2025 CSDMS meeting-052
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The Depression Connection: Mapping the Interplay between Topographical Depressions and Hydrologic Connectivity
Louis Quigley,
(He/Him),University of Illinois Chicago Chicago Illinois, United States. lquigl3@uic.edu
Hydrologic connectivity is dictated by depression structure in a landscape and changes in response to variations in runoff at storm, seasonal, or longer timescales. In this work, we analyzed watershed characteristics across the Illinois, Platte, Arkansas and Susquehanna river watersheds. Utilizing the Fill-Spill-Merge model, our research moves beyond traditional approaches that arbitrarily fill topographic depressions. Instead, it employs Fill-Spill-Merge to simulate depression filling based on selected runoff values using a depression hierarchy data structure for rapid water routing into depressions. This innovative approach offers a nuanced model of water movement and accumulation.
We explored correlations between depression characteristics and watershed landscape features, such as shape, slope, and area. This exploration attempts to demonstrate the impact of topographical attributes on runoff and storage. Our findings indicate consistent relationships between depression fill and other landscape characteristics.
This research provides support to new hydrological models by providing more precise predictions of the impact of depressions on surface hydrologic connectivity. By moving away from conventional depression filling techniques to a more dynamic simulation, this study highlights the importance of technological advancements in improving our understanding of natural phenomena like watershed dynamics with implications for improving water management practices.
