Rain-induced outflow from deep snowpacks in the central Sierra Nevada,California

Abstract

In many mountainous areas of the Pacific coast of North America, rainfall onto snowpacks causes massive floods, probably the single greatest cause of changes in channel morphology and lotie habitats. To understand and model this hydrometeorological phenomenon better, process-response hypotheses were developed for snowpack outflow amount, duration and rate and the time lags from the beginning of rainfall to initial and peak outflow. The hypotheses were evaluated by correlation and regression analyses based on measurements of 20 rainon-snow events monitored between 1984 and 1990 at forested and open plots near Lake Tahoe, California. Outflow amount correlated significantly with precipitation amount, duration and rate, snow depth and melt potential. Many of these variables also correlated significantly with outflow duration and rate and lag time to peak outlfow. Regression models expalined 80–90% of the variation in outflow amount and duration. Significant differences were not identified between the forest and open plots for any of the outflow attributes.     

Flow-ecology modelling to inform reservoir releases for riparian restoration and management

Linked hydrologic, hydraulic, and ecological models can facilitate planning and implementing water releases from reservoirs to achieve ecological objectives along rivers. We applied a flow-ecology model, the Ecosystem Functions Model (HEC-EFM), to the Bill Williams River in southwestern USA to estimate areas suitable for recruitment of riparian tree seedlings in the context of managing flow releases from a large dam for riparian restoration. Ecological variables in the model included timing of seed dispersal, tolerable rates of flow recession, and tolerable duration of inundation following germination and early seedling establishment for native Fremont cottonwood and Goodding's willow, and non-native tamarisk. Hydrological variables included peak flow timing, rate of flow recession following the peak, and duration of inundation. A one-dimensional hydraulic model was applied to estimate stage-discharge relationships along ~58 river kilometres. We then used HEC-EFM to apply relationships between seedling ecology and streamflow to link hydrological dynamics with ecological response. We developed and validated HEC-EFM based on an examination of seedling recruitment following an experimental flow release from Alamo Dam in spring 2006. The model predicted the largest area of potential recruitment for cottonwood (280–481 ha), with smaller areas predicted for willow (174–188 ha) and tamarisk (59–60 ha). Correlations between observed and predicted patches with successful seedling recruitment for areas within 40 m of the main channel ranged from 0.66 to 0.94. Finally, we examined arrays of hydrographs to identify which are most conducive to seedling recruitment along the river, given different combinations of peak flow, recession rate, and water volume released. Similar application of this model could be useful for informing reservoir management in the context of riparian restoration along other rivers facing similar challenges.     

Air and water flows induced by pumping tests in unconfined aquifers with low‐permeability zones

Air flows from the atmosphere into an unconfined aquifer when the water table falls during pumping tests. Pumping test results in unconfined aquifers may be significantly affected by low‐permeability zones (LPZs) near the initial water table position, because they restrict the downward movement of air. A transient, three‐dimensional air–water two‐phase flow model is employed to investigate numerically the effects of local heterogeneity on pumping test results in unconfined aquifers. Two cases of local heterogeneities are considered herein: a LPZ around the pumping well and on one side of the pumping well. Results show that the drawdown with the LPZ is significantly greater than that of the homogeneous aquifer. The differences in drawdown are the most significant at intermediate times and gradually diminish at later times. The LPZ significantly reduces air flow from the atmosphere to the aquifer. The pore air velocity in the LPZ is very low. The air pressure at the observation point under the LPZ when air begins to enter is significantly lower than the air pressure of the homogeneous aquifer at the same point. After that, the air pressure increases quickly and then increases slowly. The time for the air pressure to reach the atmospheric pressure is significantly longer. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observed Drawdown Pattern Around a Well Partially Penetrating a Vertically Extensive Water-Table Aquifer

In order to understand the flow pattern around a pumping well partially penetrating a vertically extensive aquifer, a specially designed pumping test was carried out in Pakistan. In this paper salient features of the test have been described. The spatial distributions of drawdown have been shown graphically. Some of the preliminary conclusions made from the drawdown pattern include:

• • The distance beyond which the flow is likely to be horizontal increases with decrease in the degree of aquifer penetration.
• • In equidistant observation wells open at different depths, (1) the drawdowns tend to merge at larger times, provided the observation point is located within the screened section of the aquifer; (2) the less the depth of penetration is, the earlier the drawdowns start merging; and (3) the initial rate of drawdown near the aquifer top is slow but catches up with time to exceed those at deeper points.

     

The effects of pre-season high flows,climate, and the Three Gorges Dam on low flow at the Three Gorges Region,China

The efficient operation of a multipurpose reservoir requires information on high and low flows. However, analyses of inflows for high flows and for low flows are typically done independently. In this paper, we considered the joint dependence of the low flow on the preceding high flow volume and duration for the wet season in the Three Gorges region of the Yangtze River Basin in China. High flow volume and duration were found to have a strong association with the annual minimum 7-day flow in Cuntan, Wanxian, and Yichang stations. Furthermore, we identified the Arctic Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and snow cover in the Tibetan Plateau to have statistically significant teleconnections with the annual minimum 7-day flow. Bayesian models that consider a different level of pooling of the site by site regressions were then developed for the annual minimum 7-day flow conditional on the climate indices and high flow volume (or duration). The full pooling model performed best, suggesting that a homogeneous regional response is best identified given the global climate predictors. Statistics such as the deviance information criterion and reduction of error, coefficient of efficiency, and coverage rate under cross validation indicate the good performance of the model. Snow cover in the western Tibetan Plateau and high flow volume were identified as the most influential factors of the annual minimum 7-day flow through their impact on water storage in the basin. Recent simulations since June 2003, when the Three Gorges Dam operation started, were used to analyse the effect of dam operation on the annual minimum 7-day flow. A comparison of observations and predictions during the post-dam period demonstrated that the dam operation effectively modifies the annual minimum 7-day flow period to have higher flows.     

Flow transmission along an arid zone anastomosing river,cooper creek,australia

Cooper Creek is characterized by an exceptionally wide floodplain and a complex system of anastomosing channels which together can accommodate a large range of highly variable flows. In consequence flood frequency curves are unusually steep. With minimal tributary contribution over the two study lengths — Currareva-Nappa Merrie (> 400 km) and Nappa Merrie-Innamincka (32 km) — downstream output is largely controlled by upstream input, so that similar flow regimes and hydrograph forms can be maintained despite transmission losses and the variable activation of channels. Input-output relationships defined in terms of total flow volume and peak discharge suggest that, above a threshold flow of about 25% duration, transmission losses exceed 75% on average over the Currareva-Nappa Merrie length. The large difference in absorption between primary channels on the one hand and subsidiary channels and the floodplain surface on the other means that transmission losses vary non-linearly with stage. They are relatively low when flow is confined to the primary channels, but increase at higher stages as lesser channels and the floodplain are activated. Early levels do not recur until flows of < 0.5% duration are attained when output/input ratios increase rapidly with discharge. The influences of seasonality and background flow on output discharge are small relative to that of input discharge. Despite the long river distance, peak flows at Currareva and Nappa Merrie are well correlated. However, over the shorter Nappa Merrie-Innamincka length with its more confined system of channels, correlations are better and transmission losses less. They vary from 60% just above the threshold discharge to <10% at flows below 20% duration. Over this length outflow hydrographs can be effectively estimated by the three parameter Muskingum procedure, at least on an event by event basis, but further application must await additional records to understand fully how the parameters vary in an environment where streamflow is transmitted through a highly variable system of channels.     

Die Eigenschwingungen der durch den Kanal im Damm von Melide gekoppelten Becken des Luganersees

The northern and the southern basin of Lake Lugano, Switzerland, are separated by an artificial dam. The flow of the water is not only influenced by the outflow of the northern basin but also by gravitational oscillations (seiches) of both basins. A longperiodic peak around 100 minutes can be explained by a mathematical model. The interaction of the internal waves is a coupled oscillation with a period of 74 hours.      

Comparison of runoff characteristics of two adjacent basins in a tropical rainforest using a modified hydrologic cycle model with outflow

We propose a new runoff model including an outflow process that was applied to two adjacent basins (CL, TL) located in Lambir Hills National Park in north‐central Sarawak, Malaysia. Rainfall, runoff, topography, and soil layer thickness were observed. About 19% of annual runoff was observed in the CL basin (21.97 ha), whereas about 46% was observed in the TL basin (23.25 ha). It was inferred that the CL basin has an outflow because of low base flow, small runoff peak, and excessive water loss. By incorporating the outflow process into the HYdrological CYcle MODEL, good agreement between the data generated by the model and that observed was shown, with the exception of the data from the rainless period. Then, the fitting parameters for each basin were exchanged, except for the outflow parameter, and the characteristics of each basin were compared by calculating virtual runoff. As a result, the low base flow of the CL basin was estimated by the movement of the rainwater that escaped from the basin as deep percolation or lateral flow (11% of rainfall). The potential of the CL basin for mitigating flood and drought appeared to be higher than that of the TL basin. This is consistent with the topographic characteristics of the CL basin, which has a gentler slope than the TL basin. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Monitoring and modelling of pore water pressure changes and riverbank stability during flow events

Pore water pressures (positive and negative) were monitored for four years (1996–1999) using a series of tensiometer‐piezometers at increasing depths in a riverbank of the Sieve River, Tuscany (central Italy), with the overall objective of investigating pore pressure changes in response to ?ow events and their effects on bank stability. The saturated/unsaturated ?ow was modelled using a ?nite element seepage analysis, for the main ?ow events occurring during the four‐year monitoring period. Modelling results were validated by comparing measured with computed pore water pressure values for a series of representative events. Riverbank stability analysis was conducted by applying the limit equilibrium method (Morgenstern‐Price), using pore water pressure distributions obtained by the seepage analysis. The simulation of the 14 December 1996 event, during which a bank failure occurred, is reported in detail to illustrate the relations between the water table and river stage during the various phases of the hydrograph and their effects on bank stability. The simulation, according to monitored data, shows that the failure occurred three hours after the peak stage, during the inversion of ?ow (from the bank towards the river). A relatively limited development of positive pore pressures, reducing the effective stress and annulling the shear strength term due to the matric suction, and the sudden loss of the con?ning pressure of the river during the initial drawdown were responsible for triggering the mass failure. Results deriving from the seepage and stability analysis of nine selected ?ow events were then used to investigate the role of the ?ow event characteristics (in terms of peak stages and hydrograph characteristics) and of changes in bank geometry. Besides the peak river stage, which mainly controls the occurrence of conditions of instability, an important role is played by the hydrograph characteristics, in particular by the presence of one or more minor peaks in the river stage preceding the main one. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Parametric study of a physically-based,plot-scale hillslope hydrological model through virtual experiments

Abstract

A physically-based hillslope hydrological model with shallow overland flow and rapid subsurface stormflow components was developed and calibrated using field experiments conducted on a preferential path nested hillslope in northeast India. Virtual experiments were carried out to perform sensitivity analysis of the model using the automated parameter estimation (PEST) algorithm. Different physical parameters of the model were varied to study the resulting effects on overland flow and subsurface stormflow responses from the theoretical hillslopes. It was observed that topographical shapes had significant effects on overland flow hydrographs. The slope profiles, surface storage, relief, rainfall intensity and infiltration rates primarily controlled the overland flow response of the hillslopes. Prompt subsurface stormflow responses were mainly dominated by lateral preferential flow, as soil matrix flow rates were very slow. Rainfall intensity and soil macropore structures were the most influential parameters on subsurface stormflow. The number of connected soil macropores was a more sensitive parameter than the size of macropores. In hillslopes with highly active vertical and lateral preferential pathways, saturation excess overland flow was not evident. However, saturation excess overland flow was generated if the lateral macropores were disconnected. Under such conditions, rainfall intensity, duration and preferential flow rate governed the process of saturation excess overland flow generation from hillslopes.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor C. Perrin     

Three-dimensional non-cohesive earthen dam breach model. Part 2: Validation and applications

Our proposed three-dimensional dam breach model is tested using one field test from the European Community funded IMPACT project. Results show that this three-dimensional model accurately predicts the peak breach discharge and final breach width for this case. It is shown that the three-dimensional model is capable of simulating the breaches that develop in different locations along a hypothetical long non-cohesive dam while accounting for variations in the natural valley topography, including symmetrical and asymmetrical settings. Our results show that both the breach location and reservoir shape have a significant effect on the peak breach discharge and the outflow hydrograph shape. Different inflow hydrographs were found not to significantly change the peak breach discharge rate for the hypothetical reservoir and spillway. Comparisons with laboratory and field dam breach tests and one historically breached dam show that the real shape of the breach channel during the breach process is successfully modeled.     

Quantitative analysis of riverbank groundwater flow for the Qinhuai River,China, and its influence factors

Interactions of surface water and groundwater (SW–GW) play an important role in the physical, chemical, and ecological processes of riparian zones. The main objective of this study was to describe the two‐dimensional characteristics of riverbank SW–GW interactions and to quantify their influence factors. The SW–GW exchange fluxes for six sections (S1 to S6) of the Qinhuai River, China, were estimated using a heat tracing method, and field hydrogeological and thermodynamic parameters were obtained via inverse modelling. Global sensitivity analysis was performed to compare the effects of layered heterogeneity of hydraulic conductivity and river stage variation on SW–GW exchange. Under the condition of varied river stage, only the lateral exchange fluxes at S1 apparently decreased during the monitoring period, probably resulting from its relatively higher hydraulic conductivity. Meanwhile, the SW–GW exchanges for the other five sections were quite stable over time. The lateral exchange fluxes were higher than the vertical ones. The riverbank groundwater flow showed different spatial variation characteristics for the six sections, but most of the higher exchange fluxes occurred in the lower area of a section. The section with larger hydraulic conductivity has an apparent dynamic response to surface water and groundwater level differences, whereas lower permeabilities severely reduced the response of groundwater flow. The influence of boundary conditions on SW–GW interactions was restricted to a limited extent, and the impact extent will expand with the increase of peak water level and hydraulic conductivity. The SW–GW head difference was the main influence factors in SW–GW interactions, and the influence of both SW–GW head difference and hydraulic conductivity decreased with an increase of the distance from the surface water boundary. For each layer of riverbank sediment, its hydraulic conductivity had greater influence on its groundwater flow than the other layers, whereas it had negligible effects on its overlying/underlying layers. Consequently, the variations in river stage and hydraulic conductivity were the main factors influencing the spatial and temporal characteristics of riverbank groundwater flow, respectively.     

Dual‐Screened Vertical Circulation Wells for Groundwater Lowering in Unconfined Aquifers

A new type of vertical circulation well (VCW) is used for groundwater dewatering at construction sites. This type of VCW consists of an abstraction screen in the upper part and an injection screen in the lower part of a borehole, whereby drawdown is achieved without net withdrawal of groundwater from the aquifer. The objective of this study is to evaluate the operation of such wells including the identification of relevant factors and parameters based on field data of a test site and comprehensive numerical simulations. The numerical model is able to delineate the drawdown of groundwater table, defined as free‐surface, by coupling the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian algorithm with the groundwater flow equation. Model validation is achieved by comparing the field observations with the model results. Eventually, the influences of selected well operation and aquifer parameters on drawdown and on the groundwater flow field are investigated by means of parameter sensitivity analysis. The results show that the drawdown is proportional to the flow rate, inversely proportional to the aquifer conductivity, and almost independent of the aquifer anisotropy in the direct vicinity of the well. The position of the abstraction screen has a stronger effect on drawdown than the position of the injection screen. The streamline pattern depends strongly on the separation length of the screens and on the aquifer anisotropy, but not on the flow rate and the horizontal hydraulic conductivity.     

The effect of land cover change on duration and severity of high and low flows

Land cover has been increasingly recognized as an important factor affecting hydrologic processes at the basin and regional level. Therefore, improved understanding of how land cover change affects hydrologic systems is needed for better management of water resources. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of land cover change on the duration and severity of high and low flows by using the Soil Water Assessment Tool model, Bayesian model averaging and copulas. Two basins dominated by different land cover in the Ohio River basin are used as study area in this study. Two historic land covers from the 1950s and 1990s are considered as input to the Soil Water Assessment Tool model, thereby investigating the hydrologic high and low flow response of different land cover conditions of these two basins. The relationships between the duration and severity of both low and high flow are defined by applying the copula method; changes in the frequency of the duration and severity are investigated. The results show that land cover changes affect both the duration and severity of both high and low flows. An increase in forest area leads to a decrease in the duration and severity during both high and low flows, but its impact is highest during extreme flows. The results also show that the land cover changes have had significant influences on changes in the joint return periods of duration and severity of low and high flows. While this study sheds light on the role of land cover change on severity and duration of high and low flow conditions, more studies using various land cover conditions and climate types are required in order to draw more reliable conclusions in the future. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Potential of the LASH model for water resources management in data-scarce basins: a case study of the Fragata River basin,southern Brazil

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to evaluate, based on a data-scarce basin in southern Brazil, the potential of the Lavras Simulation of Hydrology (LASH) model for estimating daily streamflows, annual streamflow indicators and the flow–duration curve. It was also used to simulate the different runoff components and their consistency with the basin physiographical characteristics. The statistical measures indicated that LASH can be considered suitable according to widely used classifications and when compared with other studies involving hydrological models. LASH also showed satisfactory results for annual indicators, especially for maximum and average annual streamflows, as well as for the flow–duration curve. It was found that the model was consistent with the basin characteristics when simulating runoff components. The results obtained in this study allowed us to conclude that the LASH model has the potential to aid practitioners in water resources management of basins with scarce data and similar soil and land-use conditions.

Editor A. Castellarin; Associate editor Y. Gyasi-Agyei     

Hydrological model for urban catchments – analytical development using copulas and numerical solution

Abstract

A model based on analytical development and numerical solution is presented for estimating the cumulative distribution function (cdf) of the runoff volume and peak discharge rate of urban floods using the joint probability density function (pdf) of rainfall volume and duration together with information about the catchment's physical characteristics. The joint pdf of rainfall event volume and duration is derived using the theory of copulas. Four families of Archimedean copulas are tested in order to select the most appropriate to reproduce the dependence structure of those variables. Frequency distributions of runoff event volume and peak discharge rate are obtained following the derived probability distribution theory, using the functional relationship given by the rainfall–runoff process. The model is tested in two urban catchments located in the cities of Chillán and Santiago, Chile. The results are compared with the outcomes of continuous simulation in the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and with those from another analytical model that assumes storm event duration and volume to be statistically independent exponentially distributed variables.

Citation Zegpi, M. & Fernández, B. (2010) Hydrological model for urban catchments – analytical development using copulas and numerical solution. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(7), 1123–1136.     

Catchment‐scale conceptual modelling of water and solute transport in the dual flow system of the karst critical zone

Hydrological and hydrochemical processes in the critical zone of karst environments are controlled by the fracture‐conduit network. Modelling hydrological and hydrochemical dynamics in such heterogeneous hydrogeological settings remains a research challenge. In this study, water and solute transport in the dual flow system of the karst critical zone were investigated in a 73.5‐km² catchment in southwest China. We developed a dual reservoir conceptual run‐off model combined with an autoregressive and moving average model with algorithms to assess dissolution rates in the “fast flow” and “slow flow” systems. This model was applied to 3 catchments with typical karst critical zone architectures, to show how flow exchange between fracture and conduit networks changes in relation to catchment storage dynamics. The flux of bidirectional water and solute exchange between the fissure and conduit system increases from the headwaters to the outfall due to the large area of the developed conduits and low hydraulic gradient in the lower catchment. Rainfall amounts have a significant influence on partitioning the relative proportions of flow and solutes derived from different sources reaching the underground outlet. The effect of rainfall on catchment function is modulated by the structure of the karst critical zone (e.g., epikarst and sinkholes). Thin epikarst and well‐developed sinkholes in the headwaters divert more surface water (younger water) into the underground channel network, leading to a higher fraction of rainfall recharge into the fast flow system and total outflow. Also, the contribution of carbonate weathering to mass export is also higher in the headwaters due to the infiltration of younger water with low solute concentrations through sinkholes.     

Factors Governing Sustainable Groundwater Pumping near a River

The objective of this paper was to provide new insights into processes affecting riverbank filtration (RBF). We consider a system with an inflatable dam installed for enhancing water production from downstream collector wells. Using a numerical model, we investigate the impact of groundwater pumping and dam operation on the hydrodynamics in the aquifer and water production. We focus our study on two processes that potentially limit water production of an RBF system: the development of an unsaturated zone and riverbed clogging. We quantify river clogging by calibrating a time‐dependent riverbed permeability function based on knowledge of pumping rate, river stage, and temperature. The dynamics of the estimated riverbed permeability reflects clogging and scouring mechanisms. Our results indicate that (1) riverbed permeability is the dominant factor affecting infiltration needed for sustainable RBF production; (2) dam operation can influence pumping efficiency and prevent the development of an unsaturated zone beneath the riverbed only under conditions of sufficient riverbed permeability; (3) slow river velocity, caused by dam raising during summer months, may lead to sedimentation and deposition of fine‐grained material within the riverbed, which may clog the riverbed, limiting recharge to the collector wells and contributing to the development of an unsaturated zone beneath the riverbed; and (4) higher river flow velocities, caused by dam lowering during winter storms, scour the riverbed and thus increase its permeability. These insights can be used as the basis for developing sustainable water management of a RBF system.     

An approach to measure parameter sensitivity in watershed hydrological modelling

Hydrological responses vary spatially and temporally according to watershed characteristics. In this study, the hydrological models that we developed earlier for the Little Miami River (LMR) and Las Vegas Wash (LVW) watersheds in the USA were used for detailed sensitivity analyses. To compare the relative sensitivities of the hydrological parameters of these two models, we used normalized root mean square error (NRMSE). By combining the NRMSE index with the flow duration curve analysis, we derived an approach to measure parameter sensitivities under different flow regimes. Results show that the parameters related to groundwater are highly sensitive in the LMR watershed, whereas the LVW watershed is primarily sensitive to near-surface and impervious parameters. The high and medium flows are more impacted by most of the parameters. The low flow regime was highly sensitive to groundwater-related parameters. Moreover, our approach is found to be useful in facilitating model development and calibration.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis

ASSOCIATE EDITOR S. Huang