The Meteorological Dataset Editor allows users to define one or more meteorological stations as a meteorological dataset and specify the atmospheric parameters measured at each station. Each dataset must include at least one meteorological station and the following input data for each station: atmospheric pressure, air temperature, humidity, shortwave radiation, cloudiness, and wind speed. The editor provides two options for entering the required input data across all meteorological stations in a dataset. The first option allows data entry by station using the View by Station configuration, while the second option enables data entry by meteorological variable using the View by Variables configuration. Both configurations open an editable data panel. The water quality model requires the following six meteorological parameters for each station:

  • Atmospheric Pressure
  • Air Temperature
  • Humidity
  • Shortwave Radiation
  • Cloudiness
  • Wind Speed

Each parameter can be specified either as a constant value or defined from a HEC-DSS file. It is crucial to select the correct units from the Interpreted Units dropdown menu in the Meteorological Dataset Editor.

To begin, from the Meteorological Dataset Editor, use the dataset navigation bar to select the desired meteorological dataset (e.g., Met_Dataset1). Then, click the Station radio button to enter data by station (as shown in the Meteorological Dataset Editor – Station Configuration – Enter Data Source – Atmospheric Pressure Example).


Meteorological Dataset Editor – Station Configuration – Enter Data Source – Atmospheric Pressure Example

To view and manage the input data for meteorological parameters, expand the station nodes in the selection tree by clicking the plus symbol next to each station (parent node) to reveal the associated meteorological parameters (child nodes). Alternatively, you can expand all parent nodes at once by right-clicking on the selection tree and selecting Expand All from the shortcut menu. Once expanded, select a station name (e.g., DryCreek_10).

To enter or modify the input data for a specific meteorological parameter at the selected station, choose the desired parameter from the list in the selection tree: Atmospheric Pressure, Air Temperature, Humidity, Shortwave Radiation, Cloudiness, or Wind Speed. For example, in the Meteorological Dataset Editor – Station Configuration – Enter Data Source – Atmospheric Pressure Example, select Atmospheric Pressure from the selection tree. This will open the editable data panel for the selected variable.

Alternatively, if you need to enter or modify the input data for a specific parameter across all meteorological stations:

  1. From the Meteorological Dataset Editor, click the Variables radio button (Meteorological Dataset Editor – Variables Configuration – Enter Data Source – Atmospheric Pressure Example) to switch to the Variables Configuration view.
  2. In the selection tree, expand the variable nodes (parent nodes) by clicking the plus symbol to reveal the active stations (child nodes). To expand all parent nodes at once, right-click on the selection tree and choose Expand All from the shortcut menu.


Meteorological Dataset Editor – Variables Configuration – Enter Data Source – Atmospheric Pressure Example

From the selection tree, select a meteorological parameter (e.g., Atmospheric Pressure).

To enter or modify the input data for the selected parameter at a specific station, choose the station of interest from the list of active stations (e.g., DryCreek_10). In the example shown in Figure 3.21, with DryCreek_10 selected, the editable data panel for the Atmospheric Pressure at this station is displayed.

Both the Station Configuration and Variables Configuration options will open the editable data panel for the selected variable and station.

Within the editable data panel, specify the atmospheric parameter for the selected station (e.g., a constant atmospheric pressure value of 1.0 atm for DryCreek_10). Once the data is entered, a plot window will appear at the bottom of the editable data panel, displaying the entered data.

The plot window offers two options for visualizing the entered data:


Meteorological Dataset Editor – Station Configuration – Plot All Defined Sources – Shortwave Radiation Example

Note that the x-axis of the plot window may vary depending on the selected Data Source and whether the Meteorological Dataset Editor is accessed from the Water Quality module or the Simulation module. For instance, if the plot contains DSS data, the x-axis will display the Period of Record (POR) for the selected HEC-DSS record when accessed from the Water Quality module. However, if the Meteorological Dataset Editor is opened in the Simulation module, the x-axis will reflect the simulation time window instead.

The following sections provide step-by-step instructions for entering data from each data source option and details for configuring each of the required meteorological parameters.