Assessing strategic water availability using remote sensing,GIS and a spatial water budget model: case study of the Upper Ing Basin,Thailand

Abstract

This paper assesses strategic water availability and use under different development pathways on a basin scale using remote sensing (RS), geographical information systems (GIS) and a spatial water budget model (SWBM). The SWBM was applied to the Upper Ing Basin in northern Thailand to investigate the spatial and temporal variations in the location of streams and water yields from different parts of the basin. The base simulation was carried out for the years 1998–2007 using a DEM and actual land-use data at 100-m resolution. The simulated stream network was compared with topographic maps under different flow conditions, which were successfully represented. The 10-year average simulated river flow rate was 1300 L/s, but it more than doubled during periods of heavy rainfall and decreased below 600 L/s in dry seasons. The total length of the streams (based on flow threshold of 25 L/s) on a typical day in the dry season differed by a factor of approx. 1.5. Agricultural water needs and possible extraction were assessed and presented by dividing the basin into 10 different zones based on the stream network. The results show that there is the potential for harvesting significant quantities of water at different spatial gradients with no initial water supply for irrigation. Monthly water yields for each zone were computed; the results varied from less than 50% to over 137% of the per hectare water yield for the entire basin. This variation was due to differences in topography and land cover. The impact of land use and climate change on streamwater availability was also studied. The basin shows very different hydrological responses. The changes in average river flow relative to the base simulation were +27.6%,??32.1%, +94% and +52.9% under deforestation, changing land use from paddy field to orchard, bare soil and increased rainfall scenarios, respectively.

Citation Bahadur KC, K. (2011) Assessing strategic water availability using remote sensing, GIS and a spatial water budget model: case study of the Upper Ing Basin, Thailand. Hydrol. Sci. J. 56(6), 994–1014.     

Discussion of “Challenges in operationalizing the water–energy–food nexus”*

ABSTRACT

We greatly enjoyed reading the paper by Liu et al., which is both timely and rich in insight, as it discusses the challenges in operationalizing the water–energy–food security (WEF) nexus. The nexus approach is gaining increasing attention, both in research and in policy documents, as reflected in the number and content of published documents in the past years and highlighted by the authors.     

近45年全球海域波浪能资源研究及等级区划

基于来自ECMWF的资料将1957年09月---2002年08月风浪、涌浪分离的ERA-40 wave reanalysis,对全球海域的波浪能资源进行重新审视．充分依据涌浪具有能量大、稳定性好等优点,利于波浪能的采集与转换,从提高波浪能资源有效利用率的角度出发,综合考虑能流密度的大小、能级频率、能流密度的稳定性和长期变化趋势等,对全球海域的波浪能资源进行系统性研究,并构建一套波浪能资源评估系统,对全球海域的波浪能资源进行功能区划,为海浪发电、海水淡化等波浪能资源开发工作提供科学依据．     

中国生物质能产业发展面临的矛盾和挑战

本文在分析中国生物质能产业发展现状的基础上,认为当前中国生物质能产业发展受到资源家底不清、政策环境不完善和生态保护压力等因素制约,存在着产业发展总体水平低,产业体系不健全,生产成本高,产业技术水平低,行业发展无序等问题。结合这些问题,立足我国资源环境承载能力,适应市场需求变化和科技进步趋势,本文提出今后重点加强生物质能产业发展政策扶持,生物质能原料资源调查评估,生物质能转化利用技术开发和能源产业示范基地建设,以期促进生物质能产业健康快速发展。     

Laboratory experiments of sediment transport from bare soil with a rill

Abstract

Mathematical models developed for quantification of sediment transport in hydrological watersheds require data collected through field or laboratory experiments, but these are still very rare in the literature. This study aims to collect such data at the laboratory scale. To this end, a rainfall simulator equipped with nozzles to spray rainfall was constructed, together with an erosion flume that can be given longitudinal and lateral slopes. Eighty experiments were performed, considering microtopographical features by pre-forming a rill on the soil surface before the start of each experiment. Medium and fine sands were used as soil, and four rainfall intensities (45, 65, 85 and 105 mm h^-1) were applied in the experiments. Rainfall characteristics such as uniformity, granulometry, drop velocity and kinetic energy were evaluated; flow and sediment discharge data were collected and analysed. The analysis shows that the sediment transport rate is directly proportional to rainfall intensity and slope. In contrast, the volumetric sediment concentration stays constant and does not change with rainfall intensity unless the slope changes. These conclusions are restricted to the conditions of experiments performed under rainfall intensities between and 105 mm h^-1 for medium and fine sands in a 136-cm-wide, 650-cm-long and 17-cm-deep erosion flume with longitudinal and lateral slopes varying between 5 and 20%.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor G. Mahé

Citation Aksoy, H., Unal, N.E., Cokgor, S., Gedikli, A., Yoon, J., Koca, K., Inci, S.B., Eris, E., and Pak, G., 2013. Laboratory experiments of sediment transport from bare soil with a rill. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (7), 1505–1518.     

Can satellite land surface temperature data be used similarly to river discharge measurements for distributed hydrological model calibration?

Abstract

A new methodology is proposed for the calibration of distributed hydrological models at the basin scale by constraining an internal model variable using satellite data of land surface temperature (LST). The model algorithm solves the system of energy and mass balances in terms of a representative equilibrium temperature that governs the fluxes of energy and mass over the basin domain. This equilibrium surface temperature, which is a critical model state variable, is compared to operational satellite LST, while calibrating soil hydraulic parameters and vegetation variables differently in each pixel, minimizing the errors. This procedure is compared to the traditional calibration using only discharge measurements. The distributed energy water balance model, Flash-flood Event-based Spatially-distributed rainfall–runoff Transformation – Energy Water Balance model (FEST-EWB), is used to test this approach. This methodology is applied to the Upper Yangtze River basin (China) using MODIS LST retrieved from satellite data in the framework of the NRSCC-ESA DRAGON-2 Programme. The calibration procedure based on LST seems to outperform the calibration based on discharge, with lower relative error and higher Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency index on cumulated volume.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor C. Perrin     

Evaluation of Bioavailability and Partitioning of Aluminum in Sediment Samples of Different Ecosystems by Modified Sequential Extraction Methods

Sequential extraction procedures are widely used to characterize the different operational fractions with different potential toxicity of metals in environmental solid samples. The present work describes the application of different analytical approaches for sequential extraction of aluminum to evaluate its mobility, availability, and persistent chemical forms in sediment samples of different fresh water ecosystems (lake, canal, and river). The conventional BCR three‐stage sequential extraction procedure (C‐BCR) was modified at each stage, by applying ultrasonic device (U‐BCR), in order to shorten the required shaking time of 16 h for each three steps (excluding the hydrogen peroxide digestion in step 3, which was not performed with ultrasonic bath), could be completed in 40, 50, and 45 min, respectively. The aluminum in all extracts were determination by atomic absorption spectrometry using nitrous oxide – acetylene flame. The accuracy of results obtained from C‐BCR and proposed U‐BCR was verified with literature reported values of certified sediment sample (BCR 701). The overall recoveries of aluminum obtained by proposed U‐BCR were found in the range of 96.7–113% of those values obtained with C‐BCR for all fractions. Use of ultrasonic device, provided a large saving in extraction time relative to conventional shaking. It was observed that major part of Al in real sediment samples (80–83% of total Al) were bound to residual fraction. The acid soluble fraction of aluminum extracted by 0.11 mol/L CH₃COOH has good correlation with aluminum content in corresponding water samples of each ecosystem.     

团体粒子群与最大能量串行融合算法转换波静校正

估计转换波的静校正量是一个复杂的非线性问题,常规的线性静校正方法无法取得好的效果.粒子群算法是一种很好的非线性全局最优化方法,但其缺点是"早熟"现象严重.最大能量法是一种常规求取静校正量的方法,局部寻优能力强且收敛速度快是其优点,但是当地震记录含有大的静校正量时易收敛于局部极值.本文在标准粒子群算法的基础上发展出了一种改进的粒子群算法:团体粒子群算法.并且通过对Rastrigin函数的寻优实验证明了其全局寻优能力优于标准粒子群算法.同时为了解决转换波静校正问题串行融合了团体粒子群算法和最大能量法.最后,建立了含一个水平反射层的模型并合成地震记录,加入随机值作为检波点静校正量.对合成的地震数据分别利用团体粒子群和最大能量的串行融合算法、标准粒子群算法和最大能量法求取静校正量并进行静校正.结果证明串行融合算法得到的静校正量与理论值误差很小,静校正后的叠加剖面连续性较好.     

TOPOGRAPHIC EFFECTS ON VENTIFACT DEVELOPMENT,MOJAVE DESERT,CALIFORNIA

I nvestigations into processes of ventifact formation in the east-central Mojave Desert, California confirm the importance of topography as a control in the location, orientation, and intensity of ventifact abrasion. Ventifacts in the region appear to be relict in nature and probably formed during a period that ended several thousand years ago. Comparison of groove orientations with available wind data shows that regional flow direction has not changed in the recent past. Although west to northwest winds are the most frequent and intense, and therefore dictate the regional erosion pattern, low to moderate southeasterly flow is recorded on ventifacts near the crests of hills owing to the effects of velocity acceleration. Two conditions that affect ventifact development are considered in this paper: (1) wind acceleration through topographic constrictions; and (2) wind acceleration up the windward flanks of hills. Constrictions in the Barstow-Bristol trough allowed velocity increases that resulted in ventifaction on 70–90 percent of all exposed cobbles and boulders. Velocity acceleration towards the crests of hills caused a marked increase in sand transport and resultant abrasion, as expressed by increases in groove and pit dimensions. [Key words: Aeolian geomorphology, ventifacts, Mojave Desert, California.]     

Automatic techniques for 3D reconstruction of critical workplace body postures from range imaging data

The paper shows techniques for the determination of structured motion parameters from range camera image sequences. The core contribution of the work presented here is the development of an integrated least squares 3D tracking approach based on amplitude and range image sequences to calculate dense 3D motion vector fields. Geometric primitives of a human body model are fitted to time series of range camera point clouds using these vector fields as additional information. Body poses and motion information for individual body parts are derived from the model fit. On the basis of these pose and motion parameters, critical body postures are detected. The primary aim of the study is to automate ergonomic studies for risk assessments regulated by law, identifying harmful movements and awkward body postures in a workplace.