Trends in stream and river temperature

Information on past and likely future trends in water temperature from different parts of the world is collated. The potential causes of trends in the thermal regimes of streams and rivers are many, but the existing database of water temperature information is inadequate to provide a global perspective on changes during the recent, let alone the more remote, past. Data from Europe suggest that warming of up to ca. 1°C in mean river temperatures has occurred during the 20th century, but that this trend has not been continuous, is distorted by extreme hydrological events, is not correlated with simple hydrometeorological factors and has been influenced by a variety of human activities. Predictive studies indicate that an accelerated rise in stream and river temperatures will occur during the next century as a consequence of global warming. However, forecasts must be tentative because future climatic conditions are uncertain and interactions between climate, hydrological and vegetation changes are complex.     

A novel soil moisture‐based drought severity index (DSI) combining water deficit magnitude and frequency

A correct identification of drought events over vegetated lands can be achieved by detecting those soil moisture conditions that are both unusually dry compared with the ‘normal’ state and causing severe water stress to the vegetation. In this paper, we propose a novel drought index that accounts for the mutual occurrence of these two conditions by means of a multiplicative approach of a water deficit factor and a dryness probability factor. The former quantifies the actual level of plant water stress, whereas the latter verifies that the current water deficit condition is unusual for the specific site and period. The methodology was tested over Europe between 1995 and 2012 using soil moisture maps simulated by Lisflood, a distributed hydrological precipitation–runoff model. The proposed drought severity index (DSI) demonstrates to be able to detect the main drought events observed over Europe in the last two decades, as well as to provide a reasonable estimation of both extension and magnitude of these events. It also displays an improved adaptability to the range of possible conditions encountered in the experiment as compared with currently available indices based on the sole magnitude or frequency. The results show that, for the analyzed period, the most extended drought events observed over Europe were the ones in Central Europe in 2003 and in southern Europe in 2011/2012, while the events affecting the Iberian Peninsula in 1995 and 2005 and Eastern Europe in 2000 were among the most severe ones. © 2015 European Commission ‐ Joint Research Centre. Hydrological Processes published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Using integrated modelling to understand seasonal vegetation dynamics and its relationship to runoff generation

Vegetation dynamics and hydrological processes are major components of terrestrial ecosystems, and they interact strongly with each other. Studies of hydrological responses to vegetation dynamics are usually conducted on a long-term scale, whereas the hydrological responses within a single year have rarely been studied. In the present study, Poyang Lake runoff (PYL-R) model, a new hydrological model coupled with leaf area index (LAI) remote sensing products, was established and applied to simulate the runoff process in the Poyang Lake Watershed. The simulation results obtained in three sub-watersheds of the Poyang Lake Watershed (Ganjiang Watershed, Xinjiang Watershed, and Fuhe Watershed) agreed well with the observations (Nash efficiency coefficient values and R values exceeded 0.6 and 0.9, respectively). The PYL-R experiment (PYL-R-E) model was designed as a contrast model without considering the impact of LAI. The simulated monthly runoff results obtained using the PYL-R and PYL-R-E models were compared, and the within-year changes in the differences between the two results were analysed to evaluate and quantify the impact of vegetation dynamic on runoff. From January to July, when LAI values increased by around 2.6 m² m⁻², monthly runoff depth differences between PYL-R and PYL-R-E results increased by 35.25, 27.98, and 29.14 mm in the Ganjiang, Xinjiang, and Fuhe watersheds, respectively. Dense vegetation caused high interception and evapotranspiration during summer, which largely reduced runoff. By contrast, during winter, the effect of vegetation was weaker on runoff process whereas the impacts of other factors (e.g., precipitation) were higher. The sensitivity of monthly runoff to vegetation dynamics varied greatly throughout the whole year. In particular, during August and September, the LAI-caused runoff changes were very high, accounting for 28–42% of monthly runoff in the sub-watersheds. Our findings clarify the effects of changes in vegetation on hydrological processes over short time scales, thereby providing insights into the effects of scale on eco-hydrological processes.     

Hydrological signals in height and gravity in northeastern Italy inferred from principal components analysis

This work describes a study of GPS heights, gravity and hydrological time series collected by stations located in northeastern Italy. During the last 12 years, changes in the long-term behaviors of the GPS heights and gravity time series are observed. In particular, starting in 2004–2005, a height increase is observed over the whole area. The temporal and spatial variability of these parameters has been studied as well as those of key hydrological variables, namely precipitation, hydrological balance and water table by using the Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF) analysis. The coupled variability between the GPS heights and the hydrological balance and precipitation data has been investigated by means of the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) approach. Significant common patterns in the spatial and temporal variability of these parameters have been recognized. In particular, hydrology-induced variations are clearly observable starting in 2002–2003 in the southern part of the Po Plain for the longest time series, and from 2004–2005 over the whole area. These findings, obtained by means of purely mathematical approaches, are supported by sound physical interpretation suggesting that the climate-related fluctuations in the regional/local hydrological regime are one of the main contributors to the observed variations. A regional scale signal has been identified in the GPS station heights; it is characterized by the opposite behavior of the southern and northern stations in response to the hydrological forcing. At Medicina, in the southern Po Plain, the EOF analysis has shown a marked common signal between the GPS heights and the Superconducting Gravimeter (SG) data both over the long and the short period.     

Regional differences in hydrological response to canopy interception schemes in a land surface model

Two different canopy interception schemes are applied to the parameterization of the hydrological processes in the Community Land Model version 3. One scheme treats rainfall and canopy water storage as spatially uniform within each model grid cell, and the other scheme considers sub‐grid variability of rainfall and water storage in the parameterization of canopy hydrological processes. The hydrological responses to differences between these two schemes in different regions are studied. It is found that the impact of the sub‐grid variability in the tropical regions is generally greater than the extra‐tropical regions. However, such impact can't be negligible for the extra‐tropical regions. Soil water in the total 3.4 m soil depth increases by 3% for Central‐South Europe, and vegetation temperature increases by 0.14 °C for Southeastern United States if the regional averages are considered. The magnitude of the impact is greater if the analysis focuses on the specific grid cells in these regions. The impact is tightly correlated with rainfall amount and vegetation density. The correlation coefficient between such impact and rainfall amount and vegetation density varies with regions and hydrological variables, with the largest value of 0.92 for interception loss in Amazonia. Our results indicate that the impact of the sub‐grid variability on hydrological processes in the extra‐tropical areas is also important, although rainfall amount and vegetation density in these areas are not as high as in the tropical areas. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Changes of vegetation in southern China

In order to reveal the changes of vegetation in southern China since the Last Glacial Maximum, we have established high-resolution time scales and palynological sequences of borehole profiles by drilling cores in some weak areas of the research to restore vegetation changes over the past 20,000 years on the basis of previous work. This paper gives the vegetation zoning maps of 18, 9 and 6 ka BP respectively in southern China, and describes the distribution characteristics of plants in different zones/subzones. The results show that the vegetation zonations around 18 ka BP were significantly different from that at present.It appeared in turn with Cold-temperate coniferous forest and alpine meadow steppe zone, and Temperate mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest zone/warm temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest zone from northwest to southeast in the west, and Temperate mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest zone, Warm temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest zone, and Northern subtropical mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest zone from north to south in the central and east. The vegetation distribution around 9 ka BP changed distinctively. Except that the northwest part was located in Mountain temperate mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest zone, the vegetation in other areas occurred in turn with North subtropical mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest subzone, Mid-subtropical typical evergreen broad-leaved forest subzone, and South subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest subzone/Tropical seasonal rainforest and rainforest zone from north to south.There was little change in the appearance of vegetation zonations between 6 and 9 ka BP, but the northern edge of each vegetation belt moved a little northward, reflecting that the overall climate became warmer around 6 ka BP. The vegetation changes in southern China over the past 20,000 years were largely driven by environmental changes. Climate change was the main factor affecting the vegetation distribution. The impact of human activities became more and more remarkable in the later period. In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the delta region, sea level changes also influenced the vegetation distribution.     

基于时间序列谐波分析的鄱阳湖湿地植被分布与水位变化响应

采用高时间分辨率遥感信息的谐波分析方法,提取反映鄱阳湖湿地植被指数随水位变化的谐波分量,分别以自然年和水文年的不同周期作为湿地植被指数谐波分析单元,利用时间序列信号的最大振幅谐波分量的变化周期表征湿地植被指数在不同分析单元的变化模式,结合常年水位观测数据和湿地植被群落在不同物候期的时间与空间特征,探讨鄱阳湖国家级自然保护区和南矶湿地国家级自然保护区的植被分布面积与水位变化关系.结果表明:(1)鄱阳湖湿地植被分布受水文状况影响的特征明显,相对于南矶自然保护区,鄱阳湖自然保护区湿地植被分布面积对观测水位的变化更为敏感.(2)两个自然保护区范围内的湿地植被分布面积与对应水文年9和10月的观测水位呈现较强的负相关关系,且在0.05水平上显著.一年两季生长的湿地植被分布面积受退水时间影响大于次年的涨水时间,与枯水期的观测水位无明显的相关关系.(3)两个自然保护区在不同高程区间的湿地植被分布面积与观测水位的相关关系和显著性呈现各自特征.在鄱阳湖保护区,12~13 m高程区间的湿地植被分布面积与9月观测水位的相关性最强,且相关关系在0.05水平上显著;13~14 m高程区间的湿地植被分布面积与10月观测水位相关关系更强.在南矶自然保护区,湿地植被分布面积在不同高程区间均与9和10月观测水位显著相关.采用谐波分析方法分析湖泊湿地的植被分布面积与水位关系有助于基于多时间序列遥感信息的湿地水文节律研究.     

植被变化对西北地区陆气耦合强度的影响

西北地区地处欧亚大陆腹地,生态系统对于气候变化和人为影响十分敏感,同时该区也是湿润的东亚季风区与干燥的中亚干旱区的过渡区域,陆气相互作用比较强烈.本文对西北地区植被变化对当地的陆气耦合强度及其与之相关的地表水文过程的影响进行了分析研究,并且找出适于增加植被以缓解西北地区荒漠化趋势的最具成效的地区.本文利用美国国家大气科学研究中心(NCAR,National Center for Atmospheric Research)研制的通用大气模式CAM3(Community Atmosphere Model Version 3)对西北地区植被变化的影响进了数值模拟.本文共设计了三个试验,使用正常地表植被覆盖的参考试验,地表下垫面变为裸土的去植被试验和植被增加的生态环境好转试验.首先,本文对西北地区植被变化对于当地降水量、地表水分盈余量、径流量、地表土壤含水量等地表水文变量的影响进行了分析研究.然后对西北地区植被变化对当地的陆气耦合强度的影响进了分析研究,陆气耦合强度是衡量局地陆气相互作用强弱程度的一个新标准,基于计算年降水量与蒸散量的协方差与降水量方差之比而得到.它利用观测数据或模式输出数据,计算起来简便容易,物理意义明确清晰,陆气相互作用越强烈的地区,其陆气耦合强度也越高.最后,本文计算了一个蒸散-水汽通量散度指数来衡量植被变化对局地蒸散与大气水汽通量散度的影响,其在一定程度上反应了植被变化对局地陆气相互作用和大尺度大气环流输送作用的影响,也可以视为一个评估人为生态环境工程效果的指标.西北地区陆气耦合强度由东南向西北递增.去植被之后,西北地区降水与蒸发普遍减少,其中在东南部区域,地表径流增加约10~40mm,渗流量与地表土壤含水量分别减少约40~80mm和5~20mm3·mm-3,陆气耦合强度上升,这有可能导致水土流失,不利于当地植被的恢复.生态环境好转之后,内陆地区降水与蒸发明显增加,但地表盈余水分有所减少,主要原因是蒸散量相较于降水量增加的更多.其中在沙漠戈壁区边缘的新疆南部与内蒙西部,渗流量与地表土壤含水量分别上升约5~20mm和5~20mm3·mm-3,陆气耦合强度降低,蒸散-水汽通量散度指数较高,这可能主要是由于植被变化对局地陆气相互作用的改变而造成的.植被对于西北地区地表水文过程有着明显的影响,植被的存在能加速西北地区地表水文循环过程,减小陆面蒸散的变化,降低陆气耦合强度.在有限的人力与财力条件下,集中力量在在沙漠戈壁区边缘的新疆南部与内蒙西部适当种植灌木与青草并防止过度放牧,能有效降低当地陆气耦合强度,缓解西北地区荒漠化加剧的趋势.本文下一步还需考虑如模式地表植被数据与真实情况的差异性,海洋因素变化对于植被变化的反馈,以及进行集合实验来增加研究结果的可靠性.     

Effects of land cover change on streamflow in the interior Columbia River Basin (USA and Canada)

An analysis of the hydrological effects of vegetation changes in the Columbia River basin over the last century was performed using two land cover scenarios. The first was a reconstruction of historical land cover vegetation, c. 1900, as estimated by the federal Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP). The second was current land cover as estimated from remote sensing data for 1990. Simulations were performed using the variable infiltration capacity (VIC) hydrological model, applied at one‐quarter degree spatial resolution (approximately 500 km² grid cell area) using hydrometeorological data for a 10 year period starting in 1979, and the 1900 and current vegetation scenarios. The model represents surface hydrological fluxes and state variables, including snow accumulation and ablation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture and runoff production. Simulated daily hydrographs of naturalized streamflow (reservoir effects removed) were aggregated to monthly totals and compared for nine selected sub‐basins. The results show that, hydrologically, the most important vegetation‐related change has been a general tendency towards decreased vegetation maturity in the forested areas of the basin. This general trend represents a balance between the effects of logging and fire suppression. In those areas where forest maturity has been reduced as a result of logging, wintertime maximum snow accumulations, and hence snow available for runoff during the spring melt season, have tended to increase, and evapotranspiration has decreased. The reverse has occurred in areas where fire suppression has tended to increase vegetation maturity, although the logging effect appears to dominate for most of the sub‐basins evaluated. Predicted streamflow changes were largest in the Mica and Corralin sub‐basins in the northern and eastern headwaters region; in the Priest Rapids sub‐basin, which drains the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains; and in the Ice Harbor sub‐basin, which receives flows primarily from the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers of Idaho and western Montana. For these sub‐basins, annual average increases in runoff ranged from 4·2 to 10·7% and decreases in evapotranspiration ranged from 3·1 to 12·1%. In comparison with previous studies of individual, smaller sized watersheds, the modelling approach used in this study provides predictions of hydrological fluxes that are spatially continuous throughout the interior Columbia River basin. It thus provides a broad‐scale framework for assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to altered streamflow regimes attributable to changes in land cover that occur over large geographical areas and long time‐frames. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Changes in climate,vegetation cover and vegetation composition affect runoff generation in the Gulf of Guinea Basin

Although considerable effort has been deployed to understand the impact of climate variability and vegetation change on runoff in major basins across Africa, such studies are scarce in the Gulf of Guinea Basin (GGB). This study combines the Budyko framework and elasticity concept along with geospatial data to fill this research gap in 44 nested sub-basins in the GGB. Annual rainfall from 1982 to 2021 show significant decreasing and increasing trends in the northern and southern parts of the GGB, respectively. Annual potential evapotranspiration (PET) also shows significant increasing trends with higher magnitudes observed in the northern parts of the GGB. Changing trends in climate variables corroborates with shift to arid and wetter conditions in the north and south, respectively. From 2000 to 2020 vegetation cover estimated using enhanced vegetation index (EVI) shows significant increasing trends in all sub-basins including those experiencing a decline in annual rainfall. Vegetation composition measured using vegetation continuous fields (VCFs) from 2000 to 2020 show an increase in tree canopy cover (TC), a decline in short vegetation cover and marginal changes in bare ground cover (BG). Elasticity coefficients show that a 10% increase in annual rainfall and PET may lead to a 33% increase and 24% decline in runoff, respectively. On the other hand, a 10% increase in EVI may lead to a 4% decline in runoff while a 10% increase in TC, SV and BG may reduce runoff by 4% and increase runoff by 3% and 2%, respectively. Even though changes are marginal, decomposing vegetation into different parameters using EVI and VCFs may lead to different hydrological effects on runoff which is one of the novelties of this study that may be used for implementing nature-based solutions. The study also demonstrates that freely available geospatial data together with analytical methods are a promising approach for understanding the impact of climate variability and vegetation change on hydrology in data-scarce regions.     

Late Quaternary western Mediterranean pollen records and African winds

Late Quaternary vegetation changes of regional and global significance in the Mediterranean region are generally interpreted as being controlled by changes in the circulation patterns of North Atlantic air masses. However, the possibility cannot be excluded that they may also be related to winds blowing from Africa. Long pollen records from southwest Europe show that Cedrus pollen of northwest African provenance is found during the glacial periods, and occasionally during abrupt deforestation events in the forest-dominated periods of the interglacials. A pollen concentration record from central Italy shows that during the Holocene the presence of Cedrus pollen coincides with two abrupt deforestation events, around 8.1 and 4.2 cal kyr BP. These observations raise the question of a possible influence of eolian activity on arboreal vegetation during phases of climatic stress towards aridity, and suggest the use of modern pollen monitoring as a strategy for revealing tendencies towards aridification in southwestern Europe.     

A high-resolution palaeoclimate record for the last 4800 years from lake la Brava,SE pampas plains,Argentina

Climatic changes are reflected in variations of different parameters. Sequences of lake sediments are good sources of this information because they provide continuous and detailed records of palaeoclimatic changes. In order to determine the changes in climate in SE Pampas plain, in this paper we present a series of rock magnetic studies performed on a bottom core collected from Lake La Brava (Argentina).In order to establish lake level variations, we also measure total sulphur, organic and inorganic carbon (TS, TOC and TIC) content, alkaline elements, light and heavy metals and changes in vegetation communities. Five radiocarbon age determinations were made from samples of organic-rich clay and calibrated ages were calculated. The averaged sediment accumulation rate is 1.3 mm/yr and the sequence represents a temporal extent of about 4800 calibrated years before the present (cal. BP).The main aim was to reconstruct the hydrological balance of the lake, the changes in erosional strength and sediment supply within the catchment area since the Middle Holocene, and to explore the extent to which these may be linked to changes in climate and/or human activities. The results of this work and previous studies suggest periodic changes from cooler to warmer and humid conditions. Relationships between submerged and emergent plants are consistent with the behaviour of magnetic susceptibility. TOC changes suggest wet environment during magnetic enhancement. Floods and lower lake level events were identified in detail. Changes in sediment contribution and depositional processes for the last 50 cal. BP are caused by human impact, particularly by the use of natural resources.     

The impact of land use change on soil water holding capacity and river flow modelling in the Nakambe River, Burkina-Faso

The annual hydrological regime of the Nakambe River shows substantial changes during the period 1955–1998 with a shift occurring around 1970. From 1970 to the mid-1990s, despite a reduction in rainfall and an increase in the number of dams in the basin, average runoff and maximum daily discharges increased. This paper reviews the hydrological behaviour of the Nakambe River from 1955 to 1998 and examines the potential role of land use change on soil water holding capacity (WHC) in producing the counter-intuitive change in runoff observed after 1970. We compare the results of two monthly hydrological models using different rainfall, potential evapotranspiration and WHC data sets. Model simulations with soil WHC values modified over time based upon historical maps of land use, are compared against simulations with a constant value for WHC. The extent of natural vegetation declined from 43 to 13% of the total basin area between 1965 and 1995, whilst the cultivated areas increased from 53 to 76% and the area of bare soil nearly tripled from 4 to 11%. The total reduction in WHC is estimated to range from 33 to 62% depending on the method used, either considering that the WHC values given by the FAO stand for the environmental situation in 1965 or before. There is a marked improvement in river flow simulation using the time-varying values of soil WHC. The paper ends with a discussion of the role of other factors such as surface runoff processes and groundwater trends in explaining the hydrological behaviour of the Nakambe River.     

Coupling the terrestrial hydrology model with biogeochemistry to the integrated LAND surface model: Amazon Basin applications

ABSTRACT

We coupled the hydrologic routing and flood dynamics model Terrestrial Hydrology Model with Biogeochemistry (THMB) to the Integrated LAND Surface Model (INLAND) and compared simulations of the discharge and flood extent area against gauge station and satellite-based information in the Amazon Basin. The coupled model represents well the seasonality of the flooding and discharge, but underestimates both of them. This can be related to an already discussed underestimate of the precipitation in the east of the Andes Mountains. A photosynthesis limitation on the flooded area was also included, showing changes in plant productivity and reduction in vegetation carbon stocks. Despite its limitations, the model proves to be a valuable tool for studies of the hydrological cycle and flood dynamics response to climate change projections, allowing it to be used to represent the feedbacks between continental surface water cycle and vegetation.     

Using isotopes to understand landscape-scale connectivity in a groundwater-dominated,lowland catchment under drought conditions

The Demnitzer Millcreek catchment (DMC), is a 66 km² long-term experimental catchment located 50 km SE of Berlin. Monitoring over the past 30 years has focused on hydrological and biogeochemical changes associated with de-intensification of farming and riparian restoration in the low-lying landscape dominated by rain-fed farming and forestry. However, the hydrological function of the catchment, which is closely linked to nutrient fluxes and highly sensitive to climatic variability, is still poorly understood. In the last 3 years, a prolonged drought period with below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures has resulted in marked hydrological change. This caused low soil moisture storage in the growing season, agricultural yield losses, reduced groundwater recharge, and intermittent streamflows in parts of an increasingly disconnected channel network. This paper focuses on a two-year long isotope study that sought to understand how different parts of the catchment affect ecohydrological partitioning, hydrological connectivity and streamflow generation during drought conditions. The work has shown the critical importance of groundwater storage in sustaining flows, basic in-stream ecosystem services and the dominant influence of vegetation on groundwater recharge. Recharge was much lower and occurred during a shorter window of time in winter under forests compared to grasslands. Conversely, groundwater recharge was locally enhanced by the restoration of riparian wetlands and storage-dependent water losses from the stream to the subsurface. The isotopic variability displayed complex emerging spatio-temporal patterns of stream connectivity and flow duration during droughts that may have implications for in-stream solute transport and future ecohydrological interactions between landscapes and riverscapes. Given climate projections for drier and warmer summers, reduced and increasingly intermittent streamflows are very likely not just in the study region, but in similar lowland areas across Europe. An integrated land and water management strategy will be essential to sustaining catchment ecosystem services in such catchment systems in future.     

Riparian vegetation and island formation along the gravel‐bed Fiume Tagliamento,Italy

After more than 300 years of river management, scientific knowledge of European river systems has evolved with limited empirical knowledge of truly natural systems. In particular, little is known of the mechanisms supporting the evolution and maintenance of islands and secondary channels. The dynamic, gravel‐bed Fiume Tagliamento, Italy, provides an opportunity to acquire baseline data from a river where the level of direct engineering intervention along the main stem is remarkably small. Against a background of a strong alpine to mediterranean climatic and hydrological gradient, this paper explores relationships between topography, sediment and vegetation at eight sites along the active zone of the Tagliamento. A conceptual model of island development is proposed which integrates the interactions between large woody debris and vegetation, geomorphic features, sediment calibre and hydrological regime. Islands may develop on bare gravel sites or be dissected from the floodplain by channel avulsion. Depositional and erosional processes result in different island types and developmental stages. Differences in the apparent trajectories of island development are identified for each of the eight study sites along the river. The management implications of the model and associated observations of the role of riparian vegetation in island development are considered. In particular, the potential impacts of woody debris removal, riparian tree management, regulation of river flow and sediment regimes, and changes in riparian tree species' distribution are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gravity field variations from superconducting gravimeters for GRACE validation

The network of superconducting gravimeters (SG) of the ‘Global Geodynamics Project’ (GGP) offers the unique opportunity to supplement and validate the gravity field variations derived from the GRACE satellite mission. Because of the different spatial and temporal resolutions of the gravity data a combination of all datasets can be used to retrieve a maximum of information regarding mass transfers especially related to hydrology which is deployable as constraint for hydrological modelling.For a consistent combination of the datasets the gap between terrestrial data of superconducting and absolute gravimeters (AG) and from satellite data has to be bridged. A successful combination of SG and AG data could be realized for several stations which resulted in time series of the highest accuracy and long-term stability.In principle, the same reductions applied to GRACE data have to be taken into account for the terrestrial data. The separation of local hydrological effects in SG observations is crucial for the comparison with satellite-derived gravity data. It is shown that even for stations with a hydrological challenging situation such as Moxa/Germany local hydrology-induced effects can be successfully modelled.Currently, the study focuses on Europe with its dense and long-term observation network. Regarding the consistency of the SG gravity variations they are representative for a larger region. From a comparison with GRACE-derived gravity field changes, and the variations due to hydrological models a principle good agreement emerges.     

Salinity‐induced increase of the hydraulic conductivity in the hyporheic zone of coastal wetlands

In coastal zones globally, salinization is rapidly taking place due to the combined effects of sea level rise, land subsidence, altered hydrology, and climate change. Although increased salinity levels are known to have a great impact on both biogeochemical and hydrological processes in aquatic sediments, only few studies have included both types of processes and their potential interactions. In the present paper, we used a controlled 3‐year experimental mesocosm approach to test salinity induced interactions and discuss mechanisms explaining the observed hydrological changes. Surface water salinity was experimentally increased from 14 to 140 mmol Cl per L (0.9 and 9 PSU) by adding sea salt which increased pore water salinity but also increased sulfate reduction rates, leading to higher sulfide, and lower methane concentrations. By analyzing slug test data with different slug test analysis methods, we were able to show that hydraulic conductivity of the hyporheic zone increased 2.8 times by salinization. Based on our hydrological and biogeochemical measurements, we conclude that the combination of pore dilation and decreased methane production rates were major controls on the observed increase in hydraulic conductivity. The slug test analysis method comparison allowed to conclude that the adjusted Bouwer and Rice method results in the most reliable estimate of the hydraulic conductivity for hyporheic zones. Our work shows that both physical and biogeochemical processes are vital to explain and predict hydrological changes related to the salinization of hyporheic zones in coastal wetlands and provides a robust methodological approach for doing so.     

Distinct effects of temperature change on discharge and non-point pollution in subtropical southern China by SWAT simulation

Abstract

Climate change impacts on the availability of water resources. Projection of hydrological response to temperature change is valuable for water management. Such response may be complex and uncertain at the watershed scale and differences may exist between low and high latitudes. A simulation experiment was achieved by using SWAT modelling in the upstream watershed of Dongjiang River, South China. After calibration, the model was found appropriate for hydrological simulation in the study area and was run from 1995 to 2004 under a series of temperature change scenarios to reveal the response of streamflow and loads of sediment and nutrients. For a temperature increase of 3°C, streamflow, sediment and total phosphorus decreased by 5.2, 7.7 and 2.2%, respectively. Linear temperature change seemed to have a linear hydrological response. Nutrient deficiency was still the primary vegetation stress compared with water availability and temperature stress under rising temperatures. Comparison with previous research showed that two southern subtropical watersheds (one upstream and one downstream) gave different hydrological responses. Sediment and inorganic nitrogen loads decreased in the upstream watershed, but increased in the downstream one, when temperature increased. Under the warming scenarios, streamflow and sediment loads decreased throughout the year, especially during the wet season, which is different from results at high latitudes. Nutrient export decreased in April–June, but increased in the remaining months. Simulation results should be applied with caution in water resources management, as simulated climate change had variable hydrological influence in different regions and seasons.

Citation Xu, H. and Peng, S.L., 2013. Distinct effects of temperature change on discharge and non-point pollution in subtropical southern China by SWAT simulation. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (5), 1032–1046.

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

Predicting the impact of global warming on soil water resources in marginal forests of the Middle Volga Region

The response of local forest ecosystems to changes in summer soil moisture content in the context of possible climate changes. A procedure for local hydrological forecasting is presented. Calculations based on prediction climate models GISS and HadCM3 for forest ecosystems on zonal ecotones between forest and steppe showed a progressive development in the XXI century of a thermoarid trend with pronounced soil drying during the vegetation period, which should result in decay of broad-leaved and mixed forests and their replacement by small-leaved-pine and oak-grove forest-steppe.