Aquaveo & Water Resources Engineering News

Announcing WMS 11.3 Beta!

By aquaveo on September 24, 2024

We are pleased to announce the release of WMS 11.3 in beta! Our developers have been working on several updates to the Watershed Modeling System (WMS). They have added some new features and improved the functionality of others. We'll highlight a few of them here.

GSSHA Permafrost

We are pleased to share that we have now added the ability to model permafrost regions with the GSSHA numeric model in WMS 11.3. With the addition of permafrost options to GSSHA models, your. Permafrost parameters can be defined and set under the GSSHA menus, Job Control and Map Tables. Also when you select a Feature Point/Node and right-click on it and select Attributes to open the Properties dialog. Output graphs and reports on soil temperatures can be generated for further analysis.

Feature Objects Clean Option Updates

We have made several improvements and updates to the Clean Option in our Feature Objects menu. Our developers have improved the cleaning algorithm, so that it is now significantly faster on large coverages. This will improve the efficiency of your model runs.

The Clean Option user interface has also been completely updated. It has the same functionality as the old interface but it now contains more options giving you more flexibility. You can choose to clean all feature objects or only selected ones. You can also now choose to do a full clean on feature objects, or only selected types of clean up.

Search Box for Recent Files

We have also added a search box to the Recent Files dialog. WMS shows the 5 most recent projects you have worked on when you click on File. When you click "More…" below that list of five projects, the dialog that comes up now includes a search box at the top. Rather than scrolling through the list of recent projects, you can now use the search box to find your modeling project more quickly.

These are only some of the great new and updated features in WMS 11.3 beta. Head on over to Aquaveo and try out the WMS 11.3 beta today!

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WMS

Discover the Map Activity Tools in SMS

By aquaveo on September 17, 2024

Aquaveo’s Surface-water Modeling System (SMS) comes equipped with various tools that streamline the water modeling process. In this collection, the Map Activity and Map Activity to UGrid features in the toolbox allow you to precisely define active and inactive areas of a grid or dataset. Some models and processes depend on being told which areas are active for which purpose these tools have been included.

The tools Map Activity and Map Activity to UGrid are located in the software Toolbox in the Datasets folder and Unstructured Grids folder, respectively. Both will create a new object based on the defined activity: either a new dataset or a new unstructured grid (UGrid).

The Map Activity tool has the ability to choose the activity dataset that will define the values for the new dataset using the Value dataset option, and the ability to choose the dataset that will define the activity for the new dataset using the Activity dataset option. Once you have selected the inputs, the only thing left to do is name the new activity dataset and run the tool. The tool outputs a new dataset that displays the custom inputs in the Graphics Window.

An important step when using the Map Activity to UGrid tool is establishing the proper activity coverage that defines the active and inactive areas of the unstructured grid. Ensure that you create an “Activity Classification” coverage with defined polygons in order to run the tool successfully. Additionally, assign polygons to the coverage to enable specificity when mapping activity. This tool has the ability to choose the geometry that will define the values for the new UGrid using the Input grid option, and the ability to select the coverage that will define the activity for the new UGrid using the Activity coverage option. After selecting the inputs, you name the new activity UGrid and run the tool. As a result, the tool populates a new UGrid that displays the given dataset inputs in the Graphics Window.

Now that you’ve been introduced to the activity tools in SMS 13.3, try using them in your surface-water models today!

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SMS

Problem Solving and the Fix Layer Errors Tool

By aquaveo on September 10, 2024

When creating multilayer models, defining layer data can be challenging. This is true for cases involving embedded seams, pinchouts, and truncations. Fortunately, Ground-water Modeling System (GMS) contains a suite of tools for interpolating and manipulating layer elevation data. With the tools in GMS), even complex geologic strata can be modeled quickly and easily. When interpolating layer data for the purpose of defining MODFLOW layer elevation arrays, there are often cases where the interpolated values overlap. In some cases, the best way to fix such a problem is to experiment with the interpolation options or to create some "pseudo-points" to fill in the gaps between sparse scatter points. In other cases, the overlap may correspond to a pinchout or truncation in the layer. In such cases, the elevations need to be adjusted so that there is a small but finite thickness for all cells in the overlapping region.

The first step in fixing layer errors is to use the Model Checker to determine if elevation overlaps occur. If they do occur, the Fix Layer Errors button at the top of the Model Checker dialog can be used to bring up the Fix Layer Errors dialog. Four options are available for fixing layer errors, including Average, Preserve Top, Preserve Bottom, and Truncate to Bedrock. The Average method is useful for modeling the transition zones adjacent to embedded seams. The Preserve Top method can be used to model truncated outcroppings. With the Preserve bottom method, at each cell where an overlap is found the bottom elevation is unchanged and the top elevation is adjusted to top = bot + min thickness. The Truncate to bedrock option differs from the other methods in that it can be used to alter several layers at once.

These are hypothetical scenarios that outline problems and solutions you may encounter when using the Fix Layer Errors Tool in GMS:

You are trying to construct a UGrid model that includes refinement around streams and pumping wells with refinement reserved for the top layers, and inactive cells with a thickness of less than 10 cm.

You want a UGrid that includes refinement around streams and pumping wells, yet reserved for the top layers. You get the impression that reserved refinement is achievable only by using the preserve top method.
It is correct that the preserve top method is a way to apply refinement. The average method does not have any way to refine certain areas, unless the 2D geometry being used as the base already has that refinement. In that case, the refinement would be added to all layers. In other words, refine the 2D grid first, but use the TIN method to create the grid based on that refinement. Use your judgment on if method one works better for your elevation data.
You would like all cells with a thickness of less than 10 cm to be inactivated. Yet you find that the only way to inactivate cells less than 10 cm is by using the average method.
Using the average method and setting the minimum thickness to 0.1m ≠ inactive thin cells. It means cells less than the minimum thickness are not created. Cells are not inactivated until after a MODFLOW simulation has been added. As such, they cannot be inactivated during the creation process. If this is not the result, and there does appear to be thin cells for a TIN grid, further action would be required.

Access the latest version of GMS 10.8 to make use of the Fix Layer Errors tool today!

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GMS

Tips for Pressure Zones with Overtopping in SRH-2D Models

By aquaveo on September 3, 2024

Does your SRH-2D project have a box culvert or pressure zone with overtopping that is proving to be a bit difficult to get correct?

Box culverts or pressure zones with overtopping are common features added to many SRH-2D models. Depending on how the pressure zone is created in your Surface-water Modeling System (SMS) project, this can be a tricky process for SRH-2D to handle. Here are some steps and tips for creating this feature successfully in SMS.

1 Use Quadrilateral Elements

Create quadrilateral elements between the boundaries of the pressure zone. Using quadrilateral elements tends to increase the stability and reliability of the SRH-2D model run. Quadrilateral elements can be created in one of two ways.

The first is to create the quadrilateral elements when creating the 2D mesh. Create a polygon for the area between and around the pressure zone. Assign this polygon with the Patch mesh type in the 2D Mesh Polygon Properties dialog.

The second method is to create the quadrilateral elements directly in the mesh using the Split/Merge tool and the Switch Element tool. This can be time-consuming, so it is only recommended for small adjustments.

2 Create Voids

Create voids in the mesh on either side of the pressure zone. There are two options for creating these voids, but one option seems to work better.

The first option, and the more stable one, is to create the voids on either side of the pressure zone when generating the mesh. Create the voids as polygons and assign them the None mesh type. It is generally best to make each void a quadrilateral polygon to imitate the thickness of a concrete wall or barrier.

The second option is to generate the mesh then use the Select Elements tool to select and delete the elements where the voids should be. Using this method requires renumbering the mesh nodes. There is a risk that you will not be able to delete all of the nodes related to the elements which can make your mesh unusable to SRH-2D.

3 Assign Boundary Conditions

Two arcs are needed to define the pressure zone. Each arc should be created on an SRH-2D boundary condition coverage. When creating the arcs, make certain all 2D mesh elements between the arcs are quadrilateral elements. Also, it is advisable to have at least one row of quadrilateral elements just past the downstream arc.

Once the arcs have been drawn, select both arcs and open the SRH-2D Linear BC dialog. Set both arcs to the Pressure type, making sure the correct arc ID is assigned to upstream versus downstream, and turn on the Overtopping option.

Both the boundary condition coverage and the 2D mesh can be added to your SRH-2D simulation to have a pressure zone with overtopping included in the results.

Try out adding a pressure zone in SMS today!

This post was originally published September 12, 2018.

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SMS