Evaporation from boreal reservoirs: A comparison between eddy covariance observations and estimates relying on limited data

Hydrological models used for reservoir management typically lack an accurate representation of open-water evaporation and must be run in a scarce data context. This study aims to identify an accurate means to estimate reservoir evaporation with simple meteorological inputs during the open-water season, using long-term eddy covariance observations from two boreal hydropower reservoirs with contrasting morphometry as reference. Unlike the temperate water bodies on which the majority of other studies have focused, northern reservoirs are governed by three distinct periods: ice cover in the cold season, warming in the summer and energy release in the fall. The reservoirs of interest are Eastmain-1 (52°N, mean depth of 11 m) and Romaine-2 (51°N, mean depth of 42 m), both located in eastern Canada. Four approaches are analysed herein: a combination approach, a radiation-based approach, a mass-transfer approach, and empirical methods. Of all the approaches, the bulk transfer equation with a constant Dalton number of 1.2 x 10⁻³ gave the most accurate estimation of evaporation at hourly time steps, compared with the eddy covariance observations (RMSE of 0.06 mm h⁻¹ at Eastmain-1 and RMSE of 0.04 mm h⁻¹ at Romaine-2). The daily series also showed good accuracy (RMSE of 1.38 mm day⁻¹ at Eastmain-1 and RMSE of 0.62 mm day⁻¹ at Romaine-2) both in the warming and energy release phases of the open-water season. The bulk transfer equation, on the other hand, was incapable of reproducing condensation episodes that occurred soon after ice breakup. Basic and variance-based sensitivity analyses were conducted, in particular to measure the variation in performance when the bulk transfer equation was applied with meteorological observations collected at a certain distance (~10–30 km) from the reservoir. This exercise illustrated that accurate estimates of open water evaporation require representative measurements of wind speed and water surface temperature.     

How fast does tufa grow? Very high-resolution measurement of the tufa growth rate on artificial substrates by the development of a contactless image-based modelling device

Accurate determination of the tufa growth rate (TGR) is required to answer the fundamental geomorphological question of tufa evolution. The TGR has been measured by various direct and indirect methods. One of the most popular direct methods uses modified micro-erosion meter (MEM), which has several drawbacks. Here, we present for the first time a coordinate measuring macro-photogrammetry device (CMD) for monitoring the TGR in a contactless manner. The CMD was applied on 28 limestone plates at 14 locations within the Skradinski buk area, Croatia, and measurements were performed in the laboratory. The TGR was derived from digital tufa high-resolution models (DTHRMs). The accuracy of the device was evaluated using state-of-the-art three-dimensional (3D) scanners and error calculation at checkpoints. Moreover, the precision was evaluated with the split test (n = 5). A total of 74 DTHRMs with a spatial resolution of 0.0236 mm were created. The TGR ranged from 0.327 to 19.302 mm a⁻¹, with an average of 5.771 mm a⁻¹. A higher TGR was observed on the limestone plates near mosses, located in fast and turbulent water rather than in stagnant water. We found that specific micro-environmental factors (e.g. proximity to moss) positively affected tufa growth. Erosion events were observed, as well as the presence of aquatic insect larvae (Simuliidae and Chironomidae), which positively affected tufa growth. The CMD is a precise and accurate device that does not suffer from the drawbacks of the MEM method and has many other advantages. It has a high capability of tufa erosion detection, enables the identification of macroinvertebrates, and multispectral or hyperspectral cameras can be mounted on the device for spectral reflectance analysis of the tufa surface. The CMD can be applied in any study requiring a sub-millimetre data quality and involving the comparison of consecutive 3D models and derivation of various parameters of smaller objects. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the Use of Hydrological Models and Satellite Data to Study the Water Budget of River Basins Affected by Human Activities: Examples from the Garonne Basin of France

Natural and anthropogenic forcing factors and their changes significantly impact water resources in many river basins around the world. Information on such changes can be derived from fine scale in situ and satellite observations, used in combination with hydrological models. The latter need to account for hydrological changes caused by human activities to correctly estimate the actual water resource. In this study, we consider the catchment area of the Garonne river (in France) to investigate the capabilities of space-based observations and up-to-date hydrological modeling in estimating water resources of a river basin modified by human activities and a changing climate. Using the ISBA–MODCOU and SWAT hydrological models, we find that the water resources of the Garonne basin display a negative climate trend since 1960. The snow component of the two models is validated using the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer snow cover extent climatology. Crop sowing dates based on remote sensing studies are also considered in the validation procedure. Use of this dataset improves the simulated evapotranspiration and river discharge amounts when compared to conventional data. Finally, we investigate the benefit of using the MAELIA multi-agent model that accounts for a realistic agricultural and management scenario. Among other results, we find that changes in crop systems have significant impacts on water uptake for agriculture. This work constitutes a basis for the construction of a future modeling framework of the sociological and hydrological system of the Garonne river region.     

A high-resolution analyser for the measurement of ammonium in oligotrophic seawater

In this work, we describe a high-resolution fluorometric shipboard analyser and an improved method to determine NH₄⁺ in oligotrophic seawater. The limit of detection is <5 nM, calculated with 95% confidence level using the weighted regression line applied to the standard addition method using real samples prepared with low nutrient seawater from the Atlantic. The results are summarised and cross-compared with spiked artificial seawater (ASW) and spiked Milli-Q water samples. The analyser has a precision of ±1–4% with a high performance over a wide range from 5 nM to 25 μM. The methodology of NH₄⁺ analysis is based on the fluorescent product formed between o-pthaldialdehyde and NH₄⁺ in the presence of sulfite. Due to the high resolution of the developed system, we were able to study in depth the sensitivity of the method to salinity, amines, amino acids and potential interferences from particles/algae. The method was found to be sensitive to salinity variations, reducing the signal by up to 85% at 5 nM; this effect decreased at higher concentrations of ammonium. It was noted that the interference from amines at low concentrations was negligible; however, at either high amino acid or high amine concentrations, the signal was depressed. To test for the effect of particles on the system, the system was tested with samples containing phytoplankton (Dunaliella primolecta) cells at different concentrations prepared with ASW to simulate the effect of a phytoplankton bloom. This experiment assessed the potential impact of both particles and other potential fluorescence interferences from cells and/or ammonium leaching from cells. This experiment showed that a phytoplankton bloom could potentially have an impact of up to 12% on the signal of interest. Thus, we propose that this method is suitable for oligotrophic environments rather than coastal and eutrophic environments. The reagent was found to be stable for 17 days and standards of 1 μM were stable for 6 days under laboratory conditions. The developed analyser was successfully demonstrated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in an area of oligotrophic, low NH₄⁺ oceanic waters.     

A soft hydrological monitoring approach for comparing runoff on a network of small poorly gauged catchments

Catchments in many parts of the world are either ungauged or poorly gauged, and the dominant processes governing their streamflow response are still poorly understood. The analysis of runoff coefficients provides essential insight into catchment response, particularly if both range of catchments and a range of events are compared. This paper investigates how well the hydrological runoff of 11 small, poorly gauged catchments with ephemeral streams (0·1‐0·6 km²) can be compared using estimated runoff with the associated uncertainty. Data of rainfall and water depth at a catchment's outlet were recorded using automatic logging equipment during 2008‐2009. The hydrological regime is intermittent and the annual precipitation ranged between 569 and 727 mm. Discharge was estimated using Manning's equation and channel cross‐section measurements. Innovative work has been performed under controlled experimental conditions to estimate Manning's coefficient values for the different cover types observed in studied streams: non‐aquatic vegetations (giant reed, bramble and thistle), grass and coarse granular deposits. The results show that estimates derived using roughness coefficients differ from those previously established for larger streams with aquatic vegetation. Catchment runoff was compared at both the event and the annual scale. The results indicate significant variability between the catchment's responses. This variability allows for classification in spite of all the uncertainty associated with runoff estimation. This study highlights the potential of using a network of poorly gauged catch ments. From almost no catchment understanding the proposed methodology allows to compare poorly gauged catchments and highlights similarity/dissimilarity between catchment responses. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A~200 ka pollen record from Okinawa Trough:Paleoenvironment reconstruction of glacial-interglacial cycles

Pollen analysis was carried out on the Core MD982194 of 29.78 m retrieved from the Middle Okinawa Trough which was dated as old as~200 ka BP.The results revealed that pollen assemblages mainly presented an alternation of coniferous and herb pollen.The coniferous saccate pollen,principally Pinus and Tsuga,predominated in most parts of the core,especially highlighted in the interstadial stages including MIS 1,3,5 and MIS7,whereas the herb pollen significantly increased in the glacial periods.Thus the pollen flora and their percentages showed the sensitive changes under the influence of ice volume during the glacial and interglacial periods.Our record from this core has first documented that the percentage of Cyperaceae was extremely high in the glacial stages with a notable increase in Artemisia,Gramineae,Asteraceae,Chenopodiaceae,and freshwater algae,which can be used as a proxy for sea-level change at the study site because of their close negative correlation of the orbital-scale changes in sea level.The distance between the continental coastline and the Okinawa Trough has deeply shortened due to the sea-level drop in the LGM.As a result,the sediment materials from Yangtze River were extensively deposited on the flat,exposed continental shelf owing to the rapid decline of river flow speed,leading to that pollen grains from Okinawa Trough are derived mainly from the flat coastal vegetation of exposed continental shelf at glacial stages.Changes of pollen assemblage were consistent with the variation of temperature and humidity,which showed that the percentage of arboreal pollen was highly augmented at MIS 7,5 and MIS 1,corresponding to the strengthening of the East Asian summer monsoon and increasing of rainfall.Moreover,the peak of Pinus percentage in MIS 5.3,5.1 and MIS 3.3 may be closely linked by orbital and sub-orbital cycles of solar radiation and monsoonal variability.The present study of core MD981294 implied lower temperature and precipitation during the lowest sea-level stage(LGM),and more visibly testified that the vegetation of the flat plain on the exposed continental shelf was dominated by intrazonal communities such as halophyte grasslands and freshwater wetlands instead of zonal steppe or semi-arid desert.All above evidence demonstrated that the fundamental changes of pollen assemblage and their origins in Okinawa Trough since~200 ka BP were affected by combine factors including the coastline position and climate fluctuation.Moreover,the substantial shortening of distance between shoreline and the Okinawa Trough driven by orbital insolation cycles was clearly indicated by the pollen spectra,whereas the source-area climate signal of the pollen record was largely weakened.     

Recent effects of tidal and hydro‐meteorological changes on coastal plains near the mouth of the Amazon River

The goal of this work was to understand the main hydrodynamic processes acting on tidal flats of the coast of Amapá near the mouth of the Amazon River, and how they change over the short term (~ 20 years). The analysis of morphological and geobotanical units was carried out by applying processing and interpretation methods to optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, combined with data on water salinity, maximum flood height, sedimentary facies data, rainfall and river discharge. The temporal analysis of morphological and geobotanical units suggests the relative stabilization of savannah, ‘várzea’ and mangrove areas during the drier period and increasing tidal amplitude between 1987 to 1997. The wetter period and decreasing tidal amplitude between 1997 to 2008 led to an increase in the area of ‘várzea’ and lakes over savannah, and the expansion of mangroves mainly over the inundated field and tidal mud/mixed flats. Therefore, the decrease in rainfall index during the drier period is well‐correlated with the reduction of the Calçoene River discharge and jointly with increasing tidal amplitude favored the increase of migration rate of the mud bank and erosion profile along the littoral. It was followed by the increase of the Calçoene River discharge and jointly with decreasing tidal amplitude during the wetter period, favoring the development of mangroves on muddy substrates near the coastline. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

River flux uncertainties predicted by hydrological variability and riverine material behaviour

Data on riverine fluxes are essential for calculating element cycles (carbon, nutrients, pollutants) and erosion rates from regional to global scales. At most water‐quality stations throughout the world, riverine fluxes are calculated from continuous flow data (q) and discrete concentration data (C), the latter being the main cause of sometimes large uncertainties. This article offers a comprehensive approach for predicting the magnitude of these uncertainties for water‐quality stations in medium to large basins (drainage basin area > 1000 km²) based on the commonly used discharge‐weighted method. Uncertainty levels – biases and imprecisions – for sampling intervals of 3 to 60 days are correlated first through a nomograph with a flux variability indicator, the quantity of riverine material discharged in 2% of time (M_2%). In turn, M_2% is estimated from the combination of a hydrological reactivity index, W_2% (the cumulative flow volume discharged during the upper 2% of highest daily flow) and the truncated b_50sup exponent, quantifying the concentration versus discharge relationship for the upper half of flow values (C = a q ^b50sup, for q > q₅₀, where q₅₀ is the median flow): M_2% = W_2% + 27.6b_50sup. W_2% can be calculated from continuous flow measurements, and the b_50sup indicator can be calculated from infrequent sampling, which makes it possible to predict a priori the level of uncertainty at any station, for any type of riverine material either concentrated (b_50sup > 0) or diluted (b_50sup > 0) with flow. A large data base of daily surveys, 125 station variables of suspended particulate matter (SPM), total dissolved solids (TDS) and dissolved and particulate nutrients, was used to determine uncertainties from simulated discrete surveys and to establish relationships between indicators. Results show, for example, that for the same relatively reactive basin (W_2% > 25%), calculated fluxes from monthly sampling would yield uncertainties approaching ±100% for SPM (b_50sup > 1.4) fluxes and ±10% for TDS (b_50sup = ?0.2). The application to the nitrate survey of the river Seine shows significant trends for the 1972–2009 records. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.