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#           Modeling post-wildfire hydrologic response: Review and future directions for applications of physically based distributed simulation      

      February 22, 2023    

Wildfire is a growing concern as climate shifts. The hydrologic effects of wildfire, which include elevated hazards and changes in water quantity and quality, are increasingly assessed using numerical models. Post-wildfire application of physically based distributed models provides unique insight into the underlying processes that affect water resources after wildfire. This work reviews and synthesizes post-wildfire applications of physically based distributed models by examining the scales and geographic/ecohydrologic distribution of model applications, hydrologic response process representation, model parameterization, and model performance metrics. Highlighted gaps and opportunities for advancing physically based distributed hydrologic response modeling after wildfire include the following: (a) applying models in under-represented geographic (S. America, Africa, Asia) and ecohydrologic regions (arid or dry subhumid climates), (b) incorporating all four major streamflow generation mechanisms (infiltration excess, saturation excess, subsurface storm flow, and groundwater flow), (c) representing integrated vadose zone and saturated zone processes to better capture subsurface streamflow generation, (d) building new remotely sensed model parameterization methods for precipitation interception, infiltration, and overland flow that account for burn severity and recovery, (e) incorporating distributed state variables (e.g., soil moisture, groundwater levels) in model performance assessment, (f) designing model intercomparison studies, including field datasets specifically for post-wildfire model development and validation, (g) linking mechanistic vegetation regrowth models with hydrologic models to improve simulation of process shifts as ecosystems recover, and (h) creating a new community modeling framework to integrate modeling advances across the wildfire science community.

## Citation Information

## Related Content

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#### Brian A. Ebel

##### Research Hydrologist

Water Resources Mission Area

bebel@usgs.gov

303-236-3977

#### Zach M. Shephard

##### Hydrologist

New Mexico Water Science Center

zshephard@usgs.gov

505-830-7968

#### Michelle  Walvoord

##### Research Hydrologist

Water Resources Mission Area

walvoord@usgs.gov

303-236-4998

#### Sheila Murphy

##### Research Hydrologist

Water Resources Mission Area

sfmurphy@usgs.gov

303-541-3023

#### Trevor Partridge, PhD

##### Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Hydrologist, WMA Earth Systems Processes Division

Water Resources Mission Area

tpartridge@usgs.gov

#### Kimberlie Perkins

##### Research Hydrologist

Water Resources Mission Area

kperkins@usgs.gov

650-329-4551

## Related Content

#### Brian A. Ebel

##### Research Hydrologist

Water Resources Mission Area

bebel@usgs.gov

303-236-3977

#### Zach M. Shephard

##### Hydrologist

New Mexico Water Science Center

zshephard@usgs.gov

505-830-7968

#### Michelle  Walvoord

##### Research Hydrologist

Water Resources Mission Area

walvoord@usgs.gov

303-236-4998

#### Sheila Murphy

##### Research Hydrologist

Water Resources Mission Area

sfmurphy@usgs.gov

303-541-3023

#### Trevor Partridge, PhD

##### Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Hydrologist, WMA Earth Systems Processes Division

Water Resources Mission Area

tpartridge@usgs.gov

#### Kimberlie Perkins

##### Research Hydrologist

Water Resources Mission Area

kperkins@usgs.gov

650-329-4551

### Contact

####               New Mexico Water Science Center          

6700 Edith Blvd NEAlbuquerque, NM87113United States

debclark@usgs.gov

(505) 830-7900

(505) 830-7998 

####             Water Resources Mission Area - Headquarters        

USGS Headquarters12201 Sunrise Valley DriveReston, VA20192United States