Model Library

Water and Energy transfer Processes and Nitrogen cycle Processes Model in Cold regions (WEP-N)

Model name: Water and Energy transfer Processes and Nitrogen cycle Processes Model in Cold regions (WEP-N)

Developed by: Researchers at the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research and collaborators, led by Dr. Shuiqing Liu and Dr. Zuhao Zhou (Last update: 2023)

Model type: Distributed, process-based, hydrological and nonpoint source pollution, watershed model

History: WEP-N was developed based on the WEP-COR model.

Computational requirements: N/A

Link to download model: Not open-source. Contact zhzh@iwhr.com for any information.

Capabilities and Limitations:

Capabilities

  • WEP-N comprehensively considers the influence of meteorology, underlying surface, water use, water conservancy, soil conservation projects, and other factors on water and nitrogen cycles in cold regions (Liu et al., 2024);
  • WEP-N couples water, heat, and nitrogen processes at both large- and small-scale watersheds, considering pollutant dynamics during freeze–thaw periods (Liu et al., 2023);
  • WEP-N considered the driving effects of pressure, gravity, solute, and temperature potentials on water and nitrogen movement in soil and the transformation relationship among nitrogen forms (Liu et al., 2023).

Limitations

  • WEP-N is not open-source;
  • WEP-N only simulates N cycle for water quality;
  • WEP-N is based on mechanisms and, hence, requires relatively more input parameters (Liu et al., 2023);
  • WEP-N was developed for the first time in 2023 (Liu et al., 2023), thus, it has not been fully studied.

Model Inputs and Outputs:

Inputs

Terrain data, Soil data, LULC, Meteorological data, Hydrological parameters, Vegetation information, Socio-economic information, Pollution source information, Verification data (flow and N-related data).

Outputs

WEP-N can simulate water and nitrogen processes, especially in cold regions.

Examples:

References

Liu, S., Zhou, Z., Liu, J., et al. (2023). Simulation of water and nitrogen movement mechanism in cold regions during the freeze–thaw period based on a distributed nonpoint source pollution model closely coupling water, heat, and nitrogen processes at the watershed scale. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(5), 5931–5954. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22535-6

Liu, S., Zhou, Z., Liu, J., et al. (2024). Impact of climate change on water quality evolution in cold regions using a water–heat–nitrogen processes coupled model. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 31(22), 22395–22409. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32562-0

Objectives

The objective of the study is to develop a new distributed nonpoint source pollution model that closely couples water, heat, and nitrogen processes at the watershed scale to better understand the underlying mechanisms of nitrogen transport and transformation in the Heidingzi River Watershed (HRW) during the freeze-thaw period.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of climate change on water quality evolution during the freezing, thawing, and non-freeze–thaw periods in the basin based on the water and energy transfer and nitrogen cycle processes model (WEP-N) in cold regions with a physical mechanism.