Abrupt change of runoff and its major driving factors in Haihe River Catchment, China

Runoff in Haihe River Catchment of China is steadily declining due to climate change and human activity. Determining abrupt changes in runoff could enhance identification of the main driving factors for the sudden changes. In this study, the sequential Mann–Kendall test analysis is used to determine abrupt changes in runoff in eight sub-catchments of Haihe River Catchment, while trend analysis via the traditional Mann–Kendall test for the period 1960–1999 is used to identify the basic trend of precipitation and runoff. The results suggest an insignificant change in precipitation and a significant decline in runoff in five of the eight sub-catchments. For most of the sub-catchments, abrupt changes in runoff occurred in 1978–1985. Through correlation comparisons for precipitation and runoff for the periods prior to and after abrupt runoff changes, human activity, rather than climatic change, is identified as the main driving factor of runoff decline. It is also noted that abrupt decline in runoff was actually at the beginning of China’s 1978–1985 land reform. Given that the land reform motivated farmers to productively manage their reallocated lands, agricultural water use therefore increased. Hence percent agricultural land is analyzed in relation to land use/cover pattern for the late 1970s and early 1980s. The analysis shows that when cultivated farmland exceeds 25% of a sub-catchment area, an abrupt decline in runoff occurs. It is therefore concluded that high percent agricultural land and related agricultural water use are the most probable driving factors of runoff decline in the catchment.     

Understanding and modeling basin hydrology: interpreting the hydrogeological signature

Basin landscapes possess an identifiable spatial structure, fashioned by climate, geology and land use, that affects their hydrologic response. This structure defines a basin's hydrogeological signature and corresponding patterns of runoff and stream chemistry. Interpreting this signature expresses a fundamental understanding of basin hydrology in terms of the dominant hydrologic components: surface, interflow and groundwater runoff. Using spatial analysis techniques, spatially distributed watershed characteristics and measurements of rainfall and runoff, we present an approach for modelling basin hydrology that integrates hydrogeological interpretation and hydrologic response unit concepts, applicable to both new and existing rainfall‐runoff models. The benefits of our modelling approach are a clearly defined distribution of dominant runoff form and behaviour, which is useful for interpreting functions of runoff in the recruitment and transport of sediment and other contaminants, and limited over‐parameterization. Our methods are illustrated in a case study focused on four watersheds (24 to 50 km²) draining the southern coast of California for the period October 1988 though to September 2002. Based on our hydrogeological interpretation, we present a new rainfall‐runoff model developed to simulate both surface and subsurface runoff, where surface runoff is from either urban or rural surfaces and subsurface runoff is either interflow from steep shallow soils or groundwater from bedrock and coarse‐textured fan deposits. Our assertions and model results are supported using streamflow data from seven US Geological Survey stream gauges and measured stream silica concentrations from two Santa Barbara Channel–Long Term Ecological Research Project sampling sites. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interpretation of homogeneity in δ18O signatures of stream water in a nested sub-catchment system in north-east Scotland

The isotope hydrology of a set of nested sub-catchments in the north-east of Scotland has been studied to examine the mixing processes and residence times of water in the catchments. The measured δ¹⁸O in stream waters was found to be exceptionally uniform both temporally and spatially. Hydrochemical mixing analyses showed that groundwater contributes between 62 and 90% of the stream flow in all sub-catchments. Model analysis indicated that the δ¹⁸O in stream water is indicative of a highly mixed system in which near surface runoff appears to be mixed with groundwater, within the soil profile, before being released from the catchment. Small fluctuations in the stream water δ¹⁸O response are generated by a small proportion (<10%) of less-well mixed water in infiltration excess runoff during storm events. A comparative application of the model to a nearby catchment, which has a lower proportion of groundwater runoff, demonstrated contrasting behaviour, with significantly less mixing of waters occurring and a more distinct difference in the age of runoff generated by different flow paths. This highlighted that standard methods for characterization of mixing mechanisms are often insufficient and may not discriminate between systems that have retained quite distinct flow paths throughout catchment transit, and those which have been mixed at some stage. Model sensitivity analysis also indicated that the simulated mean residence time of water varies most strongly in response to different parameters compared with the δ¹⁸O response. This has implications for estimating water residence times from isotope data. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of climate on alpine stream chemistry and water sources

The resilience of alpine/subalpine watersheds may be viewed as the resistance of streamflow or stream chemistry to change under varying climatic conditions, which is governed by the relative size (volume) and transit time of surface and subsurface water sources. Here, we use end‐member mixing analysis in Andrews Creek, an alpine stream in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, from water year 1994 to 2015, to explore how the partitioning of water sources and associated hydrologic resilience change in response to climate. Our results indicate that four water sources are significant contributors to Andrews Creek, including snow, rain, soil water, and talus groundwater. Seasonal patterns in source‐water contributions reflected the seasonal hydrologic cycle, which is driven by the accumulation and melting of seasonal snowpack. Flushing of soil water had a large effect on stream chemistry during spring snowmelt, despite making only a small contribution to streamflow volume. Snow had a large influence on stream chemistry as well, contributing large amounts of water with low concentrations of weathering products. Interannual patterns in end‐member contributions reflected responses to drought and wet periods. Moderate and significant correlations exist between annual end‐member contributions and regional‐scale climate indices (the Palmer Drought Severity Index, the Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index, and the Modified Palmer Drought Severity Index). From water year 1994 to 2015, the percent contribution from the talus‐groundwater end member to Andrews Creek increased an average of 0.5% per year (p < 0.0001), whereas the percent contributions from snow plus rain decreased by a similar amount (p = 0.001). Our results show how water and solute sources in alpine environments shift in response to climate variability and highlight the role of talus groundwater and soil water in providing hydrologic resilience to the system.     

Hydrologic functioning of the deep critical zone and contributions to streamflow in a high‐elevation catchment: Testing of multiple conceptual models

High‐elevation mountain catchments are often subject to large climatic and topographic gradients. Therefore, high‐density hydrogeochemical observations are needed to understand water sources to streamflow and the temporal and spatial behaviour of flow paths. These sources and flow paths vary seasonally, which dictates short‐term storage and the flux of water in the critical zone (CZ) and affect long‐term CZ evolution. This study utilizes multiyear observations of chemical compositions and water residence times from the Santa Catalina Mountains Critical Zone Observatory, Tucson, Arizona to develop and evaluate competing conceptual models of seasonal streamflow generation. These models were tested using endmember mixing analysis, baseflow recession analysis, and tritium model “ages” of various catchment water sources. A conceptual model involving four endmembers (precipitation, soil water, shallow, and deep groundwater) provided the best match to observations. On average, precipitation contributes 39–69% (55 ± 16%), soil water contributes 25–56% (41 ± 16%), shallow groundwater contributes 1–5% (3 ± 2%), and deep groundwater contributes ~0–3% (1 ± 1%) towards annual streamflow. The mixing space comprised two principal planes formed by (a) precipitation‐soil water‐deep groundwater (dry and summer monsoon season samples) and (b) precipitation‐soil water‐shallow groundwater (winter season samples). Groundwater contribution was most important during the wet winter season. During periods of high dynamic groundwater storage and increased hydrologic connectivity (i.e., spring snowmelt), stream water was more geochemically heterogeneous, that is, geochemical heterogeneity of stream water is storage‐dependent. Endmember mixing analysis and ³H model age results indicate that only 1.4 ± 0.3% of the long‐term annual precipitation becomes deep CZ groundwater flux that influences long‐term deep CZ development through both intercatchment and intracatchment deep groundwater flows.     

Hydrological change driven by human activities and climate variation and its spatial variability in Huaihe Basin,China

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the impacts of human activities, especially water resources development, and climate variation on the runoff reduction and its spatial variability in the Huaihe Basin, the sixth largest river basin in China, which is also an important agricultural area in Eastern China. The annual runoff had statistically negative trends at all hydrological stations located on the main river and the major tributaries, which ranges from ?0.13 to ?1.99 mm year^-1. The Budyko-based approach was employed to quantitatively differentiate the runoff reduction driven by human activities and climate variation. Results showed that the precipitation decrease contributed to the runoff reduction in all study sub-catchments. However, significant reductions of the annual runoff in some sub-catchments were mainly caused by the human activities rather than the precipitation decrease. Spatial variability of hydrological changes were closely related to different types of human activities especially irrigation and water diversion. In the southern sub-catchments, water diversion played a significant role in runoff reduction, while agriculture irrigation was the relatively dominant driving factor in the northern sub-catchments. The results show the complexity in the catchment hydrological response to the changes in climate forcing and human water resources development and the effectiveness of the Budyko-based approach for attribution analysis.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor C. Cudennec     

How important is groundwater availability and stream perenniality to riparian and floodplain tree growth?

Riparian vegetation is important for stream functioning and as a major landscape feature. For many riparian plants, shallow groundwater is an important source of water, particularly in areas where rainfall is low, either annually or seasonally, and when extended dry conditions prevail for all or part of the year. The nature of tree water relationships is highly complex. Therefore, we used multiple lines of evidence to determine the water sources used by the dominant tree species Eucalyptus camaldulensis (river red gum), growing in riparian and floodplain areas with varying depth to groundwater and stream perenniality. Dendrometer bands were used to measure diel, seasonal, and annual patterns of tree water use and growth. Water stable isotopes (δ²H and δ¹⁸O) in plant xylem, soil water, and groundwater were measured to determine spatial and temporal patterns in plant water source use. Our results indicated riparian trees located on relatively shallow groundwater had greater growth rates, larger diel responses in stem diameter, and were less reactive to extended dry periods, than trees in areas of deep groundwater. These results were supported by isotope analysis that suggested all trees used groundwater when soil water stores were depleted at the end of the dry season, and this was most pronounced for trees with shallow groundwater. Trees may experience more frequent periods of water deficit stress and undergo reduced productivity in scenarios where water table accessibility is reduced, such as drawdown from groundwater pumping activities or periods of reduced rainfall recharge. The ability of trees to adapt to changing groundwater conditions may depend on the speed of change, the local hydrologic and soil conditions as well as the species involved. Our results suggest that E. camaldulesis growing at our study site is capable of utilizing groundwater even to depths >10 m, and stream perenniality is likely to be a useful indicator of riparian tree use of groundwater.     

Quantifying hydrological responses to monsoon-controlled precipitation across the soil-groundwater-stream continuum with long-term high-frequency hydrometric monitoring

Stream water, groundwater and soil water in the riparian zone are closely linked. Their responses to rainfall events controlled by monsoon climate are variable and intertwined, which are still not well known. To address this knowledge gap, we established a monitoring transect adjacent to a headwater stream in Huashan Catchment, eastern China, with typical monsoon climate. We monitored precipitation, stream stage, groundwater level and soil moisture content at intervals of maximum 30 min. We then conducted an event-based analysis of rainfall event characteristics and diverse response metrics, and assessed their correlations and interrelationships through correlation and regression analysis. Our 2-year monitoring results show that water level responses occurred in most rainfall events. They had smaller threshold of rainfall amount and timing but longer time to peak response. Stream responses exhibited smaller response magnitude and intensities than groundwater responses. Rainfall amount and event duration were the most critical driving factors for groundwater responses. Soil moisture responses varied with depth. Only large storms could propagate into topsoil and generate rapid responses. Middle soil moisture responses had more frequent response occurrence and more variable response magnitude, while deep soil moisture responses had smaller response magnitude, longer time to peak response and larger wetting front movement velocity. Attenuated initial response timing with depth identified preferential flow, reflecting heterogeneity in the soil profile. Monsoon-controlled heavy rainfall improved hydrologic connectivity in the soil-groundwater-stream continuum (SGSC), mediating the influence of heterogeneity on soil moisture responses and potentially contributing more subsurface flow to catchment runoff. Overall, this study aimed to reveal the mechanism of hydrological responses to monsoon-controlled precipitation across the SGSC.     

Spatial organization of groundwater dynamics and streamflow response from different hydropedological units in a montane catchment

Groundwater dynamics play an important role in runoff generation and hydrologic connectivity between hillslopes and streams. We monitored a network of 14 shallow groundwater (GW) wells in a 3.2 km² experimental catchment in the Scottish Highlands. Wells were placed in three contrasting landscape units with different hydropedological characteristics and different topographic positions relative to the stream network, encompassing a catena sequence from freely draining podzols on steeper hillslopes to increasingly thick peats (histosols) in the valley bottom riparian zone. GW dynamics were characterized by statistical analyses of water table fluctuations, estimation of variabilities in lag times and hysteresis response in relation to streamflow. The three landscape units had distinct storage–discharge relationships and threshold responses with a certain GW level above which lateral flow dominates. Steeper hillslopes with freely draining podzols were characterized by GW fluctuations of around 150 cm in the underlying drift. GW usually showed peak response up to several hours after stream flow. During persistent wet periods the water table remained in the soil profile for short spells and connected shallow flow paths in the near surface horizons to the lower hillslopes. In the peaty gleys in the lower foot slopes, GW was characterized by a water table generally within 20 cm of the soil surface, though at some locations this could fall to 50 cm in extreme dry periods. GW responses were usually a few hours prior to the stream responses. In riparian peats, the water table was also usually less than 20 cm deep and responded several hours before the stream. These riparian peat soils remain at, or very near saturation with near‐continuous GW–surface water connectivity. In contrast, the steeper slopes remain disconnected for prolonged periods and need large recharge events to overcome storage thresholds. GW responses vary seasonally, and landscape controls on the spatial organization of GW dynamics are strongest at low flows and in small events. During wettest periods, limited storage and extensive saturation weaken such controls. This study demonstrated that montane catchments can have highly dynamic GW stores, which are important in generating both storm flows and baseflows. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigating hydrologic connectivity and its association with threshold change in runoff response in a temperate forested watershed

Hydrological studies across varied climatic and physiographic regions have observed small changes in the ‘states of wetness’; based on average soil moisture, can lead to dramatic changes in the amount of water delivered to the stream channel. This non-linear behaviour of the storm response has been attributed to a critical switching in spatial organization of shallow soil moisture and hydrologic connectivity. However, much of the analysis of the role of soil moisture organization and connectivity has been performed in small rangeland catchments. Therefore, we examined the relationship between hydrologic connectivity and runoff response within a temperate forested watershed of moderate relief. We have undertaken spatial surveys of shallow soil moisture over a sequence of storms with varying antecedent moisture conditions. We analyse each survey for evidence of hydrologic connectivity and we monitor the storm response from the catchment outlet. Our results show evidence of a non-linear response in runoff generation over small changes in measures of antecedent moisture conditions; yet, unlike the previous studies of rangeland catchments, in this forested landscape we do not observe a significant change in geostatistical hydrologic connectivity with variations in antecedent moisture conditions. These results suggest that a priori spatial patterns in shallow soil moisture in forested terrains may not always be a good predictor of critical hydrologic connectivity that leads to threshold change in runoff generation, as has been the case in rangeland catchments. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Land cover effects on runoff patterns in eastern Piedmont (USA) watersheds

Physiography and land cover determine the hydrologic response of watersheds to climatic events. However, vast differences in climate regimes and variation of landscape attributes among watersheds (including size) have prevented the establishment of general relationships between land cover and runoff patterns across broad scales. This paper addresses these difficulties by using power spectral analysis to characterize area‐normalized runoff patterns and then compare these patterns with landscape features among watersheds within the same physiographic region. We assembled long‐term precipitation and runoff data for 87 watersheds (first to seventh order) within the eastern Piedmont (USA) that contained a wide variety of land cover types, collected environmental data for each watershed, and compared the datasets using a variety of statistical measures. The effect of land cover on runoff patterns was confirmed. Urban‐dominated watersheds were flashier and had less hydrologic memory compared with forest‐dominated watersheds, whereas watersheds with high wetland coverage had greater hydrologic memory. We also detected a 10–15% urban threshold above which urban coverage became the dominant control on runoff patterns. When spectral properties of runoff were compared across stream orders, a threshold after the third order was detected at which watershed processes became dominant over precipitation regime in determining runoff patterns. Finally, we present a matrix that characterizes the hydrologic signatures of rivers based on precipitation versus landscape effects and low‐frequency versus high‐frequency events. The concepts and methods presented can be generally applied to all river systems to characterize multiscale patterns of watershed runoff. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rainfall–runoff responses on Arctic hillslopes underlain by continuous permafrost,North Slope,Alaska, USA

The Arctic hydrologic cycle is intensifying, as evidenced by increased rates of precipitation, evapotranspiration, and riverine discharge. However, the controls on water fluxes from terrestrial to aquatic systems in upland Arctic landscapes are poorly understood. Upland landscapes account for one third of the Arctic land surface and are often drained by zero‐order geomorphic flowpath features called water tracks. Previous work in the region attributed rapid runoff response at larger stream orders to water tracks, but models suggest water tracks are hydrologically disconnected from the surrounding hillslope. To better understand the role of water tracks in upland landscapes, we investigated the surface and subsurface hydrologic responses of 6 water tracks and their hillslope watersheds to natural patterns of rainfall, soil thaw, and drainage. Between storms, both water track discharge and the water table in the hillslope watersheds exhibited diel fluctuations that, when lagged by 5 hr, were temporally correlated with peak evapotranspiration rate. Water track soils remained saturated for more of the summer season than soils in their surrounding hillslope watersheds. When rainfall occurred, the subsurface response was nearly instantaneous, but the water tracks took significantly longer than the hillslopes to respond to rainfall, and longer than the responses previously observed in nearby larger order Arctic streams. There was also evidence for antecedent soil water storage conditions controlling the magnitude of runoff response. Based on these observations, we used a broken stick model to test the hypothesis that runoff production in response to individual storms was primarily controlled by rainfall amount and antecedent water storage conditions near the water track outlet. We found that the relative importance of the two factors varied by site, and that water tracks with similar watershed geometries and at similar landscape positions had similar rainfall–runoff model relationships. Thus, the response of terrestrial water fluxes in the upland Arctic to climate change depends on the non‐linear interactions between rainfall patterns and subsurface water storage capacity on hillslopes. Predicting these interactions across the landscape remains an important challenge.     

Stormflow generation involving pipe flow in a zero‐order basin of Peninsular Malaysia

Hydrological responses in a zero‐order basin (ZOB), a portion of whose discharge emerged via preferential flow through soil pipes, were examined over a 2‐year period in Peninsular Malaysia to elucidate primary stormflow generation processes. Silicon (Si) and specific conductance (EC) in various runoff components were also measured to identify their sources. ZOB flow response was dependent on antecedent precipitation amount; runoff increased linearly with precipitation during events >20 mm in relatively wet antecedent moisture conditions. Runoff derived from direct precipitation falling onto saturated areas accounted for <0·2% of total ZOB flow volume during the study period, indicating the predominance of subsurface pathways in ZOB flow. ZOB flow (high EC and low Si) was distinct from perennial baseflow via bedrock seepage (low EC and high Si) 5 m downstream of the ZOB outlet. Pipe flow responded quickly to ZOB flow rate and was characterized by a threshold flow capacity unique to each pipe. Piezometric data and pipe flow records demonstrated that pipes located deeper in the soil initiated first, followed by those at shallower depths; initiation of pipe flow corresponded to shallow groundwater rise above the saprolite‐soil interface. Chemical signatures of pipe flow were similar to each other and to the ZOB flow, suggesting that the sources were well‐mixed soil‐derived shallow groundwater. Based upon the volume of pipe flow during storms, the combined contribution of the pipes monitored accounted for 48% of total ZOB flow during the study period. Our results suggest that shallow groundwater, possibly facilitated by preferential flow accreted above the saprolite–soil interface, provides dominant stormflow, and that soil pipes play an important role in the rapid delivery of solute‐rich water to the stream system. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Groundwater–surface water interactions in a lowland watershed: source contribution to stream flow

The lower coastal plain of the Southeast USA is undergoing rapid urbanisation as a result of population growth. Land use change has been shown to affect watershed hydrology by altering stream flow and, ultimately, impairing water quality and ecologic health. However, because few long‐term studies have focused on groundwater–surface water interactions in lowland watersheds, it is difficult to establish what the effect of development might be in the coastal plain region. The objective of this study was to use an innovative improvement to end‐member mixing analysis (EMMA) to identify time sequences of hydrologic processes affecting storm flow. Hydrologic and major ion chemical data from groundwater, soil water, precipitation and stream sites were collected over a 2‐year period at a watershed located in USDA Forest Service's Santee Experimental Forest near Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Stream flow was ephemeral and highly dependent on evapotranspiration rates and rainfall amount and intensity. Hydrograph separation for a series of storm events using EMMA allowed us to identify precipitation, riparian groundwater and streambed groundwater as main sources to stream flow, although source contribution varied as a function of antecedent soil moisture condition. Precipitation, as runoff, dominated stream flow during all storm events while riparian and streambed groundwater contributions varied and were mainly dependent on antecedent soil moisture condition. Sensitivity analyses examined the influence of 10% and 50% increases in analyte concentration on EMMA calculations and found that contribution estimates were very sensitive to changes in chemistry. This study has implications on the type of methodology used in traditional forms of EMMA research, particularly in the recognition and use of median end‐member water chemistry in hydrograph separation techniques. Potential effects of urban development on important hydrologic processes (groundwater recharge, interflow, runoff, etc.) that influence stream flow in these lowland watersheds were qualitatively examined. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distribution of surface imperviousness in small urban catchments predicts runoff peak flows and stream flashiness

Urban growth is a global phenomenon, and the associated impacts on hydrology from land development are expected to increase, especially in peri‐urban catchments. It is well understood that greater peak flows and higher stream flashiness are associated with increased surface imperviousness and storm location. However, the effect of the distribution of impervious areas on runoff peak flow response and stream flashiness of peri‐urban catchments has not been well studied. In this study, a new geometric index, Relative Nearness of Imperviousness to the Catchment Outlet (RNICO), is defined to correlate imperviousness distribution of peri‐urban catchments with runoff peak flows and stream flashiness. Study sites include 21 suburban catchments in New York representing a range of drainage area from 5 to 189 km² and average imperviousness from 10% to 48%. On the basis of RNICO, all development patterns are divided into 3 classes: upstream, centralized, and downstream. Results showed an obvious increase in runoff peak flows and decrease in time to peak when moving from upstream to centralized and downstream urbanization classes. This indicates that RNICO is an effective tool for classifying urban development patterns and for macroscale understanding of the hydrologic behavior of small peri‐urban catchments, despite the complexity of urban drainage systems. We also found that the impact of impervious distribution on runoff peak flows and stream flashiness decreases with catchment scale. For small catchments (A < 40 km²), RNICO was strongly correlated with the average (R² = .95) and maximum (R² = .91) gaged peak flows due to the relatively efficient subsurface routing through stormwater and sewer networks. Furthermore, the Richards–Baker stream flashiness index in small catchments was positively correlated with fractional impervious area (R² = .84) and RNICO (R² = .87). For large catchments (A > 40 km²), the impact of impervious surface distribution on peak flows and stream flashiness was negligible due to the complex drainage network and great variability in travel times. This study emphasizes the need for greater monitoring of discharge in small peri‐urban catchments to support flood prediction at the local scale.     

Evaluating hydrologic performance of bioretention cells in shallow groundwater

Bioretention cells, which are generally effective in controlling surface runoff and recharging groundwater, have been widely adopted as low impact development practices. However, shallow groundwater has limited their implementation in some locations due to the potential problems of a reduction in surface runoff control, groundwater pollution, and continuous groundwater drainage through the underdrain. Many guidelines have established minimum requirements for the groundwater depth below bioretention cells, but they may not be optimized for certain environmental conditions and bioretention cell designs. This study made use of a variably saturated flow model to examine the hydrologic performance of a single bioretention cell in shallow groundwater with event‐based simulations, considering a wide range of initial groundwater depths, media and in situ soil types, surface runoff loads, and underdrain sizes. Performance indicators (e.g., runoff reduction, time for infiltrated water to reach the bioretention cell bottom and the groundwater table, and height and dissipation time of groundwater mound) were evaluated to examine the processes of runoff generation, the formation and dissipation of groundwater mounds, and the bioretention cell's performance in a shallow groundwater environment. The most influential factors were the initial groundwater depth, the hydraulic conductivity of the media soil, and the rainfall runoff load. With a deeper initial groundwater table, infiltrated water took longer to reach the bioretention cell bottom and groundwater table. Groundwater mounds, however, took longer to dissipate even though they were smaller. The groundwater quality can be better protected if relatively less‐permeable soil types (e.g., sandy loam) are used as the media, although it may compromise the performance in runoff quantity control. However, only very high surface runoff loads would cause concerns regarding a reduction in runoff quantity control and possible groundwater contamination due to the shallow groundwater. A distance of 1.5–3 m between the bioretention cell bottom and the groundwater table is generally sufficient. The results of this study could help to guide the planning and design of bioretention cells in areas of shallow groundwater.     

Landscape structure and use,climate, and water movement in the Mekong River basin

In this article the relative roles of precipitation and soil moisture in influencing runoff variability in the Mekong River basin are addressed. The factors controlling runoff generation are analysed in a calibrated macro‐scale hydrologic model, and it is demonstrated that, in addition to rainfall, simulated soil moisture plays a decisive role in establishing the timing and amount of generated runoff. Soil moisture is a variable with a long memory for antecedent hydrologic fluxes that is influenced by soil hydrologic parameters, topography, and land cover type. The influence of land cover on soil moisture implies significant hydrologic consequences for large‐scale deforestation and expansion of agricultural land. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non-linear quickflow response as indicators of runoff generation mechanisms

Linking quickflow response to subsurface state can improve our understanding of runoff processes that drive emergent catchment behaviour. We investigated the formation of non-linear quickflows in three forested headwater catchments and also explored unsaturated and saturated storage dynamics, and likely runoff generation mechanisms that contributed to threshold formation. Our analyses focused on two reference watersheds at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory (CHL) in western North Carolina, USA, and one reference watershed at the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SHW) in Central Pennsylvania, USA, with available hourly soil moisture, groundwater, streamflow, and precipitation time series over several years. Our study objectives were to characterise (a) non-linear runoff response as a function of storm characteristics and antecedent conditions, (b) the critical levels of shallow unsaturated and saturated storage that lead to hourly flow response, and (c) runoff mechanisms contributing to rapidly increasing quickflow using measurements of soil moisture and groundwater. We found that maximum hourly rainfall did not significantly contribute to quickflow production in our sites, in contrast to prior studies, due to highly conductive forest soils. Soil moisture and groundwater dynamics measured in hydrologically representative areas of the hillslope showed that variable subsurface states could contribute to non-linear runoff behaviour. Quickflow generation in watersheds at CHL were dominated by both saturated and unsaturated pathways, but the relative contributions of each pathway varied between catchments. In contrast, quickflow was almost entirely related to groundwater fluctuations at SHW. We showed that co-located measurements of soil moisture and groundwater supplement threshold analyses providing stronger prediction and understanding of quickflow generation and indicate dominant runoff processes.     

The San Dimas experimental forest: Hydrologic research in semiarid steepland terrain

The San Dimas Experimental Forest (SDEF) is located in southern California and is representative of the chaparral shrublands of the Southwest USA. Chaparral – including genera of Ceanothus, Adenostoma, Quercus, Salvia and Arctostaphylos – is a dense, drought-tolerant vegetation assemblage with a closed canopy 3–5 m in height. Chaparral is a fire-prone ecosystem and wildfires have burned the SDEF about every 40 years. The SDEF was established in 1933 to quantify the water cycle in a steep, semiarid landscape. Study catchments range in size from 15 to 1160 ha and measurements of stream runoff are made in a nested weir and flume arrangement to account for the very flashy flows. Apart from native chaparral vegetation, streamflow measurements in these study watersheds have also quantified the hydrologic response of vegetation type-conversion and fire. Innovations in hydrologic monitoring developed on the SDEF include a critical depth flume (the San Dimas flume) and tilted rain gages to better sample precipitation in mountainous terrain. Subsurface runoff and plant water relations have been measured in a large lysimeter complex. Water quality monitoring shows that stream water in the SDEF has very high levels of nitrate, derived from atmospheric deposition of chronic air pollution, that approach the Federal EPA standard of 10.0 mg L⁻¹ for nitrate-N. Spreadsheets of rainfall and streamflow (from 1938 to 2015) – the San Dimas Experimental Forest hydrologic database – may be found at the right-hand side of the web page at https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/ef/san_dimas/index.shtml . Hard copy charts, tables and other records associated with the foregoing data streams are available from the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, 4955 Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, California, 92501 USA or at pete.wohlgemuth@usda.gov .     

Base flow‐driven shifts in tropical stream temperature regimes across a mean annual rainfall gradient

Climate change is expected to affect air temperature and watershed hydrology, but the degree to which these concurrent changes affect stream temperature is not well documented in the tropics. How stream temperature varies over time under changing hydrologic conditions is difficult to isolate from seasonal changes in air temperature. Groundwater and bank storage contributions to stream flow (i.e., base flow [BF]) buffer water temperatures against seasonal and daily fluctuations in solar radiation and air temperature, whereas rainfall‐driven runoff produces flooding events that also influence stream temperature. We used a space‐for‐time substitution to examine how shifts in BF and runoff alter thermal regimes in streams by analyzing hydrological and temperature data collected from similar elevations (400–510 m above sea level) across a 3,500‐mm mean annual rainfall gradient on Hawai'i Island. Sub‐daily water temperature and stream flow gathered for 3 years were analyzed for daily, monthly, and seasonal trends and compared with air temperature measured at multiple elevations. Results indicate that decreases in median BF increased mean, maximum, and minimum water temperatures as well as daily temperature range. Monthly and daily trends in stream temperature among watersheds were more pronounced than air temperature, driven by differences in groundwater inputs and runoff. Stream temperature was strongly negatively correlated to BF during the dry season but not during the wet season due to frequent wet season runoff events contributing to total flow. In addition to projected increases in global air temperature, climate driven shifts in rainfall and runoff are likely to affect stream flow and groundwater recharge, with concurrent influences on BF resulting in shifts in water temperature that are likely to affect aquatic ecosystems.