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Water Balance Models in Environmental Modeling

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Handbook of Environmental Materials Management

Abstract

Since many complex environmental problems are linked to the hydrologic cycle, a better understanding of water balance can help us take more effective decisions for environmental challenges. A model is a tool that artfully combines available observations with our fundamental knowledge to describe the behavior of the system through implementation of scientific methods. Water balance models describe computational aspects of water movement through the water cycle. In environmental problems, our datasets are not complete, however recent advances in water balance modelling provides improved capabilities to conceptualize the hydrological system as an underlying infrastructure for environmental modeling. These developments have coincided with advances in geographic information system and further public availability of remotely sensed data. Recent freely available spatial datasets are considered a fortunate event for environmental modelers. This chapter and the sections herein are designed to outline the current modern view of water balance modelling. In addition to the general concepts about water balance modelling, this chapter explains how water balance models can be used for environmental modelling.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering Measures for Nature Development, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord City, Iran

    Khodayar Abdollahi

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Alireza Bazargan

  3. Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar

    Gordon McKay

Authors
  1. Khodayar Abdollahi
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  2. Alireza Bazargan
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  3. Gordon McKay
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alireza Bazargan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA

    Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA

    Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain

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Abdollahi, K., Bazargan, A., McKay, G. (2019). Water Balance Models in Environmental Modeling. In: Hussain, C. (eds) Handbook of Environmental Materials Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73645-7_119

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