Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model

Configuration file

Required:
Always
Name:
User-specified
Read by:
InitConstants()
InitTerrainMaps()
InitMetSources()
InitTables()
InitDump()
Format:
ASCII
Purpose:
Contains model settings, input file names and paths, vegetation and soil attributes, and information on what to output when.
Comments:
This filename is provided as a command-line argument to DHSVM. The file is organized in sections, which contain key-entry pairs. The file is free format, which means that correct reading of the file is not dependent on spaces and/or the order of the key-entry pairs within a section. The keys are not case sensitive. The entries are case sensitive.

Comments are preceded by a '#', and run from the occurrence of '#' until the end of the line. Consequently, you can comment out an entire line or place a comment after an entry. It is important to place the key-entry pair in the correct section, because it will not be found if it is in another section. Since DHSVM will only use the keys that it requires you can leave empty entries for keys that are not needed. For example, if you are running the model in point mode, you do not have to fill out the routing section. If you have already filled it out you can leave it, DHSVM will not use the information. This allows easy switching between point and basin mode.

Model sections are identified by keywords contained in square brackets. Key-entry pairs are identified by the key name followed by an equal sign. If a required key is missing, an error message will be printed to stderr specifying the missing key.

The easiest way to set up the initial configuration file is to download the configuration file template and fill out the required fields.

Details:
The following sections are included in the input file:

  1. [Options]
  2. [Area]
  3. [Time]
  4. [Constants]
  5. [Terrain]
  6. [Routing]
  7. [Meteorology]
  8. [Soils]
  9. [Vegetation]
  10. [Output]

Options:
The individual options are discussed in more detail on the Model Options page. This is simply a complete listing of all possible keys in this section with a very brief description:

Format format of the map input files, either BIN, NETCDF, or BYTESWAP <required>
Extent spatial extent of the model run, either POINT or BASIN <required>
Gradient how the subsurface flow gradient is calculated, either TOPOGRAPHY or WATERTABLE <required>
Flow routing either NETWORK or UNIT_HYDROGRAPH <required>
Sensible heat flux calculate sensible heat flux, either TRUE or FALSE <required>
Interpolation method of meteorological interpolation, either INVDIST, NEAREST, or VARCRESS <required>
MM5 whether to use MM5 output as input, either TRUE or FALSE <required>
QPF use QPF with MM5, either TRUE or FALSE <required>
PRISM whether PRISM maps should be used to interpolate precipitation, either TRUE or FALSE <required>
PRISM data path path for PRISM files (see next entry for details) (string) PRISM = TRUE
PRISM data extension file extension for PRISM files The complete name for the prism files is of the form: "<PRISM data path>.xx.<PRISM data extension>", where xx is a 2-digit integer inidicating the month (use a leading zero for number smaller than 10). (string) PRISM = TRUE
Canopy radiation attenuation mode method for calculating radiation attenuation through the canopy, either FIXED or VARIABLE <required>
Shading whether shading maps should be used, either TRUE or FALSE <required>
Shading data path path for shading files (see next entry for details) (string) Shading = TRUE
Shading data extension extension for shading files. The complete name for the shading files is of the form: "<shading data path>.xx.<shading data extension>", where xx is a 2-digit integer inidicating the month (use a leading zero for number smaller than 10). (string) Shading = TRUE
Skyview data path path for skyview file (string) Shading = TRUE
Snotel whether snotel test is called for, either TRUE or FALSE <required>
Outside whether stations outside the bounding box are used, either TRUE or FALSE <required>
Rhoverride set RH to 100% during precipitation events, either TRUE or FALSE <required>
Precipitation source either RADAR or STATION MM5 = FALSE
Wind source either MODEL or STATION MM5 = FALSE
Temperature lapse rate either CONSTANT or VARIABLE MM5 = FALSE
Precipitation lapse rate either CONSTANT, MAP, or VARIABLE MM5 = FALSE
Cressman radius Cressman radius in model pixels (integer) interpolation = VARCRESS
Cressman Stations Number of stations to include in Cressman interpolation (integer) interpolation = VARCRESS

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Area:
All possible keys in the area section are:

Coordinate system name of coordinate system (string) <required>
Extreme north northern edge of bounding box (double) <required>
Extreme West western edge of bounding box (double) <required>
Center latitude latitude of center of the bounding box (North positive) (float) <required>
Center longitude longitude of center of the bounding box (East positive) (float) <required>
Time zone meridian standard meridian for the time zone (float) <required>
Number of rows number of rows in the map input files (integer) <required>
Number of columns number of columns in the map input files (integer) <required>
Grid spacing grid resolution in meters (float) <required>
Point north north coordinate for point (double) extent = POINT
Point east east coordinate for point (double) extent = POINT

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Time:
All possible keys in the time section are:

Time step model timestep in hours (float) <required>
Model start start date of the model run (MM/DD/YYYY-HH) <required>
Model end end date of the model run (MM/DD/YYYY-HH) <required>

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Constants:
All possible keys in the constants section are:

Ground roughness aerodynamic roughness of bare ground in meters (float) <required>
Snow roughness aerodynamic roughness of the snow surface in meters (float) <required>
Rain threshold temperature in °C above which all precipitation falls as rain (float) <required>
Snow threshold temperature in °C below which all precipitation falls as snow (float) <required>
Snow water capacity liquid water holding capacity of snow (0-1) (float) <required>
Reference height reference height for meteorological observations in meters (float). For model stability, it should be at least 10m higher than the highest canopy height. For STATION met data, which are usually at low elevation (2 or 10 m), the input wind data should be rescaled to this height. <required>
Rain LAI multiplier multiplier for LAI to determine interception capacity for rain (float) <required>
Snow LAI multiplier multiplier for LAI to determine interception capacity for snow (float) <required>
Min intercepted snow lower threshold for storage of intercepted snow (float) <required>
Outside basin value outside basin value in mask file (unsigned char) <required>
Temperature lapse rate temperature lapse rate in °C/m (float) Temperature lapse rate = CONSTANT
Precipitation lapse rate Precipitation lapse rate in m/m (float) (string) Precipitation lapse rate = CONSTANT

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Terrain:
All possible keys in the terrain section are:

DEM file path for DEM file (string) <required>
Basin mask file path for basin mask file (string) <required>

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Routing:
All possible keys in the routing section are listed below. Either a stream network must be specified, or a travel time file and unit hydrograph file must be provided. If you decided to use a road network as well, it is assumed that you are using a stream network as well.

Stream network file path for stream network file (string)
Stream map file path for stream map file (string)
Stream class file path for stream class file (string)
Road network file path for road network file (string)
Road map file path for road map file (string)
Road class file path for road class file (string)
Travel time file path for travel time file (string)
Unit hydrograph file path for unit hydrograph file (string)

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Meteorology:
All possible keys in the meteorology section are:

Number of stations number of met stations (integer) MM5 = FALSE
Station name i name of station i (i between 1 and number of stations) (string) MM5 = FALSE
North coordinate i northern coordinate of station i (i between 1 and number of stations) (float) MM5 = FALSE
East coordinate i eastern coordinate of station i (i between 1 and number of stations) (float) MM5 = FALSE
Elevation i elevation of station i in m (i between 1 and number of stations) (float) MM5 = FALSE
Station file i path for station file i (i between 1 and number of stations) (string) MM5 = FALSE
MM5 Start start date of the MM5 files (MM/DD/YYYY-HH) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Temperature file path for MM5 temperature file (string) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Humidity file path for MM5 humidity file (string) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Wind speed file path for MM5 wind speed file (string) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Shortwave file path for MM5 shortwave file (string) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Longwave file path for MM5 longwave file (string) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Precipitation file path for MM5 precipitation file (string) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Terrain file path for MM5 terrain file (string) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Temp lapse file path for MM5 temperature lapse file (string) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Soil temperature file i path for MM5 soil temperature files, where i varies from 0 to the number of soil layers–1(string) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Rows number of rows in MM5 files (integer) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Cols number of columns in MM5 files (integer) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Extreme north northern edge of MM5 bounding box (double) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 Extreme west western edge of MM5 bounding box (double) MM5 = TRUE
MM5 DY MM5 grid resolution (float) MM5 = TRUE
Radar Start start date of the radar file (MM/DD/YYYY-HH) Precipitation source = RADAR
Radar file path for radar file (string) Precipitation source = RADAR
Radar extreme north northern edge of radar bounding box (double) Precipitation source = RADAR
Radar extreme west western edge of radar file (double) Precipitation source = RADAR
Radar number of rows number of rows in radar file (integer) Precipitation source = RADAR
Radar number of columns number of columns in radar file (integer) Precipitation source = RADAR
Radar grid spacing radar file grid resolution (float) Precipitation source = RADAR
Number of wind maps number of wind maps (integer) Wind source = MODEL
Wind file basename base name of the wind files (string) Wind source = MODEL
Wind map met station number of the met station that is associated with the wind maps (int) Wind source = MODEL
Precipitation lapse rate path for precipitation lapse rate file (string) Precipitation lapse rate = MAP

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Soils:
All possible keys in the soils section are listed below. The keys that are of the form keyname i, are specified for each of the soil types, where i varies from 1 to the number of soil types. The keys following the Number of soil layers i require multiple entries (equal to the number of soil layers). These multiple entries are all specified on the same line, with the entry for the top soil layer first and for the bottom soil layer last.

Soil map file path for soil map file (string) <required>
Soil depth file path for soil depth file (string) <required>
Number of soil types number of soil types (integer) <required>
Soil description i description of soil type i(string) <required>
Lateral conductivity i lateral saturated hydraulic conductivity for soil type i in m/s (float) <required>
Exponential decrease i exponent for change of lateral conductivity with depth for soil type i (float) <required>
Maximum infiltration i maximum infiltration rate for soil type i in m/s (float) <required>
Surface albedo i surface albedo of soil type i in m/s (float) <required>
Number of soil layers i number of soil layers for soil type i (integer) <required>
Porosity i porosity of soil type i (0-1) (number of soil layer floats) <required>
Pore size distribution i pore size distribution index for soil type i (number of soil layer floats) <required>
Bubbling pressure i bubbling pressure for soil type i (integer) <required>
Field capacity i field capacity for soil type i (0 - porosity) (number of soil layer floats) <required>
Wilting point i wilting point for soil type i (0 - porosity) (number of soil layer floats) <required>
Bulk density i bulk density of soil type i in kg/m3 (number of soil layer floats) <required>
Vertical conductivity i vertical conductivity of soil type i in m/s (number of soil layer floats) <required>
Thermal conductivity i thermal conductivity of dry soil type i in W/m°C (number of soil layer floats) <required>
Thermal capacity i thermal capacity of soil type i in J/m3°C (number of soil layer floats) <required>

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Vegetation:
All possible keys in the vegetation section are listed below. The keys that are of the form keyname i, are specified for each of the vegetation types, where i varies from 1 to the number of vegetation types. The number of vegetation layers is two if both an overstory and understory are present, one if either one is present, and zero if there is no vegetation. If parameters are required for each vegetation layer, the first value is for the overstory, the second for the understory

Vegetation map file path for vegetation map file (string) <required>
Number of vegetation types number of vegetation types (integer) <required>
Vegetation description i description of vegetation type i. Note that the keyword GLACIER is treated as a special type (string) <required>
Overstory present i whether an overstory is present, either TRUE or FALSE <required>
Understory present i whether an understory is present, either TRUE or FALSE <required>
Fractional coverage i fractional coverage of overstory (0-1) for vegetation type i (float) Overstory present = TRUE
Trunk space i distance from the ground surface to the start of the crown (0-1, fraction of total height) for vegetation type i (float) overstory = TRUE
Aerodynamic attenuation i Canopy attenuation coefficient for wind profile for vegetation type i (float) overstory = TRUE
Radiation attenuation i radiation attenuation by the overstory of vegetation type i (float) overstory = TRUE and Canopy radiation attenuation mode = FIXED
Hemi fract coverage i fraction of the hemisphere that is visible for each layer in vegetation type i (0-1) (number of vegetation layers floats) overstory = TRUE and Canopy radiation attenuation mode = VARIABLE
Clumping factor i clumping factor of overstory of vegetation type i (float) overstory = TRUE and Canopy radiation attenuation mode = VARIABLE
Leaf angle a i leaf angle distribution parameter for overstory of vegetation type i (float) overstory = TRUE and Canopy radiation attenuation mode = VARIABLE
Leaf angle b i leaf angle distribution parameter for overstory of vegetation type i (float) overstory = TRUE and Canopy radiation attenuation mode = VARIABLE
Scattering parameter i scattering parameter (0.7-0.85) for overstory of vegetation type i (float) overstory = TRUE and Canopy radiation attenuation mode = VARIABLE
Max snow int capacity i maximum snow interception capacity for the overstory of vegetation type i (float) overstory = TRUE
Max release drip ratio i ratio of mass release to meltwater drip from intercepted snow for vegetation type i (float) overstory = TRUE
Snow interception eff i efficiency of snow interception process for vegetation type i (float) overstory = TRUE
Impervious fraction i Impervious fraction for vegetation type i (make sure you understand what this means before you use it) (0-1) (float) <required>
Height i height of each vegetation layer for vegetation type i (number of vegetation layers floats) <required>
Maximum resistance i maximum stomatal resistance in s/m for each vegetation layer for vegetation type i (number of vegetation layers floats) <required>
Minimum resistance i minimum stomatal resistance in s/m for each vegetation lauer for vegetation type i (number of vegetation layers floats) <required>
Moisture threshold i soil moisture threshold (0-1) above which soil moisture does not restrict transpiration for each vegetation layer for vegetation type i (number of vegetation layers floats) <required>
Vapor pressure deficit i vapor pressure deficit threshold in Pa above which stomatal closure occurs for each vegetation layer for vegetation type i (number of vegetation layers floats) <required>
rpc i fraction of shortwave radiation that is photosynthetically active for each layer for each vegetation type i (number of vegetation layers floats) <required>
Number of root zones i Number of rooting zones (integer) <required>
Root zone depths i These are in effect the depths of the various soil layers (in m) (number of soil layers floats) <required>
Overstory root fraction i fraction of the roots of the overstory in each root zone layer for vegetation type i (number of soil layers floats) Overstory present = TRUE
Understory root fraction i fraction of the roots of the understory in each root zone layer for vegetation type i (number of soil layers floats) Understory present = TRUE
Overstory monthly LAI i overstory leaf area index (one-sided) for vegetation type i for each month (Jan - Dec) (12 floats) Overstory present = TRUE
Understory monthly LAI i understory leaf area index (one-sided) for vegetation type i for each month (Jan - Dec) (12 floats) Understory present = TRUE
Overstory monthly alb i overstory albedo for vegetation type i for each month (Jan - Dec) (12 floats) Overstory present = TRUE
Understory monthly alb i understory albedo for vegetation type i for each month (Jan - Dec) (12 floats) Understory present = TRUE

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Output:
All possible keys in the output section are listed below. There are a number of different types of output that the model can produce. See the Model Output page for a detailed listing of the format and content of each output file. In short, the following possibilities are available:
Pixel output
Most state variables and fluxes are output or each timestep for a particular location.
Model states
The model states than can be saved are not meant for analysis. They store the complete state of the system, allowing a restart of the model withut having to run a long startup period.
Maps
Maps are complete fields of a particular variable (state or flux) at a particular time. These can be output periodically, but take up a lot of space for any sizeable application
Images
Images are reduced precision versions of the maps. These are convenient if you want to look at changes over time, but do not want to deal with the large data volume of the maps.
Graphics
If the source code is compiled with the -DHAVE_X11 option, you have the option to display some of the fields in real-time (while the model is running). This is very useful when you want to fgure out what is going on.
Output directory path for output files (string) <required>
Initial state directory directory where the initial state files are stored (string) <required>
Number of output pixels number of pixels for which output should be produced (integer)
North coordinate i north coordinate for output pixel i (double) Number of output pixels > 0
East coordinate i east coordinate for output pixel i (double) Number of output pixels > 0
Name i filename for output of pixel i; this is appended to the Output directory (string) Number of output pixels > 0
Number of model states number of model states that should be saved (integer)
State date i date for storing model state i (MM/DD/YYYY-HH) Number of model states > 0
Number of map variables number of variables for which output should be produced (integer)
Map variable i variable ID for map i (see Model Output for IDs) (integer) Number of map variables > 0
Map layer i for multi-layer variables, indicate the layer to be output (1 is the top layer) (integer) Number of map variables > 0
Number of maps i number of maps that should be produced for map variable i (integer) Number of map variables > 0
Map date j i date to output map j for variable i (j varies from 1 to Number of maps i) (MM/DD/YYYY-HH) Number of map variables > 0
Number of image variables number of variables for which image output should be produced (integer)
Image variable i variable ID for image i (see Model Output for IDs) (integer) Number of image variables > 0
Image layer i or multi-layer variables, indicate the layer to be output (1 is the top layer) (integer) Number of image variables > 0
Image start i start time for producing image output for variable i (MM/DD/YYYY-HH) Number of image variables > 0
Image end i last time for producing image output for variable i (MM/DD/YYYY-HH) Number of image variables > 0
Image interval i time interval between images in hours (float) Number of image variables > 0
Image upper limit i upper limit for scaling image output for variable i (float) Number of image variables > 0
Image lower limit i lower limit for scaling image output for variable i (float) Number of image variables > 0
Number of graphics number of variables for which graphics for which output should be produced (integer)
Graphics ID i variable ID for graphic i (see Model Output for IDs) (integer) Number of graphics > 0

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Last Changed: September 4, 2003 9:50 AM