Simulation of Water Surface Temperature for Lake Urmia using One-dimensional FLake Model

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

2 Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

Abstract

Modeling the lake water surface temperature (WST) can help to improve the simulation of the evaporation component. In this study, with the aim of simulating the WST of Lake Urmia, the one-dimensional FLake model was used for the period 2001-2021 and the results were compared with the observations obtained from MODIS images. The results showed that the north (N) and south (S) of the lake have thermodynamic differences. In both the northern and southern parts of the lake, an increasing trend (0.084 °C year-1 and 0.117 °C year-1, respectively) in water surface temperature is observed, and the slope of changes in the south of the lake is steeper than in the north of the lake. The FLake model is able to simulate WST fluctuations in a relatively good way. However, the model shows a warm bias of about 3 °C in both parts. In general, the model is less accurate in simulating the temperature of the winter days (MBE_N=4.4 °C and MBE_S=4.2 °C) than the summer days (MBE_N=1.9 °C and MBE_S=1.0 °C). The modeled stratification of the lake is of warm monomictic type, and the investigation of the thermal stratification pattern indicates an earlier start of the mixing period in the south of the lake. Also, the examination of the relationship between the changes in WST and the atmospheric characteristics showed that air temperature and air humidity explain the most variance in WST; but the increasing trend of WST is only related to the increasing trend of air temperature.

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Iran-Water Resources Research
Volume 19, Issue 4 - Serial Number 67
December 2023
Pages 126-140

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History

  • Receive Date: 17 June 2023
  • Revise Date: 27 August 2023
  • Accept Date: 27 August 2023

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