Multiple time scale characteristics of rainfall and its impact on soil salinization in the typical easily salinized area in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China

On the basis of monthly rainfall data over 50?years, we analyzed temporal properties of annual and seasonal rainfall variability by using and comparing two kinds of continuous wavelet transforms. Furthermore, we deduced its impacts on soil salinization in the area of Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China. Results showed that the annual rainfall collected by the studied area showed a decreasing trend during period 1960–2009 at a climatic tendency rate of 14.43?mm/10?years. The Morlet wavelet is better at capturing local feature of rainfall oscillatory behaviors at fine time scales, and the Mexican Hat wavelet is better at revealing global feature of rainfall period. Combining Wavelet transform with wavelet power spectrum and its confidence test, we found the 8-year dominant period of annual rainfall and the 5-, 6-, 10- and 12-year dominant periods of seasonal rainfall, respectively. The annual and seasonal rainfall trends in the near future and their impacts on soil salinization are deduced based on the rainfall dominant periods and the prominent correlation between rainfall and soil salinity changes. The annual rainfall will still be in a relatively low period in the subsequent year after 2009 and then revert to a relatively high period during 2011–2014. The subsequent summer variability of rainfall may be helpful for reducing the soil salinization, while the opposite trends of spring and autumn rainfall variability may aggravate the soil salinization. This suggests sustainable irrigation and drainage measures to prevent soil salinization in this area.     

An entropy-based investigation into the variability of precipitation

Employing the entropy concept spatial and temporal variability of precipitation time series were investigated for the State of Texas, USA. Marginal entropy was used to investigate the variability associated with monthly, seasonal and annual time series. Also, apportionment entropy and intensity entropy were used for investigating the intra-annual and decadal distributions of monthly and annual precipitation amounts and numbers of rainy days within a year and decade respectively. Finally, the Hurst exponent and the Mann–Kendall test were used to evaluate the long-term persistence and trend in the variability of precipitation. Distinct spatial patterns in annual series and different seasons were observed. The variability of precipitation amount as well as number of rainy days within a year increased from east to west of Texas. The results also indicated that highly disorderliness in the amount of precipitation and number of rainy days caused severe droughts during the 1950’s in whole of Texas.     

Interannual variability in western US precipitation

Low-frequency (interannual or longer period) climatic variability is of interest, because of its significance for the understanding and prediction of protracted climatic anomalies. Since precipitation is one of the key variables driving various hydrologic processes, it is useful to examine precipitation records to better understand long-term climate dynamics. Here, we use the multi-taper method of spectral analysis to analyze the monthly precipitation time series (both occurrence and amount) at a few stations along a meridional transect from Priest River, ID to Tucson, AZ. We also examine spectral coherence between monthly precipitation and widely used atmospheric indices, such as the central Northern Pacific (CNP) and southern oscillation index (SOI). This analysis reveals statistically significant ‘signals' in the time series in the 5–7 and 2–3 year bands. These interannual signals are consistent with those related to El-Niño southern oscillation (ENSO) and quasi-biennial variability identified by others.     

Teleconnection and climatic oscillation in aquifer water level in Kumamoto plain,Japan

Relative little is known about the interaction between climate change and groundwater. Analysis of aquifer response to climatic variability could improve the knowledge related to groundwater resource variations and therefore provides guidance on water resource management. In this work, seasonal and annual variations of groundwater levels in Kumamoto plain (Japan) and their possible interactions with climatic indices and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) were analyzed statistically. Results show the following: (1) The water level in the recharge area mainly fluctuates at 1‐ and 2‐year periods, whereas the significant periodicity for water level oscillation in the coastal aquifer is 0.5 year. (2) The aquifer water levels are possibly influenced by variability in precipitation, air temperature, barometric pressure, humidity variances and ENSO. Relative high correlations and large proportions of similarities in wavelet power patterns were found between these variables and water levels. (3) Aquifer response to climatic variances was evaluated using cross wavelet transform and wavelet coherence. In recharging aquifers, the ENSO‐induced annual variations in precipitation, air temperature, humidity and barometric pressure affect aquifer water levels. The precipitation, air temperature and humidity respond to ENSO with a 4‐, 6‐ and 8‐month time lag, respectively, whereas the ENSO imparts weak influence on the barometric pressure. Significant biennial variation of water levels during 1991–1995 is caused primarily by precipitation and humidity variations. In the coastal aquifer, the 0.5‐year variability in ENSO is transferred by precipitation, barometric pressure and humidity to aquifer water levels, and the precipitation/humidity influence is more significant comparing with the barometric pressure. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi-scale variability and trends of precipitation in North China

The issue of water shortage and related eco-environmental degradation in North China is one of the major emerging problems in China. Precipitation is the most key factor for water resources. Based on the historical flood/dryness grade dataset during the period of 1470–2000 obtained from 25 gauging stations in North China, the multi-scale variability and trends are analyzed by means of power spectral and continuous wavelet transform. It is found that the precipitation is characterized by obvious seasonal changes, quasi biennial oscillations, inter-annual 4–7 year component and inter-decadal 19-year periodicity. The MK test results showe that step changes occurred around 1914 and 1964 in the annual precipitation. As for the historical flood/dryness grade time series, it is characterized by 4∼5 year ENSO mode inter-annual oscillation, quasi-10 year inter-decadal variability, quasi-24 year component and 50–80 year centurial periodicity. However, the scales of these variations have decreased significantly since the 1970s. The trend for precipitation change in North China has been negative for last 30 years. Further research shows that North China will continue to become dryer until 2015 and may change to a wetter regime after 2020. These findings should be helpful for future decision-making to ensure sustainable water resource management in North China.     

Seasonal and inter-annual zooplankton dynamics in temporary pools with different hydroperiods

The results of a research carried out in 2001 on nine temporary mountain pools (Northern Apennines, Italy) underlined a major role of hydroperiod in shaping zooplankton communities of temporary habitats. In 2002, the same pools were studied to assess inter-annual differences in zooplankton seasonal patterns. Data on precipitations (both snow and rainfalls) were collected to evaluate the influence of precipitation regimes on hydroperiod and concurrently on hydrochemical features and zooplankton dynamics.Mean annual snow and rainfall abundances were highly similar in both years but precipitation patterns were different. Moreover, different air temperatures were measured in the 2 years of study. These factors influenced water persistence and dry and wet cycles in the pools: in 2001, three pools dried out in summer and remained dry until autumn rainfalls (type A pools), in five pools (type B pools) the summer dry period was interrupted by re-filling due to storms in July and only in one pool water did remain for the entire research period (C1). In 2002, type A and B pools underwent only one dry phase (June–July) while C1 showed a hydroperiod similar to the one that occurred in the previous year. Overall, type A and B pools can be classified as ‘seasonal’ and C1 as ‘near-permanent or permanent’.Principal component analysis and paired t-tests did not show significant differences between years in the hydrochemical features of the pools. However, the seasonal pools showed a wide range of variation in their hydrochemical parameters while water features of the permanent pool presented less variability.Within the pools, divergences in the number and in the type of zooplankton taxa between the 2 years were limited. Rotifer and copepod density of the seasonal pools were comparable over years and only cladocerans exhibited distinct density dynamics. Cladoceran appeared to be associated with ionic content and influenced by the occurrence of ice-melting and by the wet phase length of the pools.On the contrary, the permanent pool showed diverse zooplankton seasonal patterns in 2001 compared to 2002. Over years, different pH values were measured; pH and conductivity varied with changing water volume, which in turn explained a significant amount of the observed variation in zooplankton densities in 2002.     

A long-term series of zooplankton monitoring of a shallow coastal water of the southern Baltic

Data on the seasonal variability of the quality and quantity of zooplankton are presented for the shallow eutrophic Darss-Zingst estuary. These data are the result of a monitoring programm from 1969–1995. Copepods and rotifers were the main components of the biomass. They showed a pattern of seasonal fluctuation which remained unchanged during the whole period of investigation. Copeods were dominant in spring and autumn and had their maximum in summer. Considerable biomass peaks of cladocerans were observed only in some years in connection with low salinities and high temperatures. A peak of meroplanktic larvae of polychates was observed in late autumn since 1989. Copepods were inversily correlated with the pH-value. An inverse correlation was also found between rotifers and water temperature.     

Climate-driven shifts in diatom assemblages recorded in annually laminated sediments of Sacrower See (NE Germany)

Sacrower See is a eutrophic lake with annually laminated sediments extending back to A.D. 1868. Analysis of annual layers revealed multi-decadal periods of distinct diatom assemblages at A.D. 1868–1875, 1876–1940, 1941–1978, and 1979–2000. Detrended correspondence analysis performed on individual seasonal sediment layers showed decadal-scale patterns of turnover in the diatom flora. The spring–summer layers showed higher sample scores until the early 1960s, after which the differences with the autumn–winter layers became smaller. Rates-of-change analysis revealed that the seasonal variability in diatom assemblages was higher than the annual changes. Summer diatom rates of change over the period A.D. 1894–1960 was on average higher than for winter, whereas between the 1960s and 1970s the winter rates of change became higher than the summer ones. Redundancy Analyses showed that seasonal temperatures and wind strength were significant explanatory variables for diatom assemblages in both annual and seasonal layers. These results suggest that meteorological changes indirectly affected diatom assemblages via the mixing regime of the lake. A comparison of the diatom rates of change with the amplitude of inter-annual climate change shows a statistically significant correlation for the spring-summer layers in the period of A.D. 1963–2000, showing that the sensitivity of diatom assemblages to meteorological changes has varied over the past century, with a stronger effect on diatoms registered during the past 40 years.     

The influence of freeze–thaw cycles of active soil layer on surface runoff in a permafrost watershed

As a result of global warming, the discharges from rivers in permafrost regions have varied significantly. However, its mechanism remains unclear. One of possible factors is active soil freeze–thaw cycle, which may influence surface runoff in the variation of permafrost water cycle processes. In this study, a typical permafrost watershed in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau was selected, its hydrological processes were monitored from 2004 to 2007, and the effects of the freezing and thawing depth of the soil active layer on runoff processes were assessed. The runoff modulus, runoff coefficient, direct runoff ratio, recession gradient and their seasonal variations were estimated and analyzed. The active soil dynamics and water budget were analyzed to prove the features of the surface runoff and the influences of active soil freeze–thaw processes. The primary factors influencing surface runoff processes during different seasons were analyzed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and statistical regression methods. The results showed that the high runoff coefficient and low direct runoff ratio were the main characteristics during the spring flood period (May–June) and during the autumn recession period (September). The runoff modulus and its year-to-year variability were the greatest in the summer flood period. The direct runoff ratio decreased from 0.43 in May to 0.29 in September, with the exception of the highest ratio, which occurred during the summer recession period (July). The active soil thawing in the upper layer of depth of 60 cm had contributed to increase in discharge, but the increase in thawing depth deeper than 60 cm led to a decrease in surface runoff and slowness in the recession process. Precipitation played a small role in the spring flood runoff and the autumn runoff. The soil active layer freeze–thaw variation, which affected seasonal soil water dynamic and water budget and reformed seasonal runoff characteristics, along with vegetation cover changes, is considered the potential major factor in control of the hydrological processes in the permafrost region.     

Climatic forcing on hydrography of a Mediterranean bay (Alfacs Bay)

Time series of meteorological and hydrographic variables were analyzed using Huang's Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) to ascertain the relationships among climatic forcings and the hydrographic behavior in an estuarine bay. The EMD method allowed us to separate the different characteristic oscillation patterns (or modes) of a 14 year-long time series of weekly hydrographic (water temperature and salinity) and meteorological (air temperature, pressure, wind and precipitation) data from Alfacs Bay (Ebre delta, NW Mediterranean). In order to explore the relations between couples of oscillation modes from different series, we developed a correlation index based on the phase differences between these modes. Common characteristic modes in the studied series are a seasonal pattern and an inter-annual oscillation. The comparison between series of meteorological and hydrographic variables shows significant correlations of two modes (of 1 year and 2–3 year periods, respectively) of water temperature with the corresponding two modes of air temperature and air pressure. There were also significant positive correlations between wind speed and water temperature. The use of EMD allowed to discover a strong connection between stratification and the use of irrigation channels in the bay; in addition, with the help of this method we can propose a common meteorological forcing mechanism for the observed patterns of variability. Those findings would have been impossible to guess by use of classical Fourier methods, and gives a demonstration of the power of EMD in climatic series analysis.     

Wavelet combined innovative trend analysis for precipitation data in the Euphrates-Tigris basin,Turkey

ABSTRACT

In this study, annual and seasonal precipitation trend analysis was performed in the Euphrates-Tigris basin, Turkey, using innovative trend analysis (ITA) and discrete wavelet transformation. In this context, it was seen that there is a downward trend in winter, spring and annual precipitation, whereas precipitation has an increasing tendency in summer and autumn seasons, in the greater part of the basin. When annual and seasonal data were decomposed into wavelet components, the most significant trends were observed for high-periodic wavelet components, such as D3 (8-year), D4 (16-year) and D5 (32-year), where these components represent the periods of the precipitation data. Then, the relationship between North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and trend in precipitation was investigated. In this regard, it was found that there could be a significant relationship between the NAO and precipitation trends of the Euphrates-Tigris basin, especially in winter, based on the wavelet ITA.     

Identifying non-stationary and long-term river–aquifer interactions as a response to large climatic patterns and anthropogenic pressures using wavelet analysis (Mancha Oriental Aquifer,Spain)

The objective of this study was to analyse periodicities and the long-term variability of monthly Júcar River–Mancha Oriental Aquifer interactions (RAI) and regionally measured precipitation (PP) with special focus on the correlations between these local hydrological variables and the large climatic patterns governing the Iberian Peninsula, represented by their teleconnection indices – the North Atlantic Oscillation index (NAOi) and the Western Mediterranean Oscillation index (WeMOi). To that end, wavelet analysis has been applied since it not only provides insight into the time-series dynamics but also permits statistical interpretation and correlation analysis. As a result, several periodicities have been detected: intermittent semi-annual periodicity in PP and the NAOi and annual periodicity in the RAI, NAOi and WeMOi time series. Long cycles (approximately 14 years) are also observed in the PP and WeMOi time series. The cross-wavelet spectra show a correlation between the RAI and the rest of the variables on the semi-annual and the annual scales, while wavelet coherence detects common behaviour with longer cycles – 5–6 years between the NAOi and the RAI and cycles of both 1–5 years and 7–10 years between PP and the RAI. Furthermore, results show that the periodicities in the teleconnection indices and precipitation propagate into the RAI with certain lead times: 3 months between the RAI and PP and 6 months between the RAI and the NAOi. The results indicate that the detected periodicities and the coherence between the studied variables could have applications in strategic planning on a river basin scale, taking into account the propagation times and the frequency scale. This methodological approach can be applied into strategic water resource planning independently of the geographical location of the hydrogeological system, the basin size and the climate region.     

Vibration characteristics of rigid body placed on sand ground

This study aims to investigate experimentally the vibration properties of rigid body placed on sand ground surface. The rigid body models with circular or rectangular base with variable mass, inertial moment and base sizes, were prepared, and the vibration behavior was observed in some series of free vibration tests and forced vibration tests. The observed behavior was analyzed and the vibration mode, vibration period and damping ratio were examined. It was found that the natural vibration period depends not only on the mechanical properties of rigid body and ground, but also on the magnitude of vibration amplitude. This suggested the notable effect of nonlinear strain dependent stiffness of ground material. A physical model with distributed spring–dashpot element was used to model the interactive mechanical behavior between rigid body and ground. The stiffness of the spring–dashpot element was evaluated through the modal analysis of the observed vibration behaviors. The effects of base shape, base size and base pressure on the stiffness of spring–dashpot element are discussed. The spring–dashpot model was verified with the behavior observed in forced vibration tests.     

Terrestrial hydrological responses to precipitation variability in Southwest China with emphasis on drought

Abstract

This study investigates the terrestrial hydrological processes during a dry climate period in Southwest China by analysing the frequency-dependent runoff and soil moisture responses to precipitation variability. Two headwater sub-basins, the Nanpan and Guihe basins of the West River (Xijiang), are studied to compare and contrast the terrestrial responses. The variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model is used to simulate the hydrological processes. Using wavelets, the relationships between observed precipitation and simulated runoff/soil moisture are expressed quantitatively. The results indicate that: (a) the Guihe basin shows a greater degree of high-frequency runoff variability in response to regional precipitation; and (b) the Nanpan basin exhibits less capability in accommodating/smoothing extreme precipitation deficits, reflected in terms of both higher scale-averaged (for 3–6 months) and time-averaged (for the year 1963) wavelet power of soil moisture.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor C.-Y. Xu

Citation Niu, J. and Chen, J., 2013. Terrestrial hydrological responses to precipitation variability in Southwest China with emphasis on drought. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (2), 325–335.     

Tritium in atmospheric precipitation over the European territory of CIS as an indicator of climatic changes

Many-year observational data on the ³H content of mean monthly precipitation at the network of stations in eight natural-climatic belts of the European part of the CIS are studied. Relationships between ³H concentrations and the climatic characteristics are analyzed. The ratio of the ³H content of precipitation in July to that in December is shown to be the best indicator of the atmospheric moisture transfer. The regular variations in the ³H content of precipitation with time (1980–1994) recorded in different natural-climatic belts testify that the western source of atmospheric moisture intensified during the above period and the climate on the European territory of CIS became warmer.Translated from Vodnye Resursy, Vol. 32, No. 2, 2005, pp. 247–253.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Vlasova, Ferronskii.     

Community structure and phenology of chironomids (Insecta: Chironomidae) in a Patagonian Andean stream

In this paper, we studied the assemblage of Chironomidae from headwaters of Ñireco stream by recording drifting pupal exuviae caught in the debris close to the shore. Samples were collected in three stations along 18 km of the stream every 2 weeks during spring–summer months and monthly during autumn–winter over a year. A total of 15949 exuviae were collected and 55 taxa were identified. The most abundant taxa were Cricotopus spp. with highest numbers of exuviae recorded in each station over the study period. Subfamily Orthocladiinae was the most abundant taxa, followed by Chironominae and Podonominae. The emergence period in the stream occurred between December 1998 and March 1999. Most of the dominant and frequent species were univoltine. The emergence peaks at each sampling station occurred at the highest temperature of the water recorded.     

Interannual climate variability in South America: impacts on seasonal precipitation, extreme events, and possible effects of climate change

Interannual variability is an important modulator of synoptic and intraseasonal variability in South America. This paper seeks to characterize the main modes of interannual variability of seasonal precipitation and some associated mechanisms. The impact of this variability on the frequency of extreme rainfall events and the possible effect of anthropogenic climate change on this variability are reviewed. The interannual oscillations of the annual total precipitation are mainly due to the variability in austral autumn and summer. While autumn is the dominant rainy season in the northern part of the continent, where the variability is highest (especially in the northeastern part), summer is the rainy season over most of the continent, thanks to a summer monsoon regime. In the monsoon season, the strongest variability occurs near the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ), which is one of the most important features of the South American monsoon system. In all seasons but summer, the most important source of variability is ENSO (El Ni?o Southern Oscillation), although ENSO shows a great contribution also in summer. The ENSO impact on the frequency of extreme precipitation events is also important in all seasons, being generally even more significant than the influence on seasonal rainfall totals. Climate change associated with increasing emission of greenhouse gases shows potential to impact seasonal amounts of precipitation in South America, but there is still great uncertainty associated with the projected changes, since there is not much agreement among the models’ outputs for most regions in the continent, with the exception of southeastern South America and southern Andes. Climate change can also impact the natural variability modes of seasonal precipitation associated with ENSO.     

Geospatial–temporal dependence among weekly precipitation extremes with applications to observations and climate model simulations in South America

A quantification of the spatio-temporal dependence among precipitation extremes is important for investigating the properties of intense storms as well as flood or flash-flood related hazards. Extreme value theory has been widely applied to the hydrologic sciences and hydraulic engineering. However, rigorous approaches to quantify dependence structures among extreme values in space and time have not been reported in the literature. Previous researchers have quantified the dependence among extreme values through the concept of (pairwise bivariate) tail dependence coefficients. For estimation of the tail dependence coefficients, we apply a recently developed method [Kuhn G. On dependence and extremes. PhD thesis (Advisor: C. Klüppelberg), Munich University of Technology, 2006] which utilized the multivariate tail dependence function of a subclass of elliptical copulas. This study extends the previous approach in the context of space and time by considering pairs of spatial grids in South America and quantifying the dependence among precipitation extremes based on the time series at each spatial grid. In addition, Kendall’s τ is used to estimate the pairwise copula correlation (for an elliptical copula) of precipitation between all grids in South America. The geospatial–temporal dependence measures are applied to precipitation observations from 1940 to 2005 as well as simulations from the Community Climate System Model version 3 (CCSM3) for 1940–2099. New insights are obtained regarding the spatio-temporal dependence structures for precipitation over South America both with regard to correlation as well as tail dependence.     

Hydrogeologic controls on streamflow sensitivity to climate variation

Climate models project warmer temperatures for the north‐west USA, which will result in reduced snowpacks and decreased summer streamflow. This paper examines how groundwater, snowmelt, and regional climate patterns control discharge at multiple time scales, using historical records from two watersheds with contrasting geological properties and drainage efficiencies. In the groundwater‐dominated watershed, aquifer storage and the associated slow summer recession are responsible for sustaining discharge even when the seasonal or annual water balance is negative, while in the runoff‐dominated watershed subsurface storage is exhausted every summer. There is a significant 1 year cross‐correlation between precipitation and discharge in the groundwater‐dominated watershed (r = 0·52), but climatic factors override geology in controlling the inter‐annual variability of streamflow. Warmer winters and earlier snowmelt over the past 60 years have shifted the hydrograph, resulting in summer recessions lasting 17 days longer, August discharges declining 15%, and autumn minimum discharges declining 11%. The slow recession of groundwater‐dominated streams makes them more sensitive than runoff‐dominated streams to changes in snowmelt amount and timing. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Beach water table fluctuations due to spring–neap tides: moving boundary effects

Tidal water table fluctuations in a coastal aquifer are driven by tides on a moving boundary that varies with the beach slope. One-dimensional models based on the Boussinesq equation are often used to analyse tidal signals in coastal aquifers. The moving boundary condition hinders analytical solutions to even the linearised Boussinesq equation. This paper presents a new perturbation approach to the problem that maintains the simplicity of the linearised one-dimensional Boussinesq model. Our method involves transforming the Boussinesq equation to an ADE (advection–diffusion equation) with an oscillating velocity. The perturbation method is applied to the propagation of spring–neap tides (a bichromatic tidal system with the fundamental frequencies ω₁andω₂) in the aquifer. The results demonstrate analytically, for the first time, that the moving boundary induces interactions between the two primary tidal oscillations, generating a slowly damped water table fluctuation of frequency ω₁−ω₂, i.e., the spring–neap tidal water table fluctuation. The analytical predictions are found to be consistent with recently published field observations.