Stream temperature simulation of forested riparian areas: I. Watershed-scale model development

To simulate stream temperatures on a watershed scale, shading dynamics of topography and riparian vegetation must be computed for estimating the amount of solar radiation that is actually absorbed by water for each stream reach. A series of computational procedures identifying the geometric relationships among the sun position, stream location and orientation, and riparian shading characteristics were used to develop a computer program called SHADE. The SHADE-generated solar radiation data are used by the Hydrologic Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF) to simulate hourly stream temperatures. A methodology for computing the heat flux between water and streambed was selected, evaluated, and implemented in the HSPF code. This work advances the state of the art in watershed analysis by providing a quantitative tool for relating riparian forest management to stream temperature, which is a vital component of aquatic habitat. This paper describes the modeling strategies, the SHADE program in terms of algorithms and procedures, the integration of SHADE with HSPF, and the algorithms and evaluation of the bed conduction of heat. A companion paper presents an application of the SHADE-HSPF modeling system for the Upper Grande Ronde watershed in northeast Oregon.