Modeling
Environmental Modeling
We use computational models to understand how snow, water, and energy move through the Earth system. These models act as numerical laboratories, allowing us to test ideas, explore sensitivities, and extend our field observations across scales—from single slopes and forest stands, to large Arctic rivers, and continental extents.
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1. Slope-Scale Process Models
We use snow, computational fluid dynamics and canopy radiative transfer models to simulate wind, snow transport, and radiation interactions in mountainous and forested environments. These models reveal how topography and vegetation shape patterns of snow accumulation, snowmelt, and, ultimately, energy and water availability.
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2. Hydrologic System Models
We use hydrologic models to represent the exchange of water and heat among the atmosphere, land surface, snowpack, groundwater, and rivers. These models are used to explore how climate change, land use, and disturbance alter watershed processes and water availability.
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3. Regional and Earth System Models
At larger scales, we use output from regional climate and Earth system models to investigate water and energy balance. These models link local field studies to continental trends and help project future environmental change.
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Current Focus
Our research group applies these modeling tools to cold-region environments, where snow, ice, and permafrost dominate hydrologic behavior. Through collaborations with other disciplinary experts and stakeholders, we’re improving predictions of climate impacts on rivers, ecosystems, and communities.
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