GSFLOW

Groundwater and Surfacewater Flow model

GSFLOW, or Groundwater and Surface water FLOW, is a groundwater model that is capable of simulating coupled groundwater-surface water interactions, land use change implications, groundwater withdrawals and the effects of climate change. GSFLOW is based upon the integration of the US Geological Survey (USGS) Modular Groundwater Flow Model (MODFLOW-2005 and MODFLOW-NWT) with the USGS Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS-V).

Developer
USGS
Model Information
For more information about this model, go to water.usgs.gov
Spatial Resolution
Analysis area includes one or more watersheds. GSFLOW integrates the hydrologic response units (HRUs) of the PRMS model with the finite difference cells of MODFLOW. The model uses a coupled regions approach, which iteratively solves for the interactions between surface and groundwater flow. This is faster than full coupling, which requires very small spatial and time scales. HRUs and subsurface units must match for GSFLOW.
Temporal Resolution
Daily time steps used. Simulation duration can range from months to decades.
Outputs
Model outputs include flow routing, subsurface flow interactions, surface water flow predictions. Model also generates statistical analyses, optimization based recommendations and visualizations of model results.
Intended User
practitioner
Model Type
groundwater
Inclusion of Climate Change
Climate conditions are incorporated through specific climate data inputs.
Geographic Region
generalized
Data Requirements
data provided by the user
Source Code Availability
open source
Dimensions
3d
Computational Burden
medium
Scenario Modeling
batch mode likely
Coding Language
C/C++, FORTRAN
Operating System
not applicable
Mathematical Approach
numerical, simulation
Maintenance Plan
maintained
Date of Last Known Update
not available
User Manual
go to documentation at water.usgs.gov