. This option is convenient if you do not have any other data
that allow residence time to be calculated, but have some estimate thereof.
Water volume is calculated as the outflow rate times the residence time. If
you model DO, you also need to specify water depth and reach length.
h k Q
2
=
River network
56 MIKE BASIN
Width and depth: Width w can be specified in two ways:
z under the General tab in the Reach Properties dialog, or
z as an additional item in the rating curve table under the Hydraulics tab.
With this option, depth must be given as a time series. Then, water volume
V is
(5.16)
where l is reach length (to be specified also) and h is water depth.
Residence time T is calculated as
(5.17)
where Q is the reach outflow rate (by convention, it could also be argued
that Q should be the average of inflow and outflow rates, if those differ
due to routing).
Width (using calculated depth): Same as "Width and depth", but water
depth is taken from the calculations rather than as an input time series.
This option requires that water depth can be calculated, thus you must
choose either Manning's formula or the rating curve option under the
Hydraulics tab.
Based on routing: Provided you have chosen a kind of routing calcula-
tion, the reach storage S is calculated already, so the residence time can be
found as
(5.18)
Reach length is not required.
The Parameter Set input indicates the reaction parameters that apply for
the reach. Because often, there is little spatial variability in these parame-
ters, they are not specified in a tab page for each reach. Rather, you can
define a number of parameter sets and then choose among those. The New
button lets you define an entirely new set, whereas the Edit button lets you
edit the parameter set selected in the combobox. Parameter sets are dis-
played by their names, which you are free to set. The parameters con-
V w l h =
T
V
Q
---- =
T
S
Q
---- =
Water Quality
57
tained in the set are explained in the Water Quality Modeling (p. 159)
section. When you create a new set, all parameters have default values.
Weir height is only required when you model DO, with re-aeration mod-
eled to occur at weirs. The height should be set to the sum of all weir
heights along a reach. For details on the calculations, again see the Water
Quality Modeling (p. 159) section.
River network
58 MIKE BASIN
Simple Node Properties
59
6 RIVER NODES
River nodes are automatically inserted at each end of a river reach, and at
points where reaches intersects. River nodes may, however, also be
inserted manually by using the River Node Tool in the MIKE BASIN tool-
bar ( ). There are two different types of river nodes:
z simple nodes, and
z bifurcation (Diversion) nodes
The two river node types are illustrated in Figure 6.1
Figure 6.1 Simple Nodes and Diversion Nodes
A river branch can be divided into two downstream river branches at a
node. In that case the node becomes a Bifurcation Node. For a bifurcation
node the conditions at the point of bifurcation needs to be specified. A
bifurcation node cannot be an offtake node.
The properties of Simple Nodes and Biforcation nodes are described
below.
6.1 Simple Node Properties
As illustrated in Figure 6.1, simple nodes can be offtake nodes (extraction
points) or return flow points for surface water extraction for Water Users
or Irrigation Usage. Several users may share the same offtake node.
river nodes
60 MIKE BASIN
6.1.1 Priority of Downstream Demand
When more than one user is connected to the same node, a set of rules that
defines how the available water is allocated in case of water shortage is
required. Two different options are available:
1 Supply by priority: Each of the water users are getting their demand
fulfilled in order of priority, i.e. each water user is assigned a priority
and the demands will be fullfilled according to the assigned priorities.
2 Supply by fraction of flow: Each user is assigned a fraction of the
available water at the offtake node. The sum of the assigned fractions
must be equal to one. When the Fraction of Flow rule is used, the water
users are assigned the same priority. The fractions are provided as time
series
Allocation rules are specified in the Nodes Properties dialog. Each water
user is represented by one rule. The rules are listed in the rules table (Pri-
ority of downstream demand) of the properties dialog (Figure 6.2).
Figure 6.2 Properties of an offtake river node that supplies four water users.
Two nodes share the first priority (Fraction of Flow rule), and the
remaining users are supplied by priority (Supply by Priority).
Rules are added and deleted with the buttons in the right-hand side of the
table control. To change the type of a rule, delete the old rule and insert a
new rule of the selected type.
Simple Node Properties
61
When a new node is added, or when an existing rule is edited, the dialog in
Figure 6.3 appears.
Figure 6.3 Edit Rule dialog for river nodes.
If the Supply by priority rule is selected, a priority number has to be spec-
ified for each water user. The number 1 specifies the highest priority, the
number 2 the second highest priority and so forth.
If the Supply fraction priority is selected, a time series file needs to be
specified for each water user. The time series should contain the fraction
of the flow to be supplied to the water user. The fractions for all users
within a group (i.e., all those that receive a fraction of the flow) should
add up to 1 at all times. The same priority must be specified for each user.
It is legal to specify multiple groups of users with fractional supply, where
each group has a shared priority. It is also legal to "mix" the two types of
supply rules as illustrated in Figure 6.2.
Illustrating how a supply rule works
In Figure 6.4 is shown a small schematic setup in which water is distrib-
uted to three water user nodes. The available flow in the river is constant
equal to 10 m3/s at the river node. The three water user nodes have the fol-
lowing water requirements: the City(W4) requires 5 m3/s, and the Vil-
lage(W5) and the Industry(W6) require each 4 m3/s. The following rule
was specified for the Supply node (see Figure 6.2):
river nodes
62 MIKE BASIN
City: 1. priority
Village and Industry: 2. priority, sharing 50/50 (described by a time series)
Figure 6.4 Simple example setup of supply rule for three water user nodes.
The simulation yields the following supply to the water user nodes:
City: 5 m3/s, Village and industry: each 2.5 m3/s.
Notice that the City is not restricted, whereas the Village and the Industry
both experience an equal deficit.
6.1.2 Minimum Flow Rule
The node can have a minimum flow rule: a minimum flow, as specified in
an attached time series file, shall be allowed to pass the node (passing
flow) to the downstream before any water is extracted for water users con-
nected to the node. A minimum flow rule is specified by clicking on the
Add... tool , and a new dialog for specifying the time series file and data
appear.
Note: Minimum Flow Rule is a local rule. It is not to be used to control the
discharge in remote locations.
Bifurcation Node properties
63
Edit Rule dialog for specifying minimum flow requirements.
6.2 Bifurcation Node properties
By clicking on a river node that represents a bifurcation point, the 'Bifur-
cation node' dialog will appear for editing the attributes
There are two possible choices for bifurcation:
1 Specified bifurcation in a Time series file, where the flow to the minor
river (the diverted water) is a function of time (though limited by the
available net flow to the bifurcation node). When choosing this option,
you must supply a time series of bifurcation 'demand'.
2 Bifurcation curve, where the flow to the minor river (the diverted
water) is a function of the net flow to the bifurcation node. When
choosing this option, you must supply a table that defines this relation-
ship.To avoid an error due to the need for extrapolation, the table
should have (0,0) as its first row and a large value in the first column of
the last row. Any limited capacity of the bifurcation channel can be
modeled by specifuing the capacity limitation for the bifurcation reach.
river nodes
64 MIKE BASIN
Schematic Catchments
65
7 CATCHMENTS
Catchments provide inflow to the MIKE BASIN river network, and a
MIKE BASIN model may contain any number of catchments.
Catchments may be represented schematically, or by their delineated
boundaries as illustrated in Figure 7.1. The only difference between sche-
matic and delineated catchments is that the area can be derived from the
delineated catchments whereas it has to be specified for the schematic
catchments.
If the inflow at some reaches is considered to be insignificant, catchments
may be omitted.
Figure 7.1 MIKE BASIN Catchments (green areas) may be represented sche-
matically (right) or by the delineated catchment boundaries (left).
7.1 Schematic Catchments
Schematic catchments are added to the model by using the Add Catch-
ments button in the MIKE BASIN toolbar. When the button has been
presed, catchments are added by clicking at a point along the river net-
work. When a catchment is added it will by default be a schematic catch-
Catchments
66 MIKE BASIN
ment that is represented by a green catchment node and a shape
representing the catchment area as shown in Figure 7.2.
Figure 7.2 Schematic catchment
The schematic catchment will extend from the catchment node to the near-
est upstream river or catchment node. Runoff from the catchment will be
added to the river network in the catchment node. A river node can be
changed to a catchment node by clicking in Add Catchment mode on a
river node.
7.2 Delineated catchments
Delineated catchments can be added to a MIKE BASIN model in two dif-
ferent ways, by importing the shapes from an existing shape file, or by
deriving the catchment with the catchment delineation tool of MIKE
BASIN. The two methods are described below.
7.2.1 Importing catchment shapes
If you have catchment shapes in an existing shapefile, you can copy these
shapes to your river network. First, add the shapefile to the ArcGIS Table
of Content using the "Add Data" command in the ArcGIS File menu, or
use the corresponding button on the Standard toolbar ( ).
Tip: Once you've added the layer, drag it below the MIKE BASIN catch-
ments layer in the table of contents. This way, as the shapes are copied to
the MIKE BASIN model, you will see the new MIKE BASIN catchments
appearing over the shapes you are copying. Otherwise, the new catch-
ments will be hidden by the original shapes.
Then, select "Copy Catchment Shapes" from the MIKE BASIN menu,
which will display the dialog shiwn in Figure 7.3:
Delineated catchments
67
Figure 7.3 The Copy Catchment Shapes dialog
Select the layer with the catchment shapes you want to copy in the drop-
down list. Then click on the Select catchment shape to copy from tool
button. On the map, click on the catchment shape you want to copy.
The dialog will now automatically switch to the second tool so you can
assign the shape to a branch. Click on the reach you want to assign the
catchment to. The downstream node of the selected branch will turn into a
catchment node, and the selected catchment shape will be copied to the
MIKE BASIN Catchments layer..
Note: You can assign a shape to a branch which flows to a standard river
node or reservoir. The river node or reservoir will automatically convert to
a catchment node, and a new catchment will be added with the shape you
are copying.
7.2.2 Delineating catchments
Catchment shapes may be delineated using an elevation model. The most
accurate, method is to derved the catchments from a detailed elevation
model, but if such DEM is not available, MIKE BASIN has a tool that can
be used to create a so-called pseudo-DEM based on the river network
Important: Catchment delineation in MIKE BASIN requires the ArcGIS
Spatial Analyst Extension.
Before a DEM can be used to derive catchments from (that be a real DEM
or a pseudo-DEM), it needs to be processed. First, add your DEM to the
project using the Add data button in the ArcGIS main toolbar ( ).
Next, open the tools for processing the DEM from MIKE BASIN drop-
down menu (Process DEM...).
The Process DEM dialog is shown in Figure 7.4
Catchments
68 MIKE BASIN
.
Figure 7.4 The process DEM dialog.
To process the DEM, select your DEM from the drop-down list, and click
Calculate Flow Direction. This will produce a new layer that contains flow
direction. The new flow direction layer will be used by the catchment deli-
ation tool, and when the flow direction layer has been produced, the catch-
ment delineation tool ( ) will be enabled in the MIKE BASIN toolbar.
Before applying the catchment delineation tool, add any number of sche-
matic catchments. When the Catchment Delineation button is pressed, the
schematic catchments will transform into the corresponding delineated
catchments.
Creating a pseudo-DEM
If a detailed DEM is not available, a pseudo-DEM can be created using a
shape file that contains the river network. A pseudo-DEM is created by
"pressing" a river network into a flat grid (a rubber-sheet), such that all
cells in the produced pseudo-DEM slope toward the nearest river. The dia-
log is shown in Figure 7.5.
Figure 7.5 Pseudo-DEM dialog
Delineated catchments
69
To create a pseudo-DEM you will need a river layer and a basin layer from
the drop-down menus. The basin layer should contain a polygon (or a
number of polygons) that outlines the entire river basin. The pseudo-DEM
is created when OK is pressed and the catchments are delineated as
described in 7.2.2.
Notice that the river layer should cross the outer boundary of the basin
layer only at the outlet. This point will define the flow direction.
Tip: Processing time goes up exponentially as the cell size gets smaller.
On the other hand, if the cell size is too large, it will not be able to capture
the detail of the river network. Try a size about 1/3 the smallest distance
between rivers.
Adjust DEM elevations
Many DEMs contain inaccuracies because of their resolution or artifacts
in the method of creation. When delineating catchments and rivers from
the DEM, you may find some unexpected results. This can particularly
happen in flat areas where DEMs may not have the vertical resolution to
correctly delineate the rivers and watersheds. Even small errors can have
large consequences when, for example, a sub-catchment has a low point
along its divide close in elevation to the true outlet. If the DEM cell at this
low point is just slightly lower than the outlet, all the water may get routed
out to a neighboring basin instead of downstream. In order to correct the
DEM to more closely match known flow patterns and catchment divides,
you can use the Adjust DEM tool.
The Adjust DEM tool allows you to adjust the DEM with known river
lines and catchment boundaries. If you have a map layer with known river
channels, it is possible to force a DEM to match these. The cells through
which rivers run are lowered by a user defined amount or all the way to
the minimum value of the DEM. This is called "burning" the rivers into
the DEM. Cells which do not lay on the river channels are not changed.
You can also raise "walls" or barriers at known catchment divides. This
will still allow you to subdivide the entire basin based on any catchment
nodes you wish.
Open the Process DEM dialog by selecting Process DEM from the
MIKE BASIN menu.In the combo box, select the DEM you want to
adjust, then click on the Adjust DEM Elevations button, which will dis-
play the following dialog:
Catchments
70 MIKE BASIN
Select the layer with the shapes you want to use to adjust the DEM. If you
use a layer with polygon shapes, the entire area of the polygons will be
raised or lowered, unless you check the "Only adjust perimeters of poly-
gons" option, in which case only the outlines will be used for adjustment.
Then select the type of adjustment. This determines how the elevation will
be altered at all cells which are covered by the shapes. Although it may
seem extreme, best results are often obtained by simply burning rivers
down to the minimum elevation. The original DEM will not be altered; a
new grid will be created instead. Note that it is not necessary to burn rivers
when using a pseudo-DEM.
Important: If you raise the DEM values to the maximum based on some
known catchment divides, make sure the divides have an "opening" at the
outlet of the sub-catchment, so the routine can determine where the water
flows out. This can be done by first raising the divides, then burning the
rivers into the DEM down to the minimum.
General catchment properties
71
7.3 General catchment properties
Catchment properties are accessed by right-clicking on a catchment fea-
ture and selecting MIKE BASIN Properties. The properties dialog is
shown in Figure 7.6
Figure 7.6 Catchment properties dialog.
Catchment area
When catchment runoff is specified as specific runoff rates (e.g. lit-
ers/sec/m2) an accurate specification of the catchment area is required in
order to calculate the runoff volume (area x specific runoff). When the
runoff volumes are specified as discharges (e.g. m3/s), the catchment area
is not used.
Catchment areas can either be assigned manually, or calculated automati-
cally based on the catchment shapes. For schematic catchments a manual
specification of the catchment area is normally required, whereas the cal-
culated area can normally be used for delineated catchments.
The preferred catchment area specification method is selected by checking
and unchecking the Use shape area for assigned area checkbox. Per
default MIKE BASIN uses the calculated catchment areas.
Catchments
72 MIKE BASIN
Catchment Runoff
Catchment runoff can be specified either as specific runoff or discharge.
The type of runoff is determined entirely by the item type of the runoff
time series. Valid item types are Specific runoff (volume per time per
unit area) or Discharge (volume per time). When a groundwater model
has been activated the catchment runoff will represent the fast catchment
response and it will be added directly to the river without being routed
through the groundwater reservoirs (section 7.4).
If the specified time series does not cover the entire simulation period, it
will automatically be recycled (see section 3.2).
7.4 Groundwater
Optionally, groundwater processes can be included in a catchment model.
The underlying conceptual hydraulic model is the linear reservoir model
with one or two aquifers (fast/slow response). The conceptual structure of
the two-layer groundwater component is illustrated in Figure 7.7. Single-
layer models only include the deep reservoir.
Important: Accessing and enabling the groundwater models requires that
the groundwater option has been checked in the MIKE BASIN Options
menu (reference).
Figure 7.7 Conceptual structure of the MIKE BASIN groundwater component.
Groundwater
73
As illustrated in Figure 7.7 groundwater interacts with the surface water
via groundwater recharge, groundwater discharge and stream seepage.
Moreover, when the depth to the water table of the upper reservoir reaches
the land-surface, it starts to spill directly into the river. Finally, groundwa-
ter from the deep aquifer can be pumped by water users.
The groundwater model type can be selected from the Groundwater
model pull-down menu (None/single-layer/two-layer) under the Gen-
eral tab (Figure 7.6).
7.4.1 Linear Reservoir model
In a linear reservoir model, groundwater discharge, i.e., flux through the
outlet(s) is proportional with water level, and because catchment area is
constant, it is also proportional with storage. Specifically, the coupled dif-
ferential equations solved are:
(7.1)
(7.2)
where the variables related to the geometry (h and L) and time constants
(k) are defined in Figure 7.8. The fluxes (q) are illustrated in Figure 7.7.
The dimensions of L and h are [Length]. Note that an (outflow) rate con-
stants k [1/Time] are the inverse of the outflow time constant that is speci-
fied in the catchment properties dialog. The fluxes q in the equations are
area-specific [Length/Time].
Figure 7.8 The geometry of the linear reservoir model.
h
1
t
-------- k
1
k
i
( ) h
1
L
1
( ) q
rech e arg
q
stream_seepage
+ + =
h
2
t
-------- k
i
h
1
L
1
( ) k
2
h
2
L
2
( ) q
pumpi ng
=
Catchments
74 MIKE BASIN
The mathematical solution of the linear reservoir equations in MIKE
BASIN is valid also for situations where the groundwater storage is emp-
tied (when outflows permanently exceed inflows), or when overflow
occurs (when inflows permanently exceed outflows). This is also valid
when the deep groundwater level reaches the shallow outlet, causing flow
back into the shallow reservoir.
7.4.2 Groundwater Model Tab
This dialog is only available if the groundwater option has been selected
in the MIKE BASIN Options menu. By default the menu assumes no
groundwater reservoir model for the catchment. In such a case groundwa-
ter can not be utilized. If you have NOT selected the groundwater option
in the options dialog, groundwater can still be utilized simply through the
specification in the water user time series file (see 8 Water User Nodes
(p. 79)), but groundwater is assumed to be an unlimited resource with no
feedback to the surface water system.
In MIKE BASIN, it is assumed that the boundaries of subsurface (ground-
water) and surface catchments are the same The groundwater storage
(aquifer) is conceptualized as a linear reservoir system with one or two
(optional) layers. Depending on your choice a number of groundwater
parameters needs to be specified.
For both single- and two layer models, parameters are assigned under the
Groundwater tab (Figure 7.9).
Groundwater
75
Figure 7.9 The Groundwater tab.
The input parameters to be specified in the dialog below are:
Aquifer Characteristics - Shallow Aquifer
Depth (relative to ground surface) to the initial water table. The intial
water table depth can determine the magnitude of the groundwater dis-
charge and the available water for pumping in the intial period of simula-
tion. Depending on the time constant specified it may influence the results
from days to several months of the simulation.
Depth to the outlet. The depth to the outlet determines the storage capac-
ity of the shallow aquifer. The water table can vary between that depth and
up to ground surface (depth = 0 meter) at which time overflow of ground-
water discharge may occur to the river.
Time constant. The time constant determines the rate of which the
groundwater aguifer discharges water to the river (as baseflow). The
larger the time constant to longer it takes and the more constant is the
baseflow contribution.
Catchments
76 MIKE BASIN
Note that groundwater pumping is assumed to take place from the deep
aquifer unless a one-layer aquifer has been specified.
Aquifer Characteristics - Deep Aquifer
Depth (relative to ground surface) to the initial water table. The intial
water table depth can determine the magnitude of the groundwater dis-
charge and the available water for pumping in the intial period of simula-
tion. Depending on the time constant specified it may influence the results
from days to several months of the simulation.
Depth to the outlet. The depth to the outlet determines the storage capac-
ity of the shallow aquifer. The water table can vary between that depth and
up to outlet depth of the shallow aquifer.
Time constant. The time constant determines the rate of which the
groundwater aguifer discharges water to the river (as baseflow). The
larger the time constant to longer it takes and the more constant is the
baseflow contribution.
Bottom level. This is the highest depth from which water can be drawn
from the deep aquifer. This indicates the total storage available for usage
from the deep aquifer.
Time constant in the interface between shallow and deep aquifers. The
constant determines the rate of which water percolates from the shallow
aquifer to the deep aquifer.
Groundwater Recharge Time Series
The reference to the recharge time series file (See also time series selec-
tion). The file must contain information about either the specific recharge
(volume per time per-unit area) or the recharge (volume per time). Please
note that the runoff time series, when groundwater models are included,
only covers the surface/interflow components of the hydrograph.
7.5 Water Quality
This time series determines solute transport from the catchment to the
river via surface runoff. The time series group can contain time series for
any number of the solutes modeled by MIKE BASIN. Data in the time
series can be concentrations, absolute mass fluxes, or area-specific mass
fluxes. Internally, area-specific mass fluxes are multiplied by catchment
area, and concentrations are multiplied by total runoff, to give absolute
mass fluxes.
Water Quality
77
The Water Quality in Runoff Time Series can be specified manually, but is
most conveniently computed and filled in by the Load Calculator (p. 169).
When modeling both groundwater and water quality, solute also enters the
river through groundwater discharge. Also, when there is overland flow
generated by a water level reaching the ground surface, and the water
quality time series contains concentrations, then these apply to overland
flow as well.
7.5.1 WQ in Groundwater tab
This tab is active only when both the groundwater and the water quality
options are selected in the Options dialog. See Options (p. 25).
In the top part of the dialog, you can specify any first-order decay rates.
These apply to the four most relevant substances. Depending on whether
you have chosen a 1- or 2-layer groundwater model, you can fill in 1 or 2
sets of parameters. A decay rate of zero implies conservative transport.
The equations solved are shown in the Water Quality Modeling (p. 159)
section.
The initial state, like in reservoirs, can be either pristine or steady state.
Pristine means zero concentration of any substance. At steady state, con-
centrations in groundwater recharge (below) equal those in groundwater
discharge, i.e., the concentrations in groundwater must be equal to those in
the recharge boundary time series for the simulation start time.
The Water Quality in Groundwater Recharge Time Series determines sol-
ute transport from the catchment surface to groundwater. In terms of
allowed data, it is analogous to the Water Quality (p. 76). If it is a concen-
tration time series, it is multiplied by groundwater recharge to yield a mass
flux
Catchments
78 MIKE BASIN
79
8 WATER USER NODES
Water User Nodes are a water consuming activity from the river network,
or reservoirs, and MIKE BASIN may contain any number of Water Users.
Water User Nodes can represent municipal, industrial or any type of water
supply. Water extraction for irrigation purposes has its own node.
Figure 8.1 MIKE BASIN Water User Nodes representing extraction from river
and reservoir nodes.
The temporal variation in the extraction of water is described by a time
series file for each water user node. Water can be extracted from one or
several river nodes and reservoir nodes, as well as ground water storage.
The temporal variation of return flow of water that is assumed not to be
consumed at the water user node can be transferred back to one or more
river nodes. The transfer can also be described by a time series file.
In many situations several water users are extracting water from the same
river section. In such situations it can be an advantage to lumped these into
one scheme described by a single water user node.
You include Water User nodes in the model by inserting these in the View
away from rivers using the Digitize Water User button in the MIKE
BASIN toolbar.
You use the Add Channel button to connect a Water User node to its
upstream extraction point or downstream return flow point on rivers or
reservoirs. The digitization of a channel is always down in flow direction,
i.e. from extraction point to water user, or from water user to return flow
point.
Water User Nodes
80 MIKE BASIN
8.1 General Water User Properties
The attributes are specified in the Water User Properties dialog, which is
accessed by using the MB Feature Properties tool and subsequently click
on the water user feature to be edited. You can alternatively right click on
the Water User node and selecting Mike Basin Properties. The properties
dialog is shown in Figure 10.2.
Figure 8.2 Water User properties dialog
Category
If you wish to distinguish between different water user types, you should
specify a descriptive name that identify what category the water user
belongs to, and can be further analysed in connection with result presenta-
tion. Examples of Category names could be: municipal water supply,
industrial water supply, major cities, villages etc.
General Water User Properties
81
Water Use characteristics
A time series file can be specified by either clicking on the New or the
Openbutton. Clicking on the New button provides access to a default
time series, which can be renamed and saved. Clicking on the Open but-
ton provides access to an existing time series file of the correct type.
The time series file must have the following four items:
z Water demand. The total amount of water that is required to be
extracted to fulfill the water demand of the Water User.
z Deficit carry-over fraction (from one time step to next). Generally in
MIKE BASIN, the allocation solution is only with respect to demands
in the current time step. In particular for irrigation schemes, however, it
may be more appropriate to allow deficits to carry over from one time
step to the next, resulting in a larger demand in that next time step
(larger than the "normal" demand given in the demand time series).
This item in the time series can be used to specify the fraction of any
deficit that should carry over to the following time step. Mathemati-
cally this is described by:
D'(t+1) = D(t+1) + f(t) * X(t) (8.1)
Where D'(t+1) is effective water demand at time t+1, D(t+1) is water
demand as given in the input time series for time t+1, X(t) is deficit
(unsatisfied demand as calculated by MIKE BASIN) and f(t) is the
carry-over fraction, the latter two at the previous time step t. D', D, and
X have units of volume, while f is dimensionless.
In other words, f = 0 reverts to the regular MIKE BASIN solution,
whereas f = 1 indicates 'perfect memory' for deficits.
Note Results from monthly simulations may appear to 'oscillate'. This
is not an error, but rather because the deficits in the above formula are
absolute volumes, whereas demands in the input time series must be
given as flows (volume per time). Due to the different lengths of differ-
ent months, a constant deficit in terms of flow means a varying deficit
in terms of volume.
Water User Nodes
82 MIKE BASIN
z Groundwater use fraction. This time series item specifies the fraction
of the total water demand or the remaining demand (after the supply
has been attempted to be covered by surface water) that should be ful-
filled from groundwater. Without the groundwater extension enabled
in the MIKE BASIN Options (p. 25) dialog, MIKE BASIN assumes
that any groundwater demands described by this item in the water use
time series file can always be fulfilled (unlimited reservoir capacity).
With the extension enabled, actual groundwater extraction depends on
the state of the linear reservoir.
z Groundwater absolute demand. This time series item specifies the
total demand that should be covered by groundwater. This item may
only be in use if the groundwater extension is enabled in the MIKE
BASIN Options (p. 25) dialog. With the extension enabled, actual
groundwater extraction depends on the state of the linear reservoir
Default demand time series for Water Users is shown below. See, Time
Series Selection for selecting, plotting and editing this time series.
Priority of Upstream Supply Nodes
After linking the water user node to one or more upstream river nodes the
rule selection fields will then automatically be filled with the upstream
supply nodes corresponding to the various extraction points for the water
user.
You can now edit the individual water extraction rules by clicking on the
Edit tool. Editing will be available for the row with the pointer. A new
Edit rule dialog will appear:
General Water User Properties
83
Specify the type of extraction rule that should apply. Two types of rules
are available:
Call by priority. Water is extracted from upstream nodes to satisfy the
demand in the order of priority beginning with nodes having the lowest
priority number.
Call by fraction of demand. Water is extracted from each upstream node
based on the fraction of the demand required from each node. If an
upstream node cannot fulfil its fraction there is no attempt to extract water
from another upstream node.
The time series to be specified must contain the fraction of demand
requested from each upstream node (supplier). Note that for all times in
the simulation, the sum of fractions must not exceed 1. It is legal, how-
ever, to have a sum less than 1, with the remainder showing in the results
as "Water Demand Deficit". Be careful, however, that such a deficit and a
"true" deficit due to lack of water can be hard to distinguish from one
another.
The characteristics of the channel from each extraction point to the water
user node are described in the Reach properties dialog. See General River
Reach Properties (p. 47). The reach property dialog is accessed by right
clicking on the channel feature.
Return flow rule(s)
If return flow occurs from the water user node to, for example, the river, a
channel should be created between the Water User node and one or more
Water User Nodes
84 MIKE BASIN
down stream nodes. The return flow rule fields will automatically be filled
with a number of downstream nodes corresponding to the number of
downstream return flow nodes from the water user node.
For entering a time series click on the Edit rule button. In the Edit rule
dialog a new time series can be specified or an existing file can be opened.
The downstream node reference is already filled in.
The time series to be specified must contain the return flow fraction for
each downstream node. Note that for all times in the simulation, the sum
of return flow fractions must not exceed 1. It is legal, however, to have a
sum less than 1, with the remainder showing in the results as "Used Water.
8.2 Groundwater
Under the Groundwater tab the following data should be specified:
There are three different options for using groundwater to fulfill the Water
User demand:
z Fraction of total demand. This method will attempt to fulfill demand
by taking a fraction of the total demand from the groundwater, as spec-
ified in the Water Use time series under the general tab. This option
correspond to a specified sharing of the surface water and the ground-
water resources. If there is a limited water available either in the sur-
face water or the groundwater the demand will not be fulfilled.
Water Quality
85
z Fraction of remaining demand. This method will attempt to take a
fraction of the demand that can not be fulfilled by surface water as
specified in the Water Use time series under the general tab. If the frac-
tion is set to 1.0 it means that the water user first extracts surface water
and then fulfills the rest by groundwater. This option corresponds to
specified priority between surface water (first priority) and groundwa-
ter.
z Absolute demand. This method will calculate the demands from sur-
face water and groundwater respectively and then attempt to take this
from each resource independently. Notice that in this case the ground-
water demand could be higher than the total demand specified. In such
cases the surface water extraction will be zero.
Supplying Catchment
In this field you can specify the catchment from which the groundwater is
taken. By enabling the tickbox, only valid catchments for which ground-
water aquifers exist will be displayed in the pull down menu.
8.3 Water Quality
Water users are modeled as point sources, for example, a city's wastewater
treatment plant. Water quality in the effluent from a water user is specified
as a time series.
The time series group can contain time series for any number of the sol-
utes modeled by MIKE BASIN. Data in the time series can be concentra-
tions or absolute mass fluxes. Internally, concentrations are multiplied by
return flow, to give absolute mass fluxes.
You can choose between two options of how to have the effluent boundary
condition interpreted in the MIKE BASIN calculations.
If you know (from measurements) the effluent concentration, choose the
option to have any incoming (to the treatment plant) solute ignored. Your
measurements already include the effect of the treatment, so you are not
making a mistake even though the incoming solute mass is not preserved.
To model mixing of solutes in the inflow to the user and in additional
sources represented by the user, choose the option to add the two. The
effective concentration is the flow-weighted average of incoming and
source concentrations.
Water User Nodes
86 MIKE BASIN
87
9 RESERVOIRS
MIKE BASIN accommodates multiple multi-purpose reservoir systems.
Individual reservoirs can simulate the performance of specified operating
policies using associated operating rule curves. These define the desired
storage volumes, water levels and releases at any time as a function of cur-
rent water level, the time of the year, demand for water, and losses and
gains.
Reservoirs can be inserted anywhere on the river branches except on river
bifurcation nodes or the most upstream nodes. Inserting a reservoir on a
river branch does not require that a river node is already added on that
location. Reservoir nodes replace river or catchment nodes once placed on
top of these.
There are three types of storage types that can be modeled in MIKE
BASIN and the input requirements will depend on the reservoir types
selected.
Rule curve reservoirs regard the reservoir as a single physical storage and
all users are drawing water from the same storage. Operating rules for
each user apply to that same storage and the users compete with each other
to fulfill their water extraction rights.
The Allocation Pool reservoir has also a physical storage, but the individ-
ual users have been allocated certain storage rights within a zone of water
levels. An accounting procedure keeps track of the actual water storage in
one pool for downstream minimum flow releases (water quality pool) and
in individual pools allocated for water supply users. Thus, a particular
water level is not uniquely related to a set of volumes in all pools (one can
'shift' some volume from one pool to another without any effect on water
level).
Reservoirs
88 MIKE BASIN
Lakes are specific reservoirs for which no operation rules apply. The out-
flow from a lake can be restricted by a spillway relationship. If no such is
given and the water level is at the top of dead storage, all inflow to the
lake will flow out immediately.
When simulating systems with reservoirs, it is recommended to use small
time steps (days). During large time steps, water levels might move
through several zones in the operating rule curves, making results inaccu-
rate.
9.1 General Reservoir Properties
The the reservoir characteristics, operating rules, and upstream- and
downstream connections to users and control nodes are all specified in the
reservoir properties dialog
Note: It is specified explicitly in the descriptions below when the data
entry for the Allocation Pool reservoir deviates from the Rule Curve Res-
ervoir.
General Reservoir Properties
89
Level-area-volume table
Computing water levels in a reservoir requires the relationship between
elevation, volume, and area (HVA) to be known. This information must be
specified as a table in a file.
This is entered in a file with three items in a tabular form similar to time
series data. In this particular case, the time specification in the first item is
replaced by 'X' values describing the elevation.
The table is checked for physical plausibility in MIKE BASIN. Particu-
larly, it should hold that
(9.1)
Where i is the ite value in the table of increasing water level elevations H.
In other words, for every step in elevation, the increase in volume should
at least be the base area (at the previous level) times the increase in height.
V H i 1 + ( ) ( ) V H i ( ) ( ) A H i ( ) ( ) H i 1 + ( ) H i ( ) ( ) +
Reservoirs
90 MIKE BASIN
A smaller increase corresponds to a 'narrowing' reservoir (as water level
increases). A warning is issued at the end of the simulation if the above
situation is detected.
During the simulation, linear interpolations between the user-specified
neighboring data triplets in the table is performed to arrive at a piece-wise
linear HVA function.
Note: If the calculated reservoir water level is outside the range of tabular
values specified in a HVA file during a simulation, an error message will
appear on the screen. No extrapolation is carried out beyond the range of
the specified elevation values in the HVA file.
If a preliminary simulation is nonetheless desired, a work-around is to
specify the reservoir level in the HVA table to start at zero and end at a
very high level. This will avoid the necessity to extrapolate and thus an
error message.
Characteristic levels time series
The following reservoir information is always required:
Bottom Level, which is the bottom of the reservoir
Top of Dead Storage, which is the minimum level from which water can
be utilize. If the water level is below this zone water can only be lost due
to evaporation or bottom infiltration.
Dam Crest Level, which is the highest level the water can reach in the
reservoir before spill occurs.
Losses and gains time series (optional)
The following three loss / gains time series can be entered :
z Precipitation
z Potential evaporation
z Bottom infiltration
The loss/gains terms goes into the water balance calculations and the
actual loss in each time step (in terms of volume per time unit) will depend
on the actual water level in the reservoir at that time step.
Rule Curves Reservoirs and Lakes
91
9.2 Rule Curves Reservoirs and Lakes
The operation tab for reservoirs and lakes gives access to specifying the
reservoir operation rules. They are specified in the following four sec-
tions:
z Operation rules (p. 92) - Operating rules are defined to include not only
storage target levels (e.g. the flood control level in case spillways
information is not specified), but also various storage allocation zones,
release and spill requirements and constraints respectively. These can
vary in time as described by rule curve time series.
z Priority of downstream users (p. 94)- Reservoirs can directly be con-
nected to multiple downstream water user nodes, hydropower nodes or
reservoir nodes. The rule field will automatically be filled when you
connect downstream nodes to the reservoir in connection with the
model creation. You can edit the priority rules for each downstream
user by pointing on the row and clicking on the Edit Rule or double
clicking on the pointer.
Reservoirs
92 MIKE BASIN
z Remote Flow Control (optional) (p. 98) -Remote flow rules are special
in that unlike all other rules in MIKE BASIN, they are logical relations
between nodes far away from each other - not neighboring nodes. Use
remote rules if you have a control point somewhere far downstream
from the reservoir, possibly with many intermediate inflows and
offtakes. Remote flow rules are also useful if you have users not con-
nected immediately to a reservoir, but to be supplied by it. Just define a
remote minimum flow rule with reference to the offtake river node that
the user draws from.
z Storage Demand (optional) (p. 99) - The Storage Demand rule is a way
of operating two reservoirs in series or in parallel. If two reservoirs are
located on the same river branch in series it is often an advantage to
keep as much water as possible in the upstream reservoir The storage
demand option will ensure that water is released from the upstream res-
ervoir for the downstream reservoir only to maintain a certain critical
water level in the downstream reservoir.
In the cases where the Allocation Pool Reservoir type is used, the Priority
of Downstream Users is replaced with the Allocation pool owners
demands. See Rules specifically for Allocation Pool reservoirs (p. 101).
Operation rules
Operating rules are specified to define not only storage target levels, but
also various storage allocation zones. These can vary in time as described
by rule curve time series. Operating rules are also specified to define
release and spill requirements and constraints respectively.
The following rule time series are available:
z Flood Control level (mandatory)
z Minimum operation level (optional)
z Minimum release requirement (optional)
z Maximum release constraint (optional)
The Flood control level entry will always appear for rule curve or alloca-
tion pool reservoirs.
Minimum downstream release can be regarded as a minimum environ-
mental release to support the flow in the river downstream of the reservoir
during critical periods of drought. This release takes place as long as the
water level is above the Top of Dead Storage level.
Maximum downstream release can be regarded as a restriction on the
flood control release when the water level in the reservoir is above Flood
Rule Curves Reservoirs and Lakes
93
Control Level or the Spillway Bottom Level (optional). The Maximum
release is specified as a time series in the rule curve time series.
All above parameters are specified as time series items in the rule curve
time series.
When editing or adding a rule the follow dialog appears:
You can select the specific rule and subsequently specify a time series file.
Based on the above rule curve levels and the reservoir characteristics, the
reservoir can be divided into five zones:
Flood Control Zone
This zone serves as storage buffer to diminish the impacts of high floods.
Under normal circumstances the water level in the reservoir is kept at
flood control level to maintain optimal protection and reserve water for
supply. If the water level is within the flood control zone water is released
at a rate up to maximum downstream release. The release can be limited
by spillway conditions.
If a spillway Bottom Level time series is specified (see the Spillways sec-
tion) the lower level of flood control zone is defined by the Spillway Bot-
tom Level, no matter this is above or below the Flood Control Level.
Reservoirs
94 MIKE BASIN
Normal Operating Zone
This zone is between the lower level of the flood control zone and the first
Reduction Level for a given water user. In this zone all demands are ful-
filled. The extend of this zone can vary for indivdual water users
Reduced Operating Zone
If the water level is in this zone, a demand is only partially fulfilled. A var-
iable number of reduction level curves and corresponding reduction fac-
tors can be specified for each connected water user as described below.
The lower limit of the Reduced Operating Zone is the Minimum Opera-
tion Level. If this level is not specified then the lower limit is the Top of
Dead Storage.
Conservation Zone
If the water level reaches this zone, only downstream release (Minimum
release requirement for conservation purposes is maintained). No water
for usage is being released. Allocation pool reservoirs do not have a con-
servation zone, but rather a 'water quality' pool for the same purpose.
Priority of downstream users
You can connect multiple water user nodes, hydropower nodes and reser-
voir nodes to a reservoir. The rule field will automatically be filled when
you connect downstream users to the reservoir in connection with the
model creation on the screen. You can edit the priority rules for each
Rule Curves Reservoirs and Lakes
95
downstream user by pointing on the row and clicking on the Edit Rule
or double clicking on the pointer. The following dialog appears
You can specify the following data:
Priority
You can give a priority among downstream user nodes. Number 1 has
highest priority, the number 2 and so forth. Notice, that minimum release
to a downstream river node always has higher priority than any down-
stream user nodes. In order for a down-stream user to effectively have first
priority, the specified downstream release for the reservoir must be set to
zero.
Rule data
You can specify operating rules for supplying water to the individual
water users. This is done by specifying time series pairs of water levels
and corresponding reduction factors of the demand to be supplied. This is
particular relevant for drought management.
When the reservoir water level falls below Reduction Level 1 for a spe-
cific user, the actual extraction is calculated as the water demand times the
specified Reduction factor 1. If the reservoir water level falls below
Reduction Level 2, a more drastic (smaller) Reduction factor 2 is applied,
and so on. Each user has its own set of reduction levels as specified by
individual rule curves given in the dialog for each user.
After the first time series of corresponding reduction level (level 1) -
reduction factor has been specified (e.g. by clicking on the New... tool),
Reservoirs
96 MIKE BASIN
subsequent time series can be given by clicking on, the Add Reduction
Level tool. In this way you can specify as many reduction thresholds as
required. Plot the time series to see the additional thresholds and for edit-
ing them.
The figure below illustrates how different reduction levels and factors can
apply to different water user nodes. In the figure the low priority user, e.g.
for industial production is getting its demand reduced earlier and more
drastically, than the high priority water user, which could be for public
water supply.
Illustrating how the reduction rules works
Assuming two water userr nodes are extracting water from a reservoir.
The following rules apply for the two water user nodes:
The demand for both water user nodes is 13.89 m3/sec
Operting policy:
User node 1 (W4): Reduction level at :541 m, Reduction factor: 0.8
User node 2 (W6): Reduction level at 540 m, Reduction factor:0.6
The initial water level in the reservoir is 544 m, and the inflow is zero
until the 20th January, where the inflow is 35 m3/s
The figures illustrate how the water level is falling as water is extracted
from the reservoir. When the water level reaches level 541 m, the with-
Rule Curves Reservoirs and Lakes
97
drawal by user node 1 is reduced to 80%, and the water level falls with a
lower rate. When the water level falls below level 540m, the withdrawal to
user node 2 is also recuded. Once the inflow to the reservoir starts the
water level is rising with a reduced rate as the withdrawal increases.
Note Allocation pool reservoirs have reduction thresholds (fraction of
pool volume) instead of reduction levels (reservoir water levels). See
Rules specifically for Allocation Pool reservoirs (p. 101) for details.
Reservoirs
98 MIKE BASIN
Remote Flow Control (optional)
Remote flow rules are logical relationships between nodes that are far
away from each other. All other rules in MIKE BASIN are local rules and
refer to neighboring nodes.
For example, use a remote rule if you have a control point somewhere
downstream from the reservoir, possibly with many intermediate inflows
and offtakes. Remote flow rules are also useful if you have users that are
not connected directly to a reservoir, but are supplied by it .In this case,
define a minimum flow remote rule with reference to the offtake river
node that the user draws from.
During the computation, MIKE BASIN will try to adjust the reservoir
releases to maintain the control flow limit after considering all inflows and
offtakes, and flow delays due to routing.
You can specify more than one remote rule for a reservoir, that is, you can
have multiple remote control points. MIKE BASIN will adjust the flow to
accommodate them all. Effectively, this means that the most restrictive
rule will determine the allowable reservoir release. MIKE BASIN also
allows you to have both minimum and maximum remote flow control
rules for a reservoir.
After the simulation, in the results, you will find two items that describe
the mandatory minimum and maximum flows as determined by both the
local and remote flow control rules. For the minimum flow, this will be the
larger flow as determined by the local minimum rule or the remote mini-
mum rule. Similarly, the actual maximum flow will be the smaller of the
local maximum flow and the remote maximum flow.
In the dialog above, clicking on the [Add] or [Edit] button will open
the following dialog:
Rule Curves Reservoirs and Lakes
99
You can specify the rule type and select the remote control node (here
N2). The node can be specified by clicking on the pointer tool and click on
the relevant node in the network.You must not select the river node imme-
diately downstream of the reservoir as a control flow node. Minimum or
maximum flows to that node are determined by the "local" mininum/max-
imum release rules in the Operation rule grid.
Storage Demand (optional)
The Storage Demand rule is a way of operating two reservoirs in series or
in parallel. If two reservoirs are located on the same river branch in series
it is often an advantage to keep as much water as possible in the upstream
reservoir The storage demand option will ensure that water is released
from the upstream reservoir for the downstream reservoir only to maintain
a certain critical water level in the downstream reservoir.
The linkage between the two reservoirs in series is specified in the down-
stream reservoir only by clicking on the Add tool. The following dialog
will appear to specify the reservoir connection and the rule time series:
Reservoirs
100 MIKE BASIN
For two reservoirs in parallel, i.e. not on a single branch, there can be an
inter linkage that allows back and forth flow between the two reservoir
depending on the actual water levels in the two reservoirs. In such case the
rule time series has to specified for both reservoirs. With reservoirs in par-
allel means that the two reservoirs are located on different branches that
may connect downstream.
The time series for the rule, i.e., the time series with the trigger for
demand, must contain a variable of type "Water level" or "Water Volume".
Note As with any other user-supplier relationship, you must also specify a
rule of type "supply by priority, managed" at the supplying reservoir. If
you want to model bi-directional transfer, both reservoirs must have a
storage demand and a supply rule to each other (four rules in total).
The priority of the supply rules must be higher than that of any other user
connected to the reservoir(s). Minimum flows still have higher implicit
priority in that any minimum releases are performed before any transfer to
users or other reservoirs.
Rules specifically for Allocation Pool reservoirs
101
9.3 Rules specifically for Allocation Pool reservoirs
The input fields under the Operation tab for Allocation Pool reservoirs are
identical apart from that the priority of downstream users are replaced
with a rules editing field that specifies the Allocation pool owners. Alloca-
tion pool owners can be the Water users and the Hydropower that extract
water from the reservoir, and the downstream node that signifies the water
quality pool or river augmentation pool for downstream releases. By click-
ing on the Edit tool or the Add tool the input specification for each
owner can be specified in a subsequent dialog, see below.
Reservoirs
102 MIKE BASIN
In the time series selection field (see time series selection) a time series
can be specified. The time series file contains two items:
z Fraction of total storage owned by that water user;
z Fraction of inflow owned bay that user.
The sum of the fractions owned by all users including the downstream
release right should add up to 1.0.
The downstream release for river augmentation comprises of the mini-
mum release plus possible downstream remote flow control points speci-
fied under the remote flow control field.
Description of the allocation Pool Reservoir principles
The reservoir is considered a physical storage (main storage), which is the
total storage from the reservoir bottom level to the reservoir full level. In
the Allocation Pool Reservoir option the main storage is divided into three
physical storages: flood control storage, common allocation storage, con-
servation storage.
The common allocation storage exists only if the flood control level has
been set above the guide curve, thus allowing storage of water between
these two levels. The guide curve corresponds to the top of conservation
pool.
The conservation storage is divided into a water quality pool and a number
of water supply pools defined by the user. All these pools are purely con-
Rules specifically for Allocation Pool reservoirs
103
ceptual accounting storages used internally in the program, and should not
be regarded as physical storages.
Understanding how the Allocation Pool Reservoir works:
For each time step (e.g. each day) in the simulation, the reservoir will be
simulated as follows:
1 Inflow from the upstream river(s) is added to the reservoir main stor-
age.
2 The reservoir level and the surface area are calculated based on the res-
ervoir height-area-volume curves.
3 Precipitation is added to the reservoir main storage (based on the actual
reservoir surface area).
4 Evaporation losses are extracted from the reservoir main storage
(based on the actual reservoir surface area).
5 Bottom infiltration, based on the actual reservoir surface area and a
user-defined infiltration velocity, is extracted from the reservoir main
storage.
6 The individual water supply pools and the water quality pool are
updated by adding a user-defined fraction of total reservoir net-inflow
to these pools. If the sum of evaporation losses and bottom infiltration
is greater than the sum of upstream river inflow and precipitation, the
water volume of these pools will decrease. Any contribution greater
than the remaining capacity of the individual pool will spill to a com-
mon storage.
7 If there is any water in the common allocation storage, it is distributed
to the water supply pools and the conservation pool (if these are not
already filled) using the same distribution key as for the reservoir
inflow. If all pools are filled during this procedure, the reservoir level
will be at or above the guide curve. This means that some water will be
available for common use.
8 In order to meet the minimum down stream release requirement (water
quality release), water will be subtracted first from the common stor-
age if possible, then (if needed) from the water quality storage. In the
same fashion, for each individual user in order of priority, the model
will try to fulfill the individual water demand. First, water is extracted
from the common storage if possible, then (if needed) from the associ-
ated water supply pool.
9 Extraction from pool may be reduced due to user-specified reduction
volume thresholds and associated reduction factors. The thresholds are
specified as fractions of total pool volume. Note that the reduction
Reservoirs
104 MIKE BASIN
thresholds are not exactly the same as reduction levels for regular res-
ervoirs (i.e., water levels), even though their effect on releases is analo-
gous. This is because in allocation pool reservoirs, a particular water
level does not define the volumes in all pools uniquely (any amount of
water can be 'shifted' from one pool to another without a change in
water level).
10 If the reservoir water level, after releasing water to ensure minimum
release and distributing water to the reservoir users, is still above the
flood control level, water will be released to the down stream river in
order to lower the reservoir level to the flood control level. The total
release rate from the reservoir, however, will not exceed the user-spec-
ified maximum down stream release rate (normally equal to the maxi-
mum non-damaging release rate). Furthermore, if a downstream
remote control node is defined, the model will attempt to regulate the
release in order to keep the river flow rate at the control node under the
user-defined maximum flow rate. In a disaster situation (spill over the
top of the dam) is there no limit on the flow rate.
9.4 Spillways
Releases during flood control operations can be controlled by two spill-
ways: a (top) spillway defined by the hydraulic capacity, the Spill Capac-
ity table Q(h) and its bottom level, the Spillway Bottom Level time series,
and a second spillway, defined by the Bottom Outlet Capacity time series
Qb(t), often assumed located at the base of the dam.
The Spill Capacity table is optional for both regular reservoirs and lakes.
The Spillway Bottom Level time series and the Bottom Outlet Capacity
time series apply to true reservoirs only.
Spillways
105
If they exist in a particular dam, both are generally used for flood control
operations. The spillway capacity is generally determined physically by
water level (relative to the spillway base), and must thus be given as an h-
Q(h) table. The bottom outlet's capacity, on the other hand, can usually be
regulated, and thus must be given as a time series.
Spillway limitations can cause the water level in the reservoir to rise
above flood control level and even above the Crest Level of the dam. The
spillway properties is specified in the spillway tab. Other properties,
which may directly influence how the spillways work are the Flood Con-
trol Level (FCL) and the Maximum Release Limit.
Spill Capacity table (optional)
Spillway Capacity Table is an h-Q table, where h is water level relative
(above) to the Spillway Bottom Level and Q(h) is maximum possible
release (volume/time) at that water level. The operating for the top spill-
way is between the Spillway Bottom Level time series and Crest Level.
The release through the spill way is the maximum of Q(H) and the Maxi-
mum Release if the later is specified in the Operation Rules dialog.
Spillway Bottom Level time series (optional)
Spillway Bottom Level time series describes the base level of the spillway
to which the relative value given in the h-Q relationship above refers to.
The Spillway Bottom Level can be either above, below or at FCL.
If this time series is not specified, the Spill Capacity table will use the
FCL as the basel level above which the releative water level h in the h-
Q(h) table refers to.
Bottom Outlet Capacity time series (optional)
Bottom Outlet Capacity is a capacity limitation time series Q(t). It is
designed to release/flush water from the lower part of the reservoir, when
the water level is higher than the FCL. The operating range for the Bottom
Outlet spillway is between Flood Control Level and Crest Level.
If the Spillway Bottom Level time series is not specified the Bottom Out-
let Capacity time series will be set to zero.
Reservoirs
106 MIKE BASIN
Both spillways may function simultaneously if the level in the reservoir
exceeds both the FCL and the spillway bottom level. If a Minimum
Release Requirement time series has been specified in the operation rules,
this will be added to the above.
If the release from the Bottom Outlet Spillway shall include the Minimum
Release requirements at times when the water level in the reservoir is
above the FCL, then the Minimum Release Requirement time series
should be subtracted from the Bottom Outlet Capacity time series Qb(t).
Similar, if the release through the top spillway should include the Mini-
mum Release Requirement at times when the flow is above the Spillway
Bottom level, then the h-Q(h) relationship should be corrected according
to the the Minimum Release Requirement.
Illustrating how the spillway works
This example illustrates how the spillway functions work in a situation
where the reservoir is emptied, and no inflow occur. The initial water level
is 543 m, Flood Control Level (FCL) is 542 m. The Bottom of Spillway is
541 m, and the Bottom Outlet Spillway capacity is 1.5 m3/s.
The figures below show that the release through the spilways is the sum of
spillway capacity (the Q(h) curve) plus the Bottom Outlet Spillway capac-
ity = 1.5 m3/s from initial water level down to FCL. The release between
FCL and the Bottom of Spillway level (=541 m) follows the spillway q(H)
curve as the release from the Bottom Outlet Spillway is zero.
Water Quality
107
9.5 Water Quality
Like reaches, reservoirs can have a significant residence time, which has
to be taken in account with water quality modeling.
Reservoirs
108 MIKE BASIN
In the tab, the default choice is to assume conservative transport. When
you uncheck that option, you can make further choices.
The Parameter Set input indicates the reaction parameters essentially the
same as for reaches. See Water Quality (p. 55)The only reservoir-specific
parameter is the Vollenweider coefficient. You can still use the same
parameter set for reaches and reservoirs, as long as you fill in both reser-
voir and reach-specific parameters in the respective dialogs.
The initial state, like in groundwater, can be either pristine or steady state.
Pristine means zero concentrations except for DO, which is set to its satu-
rated value for the current temperature. At steady state, concentrations in
the inflow from the upstream reach equal those in the reservoir, thus the
reservoir concentrations are set to those calculated for the first time step in
the reach upstream of the reservoir.
109
10 HYDROPOWER
Hydropower generation is simulated by inserting a hydropower node and
connect it to a reservoir using the channel feature. Return flow back to the
river is simulated by connecting the hydropower node to the first down-
stream river node.
Plant characteristics are described in the hydropower properties dialog
below.
.
Important attributes describing the hydropower plant are:
Hydropower
110 MIKE BASIN
Power Demand Time series
The time series file contains the following items ((See the fly by text of
the Use Filter option to see valid data types):
z Target power demand (either as Target Power [MW or equivalent] or as
Water Flow [m^3/s or equivalent]
z Installed capacity (effective only when 'use surplus capacity' is
checked in the hydropower dialog, but must always be present and
non-blank
z Surplus capacity Usage [dimensionless]. Fraction between 0 and 1.
z Minimum head for operation of turbines. If head (difference between
reservoir level and tailwater level) drops below this threshold, no water
is routed through the turbines, regardless of power demand
There is an option to produce more power than demanded (up to installed
engine capacity) at times where there is a surplus of water in the reservoir.
When the reservoir water level is above flood control level, water that
would otherwise be spilled can be routed through the turbines. Any release
that - due to limiting turbine capacity - cannot be exploited for hydro-
power generation is spilled from the reservoir.
Use Minimum release from reservoir option
If minimum release is specified in the reservoir, this water can be routed
through the hydropower node.
In the old MIKE BASIN, the minimum release was top-added to the
hydropower demand, which means the extra water is routed throught the
hydropower. If you would like to use this method, change the MIKE
BASIN options as described in Options... (p. 18)
Tailwater table (optional)
This table specifies tail water elevation as a function of release from the
reservoir. Note that a discharge-dependent tail water level necessitates
iterations in the solution of the water allocation problem (demand
becomes a function of tail water level, which depends on reservoir release,
which finally depends on demand). Thus, for precise results, often a daily
simulation time step should be chosen in connection with hydropower
simulations.
Engine efficiency table (optional)
This table specifies turbine/machine efficiency as a function of head dif-
ference or the discharge. Note that a head-dependent or discharge depend-
ent efficiency necessitates iterations in the solution of the water allocation
Hydropower - Formula
111
problem (demand becomes a function of efficiency, which itself depends
on reservoir level, which again depends on reservoir release, which finally
depends on demand). Thus, for precise results, a daily or shorter simula-
tion time step should be chosen when the machine efficiency table is used.
Backwater effects
In cascades of reservoirs, tailwater elevation for a hydropower station can
be determined by water level in the next reservoir downstream rather than
by discharge from the supplying (upstream) reservoir. If you know this to
be the case for a particular model, check the "backwater" option.
Head Approximation
Calculation of hydropower demands and actual generation is subject to
numerical inaccuracy when tailwater and/or power efficiency tables are
used. There are two approximations available
z an explicit method based on head in the supplying reservoir at the start
of the time step, or
z a time step average method based on the average head at start and end
of the time step.
10.1 Hydropower - Formula
MIKE BASIN calculates the hydroelectric effect produced from the fol-
lowing formula:
(10.1)
where P is the power generated, h is the effective head (difference) [L],
Q is the discharge/release through turbine(s) [L
3
/T], is the machine effi-
ciency [-], and g is the gravitational constant [L/T
2
]:
or from
(10.2)
where is the density of water [M/L
3
].
The effective head difference is:
(10.3)
P h Q ( ) Q h ( ) g
water
=
P Q Q ( ) g p =
h Q ( ) h
reservoi r
h
t ail wat er
Q ( ) h
conveyance
Q ( ) =
Hydropower
112 MIKE BASIN
The hydropower formula is non-linear because of the dependencies of
head difference on discharge and machine efficiency. Tailwater levels are
generally a function of discharge, and so are additional conveyance head
losses in the channel (both increase with discharge)., see the Channel
Properties Dialog In addition the tailwater can also become governed by
backwater from the reservoir downstream rather than discharge of the sup-
plying reservoir. In the simulations, the applicable tailwater level for use
in equation (10.3) is found as
(10.4)
In MIKE BASIN, the following inter-dependencies between variables can
be assumed constant or insignificant by leaving out the respective detailed
specifications:
h
tailwater
(Q): = h
reservoir_buttom_level
(leaving out the tail water table)
h
conveyance
: = 0 (leaving out the conveyance head loss
table)
(h): = 0.86 (leaving out the power efficiency table)
Water demand for power generation is calculated by solving the power
formula, equation ( 1 ), for Q (the solution must be found iteratively).
When the effective head difference is small, turbines are however shut off,
both because they are inefficient and because the required discharge
would grows very large. Accordingly, a minimum head for operation hmin
can also be specified in MIKE BASIN. If h < hmin, Q is set to zero, i.e.,
no water is routed through the turbines, regardless of demand.
h
tailwat er
max h
tailwater
Q ( ),h
downstream_reservoir
( ) =
Overview
113
11 IRRIGATION
11.1 Overview
An irrigation node represents an irrigation area comprising one or more
irrigated fields, which are drawing water from the same source(s). The
irrigation node represents the total irrigation demand for the fields, and
optionally the crop yield.
Based on the calculated demand, water is extracted from one or more
sources, e.g. river nodes and/or reservoirs according to specified alloca-
tion rules. An irrigation node may also extract groundwater. Any excess
water may be returned to the river system through surface water channels.
In a river basin model, the irrigation nodes functions very similar to the
water user nodes, the main difference being that the ordinary water user
works on prescribed demands and return flows, whereas the irrigation
node calculates the two variables dynamically. Allocation rules that are
available for other water user nodes also apply to irrigation nodes.
Figure 11.1 The irrigation node schematisation
In each time step the following computations are carried out by the irriga-
tion node:
z Calculation of the total crop water demand. The crop water demand
depends on the local climate and the crops growing in the fields. Note:
It is assumed that the all fields represented by an Irrigation Node use
the same climate and reference evapotranspiration data.
z Calculation of the irrigation demand. The irrigation demand may be
different from the total crop water demand, as it depends on the irriga-
tion strategy and soil type in a field. Losses in the connection channels
(seepage or evaporation) as well as surface runoff are taken into
account in the irrigation demand as well.
Irrigation
114 MIKE BASIN
z Withdrawal of water from the sources. Once the total demand has
been calculated for the irrigation node, water is exstracted from the
sources according to the same allocation rules that applies to the irriga-
tion node.
z Distribution of water among the fields. If irrigation demands are
met, the source water is distributed among the fields according to their
demands. If there is insufficient water to fulfil the demands, a number
of deficit management rules can be chosen to define the distribution of
water to the individual fields.
z Return Flows. Only runoff generated by the runoff sub-models will be
returned to the river network through connection channels. All other
losses should be included as evaporation/seepage in the connection
channels.
z Crop Yield. Finally, when the irrigation depth for each field has been
calculated, the crop yield is calculated (optional).
11.2 Node and sub-model relationship
Each Irrigation node represents a number of fields. These fields need to be
defined for the irrigation node. However, several fields across the basin
can have similar characteristics, e.g. data for soils or crop sequence.
To minimize the number of parameters that needs to be defined for each
irrigation node, the properties of individual fields are specified independ-
ently of the irrigation node and stored as separate parameter sets. These
parameter sets are referred to as sub-models in the following.
At the irrigation node level only one climate sub-model and one reference
ET sub-model represents all the fields within the irrigation area covered
by the node.
At the field level, sub-models for soil characteristics, runoff characteristics
(optional), and a crop sequences /water managment should be given.
A crop sequence defines a sequence of Crop/Irrigation sub-model pairs
(e.g. Wheat/Sprinkler - Maize/Sprinkler - Grass/No Irrigation). Option-
ally, the cropsub-model mayinclude a yield model.
All the sub models are defined in the Irrigation data.. forms, which are
accessed from the MIKE BASIN drop-down menu.
Once the sub-models are defined, they can be accessed from the irrigation
node property menu. Important: This Node - Sub model relationship
Node and sub-model relationship
115
implies that normally, the way to setup an Irrigation Node would be to
start by defining the required sub-models, and then adding the Irrigation
node and make the references to the sub-models from the Irrigation Node
Properties dialog.
11.2.1 Editing sub-model menus
All sub-model data forms are empty when new projects are created.
When clicking the "New" button, a new sub-model with a default name is
created. The name can be changed by typing directly in the name field of
the Model Picker. The appearance of the sub-model menu depends not
only on the selected sub-model, but also on the sub-model type, which
may be available. The type of the sub-model is selected in the Model Type
Picker. Whenever the model type is changed, the menu will change
accordingly.
Example: The sub-model type for Reference Evapotranspiration may be
of the type Time series, or FAO 56.
Note: The sub-model type, which has been specified at the time the menu
is closed will be used whenever there is a referrence to the sub-model.
Irrigation
116 MIKE BASIN
11.3 The Irrigation Node
The irrigation node is added to the model by clicking the "Add Irrigation
Node" tool in the MIKE BASIN toolbar, and digitizing in the map view.
Connections to the river network are added with the "Add channel" tool.
The Irrigation Node Properties dialog is shown below.
11.3.1 Scheme
The dialog contains three tabs. The main tab (Scheme) is where the fields
are defined. The remaining two tabs are related to the specification of
water allocation rules, and are identical to the ones available in regular
water users, with the exception of return flow rules. For the irrigation
node, the return flow fraction is applied to the actual return flow rate and
not to the demand as for regular users.
Important: This implies that the return flow fractions for Irrigation Nodes
should sum up to 1.0.
The Irrigation Node
117
In the top of the Fields tab, the name and category of the Irrigation node
may be defined. Below that, the climate and reference ET model to be
used for the current node is selected from the collection of sub-mod-
els..When a sub-model has been selected in the pull-down menu of the
sub-model picker, the ID and model type is shown.
Deficit distribution methods
Deficit distribution methods are used when the irrigation demand exceeds
the available water at the sources. In such cases, the deficit distribution
methods describe how the available water should be distributed among the
fields represented by the node. Three options are available.
Equal shortage
The fields get the same percentage of the demand covered, and hence suf-
fer the same relative shortage.
By yield stress
The water is distributed according to how sensitive the crops are to soil
water stress at the time of water shortage. This implies that the crop with
the highest yield response factor (Ky) will be given the highest priority. In
case of several crops with the same yield response factor, water is distrib-
uted among these fields according to the equal shortage method.
By priority
The water is distributed according to the priority that has been specified
for the field. The fields with the highest priority will receive the full
demand first. If several fields have the same priority, water is distributed
according to the equal shortage method.
When the deficit distribution method has been selected, the fields that are
represented by the node need to be defined.
Fields
A field is defined by a name, its area, the sequence of crops growing in it
during the simulation period, the properties of the soil in the field and
optionally, its ability to generate runoff. A field is added to the Irrigation
Node by clicking the "Add Field" button, which results in a line being
added to the fields table in the Fields tab. The properties of the field may
be edited directly in the table, or by selecting the row of a field, and click-
ing the "Edit Field" button. The latter approach will result in a Field dialog
being opened.
Irrigation
118 MIKE BASIN
The field name, area and priority are defined in the top of the form. More-
over, a so-called minimum cycle time has to be specified. This is impor-
tant, if the farmer cannot irrigate the whole field within a single time step.
Example: If it for instance takes him two days to irrigate the entire field
and the time step is one day, then the field is divided into two field sec-
tions and one the first day he irrigates one half and the next day the other
half.
Hence, soil moisture, and consequently yield, may be different on the two
field sections and internally these are treated as two fields. In each output
time step, the average field conditions are written to the result file. To dis-
able the minimum cycle time, set it to a value less than the simulation time
step.
Finally, a crop sequence and a soil water model are selected from the col-
lection of sub-models (see the next section) with the corresponding sub-
model pickers. Optionally, a runoff model may be selected.
The Irrigation Node
119
11.3.2 Surface Water
Priority of upstream supply nodes
When the irrigation node is linked to mulitiple upstream river nodes, you
can edit the water extraction rules from different nodes.
Call by priority. Water is extracted from upstream nodes to satisfy the
demand in the order of priority beginning with nodes having the lowest
priority number.
Call by fraction of demand. Water is extracted from each upstream node
based on the fraction of the demand required from each node. If an
upstream node cannot fulfil its fraction there is no attempt to extract water
from another upstream node.
Return flow rule(s)
The return flow rule fields will automatically be filled with a number of
downstream nodes corresponding to the number of downstream return
flow nodes from the water user node.The time series to be specified must
contain the return flow fraction for each downstream node.
Irrigation
120 MIKE BASIN
11.3.3 Groundwater
An irrigation node can intake the water from the groundwater source.
Three different options are available for using groundwater. Refer tothe
description in Groundwater (p. 84)
Supplying Catchment
You can specify the catchment from which the groundwater is taken.
11.4 Sub-Model Overview
The available sub-models are described in the sections below.
11.4.1 The Climate Sub-Model
The climate sub-models available accept a number of commonly available
climate inputs, and convert them to the input required by the Reference ET
model and Precipitation. Two model types are currently available:
Rainfall Only
This is the simplest climate model, and the only required input is a time
series containing rainfall.
If rainfall is provided on a low temporal resolution (e.g. monthly data),
functionality to disaggregate the data into a higher temporal resolution is
provided. By checking the "Disaggregate Rainfall" checkbox, a field
where an aggregation period can be set becomes enabled. Setting the time
span to e.g. 10 days results in a rain event every 10 days, of a magnitude
that corresponds to:
Rain depth = (aggregation period) / (Input time step) * (Rainfall depth for
input time step)
Sub-Model Overview
121
The FAO 56 Climate model
The FAO56 model type accepts the climate input required for the calcula-
tion of the FAO56 Reference Evapotranspiration. Hence, this method is
only relevant if the Evapotranspiration sub-model is of the type FAO56.
The required input is: Relative Humidity, air temperature (max and min),
wind speed and sunshine hours. Moreover, rainfall data is required.
Disaggregation of rainfall is provided for the FAO56 climate model as
well.
11.4.2 Reference Evapotranspiration
The Reference ET sub-model is responsible for providing the Crop sub-
model with reference evapotranspiration in each time step of the simula-
tion. The evapotranspiration rates may either be calculated based on the
input from the Climate Sub-model, or provided directly as time series.
Two types of the Reference ET sub-model are currently available.
FAO56 Reference ET
The FAO56 model uses the standardized Penman-Monteith equation for
calculating reference evapotranspiration. This method can only be used in
combination with the FAO56 Climate Model. The FAO56 reference ET
model requires no additional input.
The reference ET is calculated as:
where :
: reference evapotranspiration [mm day-1],
: net radiation at the crop surface [MJ m-2 day-1],
: soil heat flux density [MJ m-2 day-1],
: air temperature at 2 m height [C],
: wind speed at 2 m height [m s-1],
: saturation vapour pressure [kPa],
ET
0
0,408 R
n
G ( )
900
T 273 +
------------------u
2
e
s
e
a
( ) +
1 0,34u
2
+ ( ) +
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =
ET
0
R
n
G
T
u
2
e
s
Irrigation
122 MIKE BASIN
: actual vapour pressure [kPa],
: saturation vapour pressure deficit [kPa],
slope vapour pressure curve [kPa C-1],
psychrometric constant [kPa C-1].
The FAO Penman-Monteith equation provides the evapotranspiration
from a hypothetical grass reference surface and provides a standard to
which evapotranspiration in different periods of the year or in other
regions can be compared and to which the evapotranspiration from other
crops can be related.
A detailed description of the calculation procedure for the Penman-Mon-
teith formulation is described in FAO56, and contains the following calcu-
lation steps:
z Derivation of all required climatic parameters from the daily maximum
(Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) air temperature, altitude (z), mean wind
speed (u2) and geographical location.
z Calculation of the vapour pressure deficit (es - ea). The saturation
vapour pressure (es) is derived from the mean temperature, which is
assumed to be the average of Tmax and Tmin. The actual vapour pres-
sure (ea) is be derived from the minimum temperature, which is
assumed to equal the dew-point temperature
z Determination of the net radiation (Rn) as the difference between the
net-shortwave radiation (Rns) and the net long-wave radiation (Rnl).
These variables are derived from geographical location, sunshine hours
and vapour pressure. The effect of soil heat flux (G) is ignored for time
steps smaller than 10 days as the magnitude of the flux in this case is
relatively small.
z ETo is obtained by combining the results of the previous steps.
Time series
As an alternative to the FAO 56 calculation of reference ET, this model
type accepts time series of reference evapotranspiration. This method
works with the less data requiring "Rainfall Only" climate model type.
11.4.3 Soil Water Model
The main task of the soil water model is to keep track of the amount of soil
water available for soil evaporation and crop evapotranspiration at any
time during the simulation. The soil water content may also be used by the
e
a
e
s
e
a

Sub-Model Overview
123
Irrigation sub-model to determine the irrigation demand. A single soil
Water Model is currently available.
FAO 56 Soil Water Model
The FAO56 Soil Water Model is a simple water balance based model that
follows the recommendations provided in FAO56 for use with the dual
crop coefficient method. It keeps track of the soil moisture content in a
surface storage from where soil evaporation can take place, and a root
zone storage that provides water for transpiration. The depth of the surface
storage is specified as the "Depth of evaporable layer" and the depth of the
root zone equals the root depth at any time during the simulation.
It is assumed that the evaporable layer drains to the root zone when field
capacity is reached. The wetting fraction (equals 1.0 for rain and is user
specified for irrigation) is taken into account when the exchange between
the evaporable layer and the root zone is calculated, and hence for wetting
fractions less than 1, water may be exchanged for average water contents
in the evaporable less than field capacity.
Runoff Model
The task of the runoff model is to calculate the fraction of the precipitation
that will leave the field as surface runoff, and hence never enter the root
zone. If the Irrigation Node is connected to the river network, surface run-
off will enter the connection channel.
Specification of a runoff model is optional. If no model is selected in the
field, the runoff is assumed to be zero. A single model is currently availa-
ble.
Linear runoff
The linear run off model assumes a linear relationship between the rainfall
intensity and the amount of surface runoff.
Regardless of the specified parameters, the runoff will never be negative.
11.4.4 Irrigation Model
The irrigation sub-models is used to specify how and when a given field is
irrigated. A single irrigation model type is available.
FAO 56 Irrigation Model
The irrigation model requires a wetting fraction that determines the frac-
tion of the field surface that is being wetted during irrigation. For e.g.
Irrigation
124 MIKE BASIN
sprinkler irrigation this fraction will be close to 1, whereas for drip irriga-
tion it may be as low as 0.1. The wetting fraction is also an important fac-
tor for how much irrigation is required before the surface soil storage is
filled and hence when the root zone starts to fill.
Specification of a spray loss is required as well. The spray loss is the frac-
tion of the irrigation water that is evaporated before the water reaches the
soil surface. For sprinkler irrigation, this fraction may be relatively high,
whereas it is relatively low for e.g. drip irrigation.
The Trigger option determines when the irrigation will start. There are
three options available:
z Fraction of Total Available Water (TAW): Irrigation starts when the
soil moisture content reaches the specified fraction of TAW. TAW is
defined as the volume of water contained in the root zone when at field
capacity.
z Fraction of Readily Available Water (RAW): Irrigation starts when the
soil moisture content reaches the specified fraction of RAW. RAW is
defined as the volume of water that can be transpired by the crop with-
out exposing the crop to soil water stress. It is defined as RAW = (1 - p)
x TAW, where p is related to the crop (see the Crop Model section).
z Specified depletion depth: Irrigation will start when the soil moisture
content reaches the specified depletion.
When the irrigation has started the application depth is calculated accord-
ing to the Application Option. Three options are available:
z Fraction of Total Available Water (TAW): Irrigation stops when the soil
moisture content reaches the specified fraction of TAW.
z Fraction of Readily Available Water (RAW): Irrigation stops when the
soil moisture content reaches the specified fraction of RAW.
z Fixed depth. The specified depth of water is applied to the field.
11.4.5 Crop Model
Given the soil moisture content and reference evapotranspiration, the crop
model is responsible for calculating the corresponding crop evapotranspi-
ration and soil evaporation. A single model is currently available.
Dual crop coefficient model (FAO56)
The FAO56 method is based on the dual crop coefficient method
described in FAO56. The dual crop coefficient model calculates the tran-
spiration and soil evaporation separately and thus allows for a more accu-
Sub-Model Overview
125
rate quantification of the consequences of using different irrigation
technologies.
Following the FAO56 terms the crop stages are divided into an initial,
development, middle and late crop stage. Each stage is assigned a length.
For each stage, a so-called basal crop coefficient (Kcb) is assigned. The
basal crop coefficient is defined as the ratio of the crop evapotranspiration
over the reference evapotranspiration (ETc/ET0) when the soil surface is
dry but transpiration is occurring at potential rate.
Kcb is assumed constant in the initial and middle stages, and assumed to
follow a linear variation between the stages.
The root depth determines the maximum depth from which the crop can
extract water, and the minimum and maximum depth has to be specified. It
is assumed that the maximum depth is obtained at the beginning of the
middle stage, and that the variation between the initial depth and the max-
imum depth is determined by the following relationship:
Where:
Kcb,ini:Initial crop basal coefficient
Kcb,mid:Crop basal coefficient in middle stage
Rmax:Maximum root depth
Rmin:Minimum root depth
The influence of the surface roughness on the evapotranspiration is taken
into account through a climatic correction factor applied to the basal crop
coefficient. The vegetation height is assumed to scale with the basal crop
coefficients and is calculated as
for the initial and development stage, after which the height is assumed to
have reached its maximum ( )
Finally, a so-called p-value needs to be specified. The p-factor expresses
the sensitivity of the crop to soil moisture stress, or more specifically, the
fraction of the totally available water (TAW) at which soil moisture stress
will start to reduce crop transpiration. The amount of water that may be
depleted without stressing the plant is called the readily available water
(RAW). The relationship between RAW and TAW is:
R = (K
cb
K
cb,ini
)/(K
cb,mid
K
cb,ini
) * (R
MAX
R
MIN
) + R
MIN
H K
cb
K
cb ini ,
( ) K
cb mid ,
K
cb ini ,
( ) H
max
=
H
max
Irrigation
126 MIKE BASIN
For soil moisture contents below RAW, transpiration is assumed to
decrease linearly with soil moisture content and reach zero when the wilt-
ing point is reached.
A yield model may be attached to the crop model by selecting an appropri-
ate model with the yield model selection control.
11.4.6 Yield Model
Attaching a yield model to a crop model makes it possible to convert a soil
water stress into the corresponding yield loss, and hence to quantify the
costs of a soil moisture deficit. A single yield model is currently available.
FAO 33 Yield Model
This model is based on a so-called potential yield (Yp), which is the crop
yield under optimal conditions (no soil moisture stress). The sensitivity of
a crop to soil moisture stress depends on the growth stage. A crop will
usually be more sensitive to soil moisture stress in an early stage than in a
late growth stage. This is taken into account with a Yield Response Factor
(Ky). A yield response factor has to be specified for each of four growth
stages. Each stage is assigned a length that may, but does not have to, be
the same as the growth stages in the Crop Model to which it is assigned.
The crop yield is calculates as:
where Ya is the actual yield, Yp is the potential yield, is the actual
transpiration and is the potential transpiration. Index is the ith
growth stage in a growing season with a total of growth periods.
11.4.7 Crop Sequence
A crop sequence is really not a sub-model in the sense that it is just a con-
venient way of specifying how a field is managed. However, since the
same crop sequence may be used in several fields, it makes sense to keep
the crop sequence dialogs with the sub-models.
A crop sequence consists of a sequence of crop shifts. A crop shift is char-
acterised by a starting data (sowing data), a crop, and optionally a refer-
ence to the irrigation sub-model that will be used to irrigate the crop. A
crop shift lasts until the end of the last growth stage of the crop in the
field.
Y
a
Y
p
----- 1 K
yi
1
Et
a
Et
p
--------
\ .
| |

i 1 =
i G =

=
Et
a
Et
p
i
G
Simulation output
127
If a crop is harvested before the next crop is planted, the model assumes
that there are no crops at this field in the time between crops, and hence
that the irrigation demand is zero. When the next crop is sowed the water
content in the root zone will be reset to the initial water content, as speci-
fied in the soil water model.
11.5 Simulation output
The most general output items for the Irrigation Node is written to the
MIKE BASIN output files, and imported into ArcGIS, just like the output
from the remaining MIKE BASIN model building blocks.
However, for each Irrigation Node, an additional output file, containing
detailed information about each field, is. The additional files are written to
the working directory for the MIKE BASIN project. The file names are
used to identify the relationship with the Irrigation Nodes in the model.
The file names are of the form: IrrigationNodeName_ID_XX.dfs0, where
IrrigationNodeName is the name that has been assigned to a node in the
properties dialog, and XX refers to the SchemeID of the Irrigation Node.
Irrigation
128 MIKE BASIN
The Classic Symbology option (default)
129
12 FEATURE SYMBOLOGY
Each MIKE BASIN building block is represented by distinct symbols on
the map display. The default symbol for a Water User node is a brown
house icon, a reservoir is represented by a blue triangle, the catchments
are shown as semi-transparent green polygons, hydropower nodes are blue
circles with a yellow lightning inside, and river reaches and connection
channels are represented by blue and black lines, respectively.
These symbols may, however, all be changed according to specific project
needs and preferences of the modeler. Two symbology options are cur-
rently available, the Classic Symbology (default), and the Advanced Sym-
bology option. It is possible to switch between the two options under the
Symbology tab in the Options dialog which is accessed in the MIKE
BASIN drop-down menu.
Figure 12.1 The symbology tab in the MIKE BASIN Options dialog
12.1 The Classic Symbology option (default)
When a new MIKE BASIN project is created, or when a project created in
a previous version of MIKE BASIN is opened, MIKE BASIN will start up
in Classic Symbology mode. In Classic Symbology mode each MIKE
BASIN building block is represented by a single, distinct symbol.
To change the symbol for a given building block, double-click on the sym-
bol in the ArcGIS Table of Content (TOC), and select one of the prede-
fined symbols in the ArcGIS Symbol Selector. Alternatively, the ArcGIS
Symbol Property Editor can be used to create advanced, customized sym-
Feature Symbology
130 MIKE BASIN
bols. The ArcGIS Symbol Property Editor is opened by clicking the
"Properties" button in the ArcGIS Symbol Selector Dialog. When the
new symbol has been selected or created, the symbol of all existing fea-
tures of the given type will change accordingly.
12.2 The Advanced Symbology option
In some cases it will be useful to be able to distinguish visually between
different sub-categories of the same building block. For example a Water
User node may represent a City, Industry or any other water consumer. A
river reach could be categorized as a main river or tributary, and reservoirs
may be categorized according to e.g. size. With the Advanced Symbology
option, the category of a feature can be taken into account when the fea-
ture symbology is created.
A category can be assigned to all MIKE BASIN features in the Category
field in the Properties Dialog of any given feature. If no category has been
specified for a feature it will be represented by the default symbol in the
map
Figure 12.2 The Category field in the Properties dialog
New categories are defined by typing in the Category field, and existing
categories can be selected in the drop down list. When a new category is
defined for a feature, this category will be available as an existing cate-
gory in the category drop-down list for all other features of the same type.
MIKE BASIN will detect any new categories when a property form is
closed, and ask if the symbology should be updated. If so, a new symbol
will be added to the MIKE BASIN symbology.
The default symbol for new category of a given building block will be the
default symbol for the building block with a slightly modified color. The
symbols may be changed using the ArcGIS Symbol selector or ArcGIS
Symbol Property Editor.
The Advanced Symbology option
131
When in Advanced Symbology mode, two buttons becomes enabled in the
MIKE BASIN Options form. The Rebuild Symbology button rebuilds the
entire symbology with default symbols. All customized symbols will be
replaced. The Update Symbology button will look through the entire list
of defined categories and add any missing categories to the symbology,
without changing the customized symbols that may already have been
defined.
IMPORTANT: The ArcGIS symbology is stored in the mxd file. There-
fore, make sure to save the mxd file when before closing a project. The
fact that the symbology information is stored in the mxd also implies that
the symbology has to be recreated when a new project, based on an exist-
ing database is created.
Feature Symbology
132 MIKE BASIN
133
13 RESULT PRESENTATION
The simulation output of MIKE BASIN can be presented in several ways.
"Plotting of time series
"Statistical summaries of time series presented in maps and/or reports
"Animated maps
Most of the result presentation functionality can be accessed through the
"MIKE BASIN Results" toolbar in ArcGIS
Figure 13.1 The MIKE BASIN Results toolbar
Time series plotting
Probably the most common way of accessing simulation results is to plot
the result time series of the item of interest directly. The easiest way to
find a result item is to right-click on the MIKE BASIN feature of interest
and selecting "Time Series". This will open a dialog that contains a list
of all time series that are associated to that particular feature, and hence
both input time series and result time series will be present in the list.
An example of the time series dialog and a time series plot is shown
below.
Result presentation
134 MIKE BASIN
Figure 13.2 Example of the time series result dialog.
Result time series will be prefixed by the simulation name. When a time
series is selected in the list, time series details will be shown in the Time
Series Details view. The buttons in the right hand side of the form pro-
vides access to the most common time series operations, such as plotting,
statistics, export and finally a button to add the selected time series to the
Time Series Analysis window. Please consult the Temporal Analyst man-
ual for detailed information regarding this.
Statistical summaries in maps and reports
Very often a statistical summary of a time series is more useful than the
time series itself, especially when the results from a large number of fea-
tures needs to be presented. Examples of such common statistical summa-
ries are the time weighed average, maximum and minimum values.
However, more advanced summaries such as event statistics, ramp statis-
tics, trend statistics, within-period extremes and quantiles may provide
even more valuable insight than what could be obtained from the raw time
series plots.
MIKE BASIN Result Presentation Wizard
135
Common for both the simple and the more advanced statistical summaries
is that they are well suited for presentation in maps, graphs and reports.
This section describes how to get from the raw result time series produced
during a MIKE BASIN simulation to advanced map presentations, graphs
and reports.
For all options, the first step is to run the scenarios for which the results
should be presented, and make sure that the results are associated to the
MIKE BASIN features. Next, the MIKE BASIN Result Presentation Wiz-
ard is opened.
The purpose of the wizard is to help the user to convert the raw result time
series into statistical summaries that is stored in a result feature class.
Once the results are structured in a feature class, the existing ArcGIS func-
tionality may be used to present it as maps and graphs, and the built-in
ArcGIS Report Wizard or Crystal reports can be used to create full feare-
tured reports that may either be printed or published to the web
13.1 MIKE BASIN Result Presentation Wizard
Step 1 of the Result Presentation Wizard is shown below.
Result presentation
136 MIKE BASIN
The Result Presentation Wizard works on a set of results that are all asso-
ciated to a single MIKE BASIN feature type (e.g. water users, reaches or
catchments). To select the feature type for which results should be proc-
essed, set the Feature Class (Nodes, Reaches or Catchments), and Feature
Type using the pull-down menus.
If results are to be produced for a subset of the features of the selected type
only, the features may be filtered by category. After selecting the Feature
Type, the Category pull-down menu will contain a list of the categories
that has been defined for the selected feature type. To limit the result
processing to a single category, select the one of interest. To produce
results for all categories, select <All>.
The results may all come from the same simulation, or results from multi-
ple simulations may be processed simultaneously, which is useful when
results from different simulations need to be compared. The simulations
that contain results for the features of the selected type and category are
listed in the "Available Simulations" list. Move the simulations of interest
to the "Selected Simulations" window by double clicking the simulation
or by using the arrow buttons.
A click on the Next button progresses the form to step 2, Spatial Sum-
mary.
MIKE BASIN Result Presentation Wizard
137
Step 2 is optional, and only relevant if the results from several features
need to be summarized over larger areas.
Example: If the user wants to calculate the total volume of used water and
total deficit for all users inside an arbitrary polygon layer (e.g. the MIKE
BASIN catchment layer, or a municipality layer), the functionality in step
2 needs to be enabled.
The polygon layer that the results should be aggregated to is selected in
the Aggregation Layer drop-down list. Only layer that are visible in the
ArcGIS TOC can be selected.
The settings under "Spatial Summary Settings" determine how the results
should be aggregated to the polygon layer. Six options are available, and
results will be calculated for each selected option. At least one option has
to be checked.
Example: For the "Used Water" result item, it would make sense to select
the "Sum" option, whereas for groundwater levels, the "Average", "Min",
or "Max" options would be the appropriate choices.
If <All> has been selected in the Category drop-down list in Step 1, the
functionality in Summary by Category group becomes enabled. This
allows to summarize all categories into one result (default), or to make
Result presentation
138 MIKE BASIN
separate summaries for each category. The latter is relevant if results from
the different categories need to be compared.
Example: If the only result of interest is the total volume of water used by
all water users in the aggregation layer (regardless of category), the "Sum-
marize all categories in one result" should be selected.
Example: If the total used water from Water Users with different catego-
ries (e.g. Cities, Livestock and Industry) later needs to be compared in e.g.
pie plots, the "Make separate summaries for each category" option needs
to be enabled.
A click on the Next button takes the user to Step 3, Layer Composition. As
the name indicates, this is the step where the actual content of the feature
class produced by the wizard is defined.
Each result feature class can be identified by the name provided in the
Result Name box, and since many different result feature classes may co-
exist in the same GeoDatabase, the name has to be unique.
The 'Add Item' and 'Remove' link buttons are used to add result items to
the list. When the 'Add item' button is clicked, a new dialog opens.
MIKE BASIN Result Presentation Wizard
139
In the 'Add Layer Item' dialog, the result item is defined. Each item has to
have a name that describes it. The name will later be used to identify the
result item in the feature class table.
In the Result Item drop-down list, the stored result types are listed, and
this is where the subject of the analysis is selected.
The time period for which the analysis can be performed can either be an
absolute period, or a relative period (e.g. May to October, every Tuesday
or every day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m).
The actual operation needed to get from the raw time series to the desired
statistical summary is selected in the Operations group. For details regard-
ing the different statistics, the user is referred to the Temporal Analyst
manual (Evaluate to scalar section).
When the 'Add to Layer' button is clicked, the results will be processed
and the result item is added to the feature class composition. The item will
be represented by the provided name, extended by the simulation that is
being analyzed. If more than one simulation was selected in Step 1, a cor-
responding number of result items will be created in the composition each
time a new result item is defined.
Finally, when all desired result items has been added to the composition,
the 'Next' button in step 3 takes the user to a summary sheet, and finally,
Result presentation
140 MIKE BASIN
when 'finish' is clicked, the results are created in a GIS feature class, and
each result item is displayer with a default symbology in the ArcGIS table
of content. Each field in the feature class table will be added to the ArcGIS
table of content as a layer with a default symbology. All result layers will
be located in a group Layer named "Result Presentation".
13.2 Result Manager
A list of MIKE BASIN result feature classes that are available in the
project database at any given time can be obtained with the Layer Man-
ager that is accessed through the MIKE BASIN Result Presentation tool-
bar. From this dialog it is also possible to delete obsolete result feature
classes.
Presenting data in the Result feature classes
From the point where the results have been summarized in MIKE BASIN
Result Feature classes, the standard ArcGIS symbology functionality as
well as graphing and reporting features can be used to create sophisticated
presentations.
First of all, the default symbology may be changed to used some of the
more advanced ArcGIS build-in symbology options such as Quantiles
(Graduated symbols, Graduated colors and Proportional symbols), or
Charts (Pie, Bar/Column and Stacked). The ArcGIS build in Symbology
Animated maps
141
options are accessed by right-clicking the Layer name, selecting Proper-
ties in the context menu, and the select the Symbology tab.
The result feature classes may also be converted by using the ArcGIS
built-in Graph functionality which can be opened through the MIKE
BASIN Results toolbar (see Figure 13.1).
Finally, the Result feature classes may for the basis for sophisticated
reports that may be created either with the build-in ESRI Report tool, or
with Crystal Report. Both report tools can be accessed through the MIKE
BASIN Results toolbar.
Examples that illustrates how to get from the result feature classes to full
featured presentations are available for download on the MIKE BASIN
homepage (www.MikeBasin.com)
13.3 Animated maps
The first step in creating an animation is to create a Result Group Defini-
tion that contains the results that should be included in the animation.
Results groups are created with the MIKE BASIN Result Group Editor
(reference to Result Group chapter). Only one result item for each MIKE
BASIN building block can be included in an animation, and hence only
one result type should be included in the result group for each MIKE
BASIN building block.
Example: Used water and Water Demand deficit may not both be present
in the Water Users part of the result group.
Next, run a simulation with the result group created for the animation.
Clicking the Animation button in the MIKE BASIN Results toolbar will
open the Animation dialog (below).
Result presentation
142 MIKE BASIN
Here, the animation is assigned a name, and the simulation that should
form the basis for the animation as well as the corresponding result group
definition is selected.
When the "Animate" button is clicked, the animation is created. Each item
in the results group receives a legend, which shows in the Display tab of
the ArcGIS table of contents. You can step through time steps in the ani-
mation toolbar that has standard player buttons (start, stop, pause, back,
forward, first, last). Notice that the maximum number of time steps for any
animation is 250. If there is more than this number of time steps in you
simulation, you will be prompted to select the time step range for the ani-
mation.
The animation toolbar is shown below.
When the "Create .avi file" button is clicked, an animation in the .avi file
format is created.
143
14 MACRO PROGRAMMING
MIKE BASIN's computational core ("engine") can be accessed program-
matically, giving you the flexibility to automate or change computations in
almost any way you want.
Many users program Visual Basic macros, mostly from Microsoft Excel or
from ArcGIS. You can also use any other program/programming language
that supports the Microsoft COM technology (Visual C++, Delphi, etc), or
any .Net language (C#, Visual Basic .Net, etc).
Running MIKE BASIN in this way is like pressing the 'run' button in the
user interface, but circumventing the ArcGIS user interface. Input to the
model is instead specified directly in the macro/program. The approach is
useful when running many MIKE BASIN simulations. Furthermore, it
gives access to functionality not available in the user interface, because
simulations can also be run one time step or even one iteration at a time.
For example, you can
z Do rapid sensitivity analysis through (many) Monte-Carlo simulations;
z Rapidly execute and analyse multiple scenarios;
z Post-process results using Excel's statistics functions, ArcGIS charting,
or other third party program;
z Implement any mechanism besides MIKE BASIN's standard allocation
algorithms (e.g., site-specific reservoir operation rules);
z Dynamically control the simulation (step-wise simulation, hotstart
from any previous time step, or even iteration within a time step):
z Easily create simple ArcGIS or Excel user interfaces to site-specific
MIKE BASIN models (that can be executed also by non-GIS users); or
z Do optimization of any kind through Excel's Solver tool ('Data' menu).
Prior to using MIKE BASIN from a macro or another program, you have
to set up your model in the standard ArcGIS user interface. You should
also run at least one simulation to make sure all your inputs are valid. Fix-
ing invalid inputs is much easier in the user interface than from a macro.
Through the COM/.Net interface, you can access and manipulate any
input and output otherwise contained in time series to or from your model,
and you can change any input parameters and look-up tables otherwise
specified directly in dialogs. You cannot change the model structure (e.g.,
add or delete nodes, re-define priorities, etc). Simulations from a macro or
Macro programming
144 MIKE BASIN
other program are much faster when file output is disabled (the default set-
ting).
14.1 Overview of interfaces and enumerations
There are two interfaces, or objects, that the MIKE BASIN engine pro-
vides, namely
1 DHI_MikeBasin_Engine.Engine
2 DHI_MikeBasin_Engine.ModelObject.
The Engine is the core object that contains the entire model setup and sim-
ulation information. The model setup itself is composed of ModelObjects.
ModelObjects can be physical features or network elements, such as
nodes, reaches, and catchments. Additional types of ModelObjects are
logical or computational entities, such as allocation rules and water quality
models.
Note the difference in architecture to what you may be used to from work-
ing just with the ArcGIS user interface. In ArcGIS, you have features, and
each feature (or network element) has a property dialog. In these dialogs,
also rules and water quality parameter sets (models) applicable for the fea-
ture can be defined. Under the hood, however, rules and water quality
models are separate entities. Relationships define the link between fea-
tures and logical entities. The ModelObject interface also provides meth-
ods to return the rules applicable for a feature-type ModelObject.
Both MIKE BASIN interfaces contain methods that refer to some enumer-
ations that are defined in the DHI Mike Basin Data Access Component
(DHI.MikeBasin.Data.tlb).
14.2 Macro Assistant
The easiest way to get started with programming MIKE BASIN is to use
the Macro Assistant from the MIKE BASIN menu in ArcGIS. It generates
skeleton code that you can execute right away, or expand with your own
logic. All commonly used methods and functions are contained in the
auto-generated code, along with comments. A full documentation of all
methods is given in For Visual Basic macro programming (p. 241) . The
syntax is that for Visual Basic, (C# for .Net-only methods), but other lan-
guages' syntax is similar.
Macro Assistant
145
When a model has been set up and made a successful run in the normal
way using the run button, the Macro Assistant can be accessed from the
MIKE BASIN pull down menu, see Section 2.1.2. A dialog will appear,
which includes all the model the building blocks and the structural link-
ages of the model set up, see Figure 14.1. You can then specify the varia-
bles required for inputs to be set and the results to be retrieved in the
macro.
Figure 14.1 Macro Assistant for transferring the need variables to the Macro
script
This is useful if you wish to run MIKRE BASIN from a macro where you
need rules, which is not a standard in-built MIKE BASIN rule, e.g. if a
certain condition should be applied (input to be specify) based on a certain
condition existing at a certain time step (retrieve a result) . An example of
this could be: If a water user node downstream a reservoir with a hydro-
power station experience a water deficit, release water through the hydro-
power equivalent to the water deficit.
When you have specified all the variables required for your rule, you can
generate the macro. An example of a macro script is given in Figure 14.2.
Notice that the generated macro automatically includes all the necessary
conditions for running compiling and running the macro. It furthermore
includes the correct references to the working directory, simulation result
(it is using the simulation ID adding with MACRO name) etc. It also
includes the required variables.
Macro programming
146 MIKE BASIN
14.3 Adding references
Prior to program with MIKE BASIN, you have to add a reference to it.
From ArcGIS or Excel, choose the Tools menu, then select Macro and
then Visual Basic Editor. In the Visual Basic Editor that comes up,
choose the Tools menu, then select References. In the dialog that appears,
scroll through the list available references and check
z DHI Mike Basin COM / .Net engine interface (DHI.MikeBa-
sin.Engine.tlb/.dll)
z DHI Mike Basin Data Access Component (DHI.MikeBa-
sin.Data.tlb/.dll)
Note that when you use Visual Basic macros from ArcGIS, your list of ref-
erences will contain many ESRI components. None of these are required
for MIKE BASIN. So you can simply copy-and-paste a Visual Basic
macro from ArcGIS to Excel and run it from there, as long as you define
the above two references. In other words, running MIKE BASIN outside
its ArcGIS user interface does not require an ESRI license.
14.4 Editing the Macro
The generated code can be viewed by selecting Tools -> Macros ->Visual
Basic Editor in the ArcGIS toolbar. The code is located under "Modules",
"MIKE BASIN Modules". The name of the macro is the one that was
specified in the Macro Assistant dialog.
The Macro can then be edited with the appropriate logical statements and
mathematical expressions, compiled and executed, and the default varia-
bles can be renamed. The access
If you wish to run the Macro from another application, e.g. EXCEL, the
code needs to be copied to the Excel Visual Basic Editor (From Excel,
click Tools -> Macros ->Visual Basic Editor and copy/paste the code ).
After running the Macro, the results can be viewed in MIKE BASINs
result presentation section in the same way as other runs executed from
the Run MIKE BASIN Simulation button.
Editing the Macro
147
.
Figure 14.2 Example of a script generated with the Macro Assisstant.
Macro programming
148 MIKE BASIN
Theoretical background (brief)
149
15 OPTIMIZATION
Optimizing an existing water resources management strategy can be a low
cost investment with considerable benefits. It may even be essential, for
example, when the construction of new reservoirs is not feasible. How-
ever, the objective of the optimization and the possible measures to
achieve the objective depend on the application. Site-specific constraints
often further complicate the problem.
Optimization in MIKE BASIN is flexible and general. Any model result
can be included in the objective. Unlike some other water resources mod-
els, MIKE BASIN's optimization capabilities are not limited to a linear
program solver for finding the cheapest route in a network flow model.
Instead, MIKE BASIN uses a built-in nonlinear program optimization
algorithm that can handle the inherently non-linear responses of, for
example, reactive water quality models or reservoir tailwater elevation.
The optimization user interface lets you formulate any combination of
minimum, maximum, and goal attainment objectives. Futhermore, if you
need to further customize your objective function, or if you prefer another
optimization algorithm (e.g. Excel, Matlab, GAMS, etc), you can use
MIKE BASIN's COM interface to call the MIKE BASIN simulation
engine. See more on this topic in Chapter 20 For Visual Basic macro pro-
gramming (p. 241)
15.1 Theoretical background (brief)
The general principle of optimization is, in a sense, the reverse of a simu-
lation. In a simulation, known inputs are transformed into results. In an
optimization, some desired results are known, but the inputs to achieve
them have to be found. In a simulation, usually many results are of interest
(e.g., the flow pattern in all rivers). In an optimization, usually only few
key results have desired values. To achieve such desired results, only a
few inputs are generally freely adjustable. For example, when trying to
optimize hydropower production, it is often not an option to raise the flood
control level of the supplying reservoir.
For those not familiar with optimization, here is a brief introduction to the
concept. A more detailed theoretical background for the numerical optimi-
zation solver is described in Spellucci (1998).
Optimization
150 MIKE BASIN
Mathematically, a simulation model m can be viewed as one ("big") func-
tion with many inputs x and many outputs y
y=m(x) (15.1)
According to the train of thought in the preceding paragraph, the optimiza-
tion problem would be solved if it were possible to invert the "model"
function
x=m-1(y) (15.2)
Unfortunately, such an inverse model can essentially never be formulated
analytically. Therefore, optimization uses iterative simulations with "trial
values" for x until
(15.3)
Note the approximate equality here, as the iterative solution generally only
converges towards, but often far from, the desired value. In a common
type of optimization problem, minimization/maximization, a desired value
does not even exist. Rather, the aim is to find the minimum/maximum
attainable value of y.
(15.4)
Technically, maximization of m is the same as minimization of -m. Also
the problem of attaining a desired value of all elements of y can be formu-
lated as a minimization, namely
(15.5)
where the double bars indicate some kind of norm, most commonly the
sum of squares. The expression to be minimized is generally called
"objective function" (OF).
So while there may be many terms y desired, the objective function itself
returns a single value. Weights on the individual terms can be used to indi-
cate their relative importance, generally a subjective choice. Pareto opti-
mization is an approach to solve multi-objective optimization problems,
yielding a family of suggested solutions rather than a single one. There is
still an element of subjectivity in choosing among those solutions, and the
y
desired
m x
opti mal
( )
y
desired
min m x
opti mal
( )
min y
desired
m x
opti mal
( )
Theoretical background (brief)
151
method is computationally very expensive. Pareto optimization is planned
for the next version of MIKE BASIN.
The numerical challenge in optimization is to find an algorithm that deter-
mines how trial values are adapted from iteration to iteration. The algo-
rithm should find the optimum with as few iterations, i.e., trial
simulations, as possible. Many algorithms, including the one implemented
in MIKE BASIN, are based on finding the gradient of the objective func-
tion (or rather its finite difference approximation). With the gradient
known, subsequent iterations can "go downhill" the objective function.
Because most objective functions are functions of many variables, "down-
hill" is in as many dimensions. Thus generally, having gone downhill
some distance, a "saddle" is encountered, so a new gradient/downhill
direction is to be found - and so on.
Numerical optimization is generally a computationally intensive task.
With the objective function being of dimension equal to the number of
variables (n) to be optimized, each gradient calculation required 2n simu-
lations (for a centered finite difference). Thus if at all possible, try to keep
n small. This piece of advice is generally valid also with some other diffi-
culties encountered with practical optimization, as described in the follow-
ing.
15.1.1 Lack of sensitivity
The gradient of the objective function can be viewed as the sensitivity of
the model to changes in its inputs. In order for the optimization algorithm
to find a downhill direction, there has to be a non-zero sensitivity at the
starting point. Be aware of this when your optimization seemingly does
not go anywhere. For example, say your objective is to minimize a relative
deficit of a water user by changing its reduction level at the supplying res-
ervoir. Now if the user's priority is so low that there will always be 100%
deficit, the optimization will quit soon. A more subtle reason for the opti-
mization to terminate prematurely would be a lack of sensitivity just at the
starting guess of the optimization, e.g., if the initial guess for reduction
level is lower than the lowest water level ever attained in a simulation.
Starting from another (higher) initial guess, the optimization would find
an optimum easily.
15.1.2 Local vs global optima
You should also be aware of the risk of finding only a local rather than a
global optimum. The algorithm may find a nice downhill path to the bot-
tom of some valley - but there is another valley just next to it that is much
lower still. The intermediate ridge, however, keeps a gradient-based algo-
rithm from ever discovering it. There are other types of algorithms non-
gradient-based that "look at" many distinct points on the objective func-
Optimization
152 MIKE BASIN
tion surface. Even those, however, often fail to find a global optimum
because with many variables to be optimized, even those algorithms can
"look everywhere". Furthermore, such algorithms are much slower than
the one implemented in MIKE BASIN. If you suspect that an optimum
you found is just a local one, it is a good idea to optimize again, but from a
different starting guess, and see if you can reach a smaller objective func-
tion value.
15.1.3 Ill-defined problems
At an (or hopefully, the) optimum, the surface of the objective function is
flat. Changing parameters from their optimum value no longer decreases
the objective function value. In this sense, the optimization has succeeded,
but be aware of situations the objective function has a large flat "plain"
rather than a well-defined lowermost point. A "flat plain" means that even
for variable combinations far from each other, the objective function is
almost the same. No one combination can be called the optimal one, there
is little sensitivity at the optimum. This situation is called an ill-defined
problem, and is caused by strongly correlated variables. For example, the
effect of raising a reservoir reduction level can be outweighed by simulta-
neously decreasing the corresponding reduction factor. These two varia-
bles should thus not be optimized simultaneously. In other situations, an
ill-defined problem may not be an evil - it just shows that many seemingly
very different strategies to solving a problem are almost equally good.
However, many people find this counter-intuitive, and hence it may be dif-
ficult to communicate such a result.
15.1.4 Summary
As seen from the above, optimization should not be used as a black-box
approach. It is recommended that you first run several simulations with
inputs changed manually, in order to get a feeling for the system's sensitiv-
ity to changes, likely approximate optima, and counter-acting variables.
The "art" in optimization is often not the numerical solution algorithm, but
to formulation of a solvable problem.
15.2 Working with Optimization
Three dialogs in MIKE BASIN relate to optimization:
z The Optimization Problem dialog lets you define the variables (model
inputs) to be optimized and the objective to be optimized for (model
results). This dialog also shows the results, i.e., the optimal values of
the variables. This dialog is what you will work with mostly.
Working with Optimization
153
z The Run MIKE BASIN dialog lets you choose between running a sim-
ulation and an optimization, and in the latter case, how to treat errors in
iterations of the optimization
z The Options dialog lets you set some numerical parameters for the
optimization algorithm. In general, however, the default values will be
fine.
15.2.1 Optimization Problem Dialog
An optimization problem in MIKE BASIN is defined from the "Optimiza-
tion problem" item in the MIKE BASIN Menu (Figure 2.2 ). The dialog
that comes up looks almost the same as the Macro Assistant Dialog,
because the underlying concept is very similar. You choose a few of the
many inputs to a MIKE BASIN model (the ones to be changed) and a few
of the many outputs (the ones that are to be compared to the goal). The
following sections describe the items in the optimization dialog that are
different than the Macro Assistant Dialog.
Variables to be Optimized tab
The inputs, as defined in the Theoretical background (brief) (p. 149), to be
optimized can be any period with any time series and any parameter. Rows
in lookup tables, although inputs as well, cannot yet be optimized in the
current version of MIKE BASIN. Each row in the "Variables to be opti-
mized" tab of the Optimization Problem dialog corresponds to one ele-
ment x
i
in the vector x.
Note that if a variable refers to a period within a time series, only values in
existing time steps can be changed. If the period start and end do not
match perfectly any existing time step in the input time series, the closest
ones will be used instead. Thus be aware that if you would like to, say,
optimize some input for a few days only, you cannot use a monthly time
series in the regular simulation input. Also note that there is no recycling.
In other words, while it is generally fine in MIKE BASIN to specify an
input time series for any year (as long as it covers a whole year), in the
optimization must specify the actual year in the time series.
Each of the inputs to be optimized can be constrained to remain within
bounds. Defining bounds increases the chance of the optimization con-
verging to a physically meaningful optimum. Unbounded optimization
problems may give solutions where variables approach +/- infinity, or
where the mathematically best solution is not realistic (e.g., negative con-
centrations) or feasible (e.g., a flood control level cannot exceed a dam
crest level). Furthermore, the optimization algorithm used in MIKE
BASIN examines the simulation results at the bounds of the variables'
ranges (as the best solution is often found there). So it is advised that you
Optimization
154 MIKE BASIN
define your bounds always, and as narrow as possible. Accordingly, the
user interface sets some default bounds for every variable that you choose
for the optimization.
Apart from upper and lower bounds, the Optimization dialog also lets you
define a first guess for every variable. If you leave this field blank, the
optimization will by default start from the value that the corresponding
variable has in the underlying simulation. You should use this field in situ-
ations where you detect a lack of sensitivity at the default first guess, or to
make sure (or at least likely) that your optimum is a global one.
Objective Function Terms tab
The objective function, f, can be defined to take into account any MIKE
BASIN simulation output. Each row in the "Objective function terms" tab
of the Optimization Problem dialog corresponds to one term in the objec-
tive function. All terms are added to yield the total (scalar) objective func-
tion value. To enable goal attainment as well as proper minimization
within the same formulation, the objective function f is computed as
(15.6)
where y
j
is one of m MIKE BASIN simulation results, g
j
is a goal value for
that result, p
j
is a power, and v
j
is a weight. The weight can be differenti-
ated as a weight below a goal value and a weight beyond a goal value:
(15.7)
A simulation result is generally the average value of any simulation output
over a user-defined period. The average can also reduce to a time step's
value if the averaging period is set to the time step.
The above formulation of the objective function accommodates for the
basic types of objectives for each term in the summation in (15.6). The
f x ( ) v
j
y
j
g
j
( )
p
j
j 1 =
m

=
v
j
v
j

: y
j
g
j

v
j

: y
j
g
j
>

=
Working with Optimization
155
following table shows how to set the goal, power, and weights parameters
for each type.
Note that setting a weight to zero can lead to an optimization that seem-
ingly does not finish successfully. For example, take a single-term objec-
tive function. Now if y
j
is greater than y
g
, and v
j
+
is set to 0, then there is
no sensitivity in the objective function to (small) changes in x. This is no
problem if your first guess for x causes the term to be on that side of where
v > 0. The optimization will find the desired value. When starting on the
other side, however, the optimization will terminate quickly without suc-
cess. Therefore, it can be advisable to use a small non-zero value rather
than zero, even though the latter is theoretically appropriate.
The relative magnitude of the weights determines the importance of every
term in the overall objective function. Also choosing a high power p can
make the corresponding term dominate the objective function, at least
when y is far from y
g
. Be careful with setting weights very large or small,
as numerical precision in gradient calculation diminishes as the objective
function evaluates to orders of magnitude far from 1. A rule of thumb may
be to try to keep it between 1E-4 and 1E+4.
Table 15.1
for a model result
y
j
, to ..., set:
g
j
p
j
v
j
-
v
j
+
Minimize it 0 1 >0 = v
j
Maximize it 0 1 <0 = v
j
Make it attain a
goal y
g
y
g
2, 4, etc. >0 = v
j
Make it exceed a
goal y
g
y
g
2, 4, etc. >0 0
Make it remain
below a goal y
g
y
g
2, 4, etc. 0 >0
Optimization
156 MIKE BASIN
15.2.2 Run MIKE BASIN dialog - Optimization
At the top of the Run MIKE BASIN (p. 28) dialog,
you can choose between running a simulation and an optimization. If you
choose Optimization, the problem defined in the Optimization Problem
dialog is solved.
If you choose Optimization, a combo-box appears, where you choose one
of the three options for how to handle errors in the internal simulations
called by the optimization algorithm. Since inputs for these simulations
are generated partially by the optimization algorithm, you no longer have
full control over their validity. For example, when searching "downhill"
the objective function, the optimization algorithm may perturb some input
to an invalid value. Often, the algorithm can recover from such errors and
revert to an earlier iteration's solution. The algorithm is not so robust to
failure in calculating gradients. This is another reason why you should set
bounds for the variables to be optimized. In detail, the options are
z Ignore: No dialogs are shown, the optimization keeps going (but often
ends with a failure). This option is mainly intended for automated use,
e.g., if you build an online application on top of MIKE BASIN.
z Report: Show dialogs with error reports, helping you diagnose prob-
lems. You can choose to let the optimization continue. The default
option.
Working with Optimization
157
z Stop: The first error causes a dialog with an error report to show, then
the optimization stops. Use this option if you only want to allow per-
fect optimization runs.
Click the Run button to start the optimization. The progress bar will,
besides the usual information, also show the iteration number and the
objective function value. In this way, you can follow improvement. If you
hit Cancel on the progress bar during an optimization, you will be
prompted whether you want to keep the best results so far. Thus, if you
feel improvement becomes insignificant (the objective function value
stagnates), you can simple Cancel to save time.
When the optimization finishes, a status dialog is shown. It summarizes
the result and lets you view the log file with all its details on all iterations
and the final solution. If the result is not perfect, the status dialog will - if
possible - show suggestions on how to change the optimization numerical
parameters. The optimal variables are shown as a simple vector, in the
same order as they are defined. You may also want to go back into the
Optimization Problem dialog to see the full definition of each variable
along with its optimum.
When the optimization finishes, a final simulation is run with the optimal
variables found, and added to the list of simulations. Thus you can also see
all MIKE BASIN results for the optimum.
15.2.3 Options Dialog (Advanced tab) - Numerical Settings
In the Options (p. 25) dialog, you can specify some numerical parameters
for the optimization algorithm.
Optimization
158 MIKE BASIN
Finite difference factor for numerical gradient: The gradient of the
objective function is found by a centered finite-difference approximation,
for which each variable x
i
is perturbed relative to its magnitude. Given a
finite difference factor h, the perturbation is by +/- hx
i
(by +/- h if x = 0).
For h, a range of 1E-2 to 1E-8 is recommended. Use a large value if you
experience little sensitivity at your starting guess, a small value for more
accurate results. Very small values can result in numerical noise.
Convergence criteria for objective function: When either one of the cri-
teria that can be defined in the dialog is fulfilled, the optimization algo-
rithm finishes.
Flatness: At a minimum, is objective function surface is flat, in theory
perfectly. Flatness is measured as the norm of the gradient vector multi-
plied by its transpose (the Hessian matrix). Given numerical imprecision,
this norm will never be perfectly zero, so some tolerance can be set. High
values will lead to earlier, but maybe premature, termination.
Absolute value: The user can also choose to accept an optimized result if
the absolute value for the objective function drops below this threshold.
Such a result will not be a perfect optimum, but it could be "good
enough".
Stagnation: To avoid long optimization runs without noticeable improve-
ments, MIKE BASIN optimization can also stop when the flatness does
not improve by more than this value over 5n iterations, n being the
number of variables optimized.
Tau: A numerical tolerance for deviations from bounds internally used in
the algorithm. If nothing else works, try changing this parameter within
0.01 and 1.
15.3 References
/1/ Spellucci, P. (1998), An SQP method for general nonlinear pro-
grams using only equality constrained subproblems, Math. Prog.
(82), p. 413 - 448.
Modeled Substances
159
16 WATER QUALITY MODELING
MIKE BASIN can simulate water quality in surface and groundwater,
with solute inputs from non-point and/or point sources. The WQ module
is not included in MIKE BASIN's basic version, but must be purchased
seperately. If you have a license for the water quality modules, you will be
able to choose the WQ module from the The Water User Property dialog.
(p. 23) dialog, either when you start a new project or when you want to
extend an existing water-quantity project with WQ processes.
MIKE BASIN WQ can simulate reactive steady-state transport of the
most important substances affecting water quality. The degradation proc-
ess for all substances is described including reactive transformations (e.g.,
ammonia / nitrate, DO / BOD). In general, first-order rate laws are
assumed. The water quality simulation can, in an approximate way as
MIKE BASIN is not a hydrodynamic model, include dissolved oxygen
(DO). Re-aeration from weirs is accounted for.
The steady-state approach is consistent with MIKE BASIN's solution to
the water allocation problem. Thus, advection can not be modeled prop-
erly with MIKE BASIN. In other words, pulses of solute entering the
stream do not travel downstream as simulation time advances.
In reaches where you specify routing (linear, Muskingum, wave transla-
tion), the water quality simulation can (if you so choose) properly reflect
the residence time and the effects of mixing between reach storage and
inflows. The same holds (always) for reservoirs and groundwater, the two
other storages of water in MIKE BASIN.
16.1 Modeled Substances
BOD5:Total organic matter expressed as biological oxygen demand (mg
O2/l).
The biodegradable part of the organic matter gives rise to oxygen con-
sumption. The biological oxygen demand is measured by registering the
oxygen consumed during the degradation for a period of 5 days. BOD
d

included in the equations below corresponds to the equilibrium (large-
time) BOD value. The BOD5 values are converted to BOD
d
values using
the following equation (given the degradation rate coefficient k
d3
):
(16.1) BOD
5
BOD
d
1 k
d3
5 days | | ( ) exp ( ) =
Water Quality Modeling
160 MIKE BASIN
If you want to model BOD as conservative, set kd3 = 0, and the above
conversion is skipped.
NH3: Ammonia concentration (mg NH3-N/l)
NO3: Nitrate concentration (mg NO3-N /l)
DO: Dissolved oxygen concentration (mg O2/l)
Ptot: Total Phosphorus, including phosphate on particulate matter in the
water (mg/l)
E.coli:E. coli count (bacteria/100ml)
User: a 'wild-card' user-defined substance, either conservative or undergo-
ing first-order decay. This 'wild-card' substance gives greater flexi-
bility for modeling case-specific water quality issues, e.g., salinity
(mg/l).
16.2 Processes: Equations
The following equations are used in MIKE BASIN:
Oxygen consumption from degradation of organic matter:
(16.2)
Ammonium processes:
(16.3)
Nitrate processes:
(16.4)
Oxygen balance:
(16.5)
dBOD
d
dt
------------------ k
d3
BOD
d
=
dNH
3
dt
-------------- Y
d
k
d3
BOD
d
k
4
NH
3
=
dNO
3
dt
-------------- k
4
NH
3
k
6
NO
3
=
dDO
dt
------------ k
2
c
s
DO ( ) k
d3
BOD
d
y
1
k
4
NH
3
R B P + ( ) d =
Processes: Equations
161
Total phosphorus, E.coli count, and the 'wild-card' user-defined substance
are presumed to follow a first-order rate law (exponential decay). With 'X'
representing any of these substances, the equation is
(16.6)
In the above equations, the parameters are explained below. Except for
those that are hard-coded, all parameters can be set by the user in the 'WQ
options' menu (WQ parameters).
k
d3
: Degradation rate coefficient for BOD at 20C (1/day)
k
2
: Re-aeration rate coefficient at 20C (l/day) (computed
internally)
k
4
: Nitrification rate coefficient at 20C (1/day)
k
6
: Denitrification rate coefficient at 20C (1/day)
k
cod
: Degradation rate coefficient for COD at 20C (1/day)
k
ecoli
: Degradation rate coefficient for E. coli at 20C (1/day)
k
Ptot:
Degradation rate coefficient for total phosphorus at 20C
(1/day)
k
user
: Degradation rate coefficient for the user-defined substance at
20C (1/day)
C
s
: Saturated oxygen concentration (mg O
2
/l)
(For water at 20C: C
s
= 9.02 mg/l.)
R: Oxygen consumption from respiration (g O
2
/m
2
/day)
P: Oxygen production from photosynthesis (g O
2
/m
2
/day)
B: Sediment oxygen demand (g O
2
/m
2
/day)
d : water depth (m)
Y
d
: Nitrogen content in organic matter (mg NH
3
-N/mg BOD).
y
1
: Yield factor: Relative amount of oxygen produced during
nitrification (gO
2
/gNH
3
-N)
All rate coefficients (k) are temperature-dependent.
In many cases Total Phosphorus can be regarded as conservative. If that
assumption is valid, simply specify the degradation constants as zero.
The rate k
2
is calculated with the empiral OConnors-Dobbins formula:
(16.7)
where v is flow velocity in m/s and d is depth in meters and k
2
is in 1/days.
dX
dt
------- k
X
X =
k
2
3,9 v
1 2
d
3 2
=
Water Quality Modeling
162 MIKE BASIN
The coupled first-order equations are solved numerically with a 5th order
Runge-Kutta scheme. The integration is from zero to residence time,
either in the reach or in the reservoir. Reservoir time calculations are
described as part of the help for the river and reservoir WQ property dia-
logs, respectively. Note that the numerical solution can become inaccurate
if the flow in a reach is very small. A warning will be issued if that is the
case.
As a steady-state model, MIKE BASIN can only simulate DO approxi-
mately. Accordingly, you can choose to not include DO in the water qual-
ity simulations on the Options dialog. If you do so, equation (16.5) is not
included in the solution. You can also skip the next section on re-aeration
from weirs if you do not model DO. Finally, the data requirements for res-
idence time calculations in reaches become less, because flow velocity is
no longer a required quantity
16.3 Rates: Temperature Dependency
Reaction (degradation) rates are generally dependent on temperature. The
formula used to express this dependency in MIKE BASIN is
(16.8)
where R(T) is a rate coefficient for temperature T, R
20
is the rate coeffi-
cient at 20 degrees Celsius, and RateCorr is specified in the Water Quality
Settings dialog. The default value for RateCorr is 1.07, such that a rate
coefficient at, e.g., 30 degrees Celsius is twice the rate coefficient at 20
degrees Celsius (1.07
10
= 2.0).
The temperature correction applies to all rate coefficients in the equations
describing water quality.
16.4 Sources
Sources of pollution are generally divided into point and non-point. This
distinction may not always be clear-cut in reality. Particularly MIKE
BASIN's non-point modeling features are very flexible, and may in many
cases suffice to also model 'scattered point sources'. Non-point sources
must be specified as properties of the catchment. The Load Calculator is a
convenient pre-processing tool that generates boundary conditions for the
entire model, taking advantage of existing related GIS data (land use, pop-
ulation, etc).
R T ( ) R
20
RateCorr
T 20C ( )
=
Within-Catchment Decay for Non-Point Sources
163
Proper point sources are modeled as water user nodes, with boundary con-
ditions (effluent concentration or mass flux) specified there. These bound-
ary values are effective only in the return flow from the water user.
Simulation results at water user nodes will show the concentrations found
in the incoming extracted water. You should not worry not to find the
specified boundary concentrations in the simulation results.
16.5 Within-Catchment Decay for Non-Point Sources
Because MIKE BASIN is a network model, inflow and extraction of water
occurs only at nodes. Therefore, input of solutes also occurs at nodes,
either catchment nodes (non-point sources) or water user nodes (point
sources). Decay is then modeled to occur within reaches downstream of
the entry node. While this approach is appropriate for point sources,
applied strictly, it would mean unrealistically large jumps in concentra-
tions at catchment outlets. In reality, runoff and this solute enters the river
reach inside catchment over the entire length of the reach.
To reconcile the network modeling concept with diffuse solute entry along
reaches, it is possible in MIKE BASIN to specify a "reach residence time
fraction" in the water quality parameter set dialog. If the residence time in
the reach within a catchment is T, then non-point solute from the catch-
ment is decayed for a residence time of fT, where f is the residence time
fraction. Under the assumption of spatially homogeneous solute entry
along the length of the reach, a good default value for f is 0.5.
If the catchment contains more than one reach, the total residence time in
all reaches is used for computing decay, while f is taken as the value for
the lowermost reach inside the catchment.
Note that even with a non-zero reach residence time fraction, the non-
point solute is not actually mixed with that in the reach before the catch-
ment node, which is also where all runoff still enters the river. The equa-
tions for decay are solved separately for the reach and the diffuse solute,
not for any average concentration. The rationale for separating the two is
that decay for diffuse solute often occurs in small streams within the
catchment, but not resolved in the MIKE BASIN model. If you wish to
model water quality in detail, you should work with small catchments
Water Quality Modeling
164 MIKE BASIN
such that non-point pollution inputs do not accumulate significantly
before entering a stream.
Within the catchment, non-point solute inputs are decayed for a residence
time fraction f of the total residence time T. Regular decay occurs for all
solutes within reaches downstream of the catchment, as determined by the
residence times in those reaches.
16.6 Reservoirs: Water Quality
Water quality processes are modeled in reservoirs under the assumption of
a well-mixed reservoir. The process equations are the same as in rivers.
Like in rivers, degradation is modeled as an initial value problem. In other
words, degradation of solute entering the reservoir from upstream is mod-
eled by integrating the coupled differential over the time step length.
Initial conditions at the start of the MIKE BASIN simulation can be speci-
fied either as pristine (zero concentrations except for DO, which is at satu-
ration) or as steady-state after time step 1. The reason for 'waiting' until
after time step 1 is that inflow fluxes into the reservoir are result of the
computations during time step 1 (groundwater 'reservoirs' are different,
because for those, inflow fluxes are user-specified input).
The single difference in water quality process equations between rivers
and reservoirs concerns phosphate (P_tot) sedimentation in reservoirs.
The latter is modeled in MIKE BASIN by a modified Vollenweider equa-
tion
(16.9)
where P
start
and P
end
are phosphate concentration at the start and end of
the time step, respectively, a is the Vollenweider coefficient (dimension-
less), t is the time step length, V is reservoir volume at the end of the time
P
end
a P
start
1 sqrt
t
V Q ( )
----------------
\ .
| |
+
\ .
| |
=
Groundwater: Water Quality
165
step, and Q is reservoir release during the time step (V/Q indicates resi-
dence time in the reservoir). The Vollenweider coefficient is generally
found by calibration, although in the original Vollenweider model, it is
1.0.
It should be pointed out that the above formulation is unit-consistent as
opposed to some other 'Vollenweider' equations in the literature. Note also
that Vollenweider's equation was originally developed for a steady-state
situation (with annual average values for V and Q), whereas MIKE
BASIN (as other models) assumes it to be valid also in the general case,
i.e., when V may differ from start to end of a time step. However, any
changes will generally be very small relative to the magnitude of V, and
thus have little importance for the above equation.
16.7 Groundwater: Water Quality
Solute transport in groundwater is accounted for, assuming a perfect mix-
ing model within the linear reservoir concept (see the figure there for an
explanation of the variable names). The coupled differential equations
solved are (written here for a particular species):
(16.10)
(16.11)
(16.12)
(16.13)
The approximation in the third line is to use an average value, computed
as the arithmetic average of the expression in square brackets for the
beginning and the end of a time step, respectively.
c
1
h
1
L
1
( ) ( )
t
-----------------------------------
k
1
k
i
( ) h
1
L
1
( )c
1
q
recharge
q
stream_seepage
+ ( )c
recharge,stream_seepage
+ =
c
2
h
2
( )
t
------------------ k
i
h
1
L
1
( )c
1
k
2
h
2
L
2
( )c
2
q
pumping
c
2
k
i
h
1
L
1
( ) ( )c
1
k
2
h
2
L
2
( ) q
pumping
+
h
2
--------------------------------------------------- c
2
h
2

=
c
1
t
-------- r
1
c
1
=
c
2
t
-------- r
2
c
2
=
Water Quality Modeling
166 MIKE BASIN
Transport in groundwater is modeled as conservative or first-order decay
(given the rate constants r in the above equation). User input can be speci-
fied in the water quality tab of the specific runoff dialog.
The required input includes a time series of solute fluxes from catchments
to groundwater (mass/area/time). Generally, the user will have to provide
this time series. Only the Daisy GIS extension will automatically generate
the appropriate time series as a result of the Daisy model run.
Initial conditions in the groundwater can be either pristine (zero concen-
trations for all solutes) or steady-state. Under the latter option, the concen-
trations c are computed as
(16.14)
where M is solute flux, taken from the input time series at the simulation
start time [kg/s/m
2
in SI] and R is specific groundwater recharge [m
3
/s/m
2

= m/s in SI].
Polluted stream seepage reduces loads (solute mass) in surface water by
its relative magnitude (stream seepage / total flow). In other words, the
simulation is conservative with respect to concentrations at catchment
nodes. Recall that stream seepage is a fraction of the flow in the branch
upstream of a catchment node, and not a fraction of the flow at the catch-
ment node (which is larger due to surface runoff from the catchment).
16.8 Re-aeration from Weirs
An expression suggested by Holler is selected to describe the taking
place when river water overflows weirs
(16.15)
where DO
d
is the dissolved oxygen concentration downstream to the weir,
C
s
is dissolved oxygen saturation, and DO
u
is the dissolved oxygen con-
centration upstream to the weir. The parameters are:
a weir coefficient. This coefficient (dimension: 1/Length) is generally
dependent on the weir type. As a default, Holler suggests a = 0.21/m.
This value may be adjusted based on actual measurements.
c M R =
DO
d
C
s
C
s
DO
u

1 ah +
----------------------- =
Re-aeration from Weirs
167
h weir height. Strictly speaking, this is the water level difference over the
weir. For MIKE BASIN, h is viewed as the sum of heights of all weirs
on a reach. Accordingly, you should break a long branch into smaller
segments (by inserting simple nodes) if more accurate modeling of re-
aeration is desired.
Both parameters are specified for each river reach.
Water Quality Modeling
168 MIKE BASIN
Sources
55
6 LOAD CALCULATOR
The Load Calculator is used to determine pollution loads in river basins. It
can be applied as a stand-alone tool for calculating average mass fluxes of
pollutants for individual sub-catchments (e.g. kg/catchment/year) or on a
raster grid basis (e.g. kg/grid/year). Alternatively, it can be used to provide
the pollution loading for a MIKE BASIN Water Quality model or for a
MIKE 11 solute transport (AD) model.
Pollution loads may include both point and non-point sources. All loads
are initially calculated as constant mass fluxes for each sub-catchment,
e.g. kg/year, however when applying the Load Calculator together with
e.g. the MIKE BASIN WQ model there are several ways to translate the
constant mass fluxes into mass flux time series depending on e.g. runoff
time series or any other known temporal variations.
Distance specific decay or retention of pollutants can be included taking
into account the distance between the location of the pollution sources and
the presumed outlet in the river network.
The Load Calculator is accessed from the MIKE BASIN/MIKE 11 GIS
pulldown menu under the menu item Load Calculator
The main Load Calculator dialogue consists of three parts:
z Sources - for specifying pollution sources,
z Transport - for specifying the transport and retention of pollutants, and
z Output - for specifying how the output is to be stored
6.1 Sources
In the Sources section of the dialogue all pollution sources are defined and
specified individually. An unlimited number of sources can be specified.
Each source has a unique set of required input data, but the data input is
very similar in all four cases. As illustrated below,
Load Calculator
56 MIKE BASIN
.
each sources tab can be divided into
z a Shape file attributes section
z a Time distribution (alpha time series) section, and
z a source specific section that in three of the four methods includes a
Runoff Coefficients button.
Below these sections are a series of buttons, where new sources are added
by clicking on the Add... button, existing source tabs are removed via the
Remove button, and a summary table can be viewed using the View Table
button. The summary table of all specified sources is described in Section
6.1.7 Load Sources Table (p. 63).
When adding new sources, there are four different methods available to
specify the source, which are described in the following sections:
z Fertilizer Sources (p. 58),
z Livestock Sources (p. 58)
z Domestic Sources (p. 59), and
z Point Sources (p. 60).
6.1.1 Shape file attributes
The left hand side of the Sources tab includes the three attributes in the
shape file used to define the source. The first one is a Layer name, fol-
lowed by an ID/Name field, and lastly by an Amount/Count field.
Layer name
Select a polygon shape file from the scroll down menu representing any
administrative or statistical unit, which includes data on fertilizer applica-
Sources
57
tion, population numbers, etc. The shape file must be added to the TOC to
be selectable from the scroll down menu.
ID/Name field
Select a field in the attribute table of the layer that includes a unique ID or
Name of the administrative or statistical unit.
Count/amount field
Select a field in the attribute table of the layer that includes data of the fer-
tilizer application, head count, release amount, etc.
6.1.2 Time distribution (alpha time series)
If either the MIKE BASIN output or MIKE 11 output check boxes are
checked in the Output section of the Load dialogue, a dimensionless time
series must be specified. The time series is applied as a temporal multipli-
cation factor to distribute the mass fluxes of the pollution source in time.
This time series is input in the upper right hand side of the Sources tab.
Warning! If you set any alpha values different than 1.0 for agricultural
sources (see Fertilizer Sources (p. 58) or Livestock Sources (p. 58)), you
will likely get mass balance errors. It is recommended that you only use
alpha values equal to 1.0 for agricultural sources.
If a Distributed solute source time distribution time series is already
registered in the Geodatabase, the time series can be easily accessed and
selected through the drop down menu. Alternatively, you can use the New
icon to create a new timeseries with a default value of 1, or you can use
the Open icon to open an existing time series.
The two additional icons are
, which plots/edits an opened time series, and
, which displays the properties of an opened time series
6.1.3 Runoff Coefficients button
For three of the source types, the runoff coefficients must be specified as a
dimensionless number. The number can vary in space by assigning differ-
Load Calculator
58 MIKE BASIN
ent runoff coefficients to different polygons (e.g. administrative or statisti-
cal unit). For details on how to interpret and apply runoff coefficient, see
the Runoff Coefficients Editor (p. 61).
6.1.4 Source Editors
Fertilizer Sources
The Fertilizer source type typically represents artificial fertilizers, such as
nitrogen and/or phosphorous. Other pollutant components may also be
included as a fertilizer source.
A fertilizer sources must be specified individually for each type of pollut-
ant. For example, to simulate both nitrogen and phosphorus two fertilizer
sources are required - one called Fertilizer Nitrogen and the other called
Fertilizer Phosphorous.
The input data must be a polygon shape file with field(s) in the associated
attribute table representing the amount of fertilizer applied per polygon
(e.g. farm, district or county). Data may be available from agricultural
organisations, governmental institutions or statistical publications.
Unit
The units available for the fertilizer source type include kg/s, g/s, mg/s,
g/s, kg/h, kg/day, and kg/year.
Components
Available components for the fertilizer source type are:
z Ntot - Total Nitrogen
z NH4 - Ammonia-Nitrogen
z NO3 - Nitrate-Nitrogen
z Ptot - Total Phosphorous
z User Def - User defined substance
Livestock Sources
The Livestock Source type typically represents pollutants derived from
manure or slurry from cattle, hogs, sheep, horses, poultry, etc.
For each livestock source several different types of pollutants can be spec-
ified via the Source Load per Head button. This button opens the Load
Source Fluxes Editor (p. 63). For each pollutant component a value must
be specified representing the average production or field application of
Sources
59
manure or slurry, e.g. kg N /year/cow. Available components for livestock
sources are:
z BOD- Biological Oxygen Demand
z Ntot- Total Nitrogen
z NH4- Ammonia-Nitrogen
z NO3- Nitrate-Nitrogen
z Ptot- Total Phosphorous
z EColi- E-Coli Bacteria
z User Def- User defined substance
Input data must be a polygon shape file with field(s) in the associated
attribute table representing the number of heads per polygon (e.g. farm,
district or county). Data may available from agricultural organisations,
governmental institutions or statistical publications.
Domestic Sources
The Domestic Source typically represents pollutants deriving from human
settlements, for example sewage and waste water from households. Sev-
eral domestic sources can be specified reflecting different types of popula-
tions, such as urban and rural populations, sewered and non-sewered
populations, that may differ with respect per capita loadings.
For each domestic source several different types of pollutants can be spec-
ified via the Loads per Capita button. This button opens the Load Source
Fluxes Editor (p. 63). For each pollutant, a per capita load must be speci-
fied representing the average production or contribution per person per
time unit, e.g. kg BOD/cap/year. Available components for domestic
sources are:
z BOD- Biological Oxygen Demand
z Ntot- Total Nitrogen
z NH4- Ammonia-Nitrogen
z NO3- Nitrate-Nitrogen
z Ptot- Total Phosphorous
z EColi- E-Coli Bacteria
z User Def- User defined substance
Load Calculator
60 MIKE BASIN
Input data must be a polygon shape file with field(s) in the associated
attribute table representing the number of persons per polygon (e.g. dis-
trict, region or statistical enumeration blocks). Data are often available
from statistical departments or publications.
Treatment efficiencies
The treatment efficiencies must be specified as a dimensionless number.
The number can vary in space by assigning different treatment efficiencies
to different polygons (~administrative or statistical units). For details on
how to interpret and apply treatment efficiencies see the Treatment Effi-
ciencies Editor (p. 64)
Point Sources
Point Sources typically represents pollutant sources with a well defined
outlet location such as industries, waste water treatment plants, urban cen-
tres, individual households and other types of individual sewage outlets.
Any number of Point sources can be specified reflecting different types of
point sources.
For each point source only one pollutant can be specified. If multiple pol-
lutants must be defined for a particular point source, separate point
sources must be defined. For example, four point sources might be Indus-
try Nitrogen, Industry Phosphorous, Industry BOD, Industry Deter-
gent.
Input data must be a point shape file with field(s) in the associated
attribute table representing the amount of pollutant discharged per point
(e.g. individual industry, household, urban centre, WWTP). Data may be
available from statistical departments, publications, environmental agen-
cies or local authorities.
Unit
The units available for the fertilizer source type include kg/s, g/s, mg/s,
g/s, kg/h, kg/day, and kg/year.
Components
Available components for the fertilizer source type are:
z BOD- Biological Oxygen Demand
z Ntot - Total Nitrogen
z NH4 - Ammonia-Nitrogen
z NO3 - Nitrate-Nitrogen
Sources
61
z Ptot - Total Phosphorous
z User Def - User defined substance
Land Use Source Editor
Land use specific pollutant loading is not available as an explicit option
but can be specified using the Livestock source type (see Livestock
Sources (p. 58)).
The input data must be a polygon theme land use map. In the attribute
table, instead of one field representing all the land use types, one field
must to be defined for each land use type. The area of the polygon (e.g.
km
2
or ha) must be specified (or calculated) for each record belonging to
the land use type represented by the field. Values in all other records must
be zero
Only one Land use category can be specified for each Livestock Source
Type. Land use specific loads are then specified by opening the Load
Source Fluxes Editor by clicking the Loads per head button (see Live-
stock Sources (p. 58)). Instead of loads per head, the values must represent
area specific loads, e.g. kg BOD/year/ha or kg N/year/km
2
.
6.1.5 Runoff Coefficients Editor
The runoff coefficients must be specified as a dimensionless number and
can be applied to Fertilizer and Livestock Source Types (p. 61) and Point
Source Types (p. 62).
Fertilizer and Livestock Source Types
The runoff coefficients for Fertilizer and Livestock Sources can vary in
space by assigning different runoff coefficients to different polygons (e.g.
administrative or statistical units). The fraction can be interpreted in two
different ways depending on whether Distance Decay (p. 66) is included
or excluded.
With Distance Decay
When distance decay is included, the runoff coefficient may represent a
fraction of the applied fertilizer or manure that is leaching from the top
soil after application. This fraction can be estimated by performing a sim-
ple mass balance, e.g. by estimating the amount of fertilizer or manure that
is removed by harvest, immobilised in the soil, evaporated or degraded
through microbial activity. The residue can be assumed to be available for
leaching and eventually transported through the catchment to the river net-
work via surface runoff, drainage or groundwater. While the runoff coeffi-
cient describes the excess nutrient or pollutant in the top soil, the
distance decay describes the retention of the pollutants during transport.
Load Calculator
62 MIKE BASIN
This ensures that the sources closest to the river network contribute more
than those further away.
Without Distance Decay
If distance decay is not included, the runoff coefficient reflects both the
leaching of the pollutant from the top soil, as well as the retention during
transport of the pollutants to the river network. This method will not con-
sider the spatial distribution of the pollutant sources, unless runoff coeffi-
cients are gradually reduced depending on the distance of the polygon
from the MIKE BASIN/MIKE 11 river reaches.
Point Source Types
The runoff coefficients for point sources can vary in space by assigning
different runoff coefficients to different points (e.g. industries, WWTPs,
households or urban centres). Since point source loads are often dis-
charged directly into the river network, runoff coefficients may not have to
be specified (i.e. values set to 1). However, if the point sources represent,
for example, individual households with different types of retention tanks
or sewage outlets, the runoff coefficient may be applied to reflect different
retention efficiencies of the different systems. Since pollution load data
are often of varying quality runoff coefficients may also be applied as sim-
ple calibration factors adjusting loads where pollutant loads may not com-
ply with river water quality measurements.
The fraction can be interpreted in two different ways depending on
whether Distance Decay (p. 66) is included or excluded. By including dis-
tance decay, the decay and/or retention of pollutant during the transport
from the point source to the outlet in the river network is included as part
of the distance decay function. If distance decay is not included, the runoff
coefficient must also represent the decay and/or retention during transport.
Editor for the Runoff Coefficients Table
The Runoff Coefficient table includes the following fields:
z District - The ID/Name corresponding to the ID/Name field specified
for the Load Source
z BODReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for BOD
z NTotReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for Total Nitrogen
z NH4ReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for Ammonia
z NO3ReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for Nitrate
z PTotReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for Total Phosphorous
Sources
63
z EColiReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for E-Coli bacteria
z UserDefReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for User Defined
pollutant
6.1.6 Load Reduction Factors Editor
See Treatment Efficiencies Editor (p. 64).
6.1.7 Load Sources Table
The Load Sources Table is opened from the View Table button on the
Sources (p. 55) section of the Load dialogue. This table summarizes the
key properties of all the specified pollution sources. This table cannot be
edited.
The Load Sources Table includes the following fields:
z SourceName - The Name of the sources.
z SourceType - The source type (livestock, fertilizer, domestic or point)
z SourceCategory - The source category (Agriculture, Domestic or
Point)
z BaseValueFeatureClass - The feature class input file name
z BaseValueField - The input field in the feature class attribute table
z DistrictNamefield - The Unique identifier field
z TemporalVariabilityTS - The alpha time series dfs0 file
z ModulateByRunoff - Loads modulated by rainfall runoff, True/false
z UseReduction - True/false,
As well as the pollutant parameters for BOD, NTot, NH4, NO3, PTot,
EColi, and User Defined.
6.1.8 Load Source Fluxes Editor
The Load Sources Fluxes Editor is accessed through the Livestock
Sources (p. 58) and Domestic Sources (p. 59) items. The table stores val-
ues for per unit loads for domestic and livestock sources.
For each pollutant to be included in the calculation, a value and a unit
must be specified. Values are set by typing a number in the field and the
unit is specified by selecting a unit from the scroll down menu, e.g.
kg/year, kg/s or g/day.
The Load Sources Fluxes Editor table includes the following fields:
Load Calculator
64 MIKE BASIN
z SourceName - The name of the pollution source
z BODValue - The per unit load for BOD
z BODUnit - The unit for per unit load for BOD
z NTotValue - The per unit load for Total Nitrogen
z NTotUnit - The unit for per unit load for Total Nitrogen
z NH4Value - The per unit load for Ammonia Nitrogen
z NH4Unit - The unit for per unit load for Ammonia Nitrogen
z NO3Value - The per unit load for Nitrate Nitrogen
z NO3Unit - The unit for per unit load for Nitrate Nitrogen
z PTotValue - The per unit load for Total Phosphorus
z PTotUnit - The unit for per unit load for Total Phosphorus
z EColiValue - The per unit load for E-Coli
z EColiUnit - The unit for per unit load for E-Coli
z UserDefValue - The per unit load for User Defined pollutant
z UserDefUnit - The unit for per unit load for User Defined pollutant
6.1.9 Treatment Efficiencies Editor
The Treatment Efficiencies Editor is accessed through the Domestic
Sources (p. 59) item. Treatment efficiencies for domestic sources can vary
in space by assigning different treatment efficiencies to different poly-
gons. Values must between 0 and 1, with 0 representing no retention and 1
representing complete retention. Treatment efficiencies can be specified to
reflect the spatial variation of the waste water treatment facilities or types
of sewage tanks used.
The Treatment Efficiencies Editor table include the following fields for
data input.
z District - The ID/Name corresponding to the ID/Name field specified
for the Load Source
z BODReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for BOD
z NTotReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for Total Nitrogen
z NH4ReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for Ammonia
z NO3ReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for Nitrate
z PTotReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for Total Phosphorous
Transport
65
z EColiReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for E-Coli bacteria
z UserDefReductionFactor - factor between 0 and 1 for User Defined
pollutant
6.2 Transport
In the Transport section of the dialogue, values are specified related to the
transport and retention of pollutants. This includes three tabs:
z A General Tab,
z A Distance Decay Tab, and
z A MIKE 11 Links Tab
6.2.1 General Tab
For each sub-catchment in the MIKE BASIN Catchment feature class,
total loads will be calculated for each pollutant included in the Sources
specifications.
Import Catchments
In some cases the Load Calculator will be used without setting up a full
MIKE BASIN network including river reaches, nodes and catchments and
instead using an external polygon shape file. This way the Load Calculator
can be used as a stand alone tool for calculating annual loads or for pro-
viding input for MIKE 11.
.
Clicking on the Import Catchments... button will open the Import Fea-
tures dialogue where the Import From Feature Class and the DHI Net-
work Feature Class must be specified. The latter refers to the empty
Catchment feature class automatically generated when starting a new
MIKE BASIN project in a new GeoDatabase.
Load Calculator
66 MIKE BASIN
Optionally the import can include Shapes only or include Shapes and
non-duplicate fields if additional information needs to be included in the
Catchment feature class attribute table.
By enabling the Import selected features only only actively selected fea-
tures will be imported.
Catchment Properties...
The Catchment Properties button launches the Load Catchment Properties
Editor (p. 73), where a number of settings relevant for pollutant transport
must be specified.
6.2.2 Distance Decay
Note: Distance decay is only available if Spatial Analyst has been
installed.
The Distance Decay functionality is a raster based tool for including dis-
tance dependant retention of pollutants. The assumption is that the amount
of pollutants reaching the river depends on the transport distance, i.e. the
sources closest to the river contribute the most pollutant. Distance decay is
calculated as a simple first-order distance specific retention
(6.1)
where m
river
is the loads from a sub-catchment reaching the river (mass
flux), m
load
is the sum of loads generated by each cell within a subcatch-
ment, K is the first-order decay rate in the runoff (e.g. km
-1
), D is the dis-
tance from location of the cell to the nearest downstream point (e.g. km),
G is the gradient of the slope (e.g. m/m) and T is the average temperature
in degrees Celsius.
The slope dependency assumes that retention/decay increases with
decreasing slope due to a resulting slower flow velocity. Input data
includes two raster themes, a distance grid, where each cell value indi-
m
river
m
load
e
K D
1
G
---- 1,05
T 20

\ .
| |
\ .
|
|
| |
=
Transport
67
cates the distance to the river (e.g. in kilometres), and a gradient grid,
where each cell value indicates the slope in dimensionless units. Both
grids can be created by the standard functions in Spatial Analyst.
Note: Both grids must be identical in extent and cell size.
Ideally, the gradient for the cell should be calculated as the difference in
elevation between the cell and the river where water from the cell will
flow to, divided by the flow distance. In practice, an average catchment
slope can be used, or a constant gradient of 1 can be used, to remove this
term from the equation. In each case, decay rates can be adjusted to cali-
brate the decay.
When including distance decay, several raster grids will be added to the
Table of Contents after the calculation. The number of grids depends on
the number of pollutants and source types (i.e. Non-point, Domestic and
Point sources) included in the load calculation. One grid is generated for
each combination of pollutant and source type. Each grid summarizes the
total load (mass flux in e.g. kg/year) per cell. The total loads per cell repre-
sent the loads after the distance decay has been added.
Distance Decay Dialogue
Use distance decay - To include Distance Decay check the Use distance
decay check box.
Gradient grid - Select the grid theme for the gradient. Only grid themes
available in the Table of Contents can be selected. The gradient grid can
be generated using the standard functions in Spatial Analyst.
Distance grid - Select the grid theme for the distance to the river. The dis-
tance grid can be generated using the standard function in Spatial Analyst.
Load Calculator
68 MIKE BASIN
Detailed grid output - By checking the Detailed grid output check box
additional grids will be generated and added to the Table of Contents
including all combination of pollutant components and Load sources.
Decay Rates... - This button launches the Decay Rates Editor (p. 76),
where decay rates are specified for each combination of pollutant compo-
nents and each of the three pollution source categories (i.e. non-point,
domestic and point).
6.2.3 MIKE 11 Links
The Load Calculator can automatically create boundary conditions for a
Mike 11 Water Quality simulation.
To correctly calculate inflow concentrations, the Load Calculator needs to
know the amount of runoff in the system. Therefore, you need to first run
the flow model using the rainfall-runoff module in Mike 11, or a coupled
Mike SHE-MIKE 11 model. Then import the runoff results before running
the Load Calculator.
Since the MIKE 11 load components (the solutes and bacteria) can be
defined in an Ecolab file or an AD parameters file, you need to define
which components in the Load Calculator correspond to those in Mike 11.
The above leads to the following four steps when creating Water Quality
boundary conditions for MIKE 11 using the Load Calculator:
1 Specify the Mike 11 Model
2 Import the Runoff Results,
3 Assign Load Components, and
4 Use the Results in MIKE 11
Specify the Mike 11 Model
Step One is to specify your Mike 11 setup. The same MIKE 11 setup must
be used for both the rainfall runoff results and the water quality simula-
tion.
1 Click on the Mike 11" check box in the Output section to enable the
Mike 11 Links tab.
2 On the Mike 11 Links tab, use the browse button to select the .sim11
file for your Mike 11 setup.
The Load Calculator will automatically find the .nwk11, .bnd11, and any
Ecolab or .ad11 files referenced in your Mike 11 setup
Transport
69
.
Import the Runoff Results
Step Two is to import the runoff results:
1 Select either the Rainfall Runoff Links, if you used the Rainfall-Run-
off module in Mike 11, or the Mike SHE coupled model, if you used
Mike SHE to calculate inflow.
2 Then click on the Import Results button.
Depending on the option you selected above, the results will be imported
in two different ways.
Importing MIKE 11 Rainfall-Runoff Results
In MIKE 11, Rainfall-Runoff is calculated using the same NAM model as
that in MIKE BASIN. This makes the importing of MIKE 11 NAM results
relatively straight forward, because the MIKE 11 NAM catchments are
simply mapped directly to the LOAD catchments. The only requirement is
that the MIKE 11 NAM catchment names are the same as the LOAD Cal-
culator catchment names.
During the import, for each MIKE 11 NAM catchment, the Load Calcula-
tor
1 reads the overland flow, interflow, and baseflow time series from the
MIKE 11 NAM result file,
2 creates a new, total baseflow time series file (_totalbaseflow.dfs0) that
sums the two MIKE 11 NAM baseflow components, and
3 adds references to the overland flow, interflow and total baseflow files
in the Catchment Properties table.
Load Calculator
70 MIKE BASIN
The Load Calculator uses the Temporal Analyst data tables to keep track
of the file locations and data types, so the time series will be added to the
Time Series tab in the ArcMap Table of Contents, just as all other time
series used by the Load Calculator.
Note: The time series are added to the catchment properties table in the
same way as the MIKE BASIN NAM results are added when run from
inside ArcMap. In principle, you could chose to run the NAM module in
ArcMap directly, but we do not recommend this. If you do choose to run
the NAM model from ArcMap directly, your NAM catchment names and
the inflow results must be the same as in your Mike 11 setup, or you will
end up with mass balance errors.
Importing MIKE SHE Results
When importing Mike SHE results, the Load Calculator does several
things:
1 The result file is examined and all inflow results which discharge to the
Mike 11 network are extracted and rewritten to the disk as dfs0 files. A
separate file is created for each inflow point. Each file has four items:
overland flow, drain flow, base flow, and total flow, which is the sum
of the first three. These files are written to a new subdirectory in the
same directory where the Mike 11 boundary (.bnd11) file is located.
The name of the directory is SHEResultName_InflowTS where
SHEResultName is the name of the Mike SHE result file.
2 For each inflow point, a new inflow boundary conditions is added to
the MIKE 11 .bnd11 file. Each MIKE 11 inflow boundary condition
will have three point source boundary conditions: one for overland
flow, one for drain flow, and one for total base-flow. Each point source
boundary condition will reference the time series items extracted in the
previous step. Note, the boundary conditions will only be used for AD
boundaries not HD boundaries.
3 The Mike 11 network file is imported as a feature layer in the map. The
branch coordinates and chainage values (called measures in ArcGIS)
are read from the MIKE 11 .nwk11 file.
4 Each of the inflow points is georeferenced (i.e. the geographic coordi-
nates are calculated) by looking up the branch and chainage of the
inflow point and finding their location along the branches imported in
the previous step. User and system points are taken into account to cor-
rectly interpolate locations along the branch. A new feature layer is
added to the map with the inflow points.
Transport
71
Assign Load Components
Mike 11 is very flexible in modelling water quality components, and with
the Ecolab module, you can even define your own components. Since the
Load calculator has a fixed set of components, you need to identify which
of the Mike 11 components correspond with the fixed set of Load compo-
nents. Clicking on the Set Components... button opens the following dia-
logue
On the left are the Load Calculator components. On the right are combo
boxes listing all the components defined in the Mike 11 setup. If an Ecolab
file has been defined, the combo boxes will list the components defined in
the Ecolab file, otherwise the combo boxes will list the components in the
MIKE 11 .ad11 file. You must have at least one of these two files refer-
enced in your .sim11 file. Select the Mike 11 component that corresponds
to each of the Load Calculator components on the left. You do not need to
assign all components - only those that are actually being used in the Load
Calculator.
Note You can be quite liberal in making these assignments, since the Load
Calculator treats all components, except Total Nitrogen, the same. Total
nitrogen is split by a user-specified fraction, into ammonia and nitrates.
Use the Results in MIKE 11
When you run the Load Calculator to calculate Mike 11 Water Quality
boundary conditions, the Load Calculator will calculate the loads for each
catchment as usual. It will then generate time series for each component
and add them to the Mike 11 boundary file. The exact method is deter-
mined by the inflow option selected in the Mike 11 Links tab.
Load Calculator
72 MIKE BASIN
Output for Mike 11 Using MIKE 11 Rainfall-Runoff Links
If you are using rainfall-runoff links, the total average runoff for each
catchment is calculated from the imported runoff results. If you have spec-
ified a runoff period in the catchment properties, only this period will be
considered. The non-point agricultural loads (sources of type fertilizer or
livestock) are divided by the average runoff to calculate an average con-
centration. The output time series will match the alpha time series speci-
fied in the load sources. The output concentrations will be adjusted
according to the alpha values.
Warning If you set any alpha values different than 1.0 for agricultural
sources, you will likely get mass balance errors. We recommend that you
only use alpha values equal to 1.0 for agricultural sources.
The Load Calculator will then add these concentration time series to the
Mike 11 boundary file as distributed source boundary conditions linked to
the same branch and chainages as the rainfall-runoff links specified in the
.nwk11 file for each catchment. The boundaries will be set as AD-RR
boundary conditions. A separate boundary is added for each runoff com-
ponent (overland flow, interflow, and baseflow). For baseflow, a constant
concentration is added equal to the baseflow concentration specified for
each catchment in the catchment properties.
The domestic and point source loads are calculated as fluxes (mass per
unit time) and adjusted by the alpha values (to maintain mass balance,
alpha values must have a time-weighted average of 1.0). These time series
are also added to the Mike 11 boundary file as distributed sources accord-
ing to the rainfall-runoff links specified in the .nwk11 file. Each flux time
series is divided according to the fraction of the area specified in each
rainfall runoff link to the total area of the catchment. Thus the total flux
for each catchment is maintained. The fluxes are converted to concentra-
tions and added with a constant discharge equal to one cubic meter per
second. However, the boundary condition is set to include AD boundaries
only, not HD calculations. The load is then effectively treated as a dry
flux in Mike 11.
All new boundary conditions are labelled with a boundary ID in the form
[Load: <Source Type>], where the source type is either non-point or
domestic/point source. Non-point boundaries also include the runoff com-
ponent in the label (overland, interflow, or baseflow.)
Output for Mike 11 using Mike SHE Inflows
For the Mike 11 setup with Mike SHE inflows, the non-point agricultural
load concentrations are calculated in the same way as for the rainfall run-
off links (see previous section). However, the average total runoff for each
Transport
73
catchment is calculated by adding the discharge at all inflow points in the
catchment. When the Load Calculator is run, it relies on calculating the
average total runoff based on the inflow locations and inflow boundary
conditions added when the Mike SHE results were imported. As with the
rainfall runoff links, baseflow concentrations are added as constant values
as specified in the catchment properties. Since the inflow boundary condi-
tions were already added to the Mike 11 boundary file during import, the
non-point loads components are simply added to the existing boundary
conditions.
For domestic sources, the flux time series are also calculated in the same
manner as for the rainfall runoff links (see previous section). However, the
total flux for the catchment is divided equally among all inflow points in
the catchment.
All boundary conditions added by the Load Calculator are labelled with a
boundary ID in the form [Load: <Source Type>], [Load: <Source
Type>], where the source type is either non-point or domestic/point
source. Non-point boundaries include the runoff component in the label
(overland, drain, or baseflow.)
6.2.4 Transport Editors
Transport editors include
z the Load Catchment Properties Editor (p. 73), which is only relevant
when MIKE BASIN output (p. 79) or MIKE 11 output (p. 79) has been
selected, and
z the Decay Rates Editor (p. 76), which is only relevant when Distance
Decay (p. 66) has been included.
Load Catchment Properties Editor
This editor is only relevant when the MIKE BASIN output (p. 79) or
MIKE 11 output (p. 79) has been selected in the Output (p. 77) section of
the Load dialogue.
The Load Catchment Properties table includes settings relevant for the
transport of pollutant. Three types of settings are available:
z Runoff Start and End Time (p. 74)
z NH4 - Fraction (p. 74), and
z Baseflow concentrations (p. 74).
Load Calculator
74 MIKE BASIN
Runoff Start and End Time
For non-point sources, pollutant transport to the river (as a flux) is typi-
cally positively correlated with the Rainfall runoff. Non-point sources
include all sources specified as Livestock or Fertilizer source types. To
account for this runoff dependent flux of non-point pollutants, it is
assumed that pollutant concentrations in the runoff are constant.
The Runoff Start and End time is applied to specify a period for which
annual non-point loads (e.g. kg/year) are translated into an average pollut-
ant concentration (e.g. mg/l). The total annual load (i.e. total mass) is
divided by the total accumulated runoff (i.e. total volume) for the speci-
fied period to calculate the mean runoff concentration (e.g. in mg/l) of
each pollutant originating from non-point sources. To provide a variable
load flux input time series for MIKE BASIN, this concentration is then
multiplied by the runoff time series specified for each Catchment in the
MIKE BASIN setup.
For details on exact mathematical expression, see the MIKE BASIN refer-
ence manual.
Typically, the period specified will be of one year duration and represent
the calibration period for a MIKE BASIN Water Quality model.
If the assumption of a constant concentration of a pollutant in the runoff
originating from non-point sources is not satisfactory, it is possible to
apply an alpha time series to distribute the non-point sources in time (see
Time distribution (alpha time series) (p. 57)).
NH4 - Fraction
If Total Nitrogen has been specified as one of the pollutant components in
at least one of the pollution sources, a NH4 - Fraction must be specified
indicating the expected fraction of Total Nitrogen that constitutes ammo-
nia-nitrogen. The remaining fraction is defined as nitrate-nitrogen.
Baseflow concentrations
This option is only relevant if a groundwater runoff component has been
explicitly included in the setup of the MIKE BASIN Water Balance
model. This must be included as separate time series files, either as a user
specified time series or as a NAM model simulation result (see the MIKE
BASIN Runoff section).
Transport
75
When a ground water component is included as described above, only the
fraction of the total load corresponding to:
(Total Runoff - Groundwater runoff)/Total Runoff (6.2)
will be added to the MIKE BASIN catchment node in the river network.
The rest of the loads are ignored. Instead a user specified base flow con-
centration must be specified for each pollutant component representing
the expected pollutant concentration in the groundwater discharging into
the river section. Base flow concentrations can be identified from water
quality measurements as concentrations found during low flow situations
in parts of the river where domestic and point sources are absent. Thus, the
base flow concentration is often a calibration parameter.
This approach has been introduced based on the assumption that most
non-point loads are derived from the overland or drainage flow compo-
nents of the hydrological cycle. This is often seen in rivers dominated by
non-point sources resulting in a high concentration of pollutants during
high flow and low concentrations during low flow. The fluctuation of con-
centrations in this case is typically determined by the relation between
groundwater and surface/drainage water discharge to the river. Base flow
concentrations are typically considerably lower (e.g. <10 %) in base flow
compared to in surface/drainage flow.
In some cases, though, transport through ground water may be significant.
In those situations it may be recommended not to include groundwater
separately as describe above. Instead use the Distance Decay (p. 66) func-
tion to describe the overall retention of pollutants in the total runoff not
distinguishing between different types of runoff components.
Load Catchment Properties Table
The Load Catchment Properties table includes the following fields:
z Name - The name of each of the Catchments in the Name field spec-
ified in Transport General Dialogue.
z WQRunoffStartTime - Start date for a period for calculating mean non-
point concentration
z WQRunoffEndTime - End date for a period for calculating mean non-
point concentration
z WQFractionNH4 [-] - Fraction of Total Nitrogen constituting Ammo-
nia - Nitrogen
z WQBaseflowConcBOD [mg/l] - Concentration of BOD in Base Flow
Load Calculator
76 MIKE BASIN
z WQBaseflowConcNH4 [mg/l] - Concentration of Ammonia in Base
Flow
z WQBaseflowConcNO3 [mg/l] - Concentration of Nitrate in Base Flow
z WQBaseflowConcPtot [mg/l] - Concentration of Total Phosphorous in
Base Flow
z WQBaseflowConcEColi [M/100 ml] - Concentration of E-Coli in Base
Flow
z WQBaseflowConcUserDef [mg/l] - Concentration of User Defined
component in Base Flow
Decay Rates Editor
In the Decay Rates Editor, all distance specific decay rates are specified.
For details on the conceptual approach, see the Distance Decay (p. 66)
section. First-order decay rates can be specified for all combinations of
each pollutant and each of the three categories of pollution sources (i.e.
non-point, domestic and point).
The Decay Rates table includes the following fields:
z LoadCategory - Load source categories
z BODOverlandDecayRate - first-order distance specific decay rate for
BOD
z NTotOverlandDecayRate - first-order distance specific decay rate for
Total Nitrogen
z NH4OverlandDecayRate - first-order distance specific decay rate for
Ammonia-Nitrogenfirst-order
z NO3OverlandDecayRate - first-order distance specific decay rate for
Nitrate-Nitrogen
z PTotOverlandDecayRate - first-order distance specific decay rate for
Total Phosphorus
z EColiOverlandDecayRate - first-order distance specific decay rate for
Total E-Coli bacteria
z UserDefOverlandDecayRate - first-order distance specific decay rate
for User Defined Pollutant
Output
77
6.3 Output
In the Output section of the Load dialogue, there are three output check
boxes for selecting different types of output
z .Maps and Statistics output (p. 77) for output in tables directly related
to the Catchment attribute table,
z MIKE BASIN output (p. 79) for output to be used as input to the
MIKE BASIN WQ module, and
z MIKE 11 output (p. 79) for output to be used as input to the MIKE
BASIN 11 ECO Lab module
6.3.1 .Maps and Statistics output
To include Maps and Statistics as calculation output, check the Maps and
Statistics checkbox. Table output will be presented in a Load Result table.
For each WQ component included in the sources specifications total loads
will be divided into Non-point (i.e.Livestock Sources and Fertilizer
Sources types), Domestic and Point loads. In addition the non-point load
fraction an average concentration of non-point derived sources are calcu-
lated reflecting the predicted concentration of the pollutant in the total
runoff (or drainage water/overland flow if Baseflow concentrations (p. 74)
are explicitly included).
xxTotal - Total loads (e.g. kg/year) for WQ component xx
xxNonpoint - Non-point loads (e.g kg/year) for WQ component xx
xxDomestic - Domestic loads (e.g kg/year) for WQ component xx
xxPoint - Point loads (e.g kg/year) for WQ component xx
xxConc - Calculated average concentration (e.g. mg/l) of non-point
sources in runoff concentrations for WQ component xx
Load Calculator
78 MIKE BASIN
When including baseflow in the Load calculation, only the fraction of the
total loads corresponding to:
(Total Runoff - Groundwater runoff)/Total Runoff
will be included in the non-point and total load fraction in the Load
Results table. Loads originating from baseflow (e.g. baseflow discharge
times the baseflow concentration specified in the Catchment properties
dialogue) will be added to the non-point and total load fractions.
The data in the Load Results table is stored in the Catchment feature class
table and it is possible to produce chart maps displaying loads per catch-
ment using the standard plot facilities in ArcMap. To access the Load
Result fields in the Catchment feature class, right click on the Catchment
layer in the ArcMap TOC and in the Fields section of the Layer Properties
dialogue select the fields you wish to make visible and thereby accessible
for changing the layer symbology of the Catchment layer:
Output
79
6.3.2 MIKE BASIN output
If the MIKE BASIN output option is selected, a dfs0 time series file for
each MIKE BASIN Catchment will be generated. Each time series file
includes items corresponding to the total number of pollution sources
included in the load calculation. For each pollution item, the values repre-
sent the total mass flux in kg/s. The dfs0-files are automatically assigned
to each of the MIKE BASIN sub-catchments (see the MIKE BASIN Water
Quality section of the manual).
6.3.3 MIKE 11 output
If the load results are to be used together with at MIKE 11 (e.g. with a
NAM or ECOLab model setup), the catchment theme specified in General
Tab (p. 65) tab must be equivalent to the NAM catchment applied in the
NAM model. The output consists of two dfs0 time series files for each
catchment representing the non-point and point fractions respectively.
Each time series file includes a number of items corresponding to the total
number of pollution sources included in the load calculation. For each pol-
lutant, the values represent the total mass flux in kg/s (or count/day for
bacteria).
The output time series can be used in the MIKE 11 boundary editor as
input to the MIKE 11 solute transport model. (see the MIKE 11 AD user
manual for details).
Load Calculator
80 MIKE BASIN
NAM Overview Tab
39
5 NAM RAINFALL-RUNOFF
Rainfall-runoff modelling is a pre-processing step in MIKE BASIN that
creates the runoff time series for the individual catchments. Simulations of
MIKE BASIN is done subsequently. Running the rainfall-runoff model
will create input catchment runoff time series files for all the specified
catchments. MIKE BASIN is then executed normally. For MIKE 11 appli-
cations it is preferable to use MIKE 11 RR, but the rainfall-runoff module
in MIKE 11 GIS can be used and is therefore described in this chapter.
The NAM model is a deterministic, lumped and conceptual Rainfall-run-
off model accounting for the water content in up to four different storages.
NAM can be prepared in a number of different modes depending on the
requirement. As default, NAM is prepared with nine parameters represent-
ing the Surface zone, Root zone and the Ground water storages. In addi-
tion NAM contains provision for:
Extended description of the ground water component.
Two different degree day approaches for snow melt.
The NAM Rainfall-Runoff component is accessed from the Toolbar, under
the MIKE BASIN/MIKE 11 menu.
Rainfall-Runoff tables are available for specifying parameters for the
z Surface-Rootzone,
z Groundwater, and
z Snowmelt.
These parameters are specified for each representative catchment. Tables
are also available for specfiying initial conditions and cross-references to
each of the above reference catchments for each of the MIKE BASIN
catchments that require rainfall-runoff modeling.
The NAM Rainfall-Runoff simulation does not have to cover the same
period as the MIKE BASIN simulation.
Parameters for all options are described in the following sections.
5.1 NAM Overview Tab
In the NAM Overview tab, there are two buttons along the top and a table
of common attributes for each of the defined catchments. If you have
NAM Rainfall-Runoff
40 MIKE BASIN
installed other DHI Software products there may be additional buttons
available. The individual Parameters are listed in the following subsection
.
5.1.1 Parameters
Catchment Name (Name)
Simulations can be carried out for several catchments at the same time.
The catchment name corresponds to the name of the catchment given in
the Catchment Properties Dialog. See Catchment Properties.
Model type (ModelType)
The parameters required for each Rainfall-Runoff model type are speci-
fied in separate tables. Following models can be selected:
1 LOAD WQ
2 ICM WQ, 1-Layer GW
3 ICM WQ, 2-Layer GW
4 NAM RR, 1-Layer GW
5 NAM RR, 2-Layer GW
6 NAM RR, 1-Layer GW, LOAD WQ
7 NAM RR, 2-Layer GW, LOAD WQ
8 1-Layer GW
Catchment Area (AssignedArea)
The default area shown for each catchment corresponds to the area given
in the catchment Properties Dialog. The area can be modified as neces-
sary.
(NAMSurfRootID)
The name of the reference catchment type with a corresponding set of the
Surface- Rootzone parameters. See TS Weights Button (p. 44).
NAM Overview Tab
41
(NAMGroundwaterID)
The name of the reference aquifer type with a corresponding set of
Groundwater parameters. See Ground Water Tab (p. 46).
(NAMSnowMeltID)
The name of the reference snowmelt condition type with a corresponding
set of Snowmelt parameters. See Snow Melt Tab (p. 47).
(NAMInitCondID)
The name of the reference initial conditions type with a corresponding set
of initial conditions. See Initial Conditions Tab (p. 49).
Rainfall (RainfallTS)
A time series, representing the average catchment rainfall. The time inter-
val between values, may vary through the input series. The rainfall speci-
fied at a given time should be the rainfall volume accumulated since the
previous value.
Evapotanspiration (PotentialEvapotranspirationTS)
The potential evaporation is typically given as monthly values. Like rain-
fall, the time for each potential evaporation value should be the accumu-
lated volume at the end of the period it represents. The monthly potential
evaporation in June should be dated 30 June or 1 July.
Observed Discharge
It is not necessary to specify a time series of observed discharge values
here.
The selection of the observed discharge will automatically enable addi-
tional output which includes a calibration plot with comparison of
observed and simulated discharge and calculation of statistical values.
For calibration purposes all observed discharge time series files should be
included in the databse and associated to the appropriate node for compar-
ison with the simulated time series after e.g. MIKE BASIN has been run.
Temperature (TemperatureTS)
A time series of temperature, usually mean daily values, is required only if
snow melt calculations are included in the simulations.
Reference level for temperature station (TempRefLevel)
Defines the altitude at the reference temperate station. This station is used
as a reference for calculating the temperature and precipitation within
NAM Rainfall-Runoff
42 MIKE BASIN
each elevation zone. (The file with temperate data is specified on the time-
series page).
Dry temperature lapse rate (DryTempLapseRate)
Specifies the lapse rate for adjustment of temperature under dry condi-
tions. The temperature in the actual elevation zone is calculated based on a
linear transformation of the temperature at the reference station to the
actual zone defined as the dry temperature lapse rate (C/100m) multiplied
by the difference in elevations between the reference station and the actual
zone.
Wet temperature lapse rate (WetTempLapseRate)
Specifies the lapse rate for adjustment of temperature under wet condi-
tions defined as days with precipitation higher than 10 millimetres. The
temperature in the actual elevation zone is calculated based on a linear
transformation of the temperature at the reference station to the actual
zone defined as the wet temperature lapse rate (C/100m) multiplied by the
difference in elevations between the reference station and the actual zone.
Reference level for precipitation station (PrecipRefLevel)
Defines the altitude at the reference precipitation station (The file with
precipitation data is specified on the timeseries page).
Correction of precipitation (PrecipCorrectRate)
Specifies the lapse rate for adjustment of precipitation. Precipitation in the
actual elevation zone is calculated based on a linear transformation of the
precipitation at the reference station to the actual zone defined as precipi-
tation lapse rate (C/100m) multiplied by the difference in elevation
between the reference station and the actual zone.
Run NAM Simulation Button
43
5.2 Run NAM Simulation Button
Pressing the Run Simulation button will bring up a Run NAM Simulation
dialog for specifying the simulation period and desired time step. Note,
that the following options are NOT currently available in MIKE BASIN:
z Hot start
z Force recalculation of mean area weighted time series
5.3 Select TS Button
Clicking on this button allows you to access time series files in the data
base and to include them in the NAM Overview table. To edit the time
series
1 Click on the edit tool button,
2 Click on the filed where the time series file should be entered,
3 Click on the Select TS button,
4 Click on the appropriate time series item,
5 Click on the Open Time Series button, and finally
6 Stop editing when you finish.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff
44 MIKE BASIN
5.4 TS Weights Button
With this button , multiple input timeseries for mean area weighted time-
series can be specified.
Ex. How to define weighted rainfall TS: Catchment1: Station1*0.5 +
Station2*0.25
1) Start editing in the NAM overview table and select the cell RainfallTS.
2) Press TS Weights...button. It opens a new tab.
Give unique numbers for DHI ID.
When complete timeseries for all stations are available for the entire
period of interest, only one weight combination is required. When data are
missing at one or more stations, different combinations can be specified.
In the picture, only one combination is specified.
Select TS at Time Series ID. The sum of the weight is not necessary to be
one.
3) Do the same process for the other cathcment. The catchemnt can be
selected from the drop-down-list.
NAM Surface-Rootzone Tab
45
5.5 NAM Surface-Rootzone Tab
5.5.1 Parameters
Catchment type name (Name)
This is the reference type for which a set of the Surface-Rootzone parame-
ters are used.
Maximum water content in surface storage (Umax)
Represents the cumulative total water content of the interception storage
(on vegetation), surface depression storage and storage in the uppermost
layers (a few cm) of the soil. Typically values are between 10 - 20 mm.
Maximum water content in root zone storage (Lmax)
Represents the maximum soil moisture content in the root zone, which is
available for transpiration by vegetation. Typically values are between 50
300 mm.
Overland flow runoff coefficient (CQOF)
Determines the division of excess rainfall between overland flow and
infiltration. Values range between 0.0 and 1.0
Time constant for interflow (CKIF)
Determines the amount of interflow, which decreases with larger time
constants. Values in the range of 500-1000 hours are common.
Time constants for routing overland flow (CK1_2)
Determines the shape of hydrograph peaks. The routing takes place
through two linear reservoirs (serial connected) with the same time con-
stant (CK1=CK2). High, sharp peaks are simulated with small time con-
stants, whereas low peaks, at a later time, are simulated with large values
of these parameters. Values in the range of 3 48 hours are common.
Root zone threshold value for overland flow (TOF)
Determines the relative value of the moisture content in the root zone
(L/Lmax) above which overland flow is generated. The main impact of
TOF is seen at the beginning of a wet season, where an increase of the
parameter value will delay the start of runoff as overland flow. Threshold
value range between 0 and 70% of Lmax, and the maximum values
allowed is 0.99.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff
46 MIKE BASIN
Root zone threshold value for inter flow (TIF)
Determines the relative value of the moisture content in the root zone
(L/Lmax) above which interflow is generated.
5.6 Ground Water Tab
For most NAM applications only the Time constant for routing baseflow
CKBF and possibly the Rootzone threshold value for ground water
recharge TG need to be specified and calibrated. However, to cover also a
range of special cases, such as ground water storages influenced by river
level variations, a number of additional parameters can be modified.
The individual Parameters are listed in the following subsection.
5.6.1 Parameters
Root zone threshold value for ground water recharge (TG)
Determines the relative value of the moisture content in the root zone
(L/Lmax) above which ground water recharge is generated. The main
impact of increasing TG is less recharge to the ground water storage.
Threshold value range between 0 and 70% of Lmax and the maximum
value allowed is 0.99.
Time constant for routing baseflow (CKBF)
Can be determined from the hydrograph recession in dry periods. In rare
cases, the shape of the measured recession changes to a slower recession
after some time. To simulate this, a second groundwater reservoir may be
included, see the extended components below.
Ratio of ground water catchment to topographical (surface
water) catchment area (Carea)
Describes the ratio of the ground water catchment area to the topographi-
cal catchment area (specified under Catchments). Local geological condi-
tion may cause part of the infiltrating water to drain to another catchment.
This loss of water is described by a Carea less than one. Usual value: 1.0.
Specific yield for the ground water storage (Sy)
Should be kept at the default value except for the special cases, where the
ground water level is used for NAM calibration. This may be required in
riparian areas, for example, where the outflow of ground water strongly
influences the seasonal variation of the levels in the surrounding rivers.
Simulation of ground water level variation requires a values of the specific
yield Sy and of the ground water outflow level GWLBF0, which may vary
Snow Melt Tab
47
in time. The value of Sy depends on the soil type and may often be
assessed from hydro-geological data, e.g. test pumping. Typically values
of 0.01-0.10 for clay and 0.10-0.30 for sand are used.
Maximum ground water depth causing baseflow (GWLBF0)
Represents the distance in metres between the average catchment surface
level and the minimum water level in the river. This parameter should be
kept at the default value except for the special cases, where the ground
water level is used for NAM calibration, cf. Sy above.
Depth for unit capillary flux (GWLBF1)
Defined as the depth of the ground water table generating an upward cap-
illary flux of 1 mm/day when the upper soil layers are dry corresponding
to wilting point. The effect of capillary flux is negligible for most NAM
applications. Keep the default value of 0.0 to disregard capillary flux.
Lower base flow. Recharge to lower reservoir (Cqlow)
The ground water recession is sometimes best described using two linear
reservoirs, with the lower usually having a larger time constant. In such
cases, the recharge to the lower ground water reservoir is specified here as
a percentage of the total recharge.
Time constant for routing lower baseflow (Cklow)
Is specified for CQlow > 0 as a baseflow time constant, which is usually
larger than the CKBF
5.7 Snow Melt Tab
The snow module simulates the accumulation and melting of snow in a
NAM catchment. Two degree-day approaches can be applied: a simple
lumped calculation or a more advanced distributed approach, allowing the
user to specify a number of elevation zones within a catchment with sepa-
rate snow melt parameters, temperature and precipitation input for each
zone.
The simple degree-day approach uses only the two overall parameters: a
constant degree-day coefficient and a base temperature.
The Snow melt module uses a temperature input time series, usually mean
daily temperature.
The individual Parameters are listed in the following subsection.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff
48 MIKE BASIN
5.7.1 Parameters
Constant Degree-day coefficient (Csnow).
The content of the snow storage melts at a rate defined by the degree-day
coefficient multiplied with the temperature deficit above the Base Temper-
ature. Typical values for Csnow is 2-4 mm/day/C.
Base Temperature snow/rain (T0).
The precipitation is retained in the snow storage only if the temperature is
below the Base Temperature, whereas it is by-passed to the surface storage
(U) in situations with higher temperatures. The Base Temperature is usu-
ally at or near zero degree C.
Radiation coefficient (RadiationCoef)
May be introduced when time series data for incoming radiation is availa-
ble. The timeseries input file is specified separately on the time series
page. The total snow melt is calculated as a contribution from the tradi-
tional snow melt approach based on Csnow (representing the convective
term) plus a term based on the radiation.
Rainfall degree-day coefficient (RainDegDayCoef)
May be introduced when the melting effect from the advective heat trans-
ferred to the snow pack by rainfall is significant. This effect is represented
in the snow module as a linear function of the precipitation multiplied by
the rainfall degree coefficient and the temperature deviation above the
Base Temperature.
5.8 Elevation Zones Tab
5.8.1 Parameters
Elevation (Elevation)
The elevation of each zone is specified in the table as the average eleva-
tion of the zone. The elevation must increase from zone (i) to zone (i+1).
Area of the elevation zone (ZoneArea)
The area of each zone is specified in the table. The total area of the eleva-
tion zones must equal the area of the catchment.
Min storage for full coverage (MinStore)
Defines the required amount of snow to ensure that the zone area is fully
covered with snow. When the water equivalent of the snow pack falls
Initial Conditions Tab
49
under this value, the area coverage (and the snow melt) will be reduced
linearly with the snow storage in the zone.
Maximum storage in the zone (MaxStore)
Defines the upper limit for snow storage in a zone. Snow above this values
will be automatically redistributed to the neighbouring lower zone.
Max water retained in snow (MaxWater)
Defines the maximum water content in the snow pack of the zone. Gener-
ated snow melt is retained in the snow storage as liquid water until the
total amount of liquid water exceeds this water retention capacity. When
the air temperature is below the base temperature T0, the liquid water of
the snow re-freezes with rate Csnow.
(TDryCorrect)
The actual temperature correction for dry conditions to estimate actual
temperature for the specific zone.
(TWetCorrect)
The actual temperature correction for wet conditions to estimate actual
temperature for the specific zone.
(PrecipCorrect)
The relative correction for precipitatio to estimate precipitation for the
specific zone.
(SnowInitial)
The initial condition for snow.
(WaterInitial)
The initial water content of the snow pack.
5.9 Initial Conditions Tab
The initial relative water contents of surface and root zone storage must be
specified as well as the initial values of overland flow and interflow.
Initial values for baseflow must always be specified. When lower base-
flow are included a value for the initial lower baseflow must also be spec-
ified.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff
50 MIKE BASIN
Initials values of the snow storage are specified when the snow melt rou-
tine is used. When the catchment are delineated into elevation zones, the
snow storage and the water content in each elevation zones are specified.
The individual Parameters are listed in the following subsection.
5.9.1 Parameters
Relative water content in tsurface storage (U_UMax)
This is a value between zero and one, where one indicates wet initial con-
dtions.
Releative water content in root zone storage (L_LMax)
This is a value between zero and one.
Overland flow (QOF)
The overland flow at the beginning of the simulation, which is normally
based estimated from the hydrograph.
Interflow (QIF)
The interflow at the beginning of the simulation, which is normally based
estimated from the hydrograph.
Baseflow (BF)
The baseflow at the beginning of the simulation, which is normally based
estimated from the hydrograph.
Lower Baseflow (BF_low)
The lower baselow at the beginning of the simulation, which is normally
based estimated from the hydrograph.
Snow Storage (SnowStorage)
The actual initial snow storage in mm.
5.10 Rainfall Runoff Step-by-Step (for MIKE BASIN)
1 Create a MIKE BASIN model layout as usual.
2 Specify catchment names and areas. The figure shows the Catchment
Properties dialog for the largest catchment called " Large catchment".
The area is 120 km2. The other catchment is called "Small catchment"
and has an area of 20 km
2
Rainfall Runoff Step-by-Step (for MIKE BASIN)
51
.
3 Access the rainfall-runoff table dialogs from The MIKE BASIN tool-
bar. Insert parameters for the Surface-Rootzone, Groundwater and Ini-
tial conditions tables.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff
52 MIKE BASIN
Note that there is no snowmelt process in this set up. The figure shows
some of the parameters for the Surface-Rootzone. Also, note that the
name of the catchment type that the parameters represent is called
"catch".
Parameters can only be inserted after the Start Editing button has been
clicked. When finished press the Stop Editing button.
4 After the parameters have been entered access the NAM Overview
Table and specify the relevant data. Notice, that some of the data is pre-
scribed as per specification given in the MIKE BASIN setup, ie. catch-
ment names and areas. You should now enter the catchment type
nameand time series files. Time sieres files must already be stored in
tha data base and are inserted by pressing Select TS
5 Click on the Run Simulation button and specify in the NAM Run dia-
log the simulation period and the time set
.
6 After execution a time series file name has been inserted in time series
field in the Catchment Properties dialog
Rainfall Runoff Step-by-Step (for MIKE BASIN)
53
.
7 You can then run the MIKE BASIN for the same or another period.
After running MIKE BASIN, right click on the node where you have
an observed discharge series associated. The following menu will
appear. You can then plot the simulated time series and subsequently
click on the observed series and click on the Add to Plot button. The
following plot will appear
.
8 You can the adjust the parameters and re-run the models until the com-
parison is satisfactory.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff
54 MIKE BASIN
NAM - Introduction
211
19 NAM RAINFALL-RUNOFF TECHNICAL
REFERENCE
This guide provides a description of aspects which are encountered during
the development, calibration and application of Rainfall Runoff model,
including detailed technical descriptions of the hydrological processes.
The NAM model is a lumped, conceptual rainfall-runoff model, simulat-
ing the overland-, inter- flow, and base-flow components as a function of
the moisture contents in four storages (see Section 19.1-19.9).
19.1 NAM - Introduction
The NAM hydrological model simulates the rainfall-runoff processes
occurring at the catchment scale. NAM forms part of the rainfall-runoff
(RR) module of the MIKE 11 river modelling system. The rainfall-runoff
module can either be applied independently or used to represent one or
more contributing catchments that generate lateral inflows to a river net-
work. In this manner it is possible to treat a single catchment or a large
river basin containing numerous catchments and a complex network of
rivers and channels within the same modelling framework.
NAM is the abbreviation of the Danish "Nedbr-Afstrmnings-Model",
meaning precipitation-runoff-model. This model was originally developed
by the Department of Hydrodynamics and Water Resources at the Techni-
cal University of Denmark (/12/),.
A mathematical hydrological model like NAM is a set of linked mathe-
matical statements describing, in a simplified quantitative form, the
behaviour of the land phase of the hydrological cycle. NAM represents
various components of the rainfall-runoff process by continuously
accounting for the water content in four different and mutually interrelated
storages. Each storage represents different physical elements of the catch-
ment. NAM can be used either for continuous hydrological modelling
over a range of flows or for simulating single events.
The NAM model can be characterised as a deterministic, lumped, concep-
tual model with moderate input data requirements. A description of the
classification of hydrological models is given in Abbott and Refsgaard
(1996), /2/. Refsgaard and Knudsen (1997), /14/ compare a number of dif-
ferent types of hydrological model, including the NAM model, in terms of
both data requirements and model performance.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
212 MIKE BASIN
The NAM model is a well-proven engineering tool that has been applied
to a number of catchments around the world, representing many different
hydrological regimes and climatic conditions.
19.2 Data Requirements
The basic input requirements for the NAM model consist of:
z Model parameters
z Initial conditions
z Meteorological data
z Streamflow data for model calibration and validation
The basic meteorological data requirements are:
z Rainfall
z Potential evapotranspiration
In the case of snow modelling the additional meteorological data require-
ments are:
z Temperature
z Radiation (optional)
The NAM model also allows modelling of man-made interventions in the
hydrological cycle in terms of groundwater pumping. In this case time
series of groundwater abstraction rates are required.
In this section the meteorological and hydrological data are described. The
model parameters and initial conditions are described in the subsequent
sections.
19.2.1 Meteorological data
Rainfall (mm)
The time resolution of the rainfall input depends on the objective of the
study and on the time scale of the catchment response. In many cases daily
rainfall values are sufficient, but in rapidly responding catchments where
accurate representation of the peak flows is required, rainfall input on a
finer resolution may be required. Rainfall data with any (variable) time
increments can be specified in the rainfall input. The NAM model will
then make the necessary interpolations according to the simulation time
step. The rainfall data are treated as accumulated totals so the rainfall
Data Requirements
213
associated with any particular time is the rainfall volume since the last
entered value.
Potential evapotranspiration (mm)
When daily time steps are used, monthly values of potential evapotranspi-
ration are usually sufficient. In this case only minor improvements can be
obtained by specifying daily values instead of monthly values. For small
time steps, however, the diurnal variation of the evapotranspiration may
be important. The evapotranspiration data are treated as accumulated
totals where the evapotranspiration associated with any particular time is
the evapotranspiration since the last entered value.
Temperature (C
o
)
Temperature data are required if snow accumulation and melt are included
in the simulations. During the snow season, the time increments in the
temperature data should reflect the length of the time step in the simula-
tion, e.g. daily mean temperatures. The temperature data at a given time
represents the average temperature since the last entered data.
Radiation (W/m
2
)
Actual incoming short wave radiation data can optionally be used as input
in the extended snow module. The radiation data at a given time represents
the average radiation since the last entered data.
Mean area weighting
The NAM model simulates the rainfall-runoff process in a lumped fashion
so provision is given for combining meteorological data from different
stations within a single catchment or subcatchment into a single time
series of weighted averages. The resulting time series will represent the
mean area values of rainfall and potential evapotranspiration for a catch-
ment.
The weights are user-defined and can be determined based e.g. on the
Thiessen method. In the case of missing values the weighting procedure
will redistribute the weights appropriately. Therefore, it is not necessary to
specify weight combinations for all possible combinations of missing sta-
tions. Alternatively, the user can explicitly specify the weights when data
are missing from one or more stations. A weight of -1 is given to non-
reporting stations, indicating missing data.
When rainfall data are available from stations with different reporting fre-
quency, e.g. both daily and hourly stations, then the distribution in time of
the average catchment rainfall may be determined using a weighted aver-
age of the high-frequency stations. It is possible to use all stations to deter-
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
214 MIKE BASIN
mine the daily mean rainfall over the catchment and subsequently use the
hourly stations to distribute this daily rainfall in time. Different weight
combinations for different cases of missing values may be applied also to
the calculation of the distribution in time.
19.2.2 Hydrological data
Discharge (m
3
/s)
Observed discharge data at the catchment outlet are required for compari-
son with the simulated runoff for model calibration and validation. The
discharge data at any particular time is the average discharge since the last
entered data.
Groundwater abstraction (mm)
When the effect of groundwater abstraction is expected to have a signifi-
cant effect on the overall groundwater levels or catchment baseflow,
pumping rates can be specified to account for these withdrawals. The
groundwater abstraction data are treated as accumulated totals where the
abstraction associated with any particular time is the abstraction since the
last entered value.
19.3 Model Structure
A conceptual model like NAM is based on physical structures and equa-
tions used together with semi-empirical ones. Being a lumped model,
NAM treats each catchment as a single unit. The parameters and variables
represent, therefore, average values for the entire catchment. As a result
some of the model parameters can be evaluated from physical catchment
data, but the final parameter estimation must be performed by calibration
against time series of hydrological observations.
Model Structure
215
Figure 19.1 Structure of the NAM model.
The model structure is shown in Figure 19.1. It is an imitation of the land
phase of the hydrological cycle. NAM simulates the rainfall-runoff proc-
ess by continuously accounting for the water content in four different and
mutually interrelated storages that represent different physical elements of
the catchment. These storages are:
z Snow storage
z Surface storage
z Lower or root zone storage
z Groundwater storage
In addition NAM allows treatment of man-made interventions in the
hydrological cycle such as groundwater pumping.
Based on the meteorological input data NAM produces catchment runoff
as well as information about other elements of the land phase of the hydro-
logical cycle, such as the temporal variation of the evapotranspiration, soil
moisture content, groundwater recharge, and groundwater levels. The
resulting catchment runoff is split conceptually into overland flow, inter-
flow and baseflow components.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
216 MIKE BASIN
19.4 Basic modelling components
Surface storage
Moisture intercepted on the vegetation as well as water trapped in depres-
sions and in the uppermost, cultivated part of the ground is represented as
surface storage. U
max
denotes the upper limit of the amount of water in the
surface storage.
The amount of water, U, in the surface storage is continuously diminished
by evaporative consumption as well as by horizontal leakage (interflow).
When there is maximum surface storage, some of the excess water, P
N
,
will enter the streams as overland flow, whereas the remainder is diverted
as infiltration into the lower zone and groundwater storage.
Lower zone or root zone storage
The soil moisture in the root zone, a soil layer below the surface from
which the vegetation can draw water for transpiration, is represented as
lower zone storage. L
max
denotes the upper limit of the amount of water in
this storage.
Moisture in the lower zone storage is subject to consumptive loss from
transpiration. The moisture content controls the amount of water that
enters the groundwater storage as recharge and the interflow and overland
flow components.
Evapotranspiration
Evapotranspiration demands are first met at the potential rate from the sur-
face storage. If the moisture content U in the surface storage is less than
these requirements (U < E
p
), the remaining fraction is assumed to be with-
drawn by root activity from the lower zone storage at an actual rate E
a
. E
a

is proportional to the potential evapotranspiration and varies linearly with
the relative soil moisture content, L/L
max
, of the lower zone storage
(19.1)
Overland flow
When the surface storage spills, i.e. when U > U
max
, the excess water P
N

gives rise to overland flow as well as to infiltration. QOF denotes the part
of P
N
that contributes to overland flow. It is assumed to be proportional to
E
a
E
p
U ( )
L
L
max
----------- =
Basic modelling components
217
PN and to vary linearly with the relative soil moisture content, L/L
max
, of
the lower zone storage
(19.2)
where
CQOFis the overland flow runoff coefficient (0 CQOF 1)
TOF is the threshold value for overland flow (0 TOF 1).
The proportion of the excess water P
N
that does not run off as overland
flow infiltrates into the lower zone storage. A portion, L, of the water
available for infiltration, (P
N
-QOF), is assumed to increase the moisture
content L in the lower zone storage. The remaining amount of infiltrating
moisture, G, is assumed to percolate deeper and recharge the groundwater
storage.
Interflow
The interflow contribution, QIF, is assumed to be proportional to U and to
vary linearly with the relative moisture content of the lower zone storage.
(19.3)
where CKIF is the time constant for interflow, and TIF is the root zone
threshold value for interflow (0 TIF 1).
Interflow and overland flow routing
The interflow is routed through two linear reservoirs in series with the
same time constant CK
12
. The overland flow routing is also based on the
linear reservoir concept but with a variable time constant
(19.4)
QOF
CQOF
L L
max
TOF
1 TOF
------------------------------------P
N
for L L
max
TOF >
0 for L L
max
TOF

=
QIF
CKIF ( )
1
L L
max
TIF
1 TIF
----------------------------------U for L L
max
TIF >
0 for L L
max
TIF

=
CK
CK
12
for OF OF
min
<
CK
12
OF
OF
min
---------------
\ .
| |

for OF OF
min

=
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
218 MIKE BASIN
where OF is the overland flow (mm/hour), OF
min
is the upper limit for lin-
ear routing (= 0.4 mm/hour), and = 0.4.
The constant = 0.4 corresponds to using the Manning formula for mod-
elling the overland flow. Equation (19.4) ensures in practice that the rout-
ing of real surface flow is kinematic, while subsurface flow being
interpreted by NAM as overland flow (in catchments with no real surface
flow component) is routed as a linear reservoir.
Groundwater recharge
The amount of infiltrating water G recharging the groundwater storage
depends on the soil moisture content in the root zone
(19.5)
where
TG is the root zone threshold value for groundwater recharge (0 TG 1).
Soil moisture content
The lower zone storage represents the water content within the root zone.
After apportioning the net rainfall between overland flow and infiltration
to groundwater, the remainder of the net rainfall increases the moisture
content L within the lower zone storage by the amount L
(19.6)
Baseflow
The baseflow BF from the groundwater storage is calculated as the out-
flow from a linear reservoir with time constant CK
BF
.
19.5 Extended groundwater components
Drainage to or from neighbouring catchments
Local geological conditions may cause part of the infiltrating water to
drain to neighbouring catchments. In NAM this loss of water can be
described by specifying the ratio of the groundwater catchment area to the
topographical catchment area, C
area
, with a value less than one. In this
G
P
N
Q OF ( )
L L
max
TG
1 TG
-------------------------------- for L L
max
TG >
0 for L L
max
TG

=
L P
N
QOF G =
Extended groundwater components
219
case the proportion (1-C
area
) of the recharge G is drained to neighbouring
catchments. Similarly, water may be drained from neighbouring catch-
ments, implying an increased groundwater recharge in the catchment
(C
area
> 1).
Lower groundwater storage
For a better description of the baseflow, an additional (lower) groundwater
storage can be defined. In this case the upper groundwater storage pro-
vides the fast responding component of the baseflow, whereas the lower
storage usually has a slower response. The recharge to the lower storage is
given as a proportion CQ
LOW
of the total recharge G. The routing from the
lower storage is described by a linear reservoir with time constant CK
LOW
.
Shallow groundwater reservoir description
The groundwater level is calculated from a continuity consideration
accounting for recharge G, capillary flux CAFLUX, net groundwater
abstraction GWPUMP, and baseflow BF. The inclusion of capillary flux
and groundwater pumping are optional. The groundwater storage can be
treated in two different ways, either as a simple linear reservoir as
described in Section Baseflow (p. 218) or as a shallow groundwater reser-
voir.
The shallow groundwater reservoir description is appropriate for lowland
catchments with little topographical variation and the potential for water
logging. The baseflow is given by
(19.7)
where S
Y
is the specific yield of the reservoir, GWL is the groundwater
table depth, and GWL
BF0
is the maximum groundwater table depth, which
causes baseflow.
The parameter GWL
BF0
can be interpreted as the distance between the
average ground level of the catchment to the water level of the river. Due
to the variation in the river water level throughout the year GWL
BF0
can be
given a significant annual variation.
Capillary flux
The capillary flux CAFLUX of water from the groundwater to the lower
zone storage is assumed to depend on the depth of the groundwater table
BF
GWL
BF0
GWL ( )S
Y
CK
BF
( )
1
for GWL GWL
BF0

0 for GWL GWL

BF0
>

=
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
220 MIKE BASIN
below the ground surface, GWL, as well as on the relative moisture con-
tent, L/L
max
, of the lower zone storage
(19.8)
where GWL
FL1
is the groundwater table depth at which the capillary flux
is 1 mm/day when the lower zone storage is completely dry. Equation
(19.8) provides a good fit to the theoretical relationship between the capil-
lary flux, the depth to the water table and the soil moisture content pro
19.6 Snow module
Snow accumulation and melt are important hydrological processes in river
basins where the snow pack acts as a storage in which precipitation is
retained during the cold season and subsequently released as melt water
during the warmer parts of the year.
The snow melt component of the runoff is incorporated as an integrated
module within NAM. This component is optional and temperature data is
only required if the snow routine is selected. Normally the precipitation
enters directly into the surface storage. However, during cold periods pre-
cipitation is retained in the snow storage from which it is melted in
warmer periods. Two different models can be applied; a simple lumped
calculation or a more general approach that divides the catchment into a
number of altitude zones with separate snow melt parameters, temperature
and precipitation input for each zone.
Accumulation and melting of snow
Several investigations (e.g. /17/) have shown that the shift between precip-
itation in the form of rain and snow usually takes place when the air tem-
perature is within a narrow interval close to 0
o
C. In the snow module it is
assumed that the precipitation falls as rain when the air temperature is
above a certain base temperature level, T
0
, which can be specified by the
user.
The snowmelt QS is calculated using a degree-day approach
(19.9)
CAFLUX 1 L L
max

GWL
GWL
FL1
---------------------
\ .
| |

(mm/day)
1,5 0,45GWL
FL1
+
=
=
QS
C
snow
T T
0
( ) for T T
0
>
0 for T T
0

=
Snow module
221
where C
snow
is the degree-day coefficient. The generated melt water is
retained in the snow storage as liquid water until the total amount of liquid
water exceeds the water retention capacity of the snow storage. The excess
melt water P
S
is routed to the NAM model where it contributes to the sur-
face storage. The excess melt water contribution P
S
to NAM is
(19.10)
where WR is the water retention in the snow storage, C
wr
is the water
retention coefficient, and S
snow
is the snow storage. The new snow storage
is calculated by subtracting the excess melt water P
S
from the snow stor-
age.
The rain fraction is added as liquid water and is retained in the snow stor-
age if the total liquid water content of the snow pack is below its water
retaining capacity. When the air temperature is below T
0
, the liquid water
content in the snow storage freezes with rate C
snow
. Evaporation from the
snow pack is neglected.
19.6.1 Altitude-distributed snowmelt model
In mountainous areas temperature, precipitation and snow cover often
vary significantly within a single catchment. The runoff simulation for
such areas can be improved by dividing the catchment into smaller zones
and maintain individual snow storage calculations in each zone.
The altitude-distributed snow model calculates melt water in a number of
altitude zones using the degree-day approach. Since in many cases the
hydro-meteorological information from mountain basins is quite sparse,
the module also includes facilities for distribution of the meteorological
information with altitude.
Structure of the altitude-distributed snowmelt module
The snow melt module allows the user to define a number of altitude
zones within a NAM catchment and adjust the snow melt parameters and
the temperature and precipitation input to the model for each zone. The
snow melt module maintains individual snow storages and calculates
accumulation and melting of snow for each altitude zone. The simulated
melt water from all zones is subsequently superposed and routed through
the NAM model as illustrated in Figure 19.2. This implies that the same
model parameters for infiltration, runoff and groundwater routing are
applied for all altitude zones. Such an approach will be appropriate for the
large majority of mountain catchments.
P
S
Q
melt
for WR C
wr
S
snow

0 for WR C
wr
S
snow
<

=
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
222 MIKE BASIN
Figure 19.2 Structure of the NAM model with extended snow module.
In special cases where differentiation is needed also in the other parame-
ters the catchment in question can be divided into two or more sub-catch-
ments. The total simulated discharge is then found by accumulating the
simulated discharge from the different sub-catchments using the combined
catchment approach in the MIKE 11 RR editor.
In the altitude-distributed snow model, snow melting only takes place
from the snow-covered part of each zone. When the water equivalent of
the snow pack falls under a user-specified value (minimum storage for full
coverage), the area coverage will be reduced linearly with the snow stor-
age in the zone.
Snow will not necessarily melt on the location where it falls. Due to wind
transport the snow accumulation at wind exposed sites may often be sig-
nificantly smaller than at locations well sheltered against wind. Wind
exposed conditions are often present at higher altitudes where vegetation
is sparse and wind velocities generally high. Furthermore, for the higher
parts of mountain ranges, steep slopes having a limited snow storage
capacity will often dominate. Snow storage in excess of this capacity will
Snow module
223
at such locations generate avalanches which transport the snow to lower
altitudes. Hence, some of the snow falling on wind exposed and/or steep
highlands may not melt on the location but be deposited and melting at
lower altitudes. To account for such re-distribution of snow and avoid
unrealistic accumulation of snow in the cold upper zones a user specified
upper limit of the snow storage in the individual zones has been intro-
duced in the model. Snow storage exceeding this value will be transferred
to the neighbouring lower zone.
19.6.2 Adjustment of temperature and precipitation to altitude zones
The altitude-distributed snow model operates with three meteorological
reference time series; precipitation, temperature and potential evapotran-
spiration. In order to account for the large variations in precipitation and
temperature with altitude the reference series can be adjusted for each alti-
tude zone in two different ways:
z lapse rate corrections
z individual correction factors applied for each zone
Lapse rate corrections
The lapse rate correction approach is a very simple but powerful way of
adjustment in which the temperature and the precipitation are assumed to
vary linearly with the altitude. The only input data required are the aver-
age altitude of the various zones, a reference altitude of the time series,
and the lapse rates. The temperature lapse rates, however, are known to be
quite variable, ranging from high values under dry conditions to lower val-
ues under wet conditions. Hence, in the model it is possible to specify two
different temperature lapse rates to be used during dry and wet weather
conditions, respectively. The model applies the wet lapse rate during
days with precipitation and the dry lapse rate during the rest of the time.
The temperature in each zone is adjusted by the following formula:
(19.11)
where
T
zone
temperature in the considered zone
T
ref
temperature at the reference temperature station
H
zone
average height in the zone
T
zone
T
ref
H
zone
H
ref
( )
dry
+ for P = 0
T
ref
H
zone
H
ref
( )
wet
+ for P > 0

=
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
224 MIKE BASIN
H
ref
height at the reference temperature station
b
dry
temperature lapse rate for dry conditions
b
wet
temperature lapse rate for wet conditions
The precipitation in each altitude zone is calculated from the precipitation
at the reference station:
(19.12)
where
P
ref
precipitation at the reference precipitation station
H
ref
height at the reference precipitation series
precipitation lapse rate
Individual correction factors applied for each zone
In this case corrections have to be specified by the user for each altitude
zone. This method requires more input but also offers a larger flexibility.
The corrected meteorological series are calculated using the formulae:
(19.13)
(19.14)
where T
cor,zone,wet
and P
cor,zone,dry
are the actual temperature corrections for
wet and dry conditions, respectively, and P
cor,zone
is the relative precipita-
tion correction.
If it is not possible to represent the meteorological conditions in the catch-
ment by adjustment of one series only, the catchment may be divided into
smaller sub-catchments in which one series will be representative. The
discharges for the individual sub-catchments are then superposed using
the combined catchment approach in the MIKE 11 RR editor.
P
zone
P
ref
1 H
zone
H
ref
( ) + ( ) =
T
zone
T
ref
T
cor zone dry , ,
+ for P = 0
T
ref
T
cor zone wet , ,
+ for P > 0

=
P
zone
P
ref
1 P
cor zone ,
+ ( ) =
Model parameters
225
19.6.3 Extended components
Seasonal variation of degree-day coefficient
The simple degree-day approach for calculating snow melt cf. (19.9) can
be extended by using a seasonal variation of the degree-day coefficient
C
snow
. This variation reflects in a conceptual way the seasonal variation of
the incoming short wave radiation and the variation in the albedo of the
snow surface during the snow season. The albedo is very high (about 0.8)
for new, cold snow falling in the beginning of the accumulation season
and then decreases with the age of the snow (to a minimum value of about
0.3 in the end of the season).
Radiation
The melting effects caused by the absorbed short wave radiation can be
explicitly modelled. In this case an additional snow melting is calculated
as
(19.15)
where C
rad
is the radiation coefficient, and R is the incoming short wave
radiation. The total amount of snow melt is calculated as the sum of the
snow melt rates given by (19.9), (19.15), and (19.16) (optional), respec-
tively.
Condensation of humid air and heat contribution from rainfall
The melting effects from condensation of humid air on the snow surface
and the advective heat transferred to the snow pack by precipitation can be
explicitly modelled. The effects are calculated as an additional snowmelt
(19.16)
where C
rain
is a degree-day coefficient, and P is the rainfall. The total
amount of snow melt is calculated as the sum of the snow melt rates given
by (19.9), (19.15) (optional), and (19.16), respectively.
19.7 Model parameters
This section provides a short description of the model parameters, their
physical interpretation and importance along with suggestions for parame-
ter adjustments in the calibration.
QS C
rad
R =
QS C
rain
P T T
0
( ) =
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
226 MIKE BASIN
19.7.1 Surface and root zone parameters
Maximum water content in surface storage U
max
U
max
[mm] defines the maximum water content in the surface storage.
This storage is interpreted as including the water content in the intercep-
tion storage (on vegetation), in surface depression storages, and in the
uppermost few cm's of the ground. Typical values of U
max
are in the range
10-20 mm.
One important characteristic of the model is that the surface storage must
be at its maximum capacity, i.e. U U
max
before any excess water, P
N
,
occurs. In dry periods, the amount of net rainfall that must occur before
any overland flow occurs can be used to estimate U
max
.
Maximum water content in root zone storage L
max
L
max
[mm] defines the maximum water content in the lower or root zone
storage. L
max
can be interpreted as the maximum soil moisture content in
the root zone available for the vegetative transpiration. Ideally, L
max
can
then be estimated by multiplying the difference between field capacity and
wilting point of the actual soil with the effective root depth. The difference
between field capacity and wilting point is referred to as the available
water holding capacity (AWHC). For estimation of AWHC, moisture con-
tents for different soil types at pF-value 2.5, corresponding approximately
to field capacity, and pF-value 4.2, corresponding to wilting point are
shown in Table 19.1
It should be noted that L
max
represents the average value for an entire
catchment, i.e. an average value for the various soil types and root depths
of the individual vegetation types. Hence, L
max
cannot in practice be esti-
mated from field data, but an expected interval can be defined.
Since the actual evapotranspiration is highly dependent on the water con-
tent of the surface and root zone storages, U
max
and L
max
are the primary
parameters to be changed in order to adjust the water balance in the simu-
lations. In the preliminary stages of the model calibration, it is recom-
mended to fix the relation between U
max
and L
max
, leaving only one
storage parameter to be estimated. As a rule, U
max
= 0.1L
max
can be used
unless special catchment characteristics or hydrograph behaviour indicate
otherwise.
Table 19.1 Moisture content in cm
3
/cm
3
at (effective) saturation (
s
) and at pF-
values of 2.5(
2.5
) and 4.2(
4.2
), for eleven textural classes and from
three sources: (1) Rawls et al. (1982),/13/; (2) Cosby et al.
Model parameters
227
(1984),/5/; (3) Rijtema (1969), /16/.
Overland flow runoff coefficient CQOF
CQOF is a very important parameter, determining the extent to which
excess rainfall runs off as overland flow and the magnitude of infiltration.
CQOF is dimensionless with values between 0 and 1. Physically, in a
lumped manner, it reflects the infiltration and also to some extent the
recharge conditions. Small values of CQOF are expected for a flat catch-
ment having coarse, sandy soils and a large unsaturated zone, whereas
large CQOF-values are expected for catchments having low, permeable
soils such as clay or bare rocks. CQOF-values in the range 0.01-0.90 have
been experienced.
It should be noted that during periods where the groundwater table is at
the ground surface the model excludes the infiltration component, and
hence CQOF becomes redundant.
Time constant for interflow CKIF
CKIF [hours] determines together with U
max
the amount of interflow
((CKIF)
-1
is the quantity of the surface water content U that is drained to
interflow every hour). It is the dominant routing parameter of the interflow
because CKIF >> CK
12
.
Physical interpretation of the interflow is difficult. Since interflow is sel-
dom the dominant streamflow component, CKIF is not, in general, a very
important parameter. Usually, CKIF-values are in the range 500-1000
hours.
Time constant for routing interflow and overland flow CK
12
The time constant for routing interflow and overland flow CK
12
[hours]
determines the shape of hydrograph peaks. The value of CK
12
depends on
the size of the catchment and how fast it responds to rainfall. Typical val-
ues are in the range 3-48 hours.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
228 MIKE BASIN
The time constant can be inferred from calibration on peak events. If the
simulated peak discharges are too low or arriving too late, decreasing
CK
12
may correct this, and vice versa.
Root zone threshold value for overland flow TOF
TOF is a threshold value for overland flow in the sense that no overland
flow is generated if the relative moisture content of the lower zone stor-
age, L/L
max
, is less than TOF. The behaviour of the threshold value is illus-
trated in Figure 19.3. Similarly, the root zone threshold value for interflow
TIF and recharge TG act as threshold values for generation of interflow
and recharge, respectively.
Figure 19.3 Generation of overland flow.
Physically, the three threshold values should reflect the degree of spatial
variability in the catchment characteristics, so that a small homogeneous
catchment is expected to have larger threshold values than a large hetero-
geneous catchment.
For catchments with alternating dry and wet periods, the threshold values
determine the onset of the flow components in the periods where the root
zone is being filled up. This can be used in model calibration. It should be
noted that the threshold values have no importance in wet periods. The
significance of the threshold value varies from catchment to catchment
and is usually larger in semi-arid regions.
In areas with alternating dry and wet seasons, TOF can be estimated on the
basis of situations where even very heavy rainfall does not give rise to the
quick response of the overland flow component. The parameter has an
impact only during the first, few weeks of the wet season. Values of TOF
in the range 0-0.7 have been experienced.
Model parameters
229
Root zone threshold value for interflow TIF
The root zone threshold value for interflow has the same function for
interflow as TOF has for the overland flow. It is usually not a very impor-
tant parameter, and it can in most cases be given a value equal to zero.
19.7.2 Groundwater parameters
Baseflow time constant CK
BF
The time constant for baseflow, CK
BF
[hours], determines the shape of the
simulated hydrograph in dry periods. According to the linear reservoir
description the discharge in such periods is given by an exponential decay.
CK
BF
can be estimated from hydrograph recession analysis. CK
BF
-values
in the range 500-5000 hours have been experienced.
If the recession analysis indicates that the shape of the hydrograph
changes to a slower recession after a certain time, an additional (lower)
groundwater storage can be added to improve the description of the base-
flow.
Root zone threshold value for groundwater recharge TG
The root zone threshold value for recharge has the same effect on recharge
as TOF has on the overland flow. It is an important parameter for simulat-
ing the rise of the groundwater table in the beginning of a wet season.
Recharge to lower groundwater storage CQ
LOW
In some cases the shape of the hydrograph recession changes to a slower
recession after a certain period. To simulate this, a lower groundwater
storage may be included. The parameter CQ
LOW
determines the proportion
of the recharge that percolates to the lower groundwater storage. CQ
LOW

together with CK
low
can be estimated from hydrograph recession analysis.
Time constant for routing lower baseflow CK
low
The baseflow from the lower groundwater storage is modelled using a lin-
ear reservoir with time constant CK
low
[hours]. The time constant can be
estimated from hydrograph recession analysis. Usually, CK
low
is larger
than CK
BF
.
Ratio of groundwater catchment to topographical catchment
area C
area
Drainage to or from neighbouring catchments can be modelled by specify-
ing a value of C
area
different from 1. C
area
specifies the amount of
recharge G that is being drained. If C
area
< 1, part of the recharge, (1-
C
area
)G, is drained to another catchment, whereas for C
area
> 1, the amount
(C
area
-1)G is added to the catchment recharge.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
230 MIKE BASIN
Maximum groundwater depth causing baseflow GWL
BF0
The maximum depth to the groundwater table for which baseflow occurs,
GWL
BF0
[m], represents the outflow level of the groundwater reservoir
given as the distance between the average ground level of the catchment
and the minimum level of the river to which it drains. In low, flat areas the
annual variation of this distance may be of importance and the facility to
allow GWL
BF0
to vary seasonally is provided in NAM.
GWL
BF0
and the specific yield S
Y
can be calibrated by comparing the sim-
ulated groundwater level with observations.
Specific yield S
Y
Values of the specific yield for the groundwater storage may often be
assessed from hydrological data e.g. pump tests. Alternatively, S
Y
-values
can be estimated from the literature for different soil types. Small values
are found for clay (0.01-0.1) and high values for sand (0.1-0.3).
Groundwater depth for unit capillary flux GWL
FL1
GWL
FL1
[m] is the depth to the groundwater table which yields an upward
capillary flux of 1 mm/day when the moisture content of the upper soil
layers is at wilting point, i.e. L = 0. This parameter will depend on the soil
type, and values for 20 soil types according to Rijtema (1969), /16/ are
listed in Table 19.2.
Table 19.2 Depth to the groundwater table corresponding to a capillary flux of 1
mm/day for 20 soil types.
Soil Type
GWL
FL1
[m]
1. Coarse sand 0.5
2. Medium coarse sand 0.6
3. Medium fine sand 0.9
4. Fine sand 1.5
5. Humus loamy medium coarse sand 1.2
6. Light loamy medium coarse sand 0.7
7. Loamy medium coarse sand 0.5
8. Loamy fine sand 1.7
9. Sandy loam 0.7
10. Loess loam 1.5
Model parameters
231
19.7.3 Snow module parameters
Degree-day coefficient C
snow
The snow melts at a rate defined by the degree-day coefficient C
snow
[mm
/C/day]. A seasonal variation of C
snow
can be defined in order to account
for the seasonal variations of the incoming short wave radiation and the
albedo of the snow surface. Typical values of C
snow
are in the range 2-4
mm/C/day.
Base temperature (snow/rain) T
0
The precipitation is assumed to fall as snow if the temperature is below the
base temperature T
0
[C]. For temperatures above T
0
the snow in the snow
storage is melting. The base temperature is usually close to zero degrees
Celsius.
Radiation coefficient C
rad
The radiation coefficient C
rad
[m
2
/W/mm/day] determines the rate of
snow melting caused by the absorbed short wave radiation.
Rainfall degree-day coefficient C
rain
The rainfall degree-day coefficient C
rain
[mm/mm/C/day] determines the
rate of snow melting caused by condensation of humid air on the snow
11. Fine sandy loam 2.5
12. Silty loam 2.8
13. Loam 1.9
14. Sandy clay loam 2.2
15. Silty Clay Loam 1.8
16. Clayey Loam 1.0
17. Light clay 2.9
18. Basin clay 0.4
19. Silty clay 1.4
20. Peat 0.6
Table 19.2 Depth to the groundwater table corresponding to a capillary flux of 1
mm/day for 20 soil types.
Soil Type
GWL
FL1
[m]
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
232 MIKE BASIN
surface and the advective heat transferred to the snow pack by precipita-
tion.
19.8 Initial conditions
The initial conditions required by the NAM model consist of the initial
water contents in the surface and root zone storages, together with initial
values of overland flow, interflow, and baseflow.
If a lower groundwater reservoir is specified, the initial baseflow from
both the upper and the lower reservoir should be specified. If the snow
module is included, the initial value of the snow storage should be speci-
fied.
If a simulation commences at the end of a dry period, it is often sufficient
to set all initial values to zero, except the water content in the root zone
and the baseflow. The water content in the root zone should be about 10-
30% of the capacity and the baseflow should be given a value close to the
observed discharge.
Improved estimates of the initial conditions may be obtained from a previ-
ous simulation, covering several years, by noting the appropriate moisture
contents of the root zone and baseflow at the same time of the year as the
new simulation will start.
In general it is recommended to disregard the first 3-6 months of the NAM
simulation in order to eliminate the influence of erroneous initial condi-
tions.
19.9 Model calibration
In the NAM model the parameters and variables represent average values
for the entire catchment. While in some cases a range of likely parameter
values can be estimated, it is not possible, in general, to determine the val-
ues of the NAM parameters on the basis of the physiographic, climatic and
soil physical characteristics of the catchment, since most of the parameters
are of an empirical and conceptual nature. Thus, the final parameter esti-
mation must be performed by calibration against time series of hydrologi-
cal observations.
19.9.1 Calibration objectives and evaluation measures
The following objectives are usually considered in the model calibration
Model calibration
233
1 A good agreement between the average simulated and observed catch-
ment runoff (i.e. a good water balance)
2 A good overall agreement of the shape of the hydrograph
3 A good agreement of the peak flows with respect to timing, rate and
volume
4 A good agreement for low flows
In this respect it is important to note that, in general, trade-offs exist
between the different objectives. For instance, one may find a set of
parameters that provide a very good simulation of peak flows but a poor
simulation of low flows, and vice versa.
In the calibration process, the different calibration objectives 1-4 should
be taken into account. If the objectives are of equal importance, one
should seek to balance all the objectives, whereas in the case of priority to
a certain objective this objective should be favoured.
For a general evaluation of the calibrated model, the simulated runoff is
compared with discharge measurements. For individual calibration of the
groundwater parameters, the simulated average groundwater level can be
compared with groundwater level measurements in the catchments.
Both graphical and numerical performance measures should be applied in
the calibration process. The graphical evaluation includes comparison of
the simulated and observed hydrograph, and comparison of the simulated
and observed accumulated runoff. The numerical performance measures
include the overall water balance error (i.e. the difference between the
average simulated and observed runoff), and a measure of the overall
shape of the hydrograph based on the coefficient of determination or
Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (/11/)
(19.17)
where Q
sim,i
is the simulated discharge at time i, Q
obs,i
is the corresponding
observed discharge, and is the average observed discharge. A perfect
match corresponds to R
2
= 1.
R
2
1
Q
obs i ,
Q
sim i ,
| |
2
i 1 =
N

Q
obs i ,
Q
obs
| |
2
i 1 =
N

-------------------------------------------------- =
Q
obs
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
234 MIKE BASIN
An exact agreement between simulations and observations must, however,
not be expected. The goodness-of-fit of the calibrated model is affected by
different error sources, including
1 Errors in meteorological input data
2 Errors in recorded observations
3 Errors and simplifications inherent in the model structure
4 Errors due to the use of non-optimal parameter values
In model calibration only error source (4) should be minimised. In this
respect it is important to distinguish between the different error sources
since calibration of model parameters may compensate for errors in data
and model structure. For catchments with a low quantity or quality of data,
less accurate calibration results may have to be accepted.
Satisfactory calibrations over a full range of flows usually require continu-
ous observations of runoff for a period of 3-5 years. Runoff series of a
shorter duration, however, will also be useful for calibration, although
they do not ensure an efficient calibration of the model. For a proper eval-
uation of the reliability and hydrological soundness of the calibrated
model it is recommended to validate the model on data not used for model
calibration (split-sample test). Some general aspects related to calibration
and validation of hydrological models are described in Refsgaard and
Storm (1996), /15/.
19.9.2 Manual calibration
The process of model calibration is normally done either manually or by
using computer-based automatic procedures. In this section a manual cali-
bration strategy for the NAM model is outlined. Application of an auto-
matic optimisation routine for calibration of the basic NAM model is
described in the subsequent section.
In manual calibration, a trial-and-error parameter adjustment is made until
satisfactory results are obtained. It is recommended, especially for the less
experienced users, to change only one parameter between each trial, so
that the effect of the change can be easily discerned. The manual calibra-
tion strategy outlined below is based on the different rainfall-runoff proc-
ess descriptions for calibration of the relevant model parameters, i.e. the
parameters that mostly affect the considered process description (see also
Section 19.7 Model parameters (p. 225)).
A calibration usually commences by adjusting the water balance in the
system. The total evapotranspiration over a certain period should corre-
spond to the accumulated net precipitation minus runoff. The evapotran-
References
235
spiration will increase when increasing the maximum water contents in
the surface storage U
max
and the root zone storage L
max
, and vice versa.
The peak runoff events are caused by large quantities of overland flow.
The peak volume can be adjusted by changing the overland flow runoff
coefficient (CQOF), whereas the shape of the peak depends on the time
constant used in the runoff routing (CK
12
).
The amount of base flow is affected by the other runoff components; a
decrease in overland flow or interflow will result in a higher baseflow, and
vice versa. The shape of the baseflow recession is a function of the base-
flow time constant (CKBF). If the baseflow recession changes to a slower
recession after a certain time, a lower groundwater reservoir should be
added, including calibration of CQ
low
and CK
low
.
Initially, the root zone threshold values TOF, TIF and TG can be set to
zero. After a first round of calibration of the parameters U
max
, L
max
,
CQOF, CK
12
and CKBF, the threshold parameters can be adjusted for fur-
ther refinement of the simulation results.
For individual calibration of the groundwater parameters GWL
BF0
and S
Y
,
the simulated groundwater level is compared to observed groundwater
levels. Inclusion of the shallow groundwater reservoir description is
important in lowland areas, as found e.g. in swamps or river delta areas,
where the groundwater table may reach the ground surface during the wet
season.
The snow module parameters are calibrated against periods with snow-
melt runoff.
19.10 References
/2/ Abbott, M.B. and J.C. Refsgaard (eds) (1996), Distributed Hydro-
logical Modelling, Kluwer Academic Press, The Netherlands, 321
p.
/3/ Brakensiek, D.L. (1979), Comments on 'Empirical Equations for
some soil Hydraulic Properties' by Roger B. Clapp and George M.
Hornberger, Water Resources Research, 15 (4), 989-990.
/4/ Brakensiek, D.L., Engleman, R.L. and Rawls, W.J. (1981), Varia-
tion within texture classes of soil water parameters, Trans. ASAE,
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
236 MIKE BASIN
24, 335-339.
/5/ Cosby, B.J., Hornberger, G.M., Clapp, R.B. and Ginn, T.R. (1984),
A statistical exploration of the relationships of soil moisture charac-
teristics to the physical properties of soils, Water Resources
Research, 20 (6), 682-690.
/6/ Doorenbos, J. and W.O. Pruitt (1977), Guidelines for Predicting
Crop Water Requirements. FAO Irrigation and Drainage paper No.
24. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.
/7/ Duan, Q., Sorooshian, S., Gupta, V. (1992), Effective and efficient
global optimization for conceptual rainfall-runoff models, Water
Resources Research, 28(4), 1015-1031.
/8/ Li, R.-M., Stevens, M.A. and Simons, D.B. (1976), Solutions to
Green-Ampt infiltration equations, J. Irrig. and Drain. Div., Amer.
Soc. Civil. Eng., 102 (IR2), 239-248.
/9/ Madsen, H. (1999), Automatic calibration of a conceptual rainfall-
runoff model using multiple objectives, Journal of Hydrology, Sub-
mitted.
/10/ McCuen, R.H., Rawls, W.J. and Brakensiek, D.L. (1981), Statistical
analysis of the Brooks-Corey and Green-Ampt parameters across
soil textures, Water Resources Research, 17, 1005-1013.
/11/ Nash, I.E. and Sutcliffe, I.V. (1970), River flow forecasting through
conceptual models, Part I, Journal of Hydrology, 10, 282-290.
/12/ Nielsen, S.A. and E. Hansen (1973), Numerical simulation of the
rainfall runoff process on a daily basis, Nordic Hydrology, 4, 171-
190.
/13/ Rawls, W.J., Brakensiek, D.L. and Saxton, K.E. (1982), Estimation
of soil water properties, Transactions of the ASAE, 25, 1316-1320.
/14/ Refsgaard, J.C. and J. Knudsen (1997), Operational validation and
intercomparison of different types of hydrological models. Water
Resources Research, 32(7), 2189-2202.
/15/ Refsgaard, J.C. and Storm, B. (1996), Construction, calibration and
validation of hydrological models, In: Distributed Hydrological
modelling (eds. M.B. Abbott and J.C. Refsgaard), Kluwer Aca-
References
237
demic Press, The Netherlands, 41-54.
/16/ Rijtema, P.E. (1969), Soil moisture forecasting, Nota 513, Instituut
voor Cultuurtechniek en Waterhuishouding, Wageningen, The
Netherlands.
/17/ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1956), Snow hydrology: Summary
report on snow investigations.
NAM Rainfall-Runoff Technical Reference
238 MIKE BASIN
239
I N T E R F A C E P R O G R A M M I N G G U I D E
240 MIKE BASIN
Overview of interfaces and enumerations
Interface Programming Guide 241
20 FOR VISUAL BASIC MACRO PROGRAMMING
20.1 Overview of interfaces and enumerations
There are two interfaces, or objects, that the MIKE BASIN engine pro-
vides, namely
1 DHI_MikeBasin_Engine.Engine
2 DHI_MikeBasin_Engine.ModelObject.
The Engine is the core object that contains the entire model setup and sim-
ulation information. The model setup itself is composed of ModelObjects.
ModelObjects can be physical features or network elements, such as
nodes, reaches, and catchments. Additional types of ModelObjects are
logical or computational entities, such as allocation rules and water quality
models.
Note the difference in architecture to what you may be used to from work-
ing just with the ArcGIS user interface. In ArcGIS, you have features, and
each feature (or network element) has a property dialog. In these dialogs,
also rules and water quality parameter sets (models) applicable for the fea-
ture can be defined. Under the hood, however, rules and water quality
models are separate entities. Relationships define the link between fea-
tures and logical entities. The ModelObject interface also provides meth-
ods to return the rules applicable for a feature-type ModelObject.
Both MIKE BASIN interfaces contain methods that refer to some enumer-
ations that are defined in the DHI Mike Basin Data Access Component
(DHI.MikeBasin.Data.tlb).
20.2 Some tips and tricks
The following is mostly intended for those not so familiar with Visual
Basic. There is full help available for Visual Basic from its Editor, but
most users will find they can get started with MIKE BASIN programming
with just a little bit of assistance and a few tips and tricks.
20.2.1 Call by reference
Several methods use arguments passed "by reference" ("out" in C#). These
are methods that have, loosely speaking, more than one return value.
Technically, a method can only have one return value, though. In Visual
For Visual Basic macro programming
242 MIKE BASIN
Basic, arguments passed by reference have to be declared in their proper
type. An example for a call by reference is
Dim CurrTimeStep As Date
Dim CurrTimeStepLength As Double
engine.GetCurrTimeStepInfo CurrTimeStep, CurrTimeStepLength
Assuming "engine" is a DHI_MikeBasin_Engine.Engine variable, this call
"fills in" the requested values into the two arguments. Arguments passed
by reference are denoted ByRef in the documentation below. Accordingly,
the syntax used to document the method in the example is
GetCurrTimeStepInfo ByRef Date CurrTimeStep, ByRef Double Curr-
TimeStepLength
20.2.2 Call by value
Most commonly, arguments are passed to a method only "for informa-
tion", not to be "filled in" by the method. Visual Basic, however, by
default passes arguments by reference. Therefore, arguments not marked
ByRef, explicity ensures that your arguments are not going to be changed
in the method. An example of a call by value is
Dim CurrTimeStep
CurrTimeStep = #12/15/1981#
engine.SimulateTimeStep CurrTimeStep
Again assuming "engine" is an DHI_MikeBasin_Engine.Engine variable,
CurrTimeStep will still be December 15, 1981 after the call to Simulate-
TimeStep. Accordingly, the syntax used to document the method in the
example is
SimulateTimeStep Date SomeDate
20.2.3 Properties
Properties are "shorthand" methods with one argument or return value,
respectively. A property can be set, get (read-only), or both. An example
for properties is
engine.Silent = True ' set property
Dim bSilent As Boolean
Some tips and tricks
Interface Programming Guide 243
bSilent = engine.Silent ' get property
The syntax used to document the property in the example is
Boolean Silent [get; set]
20.2.4 Option Explicit
In Visual Basic by default, variables do not have to be declared at all, so it
is legal to write, e.g.,
Dim CurrTimeStep
CurrTimeStep = #12/15/1981#
engine.SimulateTimeStep CurrTimeSteps
This code looks very much like the above example, but note the small
spelling mistake in the argument. Such mistakes are actually rather com-
mon, and often difficult to find. The above code would execute, but with
CurrTimeSteps still having its default value, 0, thus causing an error.
To avoid inadvertent behavior, you should place the single line
Option Explicit
on the very top of your macro. With this option, Visual Basic will not
allow non-declared variables, and in the above example, warn you that
CurrTimeSteps is not declared.
20.2.5 Static vs dim
Almost always, you will want to declare your variables using the Dim key-
word, as in the examples above. Variables declared in this way persist only
for the lifetime of the macro, i.e., until the code comes to an Exit Sub or
End Sub (or Function) statement. In situations, however, where you want a
macro to run many simulations, you can save time by declaring the MIKE
BASIN engine as a static variable. Static variables persist as long as the
calling application (ArcMap or Excel) is open. A typical example is opti-
mization using Solver in Excel, working on a function like
Public Function MikeBasinEval(SomeVariableToBeOptimized)
Static engine As DHI_MikeBasin_Engine.Engine specified
For Visual Basic macro programming
244 MIKE BASIN
If engine Is Nothing Then ' first-time call only
Set engine = new DHI_MikeBasin_Engine.Engine
engine.Initialize "c:\example", "ProjectData.mdb"
End If
' code to set some inputs for engine
engine.Simulate
' code to retrieve some results from engine
End Function
The first time the above function is called, all variables, also static ones,
are uninitialized (0 or "Nothing"). The if statement detects that the MIKE
BASIN engine variable is created and the setup is initialized (see details
on that method below). Any subsequent time the function is called, engine
is no longer nothing, and the time-consuming call to Initialize can be
skipped.
20.2.6 Daisy-chaining vs temporary variables
For many common tasks, you may need to call more than one method. For
example, a very common pattern is to have created a
DHI_MikeBasin_Engine.Engine variable, then request a ModelObject
from it, and finally retrieve a result for that ModelObject. The "daisy-
chaining" code for this task is:
result = engine.GetModelObject("N1").GetAverageResult("Net flow to
node", #12/15/1981#, #1/1/1982#)
The alternative is to create a temporary variable to hold the result of the
first method:
Dim feature As DHI_MikeBasin_Engine.ModelObject
Set feature = engine.GetModelObject("N1")
result = feature.GetAverageResult("Net flow to node", #12/15/1981#,
#1/1/1982#)
Daisy-chaining keeps the code shorter, but is more difficult to debug and
often also slower. Whenever you want to call multiple methods for the fea-
DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine interface methods
Interface Programming Guide 245
ture above, it is much faster to only "get" it only once and then store the
result for subsequent calls.
20.3 DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine interface methods
In the following sections, the most commonly used methods are outlined.
20.3.1 Initialize
Initialize String WorkDir, String DatabaseName
This method initializes the MIKE BASIN engine. That is, it establishes
the model set-up as created in the user interface. Basically, the principle
with using macros for MIKE BASIN is to first create a setup in the regular
user interface, run a "base" simulation, and then do any modifications in
the macro. Accordingly, this method must be called before any simulation.
The argument WorkDir is the working directory for the simulation, which
is the directory that also contains the mxd document. It also contains the
MSAccess database indicated by the argument DatabaseName.
20.3.2 Simulate
Simulate
Runs the entire simulation for the same time period as specified in the user
interface.
20.3.3 Optimize
Boolean Optimize OptimizationModes Mode
This method performs an optimization as defined in the user interface. The
Mode argument indicates the desired behavior on iteration errors (ignore,
warn, stop). The returned value is true if the optimization converged, pos-
sibly at any variables' bound.
20.3.4 RunAll
Boolean RunAll String WorkDir, String DatabaseName, Boolean Silent,
Boolean RegTest
This is a single method that "does it all". In essence, it is a combination of
Initialize and Simulate or Optimize (whichever of the last two is relevant).
For details on the first two arguments, see Initialize (p. 245). The argu-
ment Silent can be set to true to suppress any dialogs. The argument
For Visual Basic macro programming
246 MIKE BASIN
RegTest can enable regression tests (not publicly available). The return
value is true if the method has finished successfully, false otherwise.
20.3.5 SimulateTimeStep
SimulateTimeStep Date SomeDate
This method runs a single time step in the simulation, starting at Some-
Date. Stepwise simulation is an alternative to Simulate, giving the possi-
bility to control the simulation. For example, one can connect a user to a
reservoir and change that user's demand dynamically based on several pre-
vious time steps' or the current time step's simulation results for the reser-
voir level. Make sure the first call to SimulateTimeStep is with the proper
start date/time.
SimulateTimeStep is a very flexible method, because the argument Some-
Date does not have to be continuously increasing as in a regular simula-
tion. The options are:
z Date input in the same sequence as it has in a regular simulation or the
Simulate method.
z Date repeated (several iterations for the same time step, the iteration
loop controlled by the Visual Basic macro).
z Date as an earlier time step for which initial conditions were remem-
bered ('hotstart', allowing macro-controlled iterations of sub-periods in
the simulation. For more information, see RememberForHotstart
(p. 246).
20.3.6 AdvanceTimeStep
Date AdvanceTimeStep Boolean obsolete
Because the time stepping for SimulateTimeStep can included repeated
iterations of the same time step, this method is needed to advance the sim-
ulation to the next time step once a user-defined iteration criterion is ful-
filled. The argument is obsolete and retained only for backward
compatibility. The returned value is the next time step's date, as deter-
mined by the sequence in a regular simulation. A value of 0 is returned
when the simulation is finished.
20.3.7 RememberForHotstart
RememberForHotstart Boolean SaveToFile
This method causes the MIKE BASIN engine to remember all state varia-
bles for the current time step T1, such that all initial conditions (e.g., reser-
voir levels, groundwater levels, solute masses, volumes in river branches
Lesser used DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine methods
Interface Programming Guide 247
with routing) are given when the simulation later goes back in time to T1.
RememberForHotstart must be called immediately after Advance-
TimeStep, before any call to SimulateTimeStep for the new time step (as
such a call generally changes the state variables). Set the argument
SaveToFile to true to also save the state to a file.
20.3.8 GetModelObject
ModelObject GetModelObject Variant UserDefNameOrIDNameOrZeroBa-
sedIndex
A MIKE BASIN setup consists for a collection of ModelObjects. That is,
the four types of nodes, reaches, catchments, allocation rules, and water
quality models. GetModelObject retrieves any such object, as described by
either
z its user-defined name, as entered in the "Name" field in feature's prop-
erty dialog, the Water Quality parameter set dialog, or the "Comment"
field of an allocation rule, depending on the type of model object. Note
that such name has to be unique for this method to succeed.
z The short ID also shown in results time series (e.g., "N15" for the river
node with feature ID 15)
z A zero-based index within all ModelObjects in the setup.
The ModelObject interface is documented separately.
20.3.9 GetIthRuleForNode
ModelObject GetIthRuleForNode ModelObject NodeObject, Long iZero-
Based, Boolean bUpstream, Boolean bDownstream
This method returns the i-th rule relevant for NodeObject. That is, a Mod-
elObject that is a node, or 0 if the i-th rule does not exist. The returned rule
is also a ModelObject. Set bUpstream and bDownstream to true to retrieve
only those rules where NodeObject is the upstream and downstream end,
respectively, of a rule. To retrieve all rules for a node, call this method in a
while loop, incrementing iZeroBased until the return value is 0.
20.4 Lesser used DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine methods
The following sections outline other methods available to you, but they
are typically less commonly used.
For Visual Basic macro programming
248 MIKE BASIN
20.4.1 SetSimulationOptions
SetSimulationOptions WqSimulationModes WqMode, Boolean bGroundwa-
ter
This method allows you to override the simulation settings otherwise
defined in the Options dialog in the user interface. To be effective, this
method must be called before Initialize.
The argument WqMode refers to one of three water quality simulation
modes from the Options dialog, either No WQ modeling, WQ modeling
for all solutes, or WQ modeling for all solutes except DO. The argument
bGroundwater refers to the groundwater modeling option in that dialog.
20.4.2 SetSimulationTiming
SetSimulationTiming Date SimStart, Date TimeOfForecast, Date SimEnd,
Double TimeStepInSeconds, Long StochasticPeriodInYears
With this method, the simulation timing can be changed relative to the val-
ues specified in the "Run MIKE BASIN" dialog in the user interface. The
most relevant dates that can be edited are simulation start and end. The
time step must be given in seconds, or -1.0 to indicate monthly time steps.
This method should be called immediately after Initialize, before any call
to Simulate or SimulateTimeStep.
All specs relevant to simulation timing are thus collected in a single multi-
argument method rather than provided as individual properties to set. This
design makes it easier to check the various constraints related to timing.
Individual get-only properties for timing specs are provided, however.
The arguments TimeOfForecast and StochasticPeriodInYears refer to
options not available from the user interface. StochasticPeriodInYears can
be set to 1 in the "Run MIKE BASIN" dialog when checking the "reset
states every year" option. However, intervals other than 1 year are also
possible. The TimeOfForecast argument is related to MIKE BASIN's abil-
ity to perform data assimilation, which is not yet fully documented. Fore-
cast can be disabled by setting TimeOfForecast for 1st Jan 100.
20.4.3 SetInputTimeSeriesValue
SetInputTimeSeriesValue String UserDefNameOrIDName, String
TSFileName, String TSItemName, Date When, Double valueInUserUnits
Changes an input value in a time series associated with a node, reach, or
catchment feature as identified by the argument UserDefNameOrIDName,
which can be
Lesser used DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine methods
Interface Programming Guide 249
1 the user-defined name, as entered in the "Name" field in feature's prop-
erty dialog. Note that such name has to be unique in order for this
method to succeed.
2 The short ID also shown in results time series (e.g., "N15" for the river
node with feature ID 15)
For this feature, it affects the time series specified by its filename (argu-
ment TSFileName), which can be either relative to the WorkingDirectory
(recommended for portability of macro code) or absolute. For this time
series, it affects the entry for in the column with name equal to the argu-
ment TSItemName. In that column, the value at time When is set to valueI-
nUserUnits.
SetInputTimeSeriesValue is maintained mostly for backward compatibil-
ity with pre-2005 versions of MIKE BASIN macros. Accordingly, this
method will also scan the time series for all rules associated with a node if
UserDefNameOrIDName referes to a node. Currently, rules are ModelOb-
jects in their own right, and can be retrieved using GetModelObject.
SetInputTimeSeriesValue is not as fast as its newer alternatives (see the
code generated with the Macro Assistant), but it is a shorthand method
that "does it all" in a single line of code. Also, it only applies to time series
that are stored as remote files, and not locally in the input database itself.
20.4.4 GetCurrTimeStepInfo
GetCurrTimeStepInfo ByRef Date CurrTimeStep, ByRef Double Curr-
TimeStepLength
Get information on the current time step, both start time and length (in
seconds). This method can be useful when running a simulation time step
by time step, i.e., using AdvanceTimeStep. That method returns the next
time steps start, but not its length. If you require that latter information,
use GetCurrTimeStepInfo.
20.4.5 ShowStatus
ShowStatus
This method is for reference only. It shows the working directory and
database specified in Initialize and whether or not the MIKE BASIN
engine is ready to run simulations.
20.4.6 ShowAnyWarnings
ShowAnyWarnings
For Visual Basic macro programming
250 MIKE BASIN
Shows the list of warnings for the above simulation (if any). Unlike errors,
warnings do not cause exceptions that stop the macro, but contain useful
information on inputs that probably are incorrect.
20.4.7 FinishSimulation
FinishSimulation Boolean ForceWrite
This method need generally not be called explicitly. It writes out the
results time series and makes any feature - time series associations. Gener-
ally, FinishSimulation is automatically called after the last Advance-
TimeStep, i.e., when a simulation has reached its end time. Only in rare
cases where you may want to override the default behavior can this
method become useful. Furthermore, setting the argument ForceWrite to
true is only relevant when running an optimization, which is an iterative
repeat of many calls to Simulate. Only the final one - with the optimal var-
iables - should write out results.
20.4.8 GetResultsTSObject
TSObject GetResultsTSObject
All results from a simulation a stored in a (big) in-memory object, which
can be retrieved with this method. The returned object is of type TSOb-
ject, DHI's TimeSeries COM object. Many methods and interface are
defined for TSObject; you can see the full documentation under
www.mikeobject.com. This method is mainly for advanced users.
20.4.9 GetTemplateModelObject
ModelObject GetTemplateModelObject ObjectTypes objType
Return a "typical" instance of a type of model object. This method is
mainly relevant if you want to see the results and inputs relevant for any
ModelObject of a particular type. This method can be called before Initial-
ize, but after any call to SetSimulationOptions.
20.4.10 PreInitialize
PreInitialize
Not implemented yet.
20.4.11 Initialize2
Initialize2
Not implemented yet.
Lesser used DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine methods
Interface Programming Guide 251
20.4.12 Engine
Engine(Boolean bOpenMI)
.Net interface only. Alternative constructor used by the OpenMI wrapper
for MIKE BASIN.
20.4.13 FindModelObject
ModelObject FindModelObject(ObjectTypes objType, Int32 withinTypeOb-
jectID)
.Net interface only.
This method is an alternative to GetModelObject. Get a reference to a Mod-
elObject, found by its type and primary key value in its attributes table.
Should be called after Initialize.
20.4.14 GetRulesForNode
ModelObject [ ] GetRulesForNode(ModelObject NodeObject, Boolean bUp-
stream, Boolean bDownstream
.Net interface only.
This method is an alternative to GetIthRuleForNode. It returns an array of
all rules for a node rather than the i-th one. Returning arrays is not possi-
ble in the COM interface.
20.4.15 RestoreFromHotstartFile
DateTime RestoreFromHotstartFile(DateTime DesiredTime, String Hot-
StartSubDirectory, Boolean bExactTime)
.Net interface only.
Read all states (ie, initial conditions) from hotstart file, as generated by a
call to RememberForHotstart with argument True, when the simulation
was at DesiredTime. The argument HotStartSubDirectory indicates on
optional subdirectory of the WorkingDirectory to search for hotstart files in.
Leave this argument empty if you haven't moved hotstart files after a call
to RememberForHotstart. If no hotstart file is available for DesiredTime,
the argument bExactTime becomes relevant. If it is set to false, the method
will try to use the closest hotstart file instead, otherwise it will fail. The
return value is the date for which the hotstart file is valid, 0 if none.
After this method, you can can call Simulate() or SimulateTimeStep().
Internally in the MIKE BASIN engine, the current time step is not
changed by a call to RestoreFromHotstartFile.
For Visual Basic macro programming
252 MIKE BASIN
20.5 DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine interface properties
20.5.1 Initialized
Boolean Initialized [get]
Indicates whether Initialize has finished successfully.
20.5.2 WorkingDirectory
String WorkingDirectory [get; set]
The directory where the results time series is to be saved. Also any optimi-
zation log and hotstart files are stored in this directory.
20.5.3 WriteOutput
Boolean WriteOutput [set]
Determines whether simulation results should be written to a file.
20.5.4 NumberOfNetworkElements
Long NumberOfNetworkElements [get]
Returns the total number of features (nodes, reaches, and catchments) in a
model setup.
20.5.5 NumberOfObjects
Long NumberOfObjects [get]
Returns the total number of ModelObjects in a setup. Besides features and
network elements, this number also includes allocation rules and water
quality models.
20.5.6 SimulationStart
DATE SimulationStart [get]
The start of the simulation as specified in the user interface. See also Set-
SimulationTiming (p. 248).
20.5.7 SimulationEnd
DATE SimulationEnd [get]
The end of the simulation as specified in the user interface. See also Set-
SimulationTiming (p. 248).
DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.Engine interface properties
Interface Programming Guide 253
20.5.8 TimeOfForecast
DATE TimeOfForecast [get]
The time of forecast up to which simulated values can be corrected by
observations, and beyond which the error model can estimate corrections.
This functionality is not yet accessible from the user interface. See also
SetSimulationTiming (p. 248).
20.5.9 TimeStep
Double TimeStep [get]
The simulation time step as specified in the user interface, -1.0 for
monthly. See also SetSimulationTiming (p. 248).
20.5.10 StochasticPeriod
Long StochasticPeriod [get]
The interval for resetting states (in years). The user interface only allows
this value to be set to 1. See also SetSimulationTiming (p. 248).
20.5.11 NumberOfTimeSteps
Long NumberOfTimeSteps [get]
The number of time steps in the simulation, as follows from Simulation-
Start, SimulationEnd, and TimeStep. This number is first computed in the
first time step, i.e., is not available until after the first call to Simulate-
TimeStep or Simulate.
20.5.12 Silent
Boolean Silent [get; set]
Indicates whether any dialogs should be displayed.
20.5.13 OptimizationMode
OptimizationModes OptimizationMode [get]
Determines the behavior when errors occur during any of the iterative
simulations executed internally by the Optimize method (see also there).
20.5.14 SimulationDescription
String SimulationDescription [get; set]
For Visual Basic macro programming
254 MIKE BASIN
The simulation description as specified in the user interface, "Run MIKE
BASIN" dialog. The description determines the name of the results output.
If you want to set this property, you must do so before calling Initialize.
20.6 DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.ModelObject interface methods
The following sections outline the most commonly used interface methods
for DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.ModelObject.
Note: You cannot create a new instance of a ModelObject. Instances can
only be returned from the Engine interface, methods GetModelObject or
FindModelObject (.Net interface only).
20.6.1 GetBasicInfo
GetBasicInfo ByRef Long ObjectTypeAsInt, ByRef Long ObjectID, ByRef
String UserDefName
Returns information common to all ModelObjects. ObjectTypeAsInt is the
index in the enumeration ObjectTypes (0 = RiverNode, etc). This method
avoids using the enumeration itself in order to be generic. ObjectID is the
primary key value in the attribute table for the object, which is the field
DHI_ID. Note that every ModelObject has a DHI_ID, not just features. User-
DefName is the name, as entered in the "Name" field in feature's property
dialog, the Water Quality parameter set dialog, or the "Comment" field of
an allocation rule, depending on the type of model object.
20.6.2 FindResultIndex
Long FindResultIndex String Name
Simulation results are generated for every ModelObject that is a feature or
network element. FindResultIndex returns the index (zero-based) within
all result items available for a ModelObject. This index can be stored in a
local variable and used repeatedly to access results in a fast manner.
For example, all nodes have a result time series item "Net flow to node".
Furthermore, in the output, the item name is prepended an ID letter and
the feature ID for easier identification, eg., "N15|Net flow to node". This
method should be called without the prepended part, i.e., with "Net flow to
node" alone.
20.6.3 GetCurrentResult
Double GetCurrentResult Variant NameOrZeroBasedIndex
DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.ModelObject interface methods
Interface Programming Guide 255
Get the current (this iteration's or time step's) value of a results item for
the ModelObject, which must be a feature / network element. Thus, Get-
CurrentResult is relevant only when the macro takes control of the simula-
tion time loop by using SimulateTimeStep or AdvanceTimeStep on the
engine. The return value is in user units, which are the units also shown in
the results time series (not necessarily SI).
GetCurrentValue is very useful when modeling feedback, e.g., the sensi-
tivity of water demand to availability. Given the "Relative deficit" current
result, you could use SetInput to manipute the "Water demand" input time
series, then run the current time step again until some convergence crite-
rion you define is attained, and finally call AdvanceTimeStep.
The argument NameOrZeroBasedIndex can be a string (as used in Find-
ResultIndex) or a long (as would be returned by FindResultIndex). Using
the long is faster.
20.6.4 GetAverageResult
Double GetAverageResult Variant NameOrZeroBasedIndex, Date Start-
Time, Date EndTime
Get any period's (reasonably ending before the current time in the simula-
tion) time-weighted average value of a results item. The value is in user
units (not necessarily SI). The argument NameOrZeroBasedIndex can be a
string (as used in FindResultIndex) or a long (as would be returned by Fin-
dResultIndex). Using the long is faster. The arguments StartTime and End-
Time delimit the period of interest.
20.6.5 FindInputIndex
Long FindInputIndex String DatabaseFieldName, String TSGroupItem-
Name
This method is similar to FindResultIndex, but for inputs. Inputs are more
complex than results, because they can be not only time series, but also
lookup tables and parameters. You will generally not write code that calls
this method, but have the Macro Assistant generate it for you, or use Get-
InputSpecs to retrieve the database location details. There is also an option
in the Macro Assistant to show the database location specs (the two argu-
ments to this method) as tooltips when you move the mouse over the cor-
responding tree view node.
The argument DatabaseFieldName indicates the field in the attribute table
where an input is set. The argument TSGroupItemName indicates the time
series item name (if any) within a time series input group. The return value
is the zero-based index found.
For Visual Basic macro programming
256 MIKE BASIN
20.6.6 GetInputSpecs
Boolean GetInputSpecs Long iQuantityZeroBased, ByRef String Database-
FieldName, ByRef String TSGroupItemName, ByRef String DisplayName,
ByRef Long EumUnit, ByRef String QuantityDescription
This method is similar to GetResultSpecs, but for inputs. The return value
is true if a result item with the requested index exists, false otherwise.
Thus you can use a while loop to retrieve information on all inputs for the
ModelObject.
DatabaseFieldName is set to the name of the field in the object's attribute
table that - in a regular simulation - defines the input quantity. If this field
refers to a time series group or XY lookup table, TSGroupItemName is set
to the name of the item within the group. It is set to an empty string if the
input quantity is a parameter. DisplayName and QuantityDescription are set
to a textual descriptions, the latter containing more details. EumUnit is set
to the DHI-internal code for the unit of the input quantity.
20.6.7 GetInputOriginalValue
Double GetInputOriginalValue Long iQuantityZeroBased, Variant Time-
SeriesStartTimeOrTableRow, Variant TimeSeriesEndTime
Return the value of a quantity with index iQuantityZeroBased as it would
be in a regular simulation, i.e. as set during Initialize().The value is in the
same unit as displayed in the user interface. If the quantity is a time series,
you can use pass Date values in the arguments TimeSeriesStartTimeOrTa-
bleRow and TimeSeriesEndTime to retrieve a value for a sub-period only.
If the quantity is a lookup table, you can use pass a Long value in the argu-
ment TimeSeriesStartTimeOrTableRow to indicate the row (zero-based).
GetInputOriginalValue is useful, for example, when wanting to set an input
to a multiple of its otherwise user-defined "base" value, or to find an initial
guess in an optimization.
20.6.8 SetInput
SetInput Long iQuantityZeroBased, Variant TimeSeriesStartTimeOrTable-
Row, Variant TimeSeriesEndTime, Double valueInUserUnits
This is the single method for setting any input to a MIKE BASIN simula-
tion. The index iQuantityZeroBased is the index found with FindInputIndex
or GetInputSpecs. If the quantity is a time series, you can use pass Date
values in the arguments TimeSeriesStartTimeOrTableRow and Time-
SeriesEndTime to manipulate a sub-period only. If the quantity is a lookup
table, you can use pass a Long value in the argument TimeSeriesStart-
Lesser used DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.ModelObject methods
Interface Programming Guide 257
TimeOrTableRow to manipulate a single row (zero-based). The value to be
set is in the same unit as displayed in the user interface.
Note that if the quantity is a time series, only values in existing time steps
can be changed. If the arguments TimeSeriesStartTimeOrTableRow and/or
TimeSeriesEndTime do not match perfectly any existing time step in the
input time series, the closest ones will be used instead. Thus, be aware that
if you would like to use a macro to set daily inputs, you cannot use a
monthly time series in the regular simulation input. Also note that there is
no recycling for SetInput. In other words, while it is generally fine in
MIKE BASIN to specify an input time series for any year (as long as it
covers a whole year), you must call SetInput with the actual year in the
time series.
20.7 Lesser used DHI_MIKEBASIN_Engine.ModelObject
methods
20.7.1 GetExtendedInfo
GetExtendedInfo ByRef ObjectTypes ObjectType, ByRef String UserDef-
Name, ByRef String UserDefCategory, ByRef Long ObjectID, ByRef Long
FeatureID, ByRef RuleTypes RuleType
This is an extended version of GetBasicInfo. The ObjectType is returned as
the (more indicative) enumeration element. ObjectID and UserDefName
are returned as in GetBasicInfo. UserDefCategory is the Category input
available for all features / network elements, but not rules or water quality
models. Also FeatureID is only relevant for features. It is the ID within the
feature class. MIKE BASIN generally divides feature class tables and
attribute tables, with a 1:1 relationship between them. The feature classes
for all nodes is DHI_NodeFeatures, for reaches it is DHI_BranchFeatures,
and for catchments it is DHI_Catchment. RuleType is the type of allocation
rule, relevant only if the ModelObject is a Rule.
20.7.2 GetResultSpecs
Boolean GetResultSpecs Long iItemIndexZeroBased, ByRef String Item-
Name, ByRef Long EumDataType, ByRef Long EumUnit
In a way, this is the inverse of FindResultIndex, in as much that for a given
index, the result item name is returned. Also returned are DHI-internal IDs
for the data type and unit, respectively. The return value is true if there
exists a results item with the requested index, false otherwise. Thus you
can use a while loop to retrieve information on all results for the ModelOb-
ject.
For Visual Basic macro programming
258 MIKE BASIN
20.7.3 GetDayResult
Double GetDayResult Variant NameOrZeroBasedIndex, Date StartTime
This method is mainly maintained for backward compatibility. It returns
the same result as GetAverageResult with EndTime = StartTime + 1 day.
20.7.4 GetMonthResult
Double GetMonthResult Variant NameOrZeroBasedIndex, Date StartTime
This method is mainly maintained for backward compatibility. It returns
the same result as GetAverageResult with EndTime = StartTime + 1
month.
20.7.5 GetInputTSObject
TSObject GetInputTSObject Long iQuantityZeroBased
If the input quantity with index iQuantityZeroBased is a time series, this
method returns the reference to the in-memory object that holds both data
and supplies many advanced methods for their manipulation. Most users
will not find a need to access a TSObject directly, but documentation on it
can be found on www.mikeobjects.com.
20.7.6 GetOverwriteableVariableSpecs
Boolean GetOverwritableVariableSpecs
Not implemented yet.
20.7.7 OverwriteVariableInComingTimeStep
OverwriteVariableInComingTimeStep
Not implemented yet.
20.8 DHI_MikeBasin_Data enumerations
The following enumerations also used in the engine are defined in the
"DHI Mike Basin Data Access Component" (DHI.MikeBasin.Data.tlb/dll)
20.8.1 ObjectTypes
The types of entities in a MIKE BASIN model: {RiverNode, WaterUser-
Node, HydroPowerNode, ReservoirNode, Reach, Catchment, Rule, Exter-
nalUpdater, WQModel, InvalidObject}.
DHI_MikeBasin_Data enumerations
Interface Programming Guide 259
The first six members of the enumeration are also features in the map,
whereas the remaining are logical entities. ExternalUpdater refers to an
entity that is not yet fully implemented. InvalidObject is returned when a
method cannot determine the proper value.
20.8.2 WqSimulationModes
The types of water quality simulation options in MIKE BASIN: {NoWq,
AllSolutes, AllSolutesExceptDO}.
20.8.3 OptimizationModes
The options for how to handle errors in each of the iterative simulations
executed in an optimization. One of {NoOptimization, IgnoreIterationErr-
ors, ReportIterationErrors, QuitOnIterationErrors, ReportIterationError-
sAndWarnings}. IgnoreIterationErrors is the most robust option.
ReportIterationErrorsAndWarnings is not available from the user inter-
face.
20.8.4 RuleTypes
There are about 20 different types of allocation rules, e.g.
Supply_Demand, Supply_ManagedDemand, or Call_Demand. Detailed
documentation of those is beyond the scope of this document, and the enu-
meration is used in only one minor method.
For Visual Basic macro programming
260 MIKE BASIN
Tables
Interface Programming Guide 261
21 MIKE BASIN DATA MODEL
The following information is provided for advanced users or developers
who might want to understand the inner workings of MIKE BASIN, or
who might want to build database applications on top of MIKE BASIN.
21.1 Tables
The MIKE BASIN (MB) network contains 6 types of objects. Their data
are generally stored in a Feature Class table and a 1:1-related attribute
table. The details can be seen in Table 21.1.
Notes
z River nodes and reservoirs can be the outlet of a catchment, in which
case they display in a different color on the map.
z As can be seen, all node types have a common feature class. This
means that the FeatureID is unique across all DHI_MbXXXNodes
tables.
z The DHI_ICMParameterSets attributes are only used when modeling
groundwater. For most simulations, all attributes are in
DHI_Catchment. This is so because DHI_Catchment is also used by
the NAM rainfall-runoff model.
z The table DHI_WQSurfaceWaterParameterSets contains numerical
parameters for water quality simulations.
z The table DHI_MbSimulation contains the execution settings. It must
have exactly 1 row.
z The table DHI_MbAllocationRules contains operation and allocation
logic.
Table 21.1
Network Object Feature Class Attribute Table
River Node DHI_NodeFeatures DHI_MbRiverNodes
Hydropower Node DHI_MbHydroPowerNodes
Water User Node DHI_MbWaterUserNodes
Reservoir Node DHI_MbReservoirNodes
Reach DHI_BranchFeatures DHI_MbReaches
Catchment DHI_Catchment DHI_ICMParameterSets
MIKE BASIN data model
262 MIKE BASIN
21.2 Relationships
MIKE BASIN uses the ArcObjects-manipulated primary key OBJECTID
only in a single relationship, for a feature class. MIKE BASINs own rela-
tionships use DHI_ID as the primary key.
The relationships between Feature Class and attribute table are:
[FeatureClass].OBJECTID <--- (1 : 1)--> [Attribute table].FeatureID
Note that the relationship class NodesHasCatchments that is part of MB's
template database is no longer used.
The [Attribute table].OBJECTID key is not used in any relationship.
There are a few relationships using DHI_ID:
[DHI_MbReaches]. WQParameterSet <- (n:1)->
[DHI_WQSurfaceWaterParameterSets].DHI_ID
[DHI_MbReservoirs]. WQParameterSet <-(n:1)->
[DHI_WQSurfaceWaterParameterSets].DHI_ID
For time series associations, handled by the Time Series Manager
[FeatureClass].DHI_ID <--- (0..1 : n)--> [DHI_Sensor].FeatureID
In MIKE BASINs data access layer, there is a component called IDMan-
ager that ascertains that DHI_ID is unique in every table that uses it. It
does so by storing the highest DHI_ID in every table in the meta table
DHI_IDManager. So when adding a row to any such table, the IDManager
should be called to increment that number. Although in general the idea is
to only let the IDManager manipulate "its" table DHI_IDManager, an
import procedure should probably access it directly.
21.3 Topology
In the ArcMap user interface, MIKE BASIN uses a geometric network.
The DHI_BranchFeatures and DHI_NodeFeatures feature classes partici-
pate in the geometric network. A geometric network consists of line fea-
tures (called "edges") and node features (called "joints") and a set of
system tables which keeps track of how these features are connected. The
system tables are maintained by ArcObjects and are not directly accessi-
ble. In addition, the geometric network will automatically recalculate the
Topology
Interface Programming Guide 263
topology dynamically as the network is edited and new nodes and
branches are added or removed.
Because we want to be able to run simulations without the user interface,
i.e., without an ESRI license, the network topology is also stored in the
attribute tables. During an edit session in ArcMap, our network editor
extension always keeps the relevant relationships in synch. All network
topology can be described based on the IDs of the nodes alone, and here it
becomes important that FeatureID is unqiue across all node types'
attributes tables! The relationships are:
[Node Attribute table].FeatureID <--- (1 : 0..n)-->
[DHI_MbReaches].UpstreamNode
[Node Attribute table].FeatureID <--- (1 : 0..n)--> [DHI_MbReaches].Down-
streamNode
[Node Attribute table].FeatureID <--- (1 : 0..n)--> [DHI_Catchment].OutletN-
ode
[Node Attribute table].FeatureID <--- (1 : 0..1)--> [DHI_Catchment].Upper-
Node
In other words, and with details on restrictions:
z A river or reservoir node can have any number of downstream nodes,
of which only at most one may be a river or reservoir node. A special
case is a river's natural bifurcation, which is represented by a river
node with exactly two downstream river nodes.
z A hydropower node must have exactly one downstream node, either a
river node or a reservoir node.
z A reservoir node can have at most one hydropower node downstream.
z A water user node can have any number of river nodes, reservoir
nodes, or water user nodes downstream and upstream.
z A node can have any number of upstream nodes. A hydropower node,
however, must have exactly one upstream node that is a reservoir node.
z A node can be the outlet of any number of catchments.
z A reach has exactly one downstream node and one upstream node.
z A catchment has exactly one outlet node, and possibly one upper node.
The upper node of a catchment can be any node inside the catchment
upstream of the outlet (strictly, the upper node is only needed for water
quality calculations).
MIKE BASIN data model
264 MIKE BASIN
A "logical topology" exists for the allocation and operation rules, as those
define the flow rules between two nodes (upstream/downstream) or at one
node (by convention, the downstream node). The relationships are:
[Node Attribute table].FeatureID <--- (0..1 : 0..n)-->
[DHI_MbAllocationRules].UpstreamNode
[Node Attribute table].FeatureID <--- (1 : 0..n)--> [DHI_ MbAllocationRu-
les].DownstreamNode
21.4 Physical Values (Units)
Many tables contain numbers that represent physical quantities that as
such have a unit. Such number fields are characterized by being of type
double. MIKE BASIN has a component called DatabaseManager that uses
a meta table to store units for every field of type double in every table.
This table, DHI__MetaDoubles, also contains data type, default values,
and any bounds for a valid range.
DHI has an Engineering Unit Management dll (eum.dll) in which units
and data types are represented by numerical ID's. The fields eumUnit,
DefaultUnitSI, and DefaultUnitUS in DHI__MetaDoubles contain such
ID's. For legibility only, the fields eumUnitSIAsString and eumUni-
tUSAsString contain the string representation of the ID's.
When a MIKE BASIN project is created, the DHI__MetaDoubles table is
automatically copied from a template database to the new project data-
base. It is thus possible also for an "empty" database to see what units to
assume for fields in attribute tables that hold physical quantities.
21.5 Time series and XY-type lookup tables
Many fields in the MIKE BASIN attribute tables refer to time series or
lookup tables. Technically, DHI's TSObject underlies both proper time
series and lookup tables (the latter are represented as a "time series" with
an "x" instead of a time axis). For this reason, but maybe somewhat con-
fusing, also lookup tables are treated as time series in the DHI data model.
Some details on the DHI time series data model are helpful in understand-
ing its use in the MIKE BASIN data model. The data model defines a time
series as a pair of a time (or "x") column and a single column of values. A
time series group is defined as a collection of any number of time series. A
time series can be a member of at most one group. Time series may be
Time series and XY-type lookup tables
Interface Programming Guide 265
stored locally in the database, or remotely, eg as files. The dfs file format
mostly used by DHI supports multiple value columns for a single time col-
umn. In the data model, files are usually represented as time series groups.
However, conversely, a group need not be stored as a single file! Also, it is
possible to have lookup tables with more than one "y" column, e.g, the
level-area-volume table in MIKE BASIN.
Fields in the attribute tables ending with "TS" refer to time series, and
fields ending with "Table" refer to lookup tables. Such fields are of type
integer, which indicates their group ID in the DHI time series data model,
i.e., DHI_TimeSeriesGroups.DHI_ID, as related to
DHI_TimeSeries.GroupID.
To be valid simulation input, time series groups must contain particular
items. For example, the field DHI_Catchment.TotalRunoffTS must indi-
cate a group that contains an item of type discharge or specific runoff (data
types are also as defined by DHI's Engineering Unit Management dll).
The MIKE BASIN data access component provides valid group defini-
tions through static methods.
MIKE BASIN data model
266 MIKE BASIN
267
I N D E X
Index
268 MIKE BASIN
A
Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
ArcGIS extension . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
B
Backwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Bifurcation Node Dialog . . . . . . . . 63
C
Catchment Dialog, General . . . . . . 71
Catchment Dialog, WQ in Groundwater
77
Crop Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Crop Yield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
D
Dead Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . 90, 92
Decay Rates Editor . . . . . . . . . 190
Delineating catchments . . . . . . . . 67
Dual crop coefficient model (FAO56) .
124
E
Engine efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . 110
EUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
F
F1 key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
FAO 33 Yield Model . . . . . . . . . 126
FAO 56 Climate model . . . . . . . 121
FAO 56 Irrigation Model . . . . . . . 123
FAO 56 Soil Water Model . . . . . . 123
FAO56 Reference ET . . . . . . . . 121
Flood Control level . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Flood Control Zone . . . . . . . . . . 93
Flow capacity time series . . . . . . . 49
Flow losses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
G
Groundwater . . . . . . . . . . . . 72, 84
H
Head Approximation . . . . . . . . . 111
Hydropower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Hydropower Dialog . . . . . . . . . . 109
I
Installed capacity . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Irrigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Irrigation Dialog, Groundwater . . . 120
Irrigation Dialog, Scheme . . . . . . 116
Irrigation Dialog, Surface Water . . 119
L
Linear Reservoir model . . . . . . . . 73
Load Calculator Dialog . . . . . . . . 169
Load Calculator, Distance Decay . . 180
Load Calculator, Domestic Source . 173
Load Calculator, Fertilizer Source . 172
Load Calculator, Livestock Source . 172
Load Calculator, Output . . . . . . . 191
Load Calculator, Point Source . . . 174
Load Calculator, Transport General 179
Load Catchment Properties Editor . 187
Load Reduction Factors Editor . . . 178
Load Source Fluxes Editor . . . . . 177
Load Sources Editor . . . . . . . . . 177
M
Macro Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Maximum release constraint . . . . . 92
MIKE BASIN Result Groups . . . . . . 32
Minimum Flow Rule . . . . . . . . . . 62
Minimum operation level . . . . . . . . 92
Minimum release reqiurement . . . . 92
N
NAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Accumulation and melting of snow .
220
Adjustment of temperature and pre-
cipitation to altitude zones . . . . 223
Altitude-distributed snowmelt model
221
Base temperature (snow/rain) T0 231
Baseflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Baseflow time constant CKBF . . 229
Basic modelling components . . 216
Capilary flux . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Degree-day coefficient Csnow . . 231
Evapotranspiration . . . . . . . . 216
Index
269
Extended groundwater components .
218
Extended snow melt components 225
Groundwater depth for unit capillary
flux GWLFL1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Groundwater recharge . . . . . . 218
Initial conditions . . . . . . . . . . 232
Interflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Interflow and overland flow routing .
217
Lower groundwater storage . . . 219
Lower zone or root zone storage 216
Maximum groundwater depth causing
baseflow GWLBF0 . . . . . . . . 230
Maximum water content in root zone
storage Lmax . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Maximum water content in surface
storage Umax . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Model parameters . . . . . . . . . 225
Model Structure . . . . . . . . . . 214
Overland flow . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Overland flow runoff coefficient
CQOF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Radiation coefficient Crad . . . . 231
Rainfall degree-day coefficient Crain
231
Ratio of groundwater catchment to
topographical catchment area Carea
229
Recharge to lower groundwater stor-
age CQLOW . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Root zone threshold value for ground-
water recharge TG . . . . . . . . 229
Root zone threshold value for interflow
TIF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Root zone threshold value for over-
land flow TOF . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Shallow groundwater reservoir
description . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Snow module . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Soil moisture content . . . . . . . 218
Specific yield SY . . . . . . . . . 230
Structure of the altitude-distributed
snowmelt module . . . . . . . . . 221
Surface storage . . . . . . . . . . 216
Time constant for interflow CKIF . 227
Time constant for routing interflow and
overland flow CK12 . . . . . . . . 227
Time constant for routing lower base-
flow CKlow . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
NAM Elevation Zones . . . . . . . . 204
NAM Ground Water . . . . . . . . . . 202
NAM Initial Conditions . . . . . . . . 205
NAM Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
NAM Snow Melt . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
NAM Surface-Rootzone . . . . 200, 201
New Load Source Dialog . . . . . . . 170
O
Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Optimization Problem Dialog . . . . 149
Options Dialog, Advanced . . . . . . 19
Options Dialog, General . . . . . . . 18
Options Dialog, Symbology . . . . . 19
P
pseudo-DEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
R
Reach Dialog, General . . . . . . . . 48
Reach Dialog, Hydraulics . . . . . . 49
Reach Dialog, Water Quality . . . . . 55
Reservoir Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Reservoir Dialog, General . . . . . . 89
Reservoir Dialog, Operation . . . . . 91
Reservoir Dialog, Spillways . . . . . 104
Reservoir Dialog, Water Quality . . . 107
Result Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Result presentation . . . . . . . . . . 133
Return Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Return flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Return flow rule . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
River Node Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Rule Curves Reservoirs and Lakes . 91
Run NAM Simulation . . . . . . . . . 199
S
Spillways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Surplus capacity Usage . . . . . . . 110
Index
270 MIKE BASIN
Symbology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
T
Tailwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
W
Water Quality . . . . . . . 55, 76, 85, 107
Water Quality Modeling . . . . . . . 159
Water User Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Water User Dialog, Groundwater . . 84
Water User Dialog, Water Quality . . 85