Modelling hydrological management for the restoration of acidified floating fens

Wetlands show a large decline in biodiversity. To protect and restore this biodiversity, many restoration projects are carried out. Hydrology in wetlands controls the chemical and biological processes and may be the most important factor regulating wetland function and development. Hydrological models may be used to simulate these processes and to evaluate management scenarios for restoration. HYDRUS2D, a combined saturated–unsaturated groundwater flow and transport model, is presented. This simulates near‐surface hydrological processes in an acidified floating fen, with the aim to evaluate the effect of hydrological restoration in terms of conditions for biodiversity. In the acidified floating fen in the nature reserve Ilperveld (The Netherlands), a trench system was dug for the purpose of creating a runoff channel for acid rainwater in wet periods and to enable circum‐neutral surface water to enter the fen in dry periods. The model is calibrated against measured conductivity values for a 5 year period. From the model simulations, it was found that lateral flow in the floating raft is limited. Furthermore, the model shows that the best management option is a combination of trenches and inundation, which gave the best soil water quality in the root zone. It is concluded that hydrological models can be used for the calculation of management scenarios in restoration projects. The combined saturated–unsaturated model concept used in this paper is able to incorporate the governing hydrological processes in the wetland root zones. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of the impact of spatio‐temporal attributes of wetlands on stream flows using a hydrological modelling framework: a theoretical case study of a watershed under temperate climatic conditions

Wetlands play a significant role on the hydrological cycle, reducing flood peaks through water storage functions and sustaining low flows through slow water release ability. However, their impacts on water resources availability and flood control are mainly driven by wetland type (e.g. isolated wetland—IW—and riparian wetland—RW) and location within a watershed. Consequently, assessing the qualitative and quantitative impact of wetlands on hydrological regimes has become a relevant issue for scientists as well as stakeholders and decision‐makers. In this study, the distributed hydrological model, HYDROTEL, was used to investigate the role and impact of the geographic distribution of isolated and RWs on stream flows of the Becancour River watershed of the St Lawrence Lowlands, Quebec, Canada. The model was set up and calibrated using available datasets (i.e. DEM, soil, wetland distribution, climate, land cover, and hydrometeorological data for the 1969–2010 period). Different wetland theoretical location tests (WTLT) were simulated. Results were used to determine whether stream flow parameters, related to peak flows and low flows, were related to: (i) geographic location of wetlands, (ii) typology of wetlands, and (iii) seasonality. The contribution of a particular wetland was assessed using intrinsic characteristics (e.g. surface area, typology) and extrinsic factors (e.g. location in the watershed landscape and seasonality). Through these investigations, the results suggest, to some extent, that both IWs and RWs impact landscape hydrology. The more IWs are located in the upper part of the watershed, the greater their effect on both on high flow damping and low flow support seems to be. The more RWs are connected to a main stream, the greater their effect is. Our modelling results indicate that local landscape conditions may influence the wetland effect; promoting or limiting their efficiency, and thus their impacts on stream flows depend on a combined effect of wetland and landscape attributes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling groundwater/surface water interaction in a managed riparian chalk valley wetland

Understanding hydrological processes in wetlands may be complicated by management practices and complex groundwater/surface water interactions. This is especially true for wetlands underlain by permeable geology, such as chalk. In this study, the physically based, distributed model MIKE SHE is used to simulate hydrological processes at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology River Lambourn Observatory, Boxford, Berkshire, UK. This comprises a 10‐ha lowland, chalk valley bottom, riparian wetland designated for its conservation value and scientific interest. Channel management and a compound geology exert important, but to date not completely understood, influences upon hydrological conditions. Model calibration and validation were based upon comparisons of observed and simulated groundwater heads and channel stages over an equally split 20‐month period. Model results are generally consistent with field observations and include short‐term responses to events as well as longer‐term seasonal trends. An intrinsic difficulty in representing compressible, anisotropic soils limited otherwise excellent performance in some areas. Hydrological processes in the wetland are dominated by the interaction between groundwater and surface water. Channel stage provides head boundaries for broad water levels across the wetland, whilst areas of groundwater upwelling control discrete head elevations. A relic surface drainage network confines flooding extents and routes seepage to the main channels. In‐channel macrophyte growth and its management have an acute effect on water levels and the proportional contribution of groundwater and surface water. The implications of model results for management of conservation species and their associated habitats are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hillslope hydrology and wetland response of two small zero‐order boreal catchments on the Precambrian Shield

Two Precambrian Shield zero‐order catchments were monitored from January 2003 to July 2004 to characterize their hydrological and biogeochemical characteristics prior to a forest management experiment. Hydrometric observations were used to examine temporal trends in hillslope‐wetland connectivity and the hillslope runoff processes that control wetland event response. The hillslope groundwater flux from the longer transect (E1) was continuous throughout the study period. Groundwater fluxes from a shorter and steeper hillslope (E0) were intermittent during the study period. Large depression storage elements (termed micro‐basins) located on the upper hillslope of the E1 catchment appeared to be at least partly responsible for the observed rapid wetland runoff responses. These micro‐basins were hydrologically connected to a downslope wetland by a subsurface channel of glacial cobbles that functioned as a macropore channel during episodic runoff events. The runoff response from the hilltop micro‐basins is controlled by antecedent water table position and water is quickly piped to the wetland fringe through the cobble channel during high water table conditions. During periods of low water table position, seepage along the bedrock–soil interface from the hilltop micro‐basin and other hillslopes maintained hillslope–wetland connectivity. The micro‐basins create a dynamic variable source‐area runoff system where the contributing area expands downslope during episodic runoff events. The micro‐basins occupied 30% of the E1 catchment and are a common feature on the Precambrian Shield. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterizing hydrodynamics on boreal landscapes using archived synthetic aperture radar imagery

Characterizing the spatial and temporal variation in surface hydrological dynamics of large boreal landscapes is vital, since these patterns define the occurrence of key areas of land‐to‐lake and land‐to‐atmosphere hydrological and biogeochemical linkages that are critical in the movement of matter and energy at local to global scales. However, monitoring surface hydrological dynamics over large geographic extents and over long periods of time is a challenge for hydrologists, as traditional point measurements are not practical. In this study we used European Remote Sensing satellite radar imagery to monitor the variation in surface hydrological patterns over a 12‐year period and to assess the change in the organization of saturated and inundated areas of the landscape. Using the regional Utikuma River drainage basin (2900 km²) as the test area, the analyses of patterns of wetlands indicated that, during dry climatic conditions, wetland sizes were small and disconnected from each other and receiving bodies of water. As climatic conditions changed from dry to mesic, wetland numbers increased but were still disconnected. Very wet climatic conditions were required before the disconnected wetlands coalesced and connected to lakes. During these wet conditions, the response of the lake level at Utikuma Lake was observed to be much higher than under drier conditions. Analyses of individual wetland maps and integrated wetland probability maps have the potential to inform future biogeochemical and ecological investigations and forest management on the Boreal Plain. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How does afforestation affect the hydrology of a blanket peatland? A modelling study

Over the last century, afforestation in Ireland has increased from 1% of the land area to 10%, with most plantations on upland drained blanket peatlands. This land use change is considered to have altered the hydrological response and water balance of upland catchments with implications for water resources. Because of the difficulty of observing these long‐term changes in the field, the aim of this study was to utilize a hydrological model to simulate the rainfall runoff processes of an existing pristine blanket peatland and then to simulate the hydrology of the peatland if it were drained and afforested. The hydrological rainfall runoff model (GEOtop) was calibrated and validated for an existing small (76 ha) pristine blanket peatland in the southwest of Ireland for the 2‐year period, 2007–2008. The current hydrological response of the pristine blanket peatland catchment with regard to streamflow and water table (WT) levels was captured well in the simulations. Two land use change scenarios of afforestation were also examined, (A) a young 10‐year‐old and (B) a semi‐mature 15‐year‐old Sitka Spruce forest. Scenario A produced similar streamflow dynamics to the pristine peatland, whereas total annual streamflow from Scenario B was 20% lower. For Scenarios A and B, on an annual average basis, the WT was drawn down by 16 and 20 cm below that observed in the pristine peatland, respectively. The maximum WT draw down in Scenario B was 61 cm and occurred in the summer months, resulting in a significant decrease in summer streamflow. Occasionally in the winter (following rainfall), the WT for Scenario B was just 2 cm lower than the pristine peatland, which when coupled with the drainage networks associated with afforestation led to higher peak streamflows. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating the spatial distribution of water balance in a small watershed,Pennsylvania

A conceptual water‐balance model was modified from a point application to be distributed for evaluating the spatial distribution of watershed water balance based on daily precipitation, temperature and other hydrological parameters. The model was calibrated by comparing simulated daily variation in soil moisture with field observed data and results of another model that simulates the vertical soil moisture flow by numerically solving Richards' equation. The impacts of soil and land use on the hydrological components of the water balance, such as evapotranspiration, soil moisture deficit, runoff and subsurface drainage, were evaluated with the calibrated model in this study. Given the same meteorological conditions and land use, the soil moisture deficit, evapotranspiration and surface runoff increase, and subsurface drainage decreases, as the available water capacity of soil increases. Among various land uses, alfalfa produced high soil moisture deficit and evapotranspiration and lower surface runoff and subsurface drainage, whereas soybeans produced an opposite trend. The simulated distribution of various hydrological components shows the combined effect of soil and land use. Simulated hydrological components compare well with observed data. The study demonstrated that the distributed water balance approach is efficient and has advantages over the use of single average value of hydrological variables and the application at a single point in the traditional practice. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of a watershed hydrologic model to estimate interbasin groundwater flow in a Costa Rican rainforest

The watershed hydrologic model TOPMODEL was used to estimate interbasin groundwater flow (IGF) into a small lowland rainforest watershed in Costa Rica. IGF is a common hydrological process but often difficult to quantify. Four‐year simulations (2006–2009) using three different model approaches gave estimates of IGF that were very similar to each other (10.1, 10.2, and 9.8 m/year) and to an earlier estimate (10.0 m/year) based on 1998–2002 data from a budget study that did not use a hydrologic simulation model, providing confidence in the new estimates and suggesting each of the three model approaches is viable. Results show no significant temporal variation in IGF during 2006–2009 (or between this period and the earlier study from 1998–2002). Simulations of the 16 consecutive 3‐month periods in 2006–2009 gave 16 values of IGF rate with a mean (10.1 m/year, standard deviation = 0.6 m/year) very similar to the estimates above from the 4‐year simulations. This suggests the modified version of TOPMODEL can be used to model stream discharge and estimate IGF for sub‐annual time periods during which change in water storage is not necessarily equal to zero. Thus, simple watershed models may be used to estimate IGF based on even relatively short calibration periods, making such models useful tools in the study of this widespread hydrological process that affects water and chemical fluxes and budgets but is often difficult and costly to quantify. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulated water budget of a small forested watershed in the continental/maritime hydroclimatic region of the United States

Annual streamflows have decreased across mountain watersheds in the Pacific Northwest of the United States over the last ~70 years; however, in some watersheds, observed annual flows have increased. Physically based models are useful tools to reveal the combined effects of climate and vegetation on long‐term water balances by explicitly simulating the internal watershed hydrological fluxes that affect discharge. We used the physically based Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model to simulate the inter‐annual hydrological dynamics of a 4 km² watershed in northern Idaho. The model simulates seasonal and annual water balance components including evaporation, transpiration, storage changes, deep drainage, and trends in streamflow. Independent measurements were used to parameterize the model, including forest transpiration, stomatal feedback to vapour pressure, forest properties (height, leaf area index, and biomass), soil properties, soil moisture, snow depth, and snow water equivalent. No calibrations were applied to fit the simulated streamflow to observations. The model reasonably simulated the annual runoff variations during the evaluation period from water year 2004 to 2009, which verified the ability of SHAW to simulate the water budget in this small watershed. The simulations indicated that inter‐annual variations in streamflow were driven by variations in precipitation and soil water storage. One key parameterization issue was leaf area index, which strongly influenced interception across the catchment. This approach appears promising to help elucidate the mechanisms responsible for hydrological trends and variations resulting from climate and vegetation changes on small watersheds in the region. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrological dynamics of prairie pothole wetlands: Dominant processes and landscape controls under contrasted conditions

Numerous studies have examined the impact of prairie pothole wetlands on overall watershed dynamics. However, very few have looked at individual wetland dynamics across a continuum of alteration status using subdaily hydrometric data. Here, the importance of surface and subsurface water storage dynamics in the prairie pothole region was documented by (1) characterizing surface fill–spill dynamics in intact and consolidated wetlands; (2) quantifying water‐table fluctuations and the occurrence of overland flow downslope of fully drained wetlands; (3) assessing the relation (or lack thereof) between intact, consolidated or drained wetland hydrological behaviour, and stream dynamics; and (4) relating wetland hydrological behaviour to landscape characteristics. Focus was on southwestern Manitoba, Canada, where ten intact, three consolidated, seven fully drained wetlands, and a nearby creek were monitored over two years with differing antecedent storage conditions. Hourly hydrological time series were used to compute behavioural metrics reflective of year‐specific and season‐specific wetland dynamics. Behavioural metrics were then correlated to wetland physical characteristics to identify landscape controls on wetland hydrology. Predictably, more frequent spillage or overland flow was observed when antecedent storage was high. Consolidated wetlands had a high degree of water permanence and a greater frequency of fill–spill events than intact wetlands. Shallow and highly responsive water tables were present downslope of fully drained wetlands. Potential wetland–stream connectivity was also inferred via time‐series analysis, while some landscape characteristics (e.g., wetland surface, catchment area, and storage volume) strongly correlated with wetland behavioural metrics. The nonstationarity of dominant processes was, however, evident through the lack of consistent correlations across seasons. This, therefore, highlights the importance of combining multiyear high‐frequency hydrometric data and detailed landscape analyses in wetland hydrology studies.     

Year‐round estimation of soil moisture content using temporally variable soil hydraulic parameters

Soil moisture plays a key role in the hydrological cycle as it controls the flux of water between soil, vegetation, and atmosphere. This study is focused on a year‐round estimation of soil moisture in a forested mountain area using the bucket model approach. For this purpose, three different soil moisture models are utilised. The procedure is based on splitting the whole year into two complement periods (dormant and vegetation). Model parameters are allowed to vary between the two periods and also from year to year in the calibration procedure. Consequently, two sets of average model parameters corresponding to dormant and vegetation seasons are proposed. The process of splitting is strongly supported by the experimental data, and it enables us to variate saturated hydraulic conductivity and pore‐size characterisation. The use of the two different parameter sets significantly enhances the simulation of two (Teuling and Troch model and soil water balance model‐green–ampt [SWBM‐GA]) out of three models in the 6‐year period from 2009 to 2014. For these two models, the overall Nash‐Sutcliffe coefficient increased from 0.64 to 0.79 and from 0.55 to 0.80. The third model (the Laio approach) proved to be insensitive to parameter changes due to its insufficient drainage prediction. The variability of the warm and cold parameter sets between particular years is more pronounced in the warm periods. The cold periods exhibited approximately similar character during all 6 years.     

Spatial prediction of temporal soil moisture dynamics using HYDRUS‐1D

This article investigates the soil moisture dynamics within two catchments (Stanley and Krui) in the Goulburn River in NSW during a 3‐year period (2005–2007) using the HYDRUS‐1D soil water model. Sensitivity analyses indicated that soil type, and leaf area index were the key parameters affecting model performance. The model was satisfactorily calibrated on the Stanley microcatchment sites with a single point rainfall record from this microcatchment for both surface 30 cm and full‐profile soil moisture measurements. Good correlations were obtained between observed and simulated soil water storage when calibrations for one site were applied to the other sites. We extended the predictions of soil moisture to a larger spatial scale using the calibrated soil and vegetation parameters to the sites in the Krui catchment where soil moisture measurement sites were up to 30 km distant from Stanley. Similarly good results show that it is possible to use a calibrated soil moisture model with measurements at a single site to extrapolate the soil moisture to other sites for a catchment with an area of up to 1000 km² given similar soils and vegetation and local rainfall data. Site predictions were effectively improved by our simple data assimilation method using only a few sample data collected from the site. This article demonstrates the potential usefulness of continuous time, point‐scale soil moisture data (typical of that measured by permanently installed TDR probes) and simulations for predicting the soil wetness status over a catchment of significant size (up to 1000 km²). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing impacts of agricultural water interventions in the Kothapally watershed,Southern India

The paper describes a hydrological model for agricultural water intervention in a community watershed at Kothapally in India, developed through integrated management and a consortium approach. The impacts of various soil and water management interventions in the watershed are compared to no‐intervention during a 30‐year simulation period by application of the calibrated and validated ARCSWAT 2005 (Version 2.1.4a) modelling tool. Kothapally receives, on average, 800 mm rainfall in the monsoon period. 72% of total rainfall is converted as evaporation and transpiration (ET), 20% is stored by groundwater aquifer, and 8% exported as outflow from the watershed boundary in current water interventions. ET, groundwater recharge and outflow under no‐intervention conditions are found to be 64, 9, and 19%, respectively. Check dams helped in storing water for groundwater recharge, which can be used for irrigation, as well minimising soil loss. In situ water management practices improved the infiltration capacity and water holding capacity of the soil, which resulted in increased water availability by 10–30% and better crop yields compared to no‐intervention. Water outflows from the developed watershed were more than halved compared to no‐intervention, indicating potentially large negative downstream impacts if these systems were to be implemented on a larger scale. On the other hand, in the watershed development program, sediment loads to the streams were less than one‐tenth. It can be concluded that the hydrological impacts of large‐scale implementation of agricultural water interventions are significant. They result in improved rain‐fed agriculture and improved productivity and livelihood of farmers in upland areas while also addressing the issues of poverty, equity, and gender in watersheds. There is a need for case‐specific studies of such hydrological impacts along with other impacts in terms of equity, gender, sustainability, and development at the mesoscale. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling hydrological connectivity of tropical floodplain wetlands via a combined natural and artificial stream network

The ecological condition and biodiversity values of floodplain wetlands are highly dependent on the hydrological connectivity of wetlands to adjacent rivers. This paper describes a method for quantifying connectivity between floodplain wetlands and the main rivers in a wet tropical catchment of northern Australia. We used a one‐dimensional hydrodynamic model to simulate time‐varying water depths across the stream network (i.e. rivers, streams and man‐made drains). The timing and duration of connectivity of seven wetlands (four natural and three artificial) with the two main rivers in the catchment were then calculated for different hydrological conditions. Location and areal extent of the wetlands and the stream network were identified using high‐resolution laser altimetry, and these data formed key inputs to the hydrodynamic model. The model was calibrated using measured water depths and discharges across the floodplain. An algorithm was developed to identify contiguous water bodies at daily time steps, and this gave the temporal history of connection and disconnection between wetlands and the rivers. Simulation results show that connectivity of individual wetlands to both rivers varies from 26 to 365 days during an average hydrological condition. Location, especially proximity to a main river, and wetland type (natural stream or artificial drain) were identified as key factors influencing these levels of connectivity. Some natural wetlands maintain connection with the river for most or all of the year, whereas the connectivity of some artificial wetlands varies from 26 to 36 days according to their patterns of network connection to adjacent rivers – a result that has important implications for the accessibility of these types of wetland to aquatic biota. Using readily available river gauge data, we also show how connectivity modelling can be used to identify periods when connectivity has fallen below critical thresholds for fish movement. These connectivity patterns within the floodplain network are central to the setting of river flows that will meet environmental requirements for biota that use floodplain wetlands during their life history. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The filtering capacity of a tropical riverine wetland: I. Water balance

Wetlands in the coastal catchments adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon play an important role in local hydrological processes and provide important ecological habitats for terrestrial and aquatic species. Although many wetlands have been removed or degraded by agricultural expansion, there is now great interest in their protection and restoration as important aquatic ecosystems and potential filters of pollutant runoff. However, the filtering capacity of tropical wetlands is largely unknown, so the current study was established to quantify the water, sediment and nutrient balance of a natural riverine wetland in tropical north Queensland. Surface and groundwater fluxes of water, sediment and nutrients into and out of the wetland were monitored for a 3‐year period. This paper focuses on the water balance of this natural wetland and a companion paper presents its sediment and nutrient balance and estimates of water quality filtering. Wetland inflows and outflows were dominated by surface flows which varied by 3–4 orders of magnitude through the course of the year, with 90% of the annual flow occurring during the period January to March. Although groundwater inputs to the wetland were only 5% of the annual water balance, they are very important to sustaining the wetland during the dry season, when they can be the largest input of water (up to 90%). Water retention times in this type of wetland are very short, particularly when most of the flow and any associated materials are passing through it (i.e. 1–2 h), so there is little time to filter most of the annual flux of water through this wetland. Longer retention times occur at the end of the dry season (up to 8·5 days); but this is when the lowest fluxes of water pass through the wetland. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The assessment of surface water resources for the semi‐arid Yongding River Basin from 1956 to 2000 and the impact of land use change

The assessment of surface water resources (SWRs) in the semi‐arid Yongding River Basin is vital as the basin has been in a continuous state of serious water shortage over the last 20 years. In this study, the first version of the geomorphology‐based hydrological model (GBHM) has been applied to the basin over a long period of time (1956–2000) as part of an SWR assessment. This was done by simulating the natural hydrological processes in the basin. The model was first evaluated at 18 stream gauges during the period from 1990 to 1992 to evaluate both the daily streamflows and the annual SWRs using the land use data for 1990. The model was further validated in 2000 with the annual SWRs at seven major stream gauges. Second, the verified model was used in a 45‐year simulation to estimate the annual SWRs for the basin from 1956 to 2000 using the 1990 land use data. An empirical correlation between the annual precipitation and the annual SWRs was developed for the basin. Spatial distribution of the long‐term mean runoff coefficients for all 177 sub‐basins was also achieved. Third, an additional 10‐year (1991–2000) simulation was performed with the 2000 land use data to investigate the impact of land use changes from 1990 to 2000 on the long‐term annual SWRs. The results suggest that the 10‐year land use changes have led to a decrease of 8·3 × 10⁷ m³ (7·9% of total) for the 10‐year mean annual SWRs in the simulation. To our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to assess the long‐term SWRs and the impact of land use change in the semi‐arid Yongding River Basin using a semi‐distributed hillslope hydrological model. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SWAT model application and prediction uncertainty analysis in the Lake Tana Basin,Ethiopia

Lake Tana Basin is of significant importance to Ethiopia concerning water resources aspects and the ecological balance of the area. Many years of mismanagement, wetland losses due to urban encroachment and population growth, and droughts are causing its rapid deterioration. The main objective of this study was to assess the performance and applicability of the soil water assessment tool (SWAT) model for prediction of streamflow in the Lake Tana Basin, so that the influence of topography, land use, soil and climatic condition on the hydrology of Lake Tana Basin can be well examined. The physically based SWAT model was calibrated and validated for four tributaries of Lake Tana. Sequential uncertainty fitting (SUFI‐2), parameter solution (ParaSol) and generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) calibration and uncertainty analysis methods were compared and used for the set‐up of the SWAT model. The model evaluation statistics for streamflows prediction shows that there is a good agreement between the measured and simulated flows that was verified by coefficients of determination and Nash Sutcliffe efficiency greater than 0·5. The hydrological water balance analysis of the basin indicated that baseflow is an important component of the total discharge within the study area that contributes more than the surface runoff. More than 60% of losses in the watershed are through evapotranspiration. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shallow groundwater dynamics and its driving forces in extremely arid areas: a case study of the lower Heihe River in northwestern China

Shallow groundwater is an important source of water for the maintenance and restoration of ecosystems in arid environments, which necessitates a deeper understanding of its complex spatial and temporal dynamics driven by hydrological processes. This study explores the dominant hydrological processes that control the shallow groundwater dynamics in the Gobi Desert‐riparian‐oasis system of the lower Heihe River, a typical arid inland river basin located in northwestern China. The groundwater level and temperature were monitored in 14 shallow wells at 30‐min intervals during the 2010–2012 period. After combining this information with meteorological and hydrological data, a comprehensive analysis was conducted to understand the dynamic behaviour of the shallow groundwater system and to determine the dominant factors that control the groundwater flow processes. The results of the study indicate notably large temporal and spatial variations in both the groundwater level and temperature. Noticeable fluctuations in the groundwater level (0.5–1 m) and temperature (4–8 °C) were observed in the riparian zone, evidencing a clear river influence. In comparison, the groundwater fluctuations in the Gobi Desert were more stable (the annual variations of the water table were less than 0.5 m, and the water temperature varied by no more than 2 °C). Strong variations in the groundwater table (1.5–5.0 m/year) and temperature (1.5–6.5 °C), mainly caused by surface flood irrigation and groundwater pumping, were observed in the oasis area. The investigated sites were categorized into three types that reflect the dominant hydrological processes: (1) the riparian zone, dominated by riverbank filtration and groundwater evapotranspiration; (2) the Gobi Desert area, controlled by groundwater evaporation and lateral recharge; and (3) the oasis area, dominated by groundwater evapotranspiration as well as surface–groundwater interactions caused by human activities. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling hydrological processes influenced by soil,rock and vegetation in a small karst basin of southwest China

Hydrological processes in karst basins are controlled by permeable multimedia, consisting of soil pores, epikarst fractures, and underground conduits. Distributed modelling of hydrological dynamics in such heterogeneous hydrogeological conditions is a challenging task. Basing on the multilayer structure of the distributed hydrology‐soil‐vegetation model (DHSVM), a distributed hydrological model for a karst basin was developed by integrating mathematical routings of porous Darcy flow, fissure flow and underground channel flow. Specifically, infiltration and saturated flow movement within epikarst fractures are expressed by the ‘cubic law’ equation which is associated with fractural width, direction, and spacing. A small karst basin located in Guizhou province of southwest China was selected for this hydrological simulation. The model parameters were determined on the basis of field measurement and calibrated against the observed soil moisture contents, vegetation interception, surface runoff, and underground flow discharges from the basin outlet. The results show that due to high permeability of the epikarst zone, a significant amount of surface runoff is only generated after heavy rainfall events during the wet season. Rock exposure and the epikarst zone significantly increase flood discharge and decrease evapotranspiration (ET) loss; the peak flood discharge is directly proportional to the size of the aperture. Distribution of soil moisture content (SMC) primarily depends on topographic variations just after a heavy rainfall, while SMC and actual ET are dominated by land cover after a period of consecutive non‐rainfall days. The new model was able to capture the sharp increase and decrease of the underground streamflow hydrograph, and as such can be used to investigate hydrological effects in such rock features and land covers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Calibrating a FDR sensor for soil moisture monitoring in a wetland in Central Kenya

The recent transformation of wetlands into farmland in East Africa is accelerating due to growing food-demand, land shortages, and an increasing unpredictability of climatic conditions for crop production in uplands. However, the conversion of pristine wetlands into sites of production may alter hydrological attributes with negative effects on production potential. Particularly the amount and the dynamics of plant available soil moisture in the rooting zone of crops determine to a large extent the agricultural production potential of wetlands. Various methods exist to assess soil moisture dynamics with Frequency Domain Reflectometry (FDR) being among the most prominent. However, the suitability of FDR sensors for assessing plant available soil moisture has to date not been confirmed for wetland soils in the region. We monitored the seasonal and spatial dynamics of water availability for crop growth in an inland valley wetland of the Kenyan highlands using a FDR sensor which was site-specifically calibrated. Access tubes were installed within different wetland use types and hydrological situations along valley transects and soil properties affecting soil moisture (organic C, texture, and bulk density) were investigated. There was little variation in soil attributes between physical positions in the valley, and also between topsoil and subsoil attributes with the exception of organic C contents. With a root mean squared error of 0.073 m³/m³, the developed calibration function of the FDR sensor allows for reasonably accurate soil moisture prediction for both within-site comparisons and the monitoring of temporal soil moisture variations. Applying the calibration equation to a time series of profile probe readings over a period of one year illustrated not only the temporal variation of soil moisture, but also effects of land use.