Coupling GLM with a dam operation model: daily restart and thermal continuity

[Maria Elena Alfano]

Hi everyone,

I am working on coupling GLM (v3.1) with another model that simulates dam operation for decision-making purposes.
The goal is to link a detailed release/outflow simulation with a thermal/energy simulation using GLM, in order to assess how different dam operation strategies impact the lake thermal structure (and consequently the temperature of the released water).

More specifically, I would like to:

• run the system on a daily time step;

• at each day, given the outflow defined by the dam operation model, simulate how the thermal profile evolves;

• obtain different thermal profiles depending on the operational logic;

• preserve physical continuity, meaning that each simulated day should inherit the thermal state of the previous one.

At the moment, I am doing this in a rather ad-hoc way:
each day I modify the GLM input file, updating:

• lake_depth,

• the initial depth–temperature profile
  using the values from the previous day.

This works, but I do not think it is the most efficient or elegant approach.

My questions are therefore:

• is there a recommended or “official” way to restart GLM using the information contained in the output.nc file?

• has anyone implemented a similar workflow (GLM coupled with a decision/operation model, sequential daily runs with restart)?

Any suggestions, experiences, or references would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks a lot!