Daniel Gambill - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Daniel Gambill

The US Army Corps of Engineers's (USACE) Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System... more The US Army Corps of Engineers's (USACE) Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) rainfall-runoff model is widely used within the research community to develop both event-based and continuous rainfall-runoff models. The soil moisture accounting (SMA) algorithm is commonly used for long-term simulations. Depending on the final model setup, 12 to 18 parameters are needed to characterize the modeled watershed's canopy, surface, soil, and routing processes, all of which are potential calibration parameters. HEC-HMS includes optimization tools to facilitate model calibration, but only initial conditions (ICs) can be calibrated when using the gridded SMA algorithm. Calibrating a continuous SMA HEC-HMS model is an iterative process that can require hundreds of simulations, a time intensive process requiring automation. HEC-HMS is written in Java and is predominantly run through a graphical user interface (GUI). As such, conducting a long-term gridded SMA calibration is infeasible using the GUI. USACE Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) has written a workflow that utilizes the existing Jython application programming interface (API) to batch run HEC-HMS simulations with Python. The workflow allows for gridded SMA HEC-HMS model sensitivity and calibration analyses to be conducted in a timely manner. BACKGROUND: Flooding is consistently identified as one of the deadliest natural hazards in the United States by the National Weather Service (NWS). In 2017 alone, there were 116 flood-related deaths in the US, and more than $60 billion in flood damages (NOAA 2020). Floods are naturally occurring events whose intensity and duration are dependent on rainfall amounts and rates but also land characteristics, such as topography, land use, soil types, and antecedent soil moisture conditions (Funk 2006). There are three main flood categories: flash flooding, river flooding, and coastal flooding (French and Holt 1989). Flash and river flooding can be caused by a combination of saturation (i.e., soil is waterlogged) and infiltration (i.e., precipitation rate is greater than hydraulic conductivity) excess runoff, highlighting the importance of a watershed's characteristics in shaping the hydrologic response (Margulis 2017).

White Sands Missile Range Thurgood Canyon watershed : analysis of Range Road 7 for development of best management practices and recommendations

Thurgood Canyon, located on White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), contains an alluvial fan that is bi... more Thurgood Canyon, located on White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), contains an alluvial fan that is bisected by a primary installation road and is in the proximity of sensitive fish habitats. This project was initiated to determine if and how sensitive fish habitats at the base of the fan are impacted by the existing drainage infrastructure and to assess the condition and sustainability of the existing transportation infrastructure. Findings show that the current drainage infrastructure maintains flow energy and sediment carrying capacity further down the fan than would occur in its absence. However, frequent to moderately rare (small to medium) flood events dissipate over 2 km from sensitive habitat, and overland flow and sediment do not reach the base of the fan. Controlled flow diversion is recommended upstream of the road to mitigate infrastructure or habitat impacts during very rare (very large) flood events. A comprehensive operation and management approach is presented to achieve ...

As stormwater regulations for hydrologic and water quality control become increasingly stringent,... more As stormwater regulations for hydrologic and water quality control become increasingly stringent, Department of Defense (DoD) facilities are faced with the daunting task of complying with multiple laws and regulations. This often requires facilities to plan, design, and implement structural best management practices (BMPs) to capture, filter, and/or infiltrate runoff—requirements that can be complicated, contradictory, and difficult to plan. This project demonstrated the Stormwater Management Optimization Toolbox (SMOT), a spreadsheet-based tool that effectively analyzes and plans for compliance to the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 pre-hydrologic conditions through BMP implementation, resulting in potential cost savings by reducing BMP sizes while simultaneously achieving compliance with multiple objectives. SMOT identifies the most cost-effective modeling method based on an installation’s local conditions (soils, rainfall patterns, drainage network, and regula...

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and local agencies monitor and regulates the 146... more The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and local agencies monitor and regulates the 146,764 mi of roadway that are open to public travel in the State of Illinois. There are many old and aging bridges, culverts, and low-water crossings on rural lowvolume roads that need to be replaced. Low-water crossings (LWCs) have been used as an economical alternative to culverts and bridges, designed without overtopping, on low-volume roads where there is low number of floods. The lack of design guidance has posed difficulty for county engineers in Illinois in deciding when, where, and which type of low-water crossing to use. The resulting structure is often either overdesigned or underdesigned. A study was conducted to design the guidelines for LWCs in Illinois at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) and support from the IDOT. The study included literature review, a LWC survey, and case studies on LWCs in Illinois. The results from a survey conducted among the county engineers in Illinois about their experience with LWCs are presented, along with commonly used LWCs, site considerations, selection criteria, and signage requirements. Design criteria and procedure for the LWCs design, construction, and best management practices are also discussed. Additionally, case studies, design examples, and permitting requirements for LWCs are included in the report. Implementation of LWC guidelines could save local agencies significant funding, due to lower construction and maintenance costs, less channel and flood plain blockage, and better adaptability and storm-proofing characteristics, as well as reduced impacts to aquatic organism passage.

There are numerous contributing factors to urban flooding, and in any location the causes may be ... more There are numerous contributing factors to urban flooding, and in any location the causes may be unique. Urban flooding is most common in older sections of communities where original storm sewers were not designed to present-day standards; urbanization has increased runoff, and climate is trending to more frequent and intense storm events. In counties which have been granted countywide authority to establish funded stormwater management programs, progress is being made to reduce urban flooding, but much remains to be done. Most counties do not have authority to establish programs to manage the effects of urbanization. Communities may have the authority to impose design standards and ordinances but often do not have the legal authority to establish a dedicated funding stream, making it difficult to maintain and improve storm sewer systems when these repair projects must compete for general funding support. There are a number of factors contributing to increased precipitation and more heavy rain events in recent decades, and several lines of evidence suggest that the current patterns will continue in the future. Technology provides numerous tools to analyze data and develop strategies to deal with existing and future urban flooding. However, current basic data collection and analyses are inadequate, and efforts should be extended to ensure Illinois is collecting information needed to guide programs and policies to reduce flood damages. There are many options to mitigate urban flood damages, such as green and gray infrastructure, and increasing open areas in areas of redevelopment. Storm sewer infrastructure is the underpinning of urban drainage, and action is needed to update aging, undersized systems. Changes to infrastructure and the urban landscape will take years; however, communities and individuals can take action now to reduce risk and damages. Programs such as the Community Rating System provide guidance for higher standards and community actions to reduce risk. Individuals can purchase sewer and basement insurance as riders to homeowners insurance and flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. Education and training for communities, insurance agents and property owners is critical to understanding risks and how to mitigate and correctly insure those at risk. Sustained outreach is needed for better informed stakeholders. The state can provide leadership for communities. The state can develop tools, provide technical assistance and raise awareness. The state can incentivize communities through a variety of mechanisms including access to grants and revolving funds for communities that take responsibility for addressing flooding issues. Most importantly, the state can assist communities by aligning the authorities for justification of state capital projects. These are currently inconsistent, making it more Possible increases in the heaviest 2-percent storms from the 1971-2000 base period to the period 2041-2070 based on the A2 high emission scenario. Source NCA (2014).

Validation of the GeoWATCH soil moisture model and proposed bias correction method

Journal of Terramechanics

Journal of Hydrometeorology

Low-water crossings are structures designed to be over-topped during high river flows. These stru... more Low-water crossings are structures designed to be over-topped during high river flows. These structures are usually constructed in remote locations, making timely emergency response difficult in case of flooding. In this work, five historical flooding events were hindcasted at a remote low water crossing in Central Texas. An ensemble of model simulated precipitation forcing cascades uncertainty through hydrologic and hydraulic models. Each precipitation ensemble member corresponds to an independent model run, resulting in an ensemble 24-hour streamflow forecast initialized at 00 UTC. In addition to the hydrologic conditions, the forecast is expanded to predict river hydraulics, through flow velocity and depth. Analysis of the five hindcast events indicates that cascading probabilistic precipitation through hydrologic and hydraulic models adds robustness to river forecasts compared to deterministic methods. The approach provides a means to communicate the uncertainty of predictions t...

Precipitation Trends and Low Impact Development Resiliency at South Central Missouri US Army Installation

2019 Boston, Massachusetts July 7- July 10, 2019

Army field training exercises are conducted to replicate real-world combat requirements and are i... more Army field training exercises are conducted to replicate real-world combat requirements and are inherently subject to the effects of the prevailing climate and weather conditions. Adapting to variability of climate is part of realistic training and extreme storm events and associated flooding risks can temporarily limit access to training lands and other training features such as water crossings. If an increase in intensity and incidence of extreme precipitation events is realized, installations associated with river systems are likely to have increased flood risk and associated prevention and mitigation costs. Low water crossings (LWCs) are especially susceptible to changes in intensity and incidence of extreme precipitation events with regards to infrastructure usability, resilience, and safety. The June 2, 2016 incident at Fort Hood, TX where five soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division drowned when their troop carrier overturned at a flooded LWC, shows the safety risks associated with LWCs. The first objective of this study is to examine the stationary assumption of total annual precipitation, total annual wet days and wet hours, and regional frequency analysis for a range of design storms and extreme events. Both parametric and non-parametric statistical tests were used to detect trends. In addition, precipitation frequency estimates were calculated for the 0.

Predicting USCS soil classification from soil property variables using Random Forest

Journal of Terramechanics, 2016

Military Land Management Framework for Training Load, Environmental, and Economic Considerations

The objective of this study was to develop a modeling framework that can assist military land man... more The objective of this study was to develop a modeling framework that can assist military land managers with sustaining training lands with a focus on environmental and land management decision impacts. The modeling framework consists of a linkage between a watershed-level nonpoint-source model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), and a genetic optimization algorithm (GA). The GA uses SWAT to compute the average annual environmental impact of varying military training load distribution and best management ...