The Colorado East River Community Observatory Data Collection

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Colorado East River Community Observatory (ER) in the Upper Colorado River Basin was established in 2015 as a representative mountainous, snow-dominated watershed to study hydrobiogeochemical responses to hydrological perturbations in headwater systems. The ER is characterized by steep elevation, geologic, hydrologic and vegetation gradients along floodplain, montane, subalpine, and alpine life zones, which makes it an ideal location for researchers to understand how different mountain subsystems contribute to overall watershed behaviour. The ER has both long-term and spatially-extensive observations and experimental campaigns carried out by the Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA), led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and researchers from over 30 organizations who conduct cross-disciplinary process-based investigations and modelling of watershed behaviour. The heterogeneous data generated at the ER include hydrological, genomic, biogeochemical, climate, vegetation, geological, and remote sensing data, which combined with model inputs and outputs comprise a collection of datasets and value-added products within a mountainous watershed that span multiple spatiotemporal scales, compartments, and life zones. Within 5 years of collection, these datasets have revealed insights into numerous aspects of watershed function such as factors influencing snow accumulation and melt timing, water balance partitioning, and impacts of floodplain biogeochemistry and hillslope ecohydrology on riverine geochemical exports. Data generated by the SFA are managed and curated through its Data Management Framework. The SFA has an open data policy, and over 70 ER datasets are publicly available through relevant data repositories. A public interactive map of data collection sites run by the SFA is available to inform the broader community about SFA field activities. Here, we describe the ER and the SFA measurement network, present the public data collection generated by the SFA and partner institutions, and highlight the value of collecting multidisciplinary multiscale measurements in representative catchment observatories.     

River flood seasonality in the Northeast United States: Characterization and trends

The New England and Mid‐Atlantic regions of the Northeast United States have experienced climate‐induced increases in both the magnitude and frequency of floods. However, a detailed understanding of flood seasonality across these regions, and how flood seasonality may have changed over the instrumental record, has not been established. The annual timing of river floods reflects the flood‐generating mechanisms operating in a basin, and many aquatic and riparian organisms are adapted to flood seasonality, as are human uses of river channels and flood plains. Changes in flood seasonality may indicate changes in flood‐generating mechanisms, and their interactions, with important implications for habitats, flood plain infrastructure, and human communities. I applied a probabilistic method for identifying flood seasons at a monthly resolution for 90 Northeast U.S. watersheds with natural, or near‐natural, flood‐generating conditions. Historical trends in flood seasonality were also investigated. Analyses were based on peaks‐over‐threshold flood records that have, on average, 85 years of data and three peaks per year—thus providing more information about flood seasonality than annual maximums. The results show rich detail about annual flood timing across the region with each site having a unique pattern of monthly flood occurrence. However, a much smaller number of dominant seasonal patterns emerged when contiguous flood‐rich months were classified into commonly recognized seasons (e.g., Mar–May, spring). The dominant seasonal patterns identified by manual classification were corroborated by unsupervised classification methods (i.e., cluster analyses). Trend analyses indicated that the annual timing of flood‐rich seasons has generally not shifted over the period of record, but 65 sites with data from 1941 to 2013 revealed increased numbers of June–October floods—a trend driving previously documented increases in Northeast U.S. flood counts per year. These months have been historically flood‐poor at the sites examined, so warm‐season flood potential has increased with possible implications for aquatic and riparian organisms.     

Nonlinear analysis of seasonality and stochasticity of the Indus River

Abstract

One of the world's largest irrigation networks, based on the Indus River system in Pakistan, faces serious scarcity of water in one season and disastrous floods in another. The system is dominated both by monsoon and by snow and glacier dynamics, which confer strong seasonal and inter-annual variability. In this paper two different forecasting methods are utilized to analyse the long-term seasonal behaviour of the Indus River. The study also assesses whether the strong seasonal behaviour is dominated by the presence of low-dimensional nonlinear dynamics, or whether the periodic behaviour is simply immersed in random fluctuations. Forecasts obtained by nonlinear prediction (NLP) and the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) methods show that the performance of NLP is relatively better than the SARIMA method. This, along with the low values of the correlation dimension, is indicative of low-dimensional nonlinear behaviour of the hydrological dynamics. A relatively better performance of NLP, using an inverse technique, may also be indicative of the low-dimensional behaviour. Moreover, the embedding dimension of the best NLP forecasts is in good agreement with the estimated correlation dimension. This provides evidence that the nonlinearity inherent in the monthly river flow due to the snowmelt and the monsoon variations dominate over the high-dimensional components and might be exploited for prediction and modelling of the complex hydrological system.

Citation Hassan, S. A. & Ansari, M. R. K. (2010) Nonlinear analysis of seasonality and stochasticity of the Indus River. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(2), 250–265.     

Hydrological and morphological processes in Senegal River mouth area

The main features of the structure and water regime of the mouth area of the Senegal River and their changes caused by river regulation in its upper reaches and within its delta area are considered. Data on water and sediment runoff of the Senegal River and their variations along the river are specified. River runoff was found to dramatically decrease in recent decades because of a drought. Zoning of river mouth area was carried out, and morphological processes in its estuary, in particular, the formation of a new outlet of the river into the ocean with the formation of a lagoon, are described.     

Hydrological and Morphological Processes in the Kura River Delta

Peculiarities of the development of the Kura Delta over the last 200 years are discussed. As shown, changes in the delta were greatly affected by the Caspian Sea level drop during 1929–1977 and its rise during 1978–1995 as well as by natural and human-induced variations in the water and sediment runoff of the river. It was noted that the delta area decreased by nearly 40% as a result of the sea level rise. The following significant changes in the Kura Delta were revealed in recent years using space images: river water rushed through the right mouth spit and, hence, the main Southeastern Branch was devoid of its flow and a new sea spit began its formation in the branch mouth using wave-cut products.     

The Hydrological Regime and the Peculiarities of Formation of the Po River Delta

The peculiarities of the hydrological regime of the delta and near-shore zone of the Po River are discussed. The intrusion of salt seawater into the delta is described. The history of the Po Delta formation has been restored on the basis of the analysis of historical, archeological, and cartographic data. As shown, the peculiarities of hydrological and morphological processes in the Po River mouth are associated with natural and specifically with human-induced variations in sediment runoff of the river, with levee construction along branches, subsidence of deltaic deposits, and eustatic rise of the sea level.     

Hydrological Regime and Morphodynamics of the Yangtze River Mouth Area

The features of the hydrological regime, modern morphological structure, fluviomorphological processes, and the history of formation of the Yangtze River mouth area are discussed. The influence of the huge river water and sediment runoff and tides on the hydrological and morphological processes in the Yangtze River mouth is shown. The possible impact of construction of the large waterworks Three Gorges on the hydrological and morphological processes in the Yangtze River mouth is roughly evaluated.     

Hydrological alteration along the Missouri River Basin: A time series approach

Human alteration of large rivers is commonplace, often resulting in significant changes in flow characteristics. We used a time series approach to examine daily mean flow data from locations throughout the mainstem Missouri River. Data from a pre-alteration period (1925-1948) were compared with a post-alteration period (1967-1996), with separate analyses conducted using either data from the entire year or restricted to the spring fish spawning period (1 April-30 June). Daily mean flows were significantly higher during the post-alteration period at all locations. Flow variability was markedly reduced during the post-alteration period as a probable result of flow regulation and climatological shifts. Daily mean flow during the spring fish spawning period was significantly lower during the post-alteration period at the most highly altered locations in the middle portion of the river, but unchanged at the least altered locations in the upper and lower port ions of the river. Our data also corroborate other analyses, using alternate statistical approaches, that suggest similar changes to the Missouri River system. Our results suggest human alterations on the Missouri River, particularly in the middle portion most strongly affected by impoundments and channelization, have resulted in changes to the natural flow regime.     

Rapid adjustment of shoreline behavior to changing seasonality of storms: observations and modelling at an open‐coast beach

An 8‐year time series of weekly shoreline data collected at the Gold Coast, Australia, is used to examine the temporal evolution of a beach, focusing on the frequency response of the shoreline to time‐varying wave height and period. Intriguingly, during 2005 the movement of the shoreline at this site changed from a seasonally‐dominated mode (annual cycle) to a storm‐dominated (~monthly) mode. This unexpected observation provides the opportunity to explore the drivers of the observed shoreline response. Utilizing the calibration of an equilibrium shoreline model to explore the time‐scales of underlying beach behavior, the best‐fit frequency response (days^?1) is shown to be an order of magnitude higher post‐2004, suggesting that a relatively subtle change in wave forcing can drive a significant change in shoreline response. Analysis of available wave data reveals a statistically significant change in the seasonality of storms, from predominantly occurring at the start of the year pre‐2005 to being relatively consistent throughout the year after this time. The observed change from one mode of shoreline variability to another suggests that beaches can adapt relatively quickly to subtle changes in the intra‐annual distribution of wave energy. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of Hydrological and Fluviomorphological Regimes of the Ob River Delta

Data on water discharges and levels, morphometry of river branches, elevation base, runoff, and granulometric composition of sediments in the Ob Delta over the period of instrumental measurements were analyzed and summarized. The obtained results served as a basis for the delta parameterization. Detailed characteristics of the hydrological regime and quantitative characteristics of reversible fluviomorphological deformations averaged for the deltaic water streams were defined at different water levels in the channel. A many-year trend of these deformations was revealed. It was found that in the period between two cycles of field studies of the Ob Delta, no noticeable changes occured in the distribution of water discharges by the main branches at the delta head. Some secondary water streams in the delta lower reaches, where field observations were carried out over the mentioned period of time, featured a certain decrease in the flow discharged by these water streams along with a simultaneous increase in the water turbidity. The area of possible application of the obtained results was outlined.     

Ungaged inflow and loss patterns in urban and agricultural sub-reaches of the Logan River Observatory

Streams in semi-arid urban and agricultural environments are often heavily diverted for anthropogenic purposes. However, they simultaneously receive substantial inflows from a variety of ungaged sources including stormwater returns, tile drainage, and irrigation runoff that help sustain flow during dry periods. Due to the inability to identify sources or directly gage many of these inflows, there is a clear need for methods to understand source origination while quantifying potential gains and losses over highly impacted reaches. In the context of the Logan River Observatory, historical gage data illustrate the importance of ungaged and unidentified inflows on maintaining or enhancing flows in both urban and agricultural reaches containing large diversions. To understand the inflows in this portion of the Logan River, we first analysed water samples for ions collected from a subset of representative inflow sources and applied clustering analyses to establish inflow source classifications and associated ion concentration ranges. These representative concentration ranges, combined with mainstem flow and river ion samples taken at sub-reach scales, allow for the application of flow and mass balances to quantify inflow rates from different sources as well as any losses. These calculations demonstrate significant gains and losses occurring in many sub-reaches during three sampling events. The dominant land use (urban or agriculture) and flow regime at the time of sampling were the primary drivers of gains and losses. These exchanges were found to be most important below large diversions during low flow conditions. This highlights the need to classify inflow sources (urban or agriculture, surface or groundwater) and estimate their contributions to anticipate instream consequences of land use and water management decisions. As irrigation and water conveyance practices become more efficient, a portion of these ungaged inflows could be diminished or eliminated, thus further depleting streamflow during dry periods.     

Adaptation of water resources systems to changing society and environment: a statement by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences

ABSTRACT

We explore how to address the challenges of adaptation of water resources systems under changing conditions by supporting flexible, resilient and low-regret solutions, coupled with on-going monitoring and evaluation. This will require improved understanding of the linkages between biophysical and social aspects in order to better anticipate the possible future co-evolution of water systems and society. We also present a call to enhance the dialogue and foster the actions of governments, the international scientific community, research funding agencies and additional stakeholders in order to develop effective solutions to support water resources systems adaptation. Finally, we call the scientific community to a renewed and unified effort to deliver an innovative message to stakeholders. Water science is essential to resolve the water crisis, but the effectiveness of solutions depends, inter alia, on the capability of scientists to deliver a new, coherent and technical vision for the future development of water systems.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis; ASSOCIATE EDITOR not assigned     

Adaptation of water resources systems to changing society and environment: a statement by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences

ABSTRACT

We explore how to address the challenges of adaptation of water resources systems under changing conditions by supporting flexible, resilient and low-regret solutions, coupled with on-going monitoring and evaluation. This will require improved understanding of the linkages between biophysical and social aspects in order to better anticipate the possible future co-evolution of water systems and society. We also present a call to enhance the dialogue and foster the actions of governments, the international scientific community, research funding agencies and additional stakeholders in order to develop effective solutions to support water resources systems adaptation. Finally, we call the scientific community to a renewed and unified effort to deliver an innovative message to stakeholders. Water science is essential to resolve the water crisis, but the effectiveness of solutions depends, inter alia, on the capability of scientists to deliver a new, coherent and technical vision for the future development of water systems.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis; ASSOCIATE EDITOR not assigned     

Hydrological and morphological processes at the Zhujiang River mouth area, China

Hydrological and morphological processes in the Zhujiang River (Pearl River) mouth area of China are discussed. The hydrological regime of the Xijiang River, which is the largest river of South China and the main source of water inflow into the Zhujiang mouth area, is described. The basic features of the hydrological regime of the delta and the near-shore zone of the Zhujiang River mouth are characterized, much attention being given to the role of tides and mixing of river and sea water in the hydrological regime. Special emphasis is placed on morphodynamic processes at the mouth area and the history of the Zhujiang Delta evolution.     

Hydrological extreme variability in the headwater of Tarim River: links with atmospheric teleconnection and regional climate

Variability and possible relationship between monthly 1-day maximum/minimum flow from headwater of Tarim River basin, climatic indices and regional climate were detected by Mann–Kendall test, continuous wavelet transform, cross-wavelet and wavelet coherence methods. The results showed that: (1) hydrological extremes have increased during past 50 years, and the trends of 1-day minimum flow were larger than that of 1-day maximum flow. The most significant change occurred in winter; (2) the hydrological extremes exhibited significant 1-year period and 0.5-year period along the whole hydrological series; (3) different circulation indices may influence the trends of hydrological extremes in different river. The area of polar vortex in North American (i25) and area of Northern Hemisphere polar vortex (i5) showed most significant correlation with 1-day maximum flow and 1-day minimum flow in Aksu River, respectively. In Hotan River, the most significant correlated climate indices with 1-day maximum and minimum flow were Southern oscillation index and area of Northern American Subtropical High (i15), respectively. The area of polar vortex in Atlantic and Europe Sector (i35) showed significant relationships with 1-day minimum flow in Yarkand River; (4) regions of shared power at 0.8–1.5 year mode were found between selected climate indices and the hydrological extremes, anti-phase relations were detected for most of the series; (5) the fluctuations of temperature have strong effects on hydrological extremes, and significant coherence between regional climate and extremes was found at 0.7–1.5 year scale. The results of the study provide valuable information for improving the long-term forecasting of the hydrological extremes using its relationship with climate indices.     

Wavelet Characteristics of Hydrological and Dissolved Oxygen Time Series in a Lowland River

In this study, we investigated the temporal variability of dissolved oxygen and water temperature in conjunction with water level fluctuations and river discharge in the Narew lowland river reach. For this purpose, high resolution hydrologic and water quality time series have been used. Spectral analyses of time series using continuous wavelet transform scheme have been applied in order to identify characteristic scales, its duration, and localisation in time. The results of wavelet analysis have shown a great number of periodicities in time series at the inter-annual time scale when compared to the classical Fourier analysis. Additionally, wavelet coherence revealed the complex nature of the relationship between dissolved oxygen and hydrological variables dependent on the scale and localisation in time. Hence, the results presented in this paper may provide an alternative representation to a frequency analysis of time series.     

Hydrological analysis of the Upper Tiber River Basin,Central Italy: a watershed modelling approach

The quantification of the various components of hydrological processes in a watershed remains a challenging topic as the hydrological system is altered by internal and external drivers. Watershed models have become essential tools to understand the behaviour of a catchment under dynamic processes. In this study, a physically based watershed model called Soil Water Assessment Tool was used to understand the hydrologic behaviour of the Upper Tiber River Basin, Central Italy. The model was successfully calibrated and validated using observed weather and flow data for the period of 1963–1970 and 1971–1978, respectively. Eighteen parameters were evaluated, and the model showed high relative sensitivity to groundwater flow parameters than the surface flow parameters. An analysis of annual hydrological water balance was performed for the entire upper Tiber watershed and selected subbasins. The overall behaviour of the watershed was represented by three categories of parameters governing surface flow, subsurface flow and whole basin response. The base flow contribution has shown that 60% of the streamflow is from shallow aquifer in the subbasins. The model evaluation statistics that evaluate the agreement between the simulated and the observed streamflow at the outlet of a watershed and other three different subbasins has shown a coefficient of determination (R²) from 0.68 to 0.81 and a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (E_NS) between 0.51 and 0.8 for the validation period. The components of the hydrologic cycle showed variation for dry and wet periods within the watershed for the same parameter sets. On the basis of the calibrated parameters, the model can be used for the prediction of the impact of climate and land use changes and water resources planning and management. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.