Skip to main content

Mathematical Overview

The theory section is the main reference for HydroPol2D equations and module structure. Its purpose is to describe the implemented process formulations without mixing them with configuration details or case-study narrative.

HydroPol2D couples:

  • interception, evapotranspiration, infiltration, snow, and vadose storage;
  • layered groundwater recharge, capillary rise, and lateral Boussinesq flow;
  • multiple surface-routing families;
  • water-quality transport;
  • optional human-instability diagnostics.

Capability and maturity​

CapabilityCanonical theory pathCurrent status
Hydrologic core: interception, ET, infiltration, snow, layered vadose storageHydrologic ModelDefault + validated
Groundwater recharge, async scheduler, capillary rise, Boussinesq lateral flowGroundwater ModelDefault + validated
Local inertial routingHydrodynamic ModelDefault + validated
Full-momentum routingHydrodynamic ModelOptional + validated in controlled benchmarks
Diffusive and kinematic D4 routingHydrodynamic ModelOptional + validated in controlled benchmarks
Cellular automata routingHydrodynamic ModelOptional + validated for conservation and routing bookkeeping
Human instability modes 1 and 3Human InstabilityOptional + validated in controlled benchmarks
River-aquifer exchange interfaceGroundwater ModelInterface present, not yet a mature standalone theory claim

Theory map​

1. Hydrologic processes​

The hydrologic theory pages document how HydroPol2D partitions atmospheric input into canopy storage, throughfall, infiltration, evapotranspiration, snow accumulation and melt, vadose storage, recharge, and groundwater feedback.

2. Groundwater coupling​

Groundwater theory documents the current layered recharge pathway, optional capillary rise, asynchronous groundwater scheduler, exfiltration, and 2D Boussinesq lateral flow when baseflow is active.

3. Surface routing​

HydroPol2D currently documents five main routing families:

  • local inertial;
  • full momentum;
  • diffusive D4;
  • kinematic D4;
  • cellular automata.

Only one major routing formulation should be active at a time. D8 remains secondary in scope.

4. Human instability​

Human instability is a coupled hazard diagnostic driven by HydroPol2D depth and velocity outputs. The current implemented public theory includes mode 1 force-balance risk and mode 3 geometry-based classification.

5. Water quality​

Water-quality theory documents constituent buildup, washoff, transport, and export within the same distributed routing framework used for water movement.

Numerical coupling​

At a high level, HydroPol2D advances the coupled system by:

  1. applying rainfall, inflow, and meteorological forcing;
  2. updating interception, snow, evapotranspiration, infiltration, and vadose storage;
  3. accumulating recharge and capillary exchange for groundwater;
  4. updating the active routing family;
  5. updating groundwater heads when the asynchronous scheduler is due;
  6. feeding exfiltration, saturation excess, and optional diagnostics back into the coupled state.

This sequential structure is what connects the individual theory pages into one model.