EAPSI: Using Natural Hydrology as a Benchmark for Urban Stormwater Management

水文学是研究水在陆地表面和大气中运动的学科。城市的水文与自然景观有很大的不同。不透水的表面，如道路和建筑物，不允许水渗入地下，导致地表径流量增加。来自不透水表面的地表径流称为雨水，会导致洪水泛滥，污染溪流，并破坏下游生态系统。该项目的目标是确定自然景观中的水流，然后将这些值用作管理城市水文学的“基准”。如果城市水文学能够复制自然水文学，与暴雨相关的环境问题将被最小化。墨尔本大学的蒂姆·弗莱彻教授和马修·伯恩斯博士将主持这项研究项目。弗莱彻教授和伯恩斯博士都是城市水文学和雨水管理方面的专家，他们的研究在全球范围内被广泛引用。水文学家将水的运动分为四种一般途径：降水(P)、蒸散(ET)、入渗(I)和地表径流(R)。水量平衡方程定义为P=ET+I+R。本项目的第一个目标是确定澳大利亚东南部多个流域的P、ET、I和R的年水量。然后，这些值将被指定为城市水文基准。例如，自然流域的渗水量应该与城市流域的水量相匹配。在澳大利亚东南部进行的这个项目的好处是半干旱气候，这与在潮湿地区进行的类似研究形成了对比。了解不同的水文模式作为气候的函数，将为雨水工程师、城市规划者和环境监管机构提供信息，指导他们如何为各自的位置设定适当的城市雨水管理目标。该奖项根据东亚和太平洋夏季学院计划，支持一名美国研究生的暑期研究，由美国国家科学基金会和澳大利亚科学院联合资助。

Hydrology is the study of water movement through land surfaces and the atmosphere. Hydrology in cities is very different from natural landscapes. Impervious surfaces, such as road and buildings, do not allow water to soak into the ground, resulting in higher amounts of surface runoff. Surface runoff from impervious surfaces, called stormwater, can cause flooding, pollute streams, and degrade downstream ecosystems. The goal of this project is to determine the flows of water in natural landscapes, then use these values as "benchmarks" for managing urban hydrology. If urban hydrology is able to replicate natural hydrology, the environmental problems associated with stormwater will be minimized. Prof. Tim Fletcher and Dr. Matthew Burns from the University of Melbourne will be hosting this research project. Prof. Fletcher and Dr. Burns are both experts in urban hydrology and stormwater management, and their research is well cited across the globe.Hydrologists categorizes water movement into four general pathways: precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (ET), infiltration (I), and surface runoff (R). The water balance equation is defined as P = ET + I + R. The first objective of this project is to determine the annual volumes of P, ET, I, and R for multiple watersheds in southeast Australia. Then, these values will be assigned as urban hydrologic benchmarks. For instance, the volume of water that infiltrates in natural watersheds should be matched in urban watersheds. The benefit of this project being conducted in southeast Australia is the semi-arid climate, which contrasts similar studies that are being conducted in humid regions. Understanding the different hydrologic patterns as a function of climate will inform stormwater engineers, city planners, and environmental regulators on how to set appropriate urban stormwater management goals for their respective locations. This award, under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program, supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by the NSF and the Australian Academy of Science.