EFDC+ Explorer
A Pre- & Post-Processor for the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code
Specialized Post-processing Tools
EFDC+ Explorer (EE) includes a suite of specialized post-processing tools that extend the analytical value of your model outputs, supporting habitat quantification for fish and aquatic organisms and forced evaporation analysis to assess the thermal impact of heated effluent on receiving water bodies.
Habitat Analysis with Critical Limits Time Series
Fresh water fish often occupy complex habitat with rapidly varying water depth and velocity.
Habitat Analysis with Critical Limits Time Series
EE’s critical-limits time series habitat analysis is designed for planning applications where habitat conditions drive decision-making. Users can define up to five parameters from any variable active in EE, and the resulting time series plots present a composite view of velocity alongside the volume and area satisfying the defined criteria — giving planners and resource managers a quantitative picture of habitat availability over time.
Habitat Suitability Analysis with the Instream Flow Incremental Method (IFIM)
Weighted Usable Area vs. Discharge for Burbot Fish Species.
Habitat Suitability Analysis with the Instream Flow Incremental Method (IFIM)
The Instream Flow Incremental Method (IFIM) is among the world’s most widely used frameworks for evaluating the effects of flow manipulation on river habitats, and is recognized by the EPA as a state-of-the-art assessment approach. It provides an objective, quantifiable basis for characterizing habitat conditions for a target species across its life stages, measuring how well each habitat variable satisfies species-specific requirements.
At IFIM’s core is the Physical Habitat Simulation Model (PHABSIM), which integrates hydrology, stream morphology, and microhabitat preferences to quantify the relationship between streamflow and habitat availability. By combining this methodology with EFDC+‘s three-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling, EE functions as a highly advanced 3D PHABSIM — offering spatial and physical resolution that traditional IFIM tools cannot match.
Forced Evaporation
Forced evaporation is the incremental increase in evaporation from a receiving water body caused by heated cooling water discharge. Federal and state agencies treat it as a consumptive water use for thermal electric power plants, making accurate quantification essential for permitting and compliance. EE’s dedicated toolbox enables spatial and temporal evaluation of these thermal impacts.
