The hydrography,evolution, and hydrological regime of the mouth area of the Shatt al-Arab River

The hydrography, evolution, landscapes, and hydrological regime of the mouth area of the Shatt al-Arab River—the terminal part of the channel system of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers—are considered. The effect of natural and anthropogenic changes in the Euphrates and Tigris regime and the regime of the Persian Gulf of the Indian Ocean is evaluated.     

Investigation of the snow‐cover dynamics in the Upper Euphrates Basin of Turkey using remotely sensed snow‐cover products and hydrometeorological data

The Euphrates and Tigris rivers serve as the most important water resources in the Middle East. Precipitation in this region falls mostly in the form of snow over the higher elevations of the Euphrates Basin and remains on the ground for nearly half of the year. This snow‐covered area (SCA) is a key element of the hydrological cycle, and monitoring the SCA is crucial for making accurate forecasts of snowmelt discharge, especially for energy production, flood control, irrigation, and reservoir‐operation optimization in the Upper Euphrates (Karasu) Basin. Remote sensing allows the detection of the spatio‐temporal patterns of snow cover across large areas in inaccessible terrain, such as the eastern part of Turkey, which is highly mountainous. In this study, a seasonal evaluation of the snow cover from 2000 to 2009 was performed using 8‐day snow‐cover products (MOD10C2) and the daily snow‐water equivalent (SWE) product. The values of SWE products were obtained using an assimilation process based on the Helsinki University of Technology model using equal area Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) Earth‐gridded advanced microwave scanning radiometer—EOS daily brightness‐temperature values. In the Karasu Basin, the SCA percentage for the winter period is 80–90%. The relationship between the SCA and the runoff during the spring period is analysed for the period from 2004 to 2009. An inverse linear relationship between the normalized SCA and the normalized runoff values was obtained (r = 0·74). On the basis of the monthly mean temperature, total precipitation and snow depth observed at meteorological stations in the basin, the decrease in the peak discharges, and early occurrences of the peak discharges in 2008 and 2009 are due to the increase in the mean temperature and the decrease in the precipitation in April. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial and temporal characterizations of water quality in Kuwait Bay

The spatial and temporal patterns of water quality in Kuwait Bay have been investigated using data from six stations between 2009 and 2011. The results showed that most of water quality parameters such as phosphorus (PO₄), nitrate (NO₃), dissolved oxygen (DO), and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) fluctuated over time and space. Based on Water Quality Index (WQI) data, six stations were significantly clustered into two main classes using cluster analysis, one group located in western side of the Bay, and other in eastern side. Three principal components are responsible for water quality variations in the Bay. The first component included DO and pH. The second included PO₄, TSS and NO₃, and the last component contained seawater temperature and turbidity. The spatial and temporal patterns of water quality in Kuwait Bay are mainly controlled by seasonal variations and discharges from point sources of pollution along Kuwait Bay’s coast as well as from Shatt Al-Arab River.     

Large-Scale Total Water Storage and Water Flux Changes over the Arid and Semiarid Parts of the Middle East from GRACE and Reanalysis Products

Previous studies indicate that water storage over a large part of the Middle East has been decreased over the last decade. Variability in the total (hydrological) water flux (TWF, i.e., precipitation minus evapotranspiration minus runoff) and water storage changes of the Tigris–Euphrates river basin and Iran’s six major basins (Khazar, Persian, Urmia, Markazi, Hamun, and Sarakhs) over 2003–2013 is assessed in this study. Our investigation is performed based on the TWF that are estimated as temporal derivatives of terrestrial water storage (TWS) changes from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) products and those from the reanalysis products of ERA-Interim and MERRA-Land. An inversion approach is applied to consistently estimate the spatio-temporal changes of soil moisture and groundwater storage compartments of the seven basins during the study period from GRACE TWS, altimetry, and land surface model products. The influence of TWF trends on separated water storage compartments is then explored. Our results, estimated as basin averages, indicate negative trends in the maximums of TWF peaks that reach up to ?5.2 and ?2.6 (mm/month/year) over 2003–2013, respectively, for the Urmia and Tigris–Euphrates basins, which are most likely due to the reported meteorological drought. Maximum amplitudes of the soil moisture compartment exhibit negative trends of ?11.1, ?6.6, ?6.1, ?4.8, ?4.7, ?3.8, and ?1.2 (mm/year) for Urmia, Tigris–Euphrates, Khazar, Persian, Markazi, Sarakhs, and Hamun basins, respectively. Strong groundwater storage decrease is found, respectively, within the Khazar ?8.6 (mm/year) and Sarakhs ?7.0 (mm/year) basins. The magnitude of water storage decline in the Urmia and Tigris–Euphrates basins is found to be bigger than the decrease in the monthly accumulated TWF indicating a contribution of human water use, as well as surface and groundwater flow to the storage decline over the study area.     

珠江流域东江（东莞段）溶解氧时空变化及其影响因素

溶解氧是水生生态系统健康程度的重要度量指标,研究溶解氧时空变化及其影响因素对揭示河流溶解氧动态过程和理解水体生物地球化学循环具有重要意义.当前,许多河流均存在溶解氧偏低问题,严重影响河流水质.基于此,收集了珠江流域东江(东莞段)上游桥头、中游樟村和下游沙田泗盛3个水质监测站的实测资料,采用折线图和箱型图分析溶解氧在月、季节和年际时间尺度下的变化规律及其空间差异;采用最大信息系数、交叉小波转换和多元线性回归3种方法解析溶解氧时空变化的影响因素.结果表明:空间分布上,溶解氧浓度从上游到下游逐渐降低,低值区分布在入海口处的沙田泗盛站,多年平均溶解氧浓度仅为3.11 mg/L.时间变化上,2011-2019年溶解氧主要在11.64个月的周期下循环变化.溶解氧展现出明显的季节性.3个站点丰水期溶解氧浓度比枯水期分别降低1.68、2.03和1.77 mg/L.驱动因素上,溶解氧的时空变化受到多个因素的综合作用.桥头站和樟村站水质较好,水温是这两个站点溶解氧时空变化的主要影响因素.其主要在8～16个月的周期上调控溶解氧变化,在两个站点分别可以解释溶解氧整体变化的70%和57%.沙田泗盛站受多条支流汇...     

Optimization of water allocation in the Shatt al-Arab River under different salinity regimes and tide impact

Wastewater effluents from irrigation and the domestic and industrial sectors have serious impacts in deteriorating water quality in many rivers, particularly in areas under tidal influence. There is a need to develop an approach that considers the impact of human and natural causes of salinization. This study uses a multi-objective optimization–simulation model to investigate and describe the interactions of such impacts in the Shatt al-Arab River, Iraq. The developed model is able to reproduce the salinity distribution in the river given varying conditions. The salinity regime in the river varies according to different hydrological conditions and anthropogenic activities. Due to tidal effects, salinity caused by drainage water is seen to intrude further upstream into the river. The applied approach provides a way to obtain optimal solutions where both river salinity and deficit in water supply can be minimized. The approach is used for exploring the trade-off between these two objectives.     

The application of multiple linear regression method in reference evapotranspiration trend calculation

Trend analysis of reference evapotranspiration (ET₀), as a key factor in irrigation programming, has an important role in water resources management. Many parameters affect ET₀ and their variations can change its values. In this paper, the effect of temporal variation of meteorological variables including wind speed, temperature, solar radiation and saturation vapor pressure deficit on temporal variations of ET₀ was analyzed. Trend analysis of ET₀ and its more effective meteorological parameters was accomplished in 30 synoptic stations which are located in Iran using Spearman’s Rho test. The multiple linear regressions were also used to determine the relationship between ET₀ trend and the trend of its more effective parameters. Increasing and decreasing trends in ET₀ were obtained at annual and seasonal scales. Many studied stations which had decreasing trend in the annual and seasonal periods have been located in the arid climates while all stations which have been located in humid and very-humid climates, had an increasing trend in annual and seasonal periods. The trend results in studied variables showed that annual and seasonal values of wind speed, temperature and saturation vapor pressure deficit decrease however the values of solar radiation increases in most studied stations. Multiple linear regressions results demonstrated that ET₀ trend can be calculated by the trend of two more effective variables including wind speed and saturation vapor pressure deficit.     

Distributions and characteristics of dissolved organic matter in temperate coastal waters (Southern North Sea)

The spatial and temporal distributions of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was studied in the East-Frisian Wadden Sea (Southern North Sea) during several cruises between 2002 and 2005. The spatial distribution of CDOM in the German Bight shows a strong gradient towards the coast. Tidal and seasonal variations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) identify freshwater discharge via flood-gates at the coastline and pore water efflux from tidal flat sediments as the most important CDOM sources within the backbarrier area of the Island of Spiekeroog. However, the amount and pattern of CDOM and DOC is strongly affected by various parameters, e.g. changes in the amount of terrestrial run-off, precipitation, evaporation, biological activity and photooxidation. A decoupling of CDOM and DOC, especially during periods of pronounced biological activity (algae blooms and microbial activity), is observed in spring and especially in summer. Mixing of the endmembers freshwater, pore water, and open sea water results in the formation of a coastal transition zone. Whilst an almost conservative behaviour during mixing is observed in winter, summer data point towards non-conservative mixing.     

Spatiotemporal variability of algae in monitoring aquatic environment in the Panjiakou Reservoir (Northern China)

The spatial and temporal variations of algae within a large drinking water reservoir with mesotrophy (Panjiakou Reservoir, Northern China) were investigated in relation to variations in environmental factors over a 6-month period (May to October) in 2013 and 2014. The analysis based on in-situ samples upstream to downstream (Puhekou, Jiajia’an, Yanziyu Panjiakou and Baqian) showed that three harmful algae species of Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta prevail in the reservoir. The variations in algal concentrations presented a seasonal cycle with high values in the flood season and low values in the drought season and a spatial concentration in main water storage area of the reservoir. Compared with the environmental factors of pH value, permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen, water temperature, dissolved oxygen content and total phosphorus were significant related to algae concentrations with correlation coefficients of 0.76, 0.62 and 0.85, respectively. The impact analysis of three factors on prevailing algae species indicated that Chlorophyta was the main contributor to the algal photosynthesis of the Panjiakou Reservoir. An extremely high value of algal concentrations with little variety in August 2013 revealed that pollution carried by tremendous runoff may induce algae blooms later.     

Solute concentrations of overland flow water in a cultivated field: spatial variations,intra‐ and inter‐storm trends

Major solute concentrations in overland flow water (OFW) were measured in an agricultural field of Brittany (western France). Two storm events were monitored in detail to examine the short time‐scale processes. During one year, samples were taken at different positions on the slope after each storm event to describe the spatial and seasonal variations of OFW chemistry. Although the total dissolved load in OFW is not much higher than in rain water, distinctive features are observed. K⁺, Ca²⁺, NH₄ , Cl⁻ and SOare the major solutes. The main origin of the elements (sea salts, exchangeable soil complex or fertilizers) determined most of the variations observed. Spatial variations along the slope are mainly seen for exchangeable cations, while seasonal variations are predominant for sea salts. Rainfall intensity and suspended sediment load induce strong differences between the two storm events studied in detail. However, the within‐storm variations and the seasonal monitoring show that this relationship is complex. Within‐storm variations suggest that, in addition to desorption processes, mixing with pre‐event water may occur. The lack of a relationship between sediment load and dissolved load is attributed to the high rate of the exchange processes, which has been checked by a simple experiment in vitro. It is concluded that the conditions of the transit of water on the field (velocity, length, status of the surface, crusted or not) may well play a major role in the chemical changes between rain water and OFW. The results suggest that vegetated buffer strips designed to reduce the sediment load only, and not the amount of overland flow, will have little effect on the transfer of dissolved pollutants to the watercourses. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of snow water equivalent over the eastern part of Turkey using passive microwave data

Information on regional snow water equivalent (SWE) is required for the management of water generated from snowmelt. Modeling of SWE in the mountainous regions of eastern Turkey, one of the major headwaters of Euphrates–Tigris basin, has significant importance in forecasting snowmelt discharge, especially for optimum water usage. An assimilation process to produce daily SWE maps is developed based on Helsinki University of Technology (HUT) model and AMSR‐E passive microwave data. The characteristics of the HUT emission model are analyzed in depth and discussed with respect to the extinction coefficient function. A new extinction coefficient function for the HUT model is proposed to suit models for snow over mountainous areas. Performance of the modified model is checked against the original, other modified cases and ground truth data covering the 2003–2007 winter periods. A new approach to calculate grain size and density is integrated inside the developed data assimilation process. An extensive validation was successfully performed by means of snow data measured at ground stations during the 2008–2010 winter periods. The root mean square error of the data set for snow depth and SWE between January and March of the 2008–2010 periods compared with the respective AMSR‐E footprints indicated that errors for estimated snow depth and predicted SWE values were 16.92 cm and 40.91 mm, respectively, for the 3‐year period. Validation results were less satisfactory for SWE less than 75.0 mm and greater than 150.0 mm. An underestimation for SWE greater than 150 mm could not be resolved owing to the microwave signal saturation that is observed for dense snowpack. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of Razdol’naya River on the environmental state of Amur Bay (the Sea of Japan)

Seasonal variations in biogenic substances (nitrates, nitrites, ammonium, phosphates, and silicates), dissolved oxygen, dissolved organic matter, chlorophyll, humus, and suspended matter at seven stations on the Razdol’naya River are examined. Based on seasonal variations, the local sources of river water pollution by biogenic substances were identified. The annual and daily fluxes of biogenic substances through the Razdol’naya River into Amur Bay are calculated. A diffuse pollution source—agricultural fields in river valley—are shown to be the main source of biogenic substance fluxes. The vast hypoxia in the bottom water of Amur Bay, detected by the authors in 2007 and 2008, is supposed to be mostly caused by floods on the Razdol’naya R., which create favorable conditions of water blooming in Amur Bay in summer. The biomass of dead phytoplankton, experiencing microbiological decomposition and oxidation, causes hypoxia of bottom waters in the bay.     

The behavior of seasonal variations in induced seismicity in the Koyna–Warna region,western India

Based on the earthquake catalog data for the Koyna–Warna region of induced seismicity in western India, the seasonal variations in seismic activity associated with annual fluctuations in the reservoir water level are analyzed over the time span of the entire history of seismological observations in this region. The regularities in the time changes in the structure of seasonal variations are revealed. The seasonal seismic activity is minimal in May–June when the reservoir level is lowest. During the remaining part of the year, the activity has three peaks: the fall peak in September, winter peak in November–December, and spring peak in February–March. The first mentioned peak, which falls in the phase of the water level reaching its maximal seasonal value is considered as the immediate response of the fluid saturated medium to the additional loading under the weight of reservoir water. The two subsequent maxima concur with the decline phase in the reservoir level and are interpreted as the delayed response associated with the changes in the properties of the medium due to water diffusion. It is shown that the intensities of the immediate and delayed responses to the seasonal water level variations both vary with time as does their ratio. The probable factors affecting the variations in the intensity of the seasonal components of the reservoir-induced seismicity are discussed.     

新安江水库(千岛湖)热力学状况及热力分层研究

利用2012年1-12月在新安江水库(千岛湖)6个点位的每月一次的水温及其他环境因子的周年观测资料,分析了水库水温逐月变化、季节变化、垂直分布及温跃层的形成与变化,探讨了温跃层特征量(温跃层深度、厚度、强度)与表层水温、水体透明度的关系.新安江水库表层和中层水温与气温存在显著的线性相关,又以表层水温线性关系最好,而下层水温与气温没有显著相关性,说明下层水温受气温的影响很小,全年处于相对恒温状态.水库表层和中层水温逐月变化明显,呈现夏季最高、春秋季次之、冬季最低的变化趋势,其中中层水温最高值出现的季节较表层水温明显后延,下层水温没有明显的逐月变化和季节变化.水温垂直分布显示,4个季节均存在不同程度的温跃层和温度分层现象,其中水深最深的大坝前水温分层最明显.小金山、三潭岛和大坝前3个典型点位从春季的4月份到冬季的2月份温跃层深度由1.61±0.47 m逐渐增加至39.37±5.35 m,而温跃层厚度和强度则在夏季最高、冬季最低,温跃层随着季节的变化呈现增强稳定减弱消失的周期变化.温跃层深度与水体透明度存在显著正相关,与表层水温存在显著负相关,并基于透明度和表层水温建立温跃层深度的多元线性回归模型.     

Seasonal and Long-Term Variations in the Concentrations and Discharges of Biogenic Substances in the Razdolnaya River (Primorskii Krai)

Seasonal and long-term variations in the concentrations and discharge of dissolved nitrogen compounds and other biogenic substances by the Razdol'naya River runoff in the last 20 years are considered. The Razdol'naya River is one of the major rivers in the region, and its basin is subject to intense economic development. The natural and anthropogenic factors that affect variations in the concentrations of biogenic substances are characterized. The seasonal variations in the discharge of biogenic substances is shown to be controlled mostly by variations in water discharge.     

Leaky savannas: the significance of lateral carbon fluxes in the seasonal tropics

Globally, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) accounts for more than half the annual flux of carbon exported from terrestrial ecosystems via rivers. Here, we assess the relative influences of biogeochemical and hydrological processes on DIC fluxes exported from a tropical river catchment characterized by distinct land cover, climate and geology transition from the wet tropical mountains to the low‐lying savanna plains. Processes controlling changes in river DIC were investigated using dissolved organic carbon, particulate organic carbon and DIC concentrations and stable isotope ratios of DIC (δ¹³C_DIC) at two time scales: seasonal and diel. The recently developed Isotopic Continuous Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Analyser was used to measure diel DIC concentration and δ¹³C_DIC changes at a 15‐min temporal resolution. Results highlight the predominance of biologically mediated processes (photosynthesis and respiration) controlling diel changes in DIC. These resulted in DIC concentrations varying between 3.55 and 3.82 mg/l and δ¹³C_DIC values ranging from ?19.7 ± 0.31‰ to ?17.1 ± 0.08‰. In contrast, at the seasonal scale, we observed wet season DIC variations predominantly from mixing processes and dry season DIC variations due to both mixing processes and biological processes. The observed wet season increases in DIC concentrations (by 6.81 mg/l) and δ¹³C_DIC values of river water (by 5.4‰) largely result from proportional increases in subsurface inflows from the savanna plains (C₄ vegetation) region relative to inflows from the rainforest (C₃ vegetation) highlands. The high DIC river load during the wet season resulted in the transfer of 97% of the annual river carbon load. Therefore, in this gaining river, there are significant seasonal variations in both the hydrological and carbon cycles, and there is evidence of substantial coupling between the carbon cycles of the terrestrial and the fluvial environments. Recent identification of a substantial carbon sink in the savannas of northern Australia during wetter years in the recent past does not take into account the possibility of a substantial, rapid, lateral flux of carbon to rivers and back to the atmosphere. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Space-time variations of river water chemistry in RF southern Far East

Concentrations and seasonal variations of water chemistry, including dissolved and particulate forms of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, and Ni in rivers of Primorskii Krai are determined. It is shown that, unlike the macrocomposition, the effect of hydrological regime on the concentration of dissolved metal forms is controversial and depends on anthropogenic load, watershed landscapes, and pH variations. Elevated concentrations of dissolved metal forms are recorded in the beginning of spring flood and during low-water period. Beyond the limits of local impact of wastewater, the concentrations of dissolved forms of Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, and Cd in river waters of the region insignificantly differ from the clearest rivers of the World.     

Behavior of Strontium,Fluorine, and Boron in the Kuban and Don Mouth Areas

The distributions of concentrations of dissolved Sr, Ca, F, and B in the Kuban and Don mouth areas are studied. It is found that the behavior of F and B is conservative, whereas that of Sr and Ca is slightly nonconservative and is associated with the spatial heterogeneity of the structure of the zone where the river and sea waters are mixing (this heteromogeneity can arise because of dissimilar transformation of continental river runoff in different areas of the near-mouth coastal waters). It is shown that the parameters of linear relationships between the concentrations of Sr and Ca and the chlorides content of water differ in accordance with the seasonal variations in the chemical composition of the river and the Sea of Azov waters; for F and B, such regularity is not found.