Collaborative Research: Process-Based Statistical Interpolation Methods for Improved Analysis of WATERS Test-bed Observations and Models

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0854329 / 0853765 Ball / DiToro The Chesapeake Bay is a prime example of how complex hydrodynamics, biogeochemistry, and varying inputs from a large watershed can lead to uncertainty about the impacts of human activities on a crucial environmental, economic, and social resource. Better scientific understanding and engineering management of such systems requires carefully integrated approaches that make maximum use of all available observations and modeling tools, not only for better predictions of future impacts, but also for better understanding of past and current observations. In this context, and also in the context of planning and designing sampling programs, the development of new methods for 4D (i.e., space and time) interpolation of existing observational data is a critically important need for environmental observatories. This research will help meet this need by taking advantage of a rich resource base that has been established over many decades of Chesapeake Bay research and most recently through a prototypical Chesapeake Bay Environmental Observatory (CBEO) that has been established as a potential node for the NSF-supported WATERS Network. Objectives of the currently proposed research are to develop, test, and apply better statistical models for the interpolation of water quality observations that make more effective use of the process understanding captured in currently available hydrodynamic and water quality models. More specifically, the work will generate new approaches for statistical interpolation of observations by using process-based "metrics of influence" (as opposed to distance) for defining the correlation structure that informs interpolation (i.e., kriging). The alternative metrics of influence to be tested include travel time, water age, and tracer proportion, all generated through runs of well-established and calibrated Chesapeake Bay hydrodynamic and water quality models. Model-based understanding will also be used to explore possible cross correlations among water quality parameters, as obtained over different time intervals and historical environmental conditions. After their development and thorough evaluation, the new interpolation methods will be applied toward exploring: (1) hypoxia development over a historical data record, and (2) causes for continuing inconsistencies between deterministic model predictions and observed temporal and spatial trends in water quality. The newly developed process-based interpolation methods are expected to overcome many of the difficulties commonly encountered in using kriging in flowing water bodies. The integrated analysis of comprehensive observational data sets with both statistical and process-based models will take maximum advantage of the strengths of each approach, which include uncertainty estimation and predictive ability, respectively. The application of these methods to pressing science questions on Bay hypoxia will demonstrate their merit. Overall, the work will further evaluate and demonstrate the power of environmental observatories to transform our use and understanding of current and historical data. The generation of better tools for analyzing and understanding hypoxia will have far reaching impacts on the management of the Chesapeake Bay. Currently, interpolation tools are used to quantify the extent of Bay waters not meeting water quality criteria, and process models are used to predict impacts of management activities, such as TMDL development. Improvements to both types of tools and integrated use of the two will allow better understanding and prediction of water quality degradation and thus help target the most effective management options. All of the personnel on this project have worked collaboratively with EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program and are thus able to bring these improved tools to Bay managers. The conceptual approach should also prove to be equally valuable at any location where well-developed process-based simulation models are available. The findings will be disseminated through national and international scientific meetings, through publications in peer reviewed journals, and by making the new methods available through the CBEO node on the WATERS network (as maintained through the San Diego Supercomputer Center). This research is interdisciplinary and collaborative across two universities, including both graduate and undergraduate students. Impact on K-12 education will be achieved through collaborations that assist an on-going educational program at the University of Maryland which uses interactive educational modules to teach middle-school students about the issues surrounding "dead zones" (hypoxia) in surface waters.