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At least 829 records · Page 46Linked to original sources
USGS2014

A multi-indicator framework for mapping cultural ecosystem services: The case of freshwater recreational fishing

Despite recent interest, ecosystem services are not yet fully incorporated into private and public decisions about natural resource management. Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are among the most challenging of services to include because they comprise complex ecological and social properties and processes that make them difficult to measure, map or monetize. Like others, CES are vulnerable to landscape changes and unsustainable use. To date, the sustainability of services has not been adequately addressed and few studies have considered measures of service capacity and demand simultaneously. To facilitate sustainability assessments and management of CES, our study objectives were to (1) develop a spatially explicit framework for mapping the capacity of ecosystems to provide freshwater recreational fishing, an important cultural service, (2) map societal demand for freshwater recreational fishing based on license data and identify areas of potential overuse, and (3) demonstrate how maps of relative capacity and relative demand could be interfaced to estimate sustainability of a CES. We mapped freshwater recreational fishing capacity at the 12-digit hydrologic unit-scale in North Carolina and Virginia using a multi-indicator service framework incorporating biophysical and social landscape metrics and mapped demand based on fishing license data. Mapping of capacity revealed a gradual decrease in capacity eastward from the mountains to the coastal plain and that fishing demand was greatest in urban areas. When comparing standardized relative measures of capacity and demand for freshwater recreational fishing, we found that ranks of capacity exceeded ranks of demand in most hydrologic units, except in 17% of North Carolina and 5% of Virginia. Our GIS-based approach to view freshwater recreational fishing through an ecosystem service lens will enable scientists and managers to examine (1) biophysical and social factors that foster or diminish cultural ecosystem services delivery, (2) demand for cultural ecosystem services relative to their capacity, and (3) ecological pressures like potential overuse that affect service sustainability. Ultimately, we expect such analyses to inform decision-making for freshwater recreational fisheries and other cultural ecosystem services.

Ecological Indicators↗
USGS2007

Modeling pesticide fate in a small tidal estuary

The exposure analysis modeling system (EXAMS), a pesticide fate model developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was modified to model the fate of the herbicides atrazine and metolachlor in a small tidally dominated estuary (Bath Creek) in North Carolina, USA where freshwater inflow accounts for only 3% of the total flow. The modifications simulated the changes that occur during the tidal cycle in the estuary, scenarios that are not possible with the original EXAMS model. Two models were created within EXAMS, a steady-state model and a time-variant tidally driven model. The steady-state model accounted for tidal flushing by simply altering freshwater input to yield an estuary residence time equal to that measured in Bath Creek. The tidal EXAMS model explicitly incorporated tidal flushing by modifying the EXAMS code to allow for temporal changes in estuary physical attributes (e.g., volume). The models were validated with empirical measurements of atrazine and metolachlor concentrations in the estuary shortly after herbicide application in nearby fields and immediately following a rain event. Both models provided excellent agreement with measured concentrations. The steady-state EXAMS model accurately predicted atrazine concentrations in the middle of the estuary over the first 3 days and under-predicted metolachlor by a factor of 2-3. The time-variant, tidally driven EXAMS model accurately predicted the rise and plateau of both herbicides over the 6-day measurement period. We have demonstrated the ability of these modified EXAMS models to be useful in predicting pesticide fate and exposure in small tidal estuaries. This is a significant improvement and expansion of the application of EXAMS, and given the wide use of EXAMS for surface water quality modeling by both researchers and regulators and the ability of EXAMS to interface with terrestrial models (e.g., pesticide root zone model) and bioaccumulation models, we now have an easily-accessible and widely accepted means of modeling chemical fate in estuaries. ?? 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ecological Modelling↗
USGS2009

Coastal groundwater dynamics off Santa Barbara, California: combining geochemical tracers, electromagnetic seepmeters, and electrical resistivity

This paper presents repeat field measurements of 222 Rn and 223,224,226,228 Ra, electromagnetic seepage meter-derived advective fluxes, and multi-electrode, stationary and continuous marine resistivity surveys collected between November 2005 and April 2007 to study coastal groundwater dynamics within a marine beach in Santa Barbara, California. The study provides insight into magnitude and dynamics of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and associated nutrient loadings into near-shore coastal waters, where the predominant SGD drivers can be both spatially and temporally separated. Rn-222 and 223,224,226,228 Ra were utilized to quantify the total and saline contribution, respectively, of SGD. The two short-lived 224,223 Ra isotopes provided an estimate of apparent near-shore water mass age, as well as an estimate of the Ra-derived eddy diffusion coefficient, K h ( 224 Ra = 2.86 ± 0.7 m 2 s −1 ; 223 Ra = 1.32 ± 0.5 m 2 s −1 ). Because 222 Rn ( t ½ = 3.8 day) and 224 Ra ( t ½ = 3.66 day) have comparable half-lives and production terms, they were used in concert to examine respective water column removal rates. Electromagnetic seepage meters recorded the physical, bi-directional exchange across the sediment/water interface, which ranged from −6.7 to 14.5 cm day −1 , depending on the sampling period and position relative to the low tide line. Multi-day time-series 222 Rn measurements in the near-shore water column yielded total (saline + fresh) SGD rates that ranged from 3.1 ± 2.6 to 9.2 ± 0.8 cm day −1 , depending on the sampling season. Offshore 226 Ra ( t ½ = 1600 year) and 222 Rn gradients were used with the calculated K h values to determine seabed flux estimates (dpm m −2 day −1 ), which were then converted into SGD rates (7.1 and 7.9 cm day −1 , respectively). Lastly, SGD rates were used to calculate associated nutrient loads for the near-shore coastal waters off Santa Barbara. Depending on both the season and the SGD method utilized, the following SGD-derived nutrient inputs were computed (mol per day per meter of shoreline): NH 4 + = 0.06–0.29 mol day −1 m −1 ; SiO 4 = 0.22–0.29 mol day −1 m −1 ; PO 4 3− = 0.04–0.17 mol day −1 m −1 ; [NO 2 − + NO 3 − ] = 0–0.52 mol day −1 m −1 ; dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) = 0.01–0.17 mol day −1 m −1 , and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) = 0.08–0.09 mol day −1 m −1 . Compared to the ephemeral nature of fluvial and marine inputs into this region, such SGD-derived loadings can provide a sustained source of select nutrients to the coastal waters off Santa Barbara, California that should be accounted for in mass balance estimates.

California↗
USGS2014

Mercury dynamics in a coastal aquifer: Maunalua Bay, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi

We evaluated the influence of groundwater–seawater interaction on mercury dynamics in Maunalua Bay, a coral reef ecosystem located on the south shore of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, by combining geochemical data with submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) rates. During a rising tide, unfiltered total mercury (U-HgT) concentrations in seawater increased from ∼6 to 20 pM at Black Point (west Bay) and from ∼2.5 to 8 pM at Niu (central Bay). We attribute this change to an increase in suspended particulate matter at high tide. Approximately 90% of mercury in groundwater at Niu was in the filtered (<0.45 μm) fraction, with a concentration of ∼4 pM. Groundwater discharge during a period of amplified SGD at Niu appeared to contribute to an increase in total mercury concentrations in filtered seawater (F-HgT; 1.2 to 2.4 pM) and in unfiltered seawater (U-HgT; 2.5 to 3.2 pM). The larger magnitude of change in F-HgT relative to U-HgT suggests mercury complexation and/or solubility dynamics in seawater were altered by the addition of groundwater. We used site specific 222 Rn derived SGD flux estimates and groundwater F-HgT concentrations to calculate mercury loadings at Black Point (∼3 nmol m −2 d −1 ) and at Niu (∼1 nmol m −2 d −1 ). We calculated a weighted average Maunalua Bay groundwater mercury flux of 0.68 ± 0.67 mol yr −1 by combining the proportional flux of F-HgT from three distinct SGD zones, and place these results into a broader context by comparing and contrasting flux estimates from locations around the world. Results from existing SGD studies should be evaluated to develop future sampling strategies that address more targeted questions about mercury biogeochemical cycling at the groundwater–seawater interface.

Hawai'i↗
USGS2021

Land-based sediment sources and transport to southwest Puerto Rico coral reefs after Hurricane Maria, May 2017 to June 2018

The effects of runoff from land on nearshore ecosystems, including coral reef communities, are influenced by both sediment supply and removal by coastal processes. Integrated studies across the land-sea interface describing sources and transport of terrestrial sediment and its nearshore fate allow reef protection initiatives to target key onshore and offshore areas. Geochemical signatures in the fine fraction of terrestrial sediment from watersheds in southwest Puerto Rico were determined by multivariate principal component analysis and used to identify terrestrial sources of sediment runoff to nearshore coral reefs. Sediment settling out of suspension at reefs was collected at approximately 2 month-long intervals in bottom-mounted sediment traps from May 2017 to June 2018, a period that included Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Bulk sediment accumulation rates in traps exceeded a 10 mg/cm 2 /d threshold found to stress corals at 5 of 7 reef sites throughout the 13 month-long study. Geochemical signatures showed that watersheds 10s km to the east were a predominant, year-round source of fine sediment to reefs offshore of Guánica Bay and could have introduced sediment-bound contaminants due to a higher degree of industrialization and urbanization than the local watershed. Sediment runoff from the local watershed appeared to be constrained to a narrow band close to shore. During the 2.5 months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, bulk sediment accumulation rates increased substantially and fine sediment geochemical signatures were indicative of predominantly distal sources, except outside of the mouth of Guánica Bay, which was strongly impacted by local runoff. Mass wasting, sediment runoff, and coastal turbidity persisted for months after Hurricane Maria and could account for the appearance of a small fraction of geochemical variance from a distal sediment source that appeared in reef traps 4 months post-hurricane and persisted through the end of the study 9 months post-hurricane. Sediment geochemical sourcing in temporally resolved records from sediment traps showed how landscape-scale changes after a major hurricane affected both near-term and long-term sediment delivery to reef communities. In addition, the importance of fine sediment advection from distal sources indicates that successful reduction of land-based pressures on nearshore ecosystems will require cross-jurisdictional strategies.

Puerto Rico↗
USGS2011

Application of the CO2-PENS risk analysis tool to the Rock Springs Uplift, Wyoming

We describe preliminary application of the CO 2 -PENS performance and risk analysis tool to a planned geologic CO 2 sequestration demonstration project in the Rock Springs Uplift (RSU), located in south western Wyoming. We use data from the RSU to populate CO 2 -PENS, an evolving system-level modeling tool developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This tool has been designed to generate performance and risk assessment calculations for the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide. Our approach follows Systems Analysis logic and includes estimates of uncertainty in model parameters and Monte-Carlo simulations that lead to probabilistic results. Probabilistic results provide decision makers with a range in the likelihood of different outcomes. Herein we present results from a newly implemented approach in CO 2 -PENS that captures site-specific spatially coherent details such as topography on the reservoir/cap-rock interface, changes in saturation and pressure during injection, and dip on overlying aquifers that may be impacted by leakage upward through wellbores and faults. We present simulations of CO 2 injection under different uncertainty distributions for hypothetical leaking wells and faults. Although results are preliminary and to be used only for demonstration of the approach, future results of the risk analysis will form the basis for a discussion on methods to reduce uncertainty in the risk calculations. Additionally, we present ideas on using the model to help locate monitoring equipment to detect potential leaks. By maintaining site-specific details in the CO 2 -PENS analysis we provide a tool that allows more logical presentations to stakeholders in the region.

Energy Procedia↗
USGS2016

Soil amplification with a strong impedance contrast: Boston, Massachusetts

In this study, we evaluate the effect of strong sediment/bedrock impedance contrasts on soil amplification in Boston, Massachusetts, for typical sites along the Charles and Mystic Rivers. These sites can be characterized by artificial fill overlying marine sediments overlying glacial till and bedrock, where the depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 80 m. The marine sediments generally consist of organic silts, sand, and Boston Blue Clay. We chose these sites because they represent typical foundation conditions in the city of Boston, and the soil conditions are similar to other high impedance contrast environments. The sediment/bedrock interface in this region results in an impedance ratio on the order of ten, which in turn results in a significant amplification of the ground motion. Using stratigraphic information derived from numerous boreholes across the region paired with geologic and geomorphologic constraints, we develop a depth-to-bedrock model for the greater Boston region. Using shear-wave velocity profiles from 30 locations, we develop average velocity profiles for sites mapped as artificial fill, glaciofluvial deposits, and bedrock. By pairing the depth-to-bedrock model with the surficial geology and the average shear-wave velocity profiles, we can predict soil amplification in Boston. We compare linear and equivalent-linear site response predictions for a soil layer of varying thickness over bedrock, and assess the effects of varying the bedrock shear-wave velocity (V Sb ) and quality factor (Q). In a moderate seismicity region like Boston, many earthquakes will result in ground motions that can be modeled with linear site response methods. We also assess the effect of bedrock depth on soil amplification for a generic soil profile in artificial fill, using both linear and equivalent-linear site response models. Finally, we assess the accuracy of the model results by comparing the predicted (linear site response) and observed site response at the Northeastern University (NEU) vertical seismometer array during the 2011 M 5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake. Site response at the NEU vertical array results in amplification on the order of 10 times at a period between 0.7-0.8 s. The results from this study provide evidence that the mean short-period and mean intermediate-period amplification used in design codes (i.e., from the F a and F v site coefficients) may underpredict soil amplification in strong impedance contrast environments such as Boston.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2023

Nitrogen isotopes indicate vehicle emissions and biomass burning dominate ambient ammonia across Colorado's Front Range urban corridor

Urban ammonia (NH 3 ) emissions contribute to poor local air quality and can be transported to rural landscapes, impacting sensitive ecosystems. The Colorado Front Range urban corridor encompasses the Denver Metropolitan Area, rural farmland/rangeland and montane forest between the city and the Rocky Mountains. Reactive nitrogen emissions from the corridor are partly responsible for increased N deposition to the wildland-urban interface (WUI) in this region. To determine the significance of individual NH 3 sources to WUI ecosystems, we measured the concentration and isotopic composition (δ 15 N–NH 3 ) of ambient NH 3(g) from April to October 2018 across a five-site urban to rural gradient in the corridor. The urban sites had higher NH 3 concentrations and δ 15 N–NH 3 values than the rural/suburban sites. Based on isotope mixing models, NH 3 emission source contributions for all sites were fertilizer (12 ± 5.7%), livestock waste (18 ± 12%), vehicles (37 ± 23%), and biomass burning (34 ± 20%). Vehicle contributions were consistent across all months with an average of 35% and summer months showed a peak in biomass burning contributions (40%). As wildfires are projected to increase due to climate change, we stress a need for constraints on the isotopic signature of NH 3 emitted from wildfires. Vehicle emissions contributed the greatest amount of NH 3 (40%) at the urban sites while rural/suburban sites had higher agricultural contributions (41%). Had 2018 not had an anomalously high wildfire season, 46% and 60% of the NH 3 would have been attributed to vehicle emissions at the WUI site and urban sites, respectively. NH 3 emissions have historically been ascribed to agricultural activities but these findings illustrate the universal significance of vehicle emissions and the potential for sustained wildfire activity to be a primary contributor to NH 3 . Air quality (e.g., particulate matter) and nitrogen deposition reduction plans may benefit by including management practices that address vehicle NH 3 emissions.

Colorado↗
USGS2025

Effects of chronic metal exposure and metamorphosis on the microbiomes of larval and adult insects and riparian spiders through the aquatic-riparian food web

The macroinvertebrate microbiome controls various aspects of the host's physiology, from regulation of environmental contaminants to reproductive output. Aquatic insects provide critical nutritional subsidies linking aquatic and riparian food webs while simultaneously serving as a contaminant pathway for riparian insectivores in polluted ecosystems. Previous studies have characterized the transport and transfer of contaminants from aquatic to riparian ecosystems through insect metamorphosis, but both contaminant exposure and metamorphosis are energetically intensive processes that may cause host microbiomes to undergo radical transformation in structure and function, potentially affecting the host's physiology. We collected arthropods from three sites within Torch Lake, a historical copper mine in the Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, USA, and three sites within a nearby reference lake. Our objectives were to: 1) characterize the variation in microbiome communities and predicted metagenomic functions with legacy copper mining activity across space, among host types and family-level host taxonomy, 2) characterize how insect metamorphosis alters the microbiome community, including the degree of endosymbiotic infection, and predicted metagenomic function. We field-collected organisms, extracted their DNA, and sequenced the 16S region of the rRNA gene to characterize microbiome communities, then predicted metagenomic function. Site, lake, and host taxonomy affected the host microbiome community composition. Copper exposure increased the abundance of xenobiotic and lipid metabolism pathways in the Araneidae spider microbiome. Insect metamorphosis reduced the alpha diversity, altered the community composition, and predicted metagenomic function. We observed a bioconcentration of endosymbiotic bacteria in adult insects, especially holometabolous insects. Through metamorphosis, we observed a transition in function from xenobiotic degradation pathways to carbohydrate metabolism. Overall, contaminant exposure alters the microbiome composition in aquatic insects and riparian spiders and alters the function of the microbiome across the aquatic-riparian interface. Furthermore, metamorphosis is a critical element in shaping the aquatic insect microbiome across its life history.

Michigan↗
USGS2005

Parallel Fortran-MPI software for numerical inversion of the Laplace transform and its application to oscillatory water levels in groundwater environments

A parallel Fortran-MPI (Message Passing Interface) software for numerical inversion of the Laplace transform based on a Fourier series method is developed to meet the need of solving intensive computational problems involving oscillatory water level's response to hydraulic tests in a groundwater environment. The software is a parallel version of ACM (The Association for Computing Machinery) Transactions on Mathematical Software (TOMS) Algorithm 796. Running 38 test examples indicated that implementation of MPI techniques with distributed memory architecture speedups the processing and improves the efficiency. Applications to oscillatory water levels in a well during aquifer tests are presented to illustrate how this package can be applied to solve complicated environmental problems involved in differential and integral equations. The package is free and is easy to use for people with little or no previous experience in using MPI but who wish to get off to a quick start in parallel computing. ?? 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental Modelling and Software↗
USGS2013

An integrated multi-criteria scenario evaluation web tool for participatory land-use planning in urbanized areas: The Ecosystem Portfolio Model

Land-use land-cover change is one of the most important and direct drivers of changes in ecosystem functions and services. Given the complexity of the decision-making, there is a need for Internet-based decision support systems with scenario evaluation capabilities to help planners, resource managers and communities visualize, compare and consider trade-offs among the many values at stake in land use planning. This article presents details on an Ecosystem Portfolio Model (EPM) prototype that integrates ecological, socio-economic information and associated values of relevance to decision-makers and stakeholders. The EPM uses a multi-criteria scenario evaluation framework, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis and spatially-explicit land-use/land-cover change-sensitive models to characterize changes in important land-cover related ecosystem values related to ecosystem services and functions, land parcel prices, and community quality-of-life (QoL) metrics. Parameters in the underlying models can be modified through the interface, allowing users in a facilitated group setting to explore simultaneously issues of scientific uncertainty and divergence in the preferences of stakeholders. One application of the South Florida EPM prototype reported in this article shows the modeled changes (which are significant) in aggregate ecological value, landscape patterns and fragmentation, biodiversity potential and ecological restoration potential for current land uses compared to the 2050 land-use scenario. Ongoing refinements to EPM, and future work especially in regard to modifiable sea level rise scenarios are also discussed.

Environmental Modelling and Software↗
USGS2017

Simple, efficient allocation of modelling runs on heterogeneous clusters with MPI

In scientific modelling and computation, the choice of an appropriate method for allocating tasks for parallel processing depends on the computational setting and on the nature of the computation. The allocation of independent but similar computational tasks, such as modelling runs or Monte Carlo trials, among the nodes of a heterogeneous computational cluster is a special case that has not been specifically evaluated previously. A simulation study shows that a method of on-demand (that is, worker-initiated) pulling from a bag of tasks in this case leads to reliably short makespans for computational jobs despite heterogeneity both within and between cluster nodes. A simple reference implementation in the C programming language with the Message Passing Interface (MPI) is provided.

Environmental Modelling and Software↗
USGS2017

Shallow water benthic imaging and substrate characterization using recreational-grade sidescan-sonar

In recent years, lightweight, inexpensive, vessel-mounted ‘recreational grade’ sonar systems have rapidly grown in popularity among aquatic scientists, for swath imaging of benthic substrates. To promote an ongoing ‘democratization’ of acoustical imaging of shallow water environments, methods to carry out geometric and radiometric correction and georectification of sonar echograms are presented, based on simplified models for sonar-target geometry and acoustic backscattering and attenuation in shallow water. Procedures are described for automated removal of the acoustic shadows, identification of bed-water interface for situations when the water is too turbid or turbulent for reliable depth echosounding, and for automated bed substrate classification based on singlebeam full-waveform analysis. These methods are encoded in an open-source and freely-available software package, which should further facilitate use of recreational-grade sidescan sonar, in a fully automated and objective manner. The sequential correction, mapping, and analysis steps are demonstrated using a data set from a shallow freshwater environment.

Environmental Modelling and Software↗
USGS2018

A tool for efficient, model-independent management optimization under uncertainty

To fill a need for risk-based environmental management optimization, we have developed PESTPP-OPT, a model-independent tool for resource management optimization under uncertainty. PESTPP-OPT solves a sequential linear programming (SLP) problem and also implements (optional) efficient, “on-the-fly” (without user intervention) first-order, second-moment (FOSM) uncertainty techniques to estimate model-derived constraint uncertainty. Combined with a user-specified risk value, the constraint uncertainty estimates are used to form chance-constraints for the SLP solution process, so that any optimal solution includes contributions from model input and observation uncertainty. In this way, a “single answer” that includes uncertainty is yielded from the modeling analysis. PESTPP-OPT uses the familiar PEST/PEST++ model interface protocols, which makes it widely applicable to many modeling analyses. The use of PESTPP-OPT is demonstrated with a synthetic, integrated surface-water/groundwater model. The function and implications of chance constraints for this synthetic model are discussed.

Environmental Modelling and Software↗
USGS2021

Towards improved environmental modeling outcomes: Enabling low-cost access to high-dimensional, geostatistical-based decision-support analyses

Computer models of environmental systems routinely inform decision making for water resource management. In this context, quantifying uncertainty in the important simulated outputs, and reducing uncertainty through assimilating historic system-state observations, is as important as the numerical model. However, implementing high-dimensional and stochastic workflows are challenging, often requiring that practitioners have theoretical and practical understanding of several advanced topics. Worse, implementing these important analyses can take substantial time and effort. This additional effort is often cited as justification for postponing, or even forgoing, these analyses. Herein, we present scripting tools to facilitate the efficient and repeatable construction of high-dimensional, geostatistical-based PEST interfaces, including uncertainty analyses. As demonstrated, these tools can be applied with minimal effort to a model with varied temporal and spatial discretization. Ultimately, these tools can enable low-cost access to valuable decision-support analyses earlier and more frequently during the modeling workflow.

Environmental Modelling & Software↗
USGS2021

Supporting cost-effective watershed management strategies for Chesapeake Bay using a modeling and optimization framework

Extensive efforts to adaptively manage nutrient pollution rely on Chesapeake Bay Program's (Phase 6) Watershed Model, called Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool (CAST), which helps decision-makers plan and track implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs). We describe mathematical characteristics of CAST and develop a constrained nonlinear BMP-subset model, software, and visualization framework. This represents the first publicly available optimization framework for exploring least-cost strategies of pollutant load control for the United States' largest estuary . The optimization identifies implementation options for a BMP subset modeled with load reduction effectiveness factors, and the web interface facilitates interactive exploration of >30,000 solutions organized by objective, nutrient control level, and for ~200 counties. We assess framework performance and demonstrate modeled cost improvements when comparing optimization-suggested proposals with proposals inspired by jurisdiction plans. Stakeholder feedback highlights the framework's current utility for investigating cost-effective tradeoffs and its usefulness as a foundation for future analysis of restoration strategies.

Chesapeake Bay watershed↗
USGS2022

A scalable model-independent iterative data assimilation tool for sequential and batch estimation of high dimensional model parameters and states

Ensemble-based data assimilation (DA) methods have displayed strong potential to improve model state and parameter estimation across several disciplines due to their computational efficiency, scalability, and ability to estimate uncertainty in the dynamic states and the parameters. However, a barrier to adoption of ensemble DA methods remains. Namely, there is currently a lack of available tools that enable efficient and scalable DA in a non-intrusive fashion and that support implementation flexibility. This paper presents an open-source software tool (PESTPP-DA) that implements a range of data assimilation methods—Ensemble Kalman filter, Ensemble Kalman Smoother and Ensemble Smoother—using the widely known PEST model-interface protocols, to interact with any model. Two iterative solutions can be used for nonlinear and/or non-Gaussian assimilation problems. To demonstrate the broad range of PESTPP-DA applications, two synthetic case studies are presented: (1) the Lorenz model and (2) a groundwater pumping test in the presence of a non-Gaussian hydraulic conductivity field.

Environmental Modelling & Software↗
USGS2022

A model-independent tool for evolutionary constrained multi-objective optimization under uncertainty

An open-source tool has been developed to facilitate constrained single- and multi-objective optimization under uncertainty (CMOU) analyses. The tool uses the well-known PEST interface protocols to communicate with the underlying forward simulation, making it non-intrusive. The tool contains a built-in parallel run manager to make use of heterogeneous and distributed computing resources. Several popular and well-known evolutionary algorithms are implemented and can be combined with a range of approaches to represent uncertainty in model-derived constraint/objective values. These attributes serve to address the current barrier to adopt advanced CMOU analyses for a wide range of decision-support problems across the environmental modeling spectrum. We demonstrate the capabilities of the CMOU tool on a well-known analytical benchmark problem that we augmented to include uncertainty, as well as on a synthetic density-dependent coastal groundwater management benchmark problem. Both demonstrations highlight the importance of explicitly accounting for uncertainty to convey risk and reliability in pareto-optimal design.

Environmental Modelling & Software↗