Snow interception modelling: Isolated observations have led to many land surface models lacking appropriate temperature sensitivities

When formulating a hydrologic model, scientists rely on parameterizations of multiple processes based on field data, but literature review suggests that more frequently people select parameterizations that were included in pre-existing models rather than re-evaluating the underlying field experiments. Problems arise when limited field data exist, when “trusted” approaches do not get reevaluated, and when sensitivities fundamentally change in different environments. The physics and dynamics of snow interception by conifers is just such a case, and it is critical to simulation of the water budget and surface albedo. The most commonly used interception parameterization is based on data from four trees from one site, but results from this field study are not directly transferable to locations with relatively warmer winters, where the dominant processes differ dramatically. Here, we combine a literature review with model experiments to demonstrate needed improvements. Our results show that the choice of model form and parameters can vary the fraction of snow lost through interception by as much as 30%. In most simulations, the warming of mean winter temperatures from −7 to 0°C reduces the modelled fraction of snow under the canopy compared to the open, but the magnitude of simulated decrease varies from about 10% to 40%. The range of results is even larger when considering models that neglect the melting of in-canopy snow in higher-humidity environments where canopy sublimation plays less of a role. Thus, we recommend that all models represent canopy snowmelt and include representation of increased loading due to increased adhesion and cohesion when temperatures rise from −3 to 0°C. In addition to model improvements, field experiments across climates and forest types are needed to investigate how to best model the combination of dynamically changing forest cover and snow cover to better understand and predict changes to albedo and water supplies.     

A comparison of fibre‐optic distributed temperature sensing to traditional methods of evaluating groundwater inflow to streams

There are several methods for determining the spatial distribution and magnitude of groundwater inputs to streams. We compared the results of conventional methods [dye dilution gauging, acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) differential gauging, and geochemical end‐member mixing] to distributed temperature sensing (DTS) using a fibre‐optic cable installed along 900 m of Ninemile Creek in Syracuse, New York, USA, during low‐flow conditions (discharge of 1·4 m³ s^?1). With the exception of differential gauging, all methods identified a focused, contaminated groundwater inflow and produced similar groundwater discharge estimates for that point, with a mean of 66·8 l s^?1 between all methods although the precision of these estimates varied. ADV discharge measurement accuracy was reduced by non‐ideal conditions and failed to identify, much less quantify, the modest groundwater input, which was only 5% of total stream flow. These results indicate ambient tracers, such as heat and geochemical mixing, can yield spatially and quantitatively refined estimates of relatively modest groundwater inflow even in large rivers. DTS heat tracing, in particular, provided the finest spatial characterization of groundwater inflow, and may be more universally applicable than geochemical methods, for which a distinct and consistent groundwater end member may be more difficult to identify. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulating the effects of spatial configurations of agricultural ditch drainage networks on surface runoff from agricultural catchments

The study of runoff is a crucial issue because it is closely related to flooding, water quality and erosion. In cultivated catchments, agricultural ditch drainage networks are known to influence runoff. As anthropogenic elements, agricultural ditch drainage networks can therefore be altered to better manage surface runoff in cultivated catchments. However, the relationship between the spatial configuration, i.e. the density and the topology, of agricultural ditch drainage networks and surface runoff in cultivated catchments is not understood. We studied this relationship by using a random network simulator that was coupled to a distributed hydrological model. The simulations explored a large variety of spatial configurations corresponding to a thousand stochastic agricultural ditch drainage networks on a 6.4 km² Mediterranean cultivated catchment. Next, several distributed hydrological functions were used to compute water flow paths and runoff for each simulation. The results showed that (i) denser networks increased the drained volume and the peak discharge and decreased hillslopes runoff, (ii) greater network density did not affect the surface runoff any further above a given network density, (iii) the correlation between network density and runoff was weaker for small subcatchments (< 2 km²) where the variability in the drained area that resulted from changes in agricultural ditch drainage networks increased the variability of runoff and (iv) the actual agricultural ditch drainage network appeared to be well optimized for managing runoff as compared with the simulated networks. Finally, our results highlighted the role of agricultural ditch drainage networks in intercepting and decreasing overland flow on hillslopes and increasing runoff in drainage networks. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stream nitrate uptake and transient storage over a gradient of geomorphic complexity,north‐central Colorado,USA

The understanding of nutrient uptake in streams is impeded by a limited understanding of how geomorphic setting and flow regime interact with biogeochemical processing. This study investigated these interactions as they relate to transient storage and nitrate uptake in small agricultural and urban streams. Sites were selected across a gradient of channel conditions and management modifications and included three 180‐m long geomorphically distinct reaches on each of two streams in north‐central Colorado. The agricultural stream has been subject to historically variable cattle‐grazing practices, and the urban stream exhibits various levels of stabilisation and planform alteration. Reach‐scale geomorphic complexity was characterised using highly detailed surveys of channel morphology, substrate, hydraulics and habitat units. Breakthrough‐curve modelling of conservative bromide (Br^?) and nonconservative nitrate (NO₃^?) tracer injections characterised transient storage and nitrate uptake along each reach. Longitudinal roughness and flow depth were positively associated with transient storage, which was related to nitrate uptake, thus underscoring the importance of geomorphic influences on stream biogeochemical processes. In addition, changes in geomorphic characteristics due to temporal discharge variation led to complex responses in nitrate uptake. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrological response of a Brazilian semi‐arid catchment to different land use and climate change scenarios: a modelling study

Brazilian semi‐arid regions are characterized by water scarcity, vulnerability to desertification, and climate variability. The investigation of hydrological processes in this region is of major interest not only for water planning strategies but also to address the possible impact of future climate and land‐use changes on water resources. A hydrological distributed catchment‐scale model (DiCaSM) has been applied to simulate hydrological processes in a small representative catchment of the Brazilian northeast semi‐arid region, and also to investigate the impact of climate and land‐use changes, as well as changes associated with biofuel/energy crops production. The catchment is part of the Brazilian network for semi‐arid hydrology, established by the Brazilian Federal Government. Estimating and modelling streamflow (STF) and recharge in semi‐arid areas is a challenging task, mainly because of limitation in in situ measurements, and also due to the local nature of some processes. Direct recharge measurements are very difficult in semi‐arid catchments and contain a high level of uncertainty. The latter is usually addressed by short‐ and long‐time‐scale calibration and validation at catchment scale, as well as by examining the model sensitivity to the physical parameters responsible for the recharge. The DiCaSM model was run from 2000 to 2008, and streamflow was successfully simulated, with a Nash–Sutcliffe (NS) efficiency coefficient of 0·73, and R² of 0·79. On the basis of a range of climate change scenarios for the region, the DiCaSM model forecasted a reduction by 35%, 68%, and 77%, in groundwater recharge (GWR), and by 34%, 65%, and 72%, in streamflow, for the time spans 2010–2039, 2040–2069, and 2070–2099, respectively, could take place for a dry future climate scenario. These reductions would produce severe impact on water availability in the region. Introducing castor beans to the catchment would increase the GWR and streamflow, mainly if the caatinga areas would be converted into castor beans production. Changing an area of 1000 ha from caatinga to castor beans would increase the GWR by 46% and streamflow by 3%. If the same area of pasture is converted into castor beans, there would be an increase in GWR and streamflow by 24% and 5%, respectively. Such results are expected to contribute towards environmental policies for north‐east Brazil (NEB), and to biofuel production perspectives in the region. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluoride enrichment in aquifers of the Thar Desert: controlling factors and its geochemical modelling

The groundwater is the only source of drinking water in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, India. The study area is a part of the Thar Desert. It has low and scattered population and no industries; hence, the possibility of anthropogenic input of fluoride is almost negligible. Thus, the enrichment of fluoride is only possible due to geochemical processes taking place in the groundwater of the region. A total of 100 groundwater samples, 34 samples from Jaisalmer and 66 samples from the Pokharan administrative blocks, were collected. It was observed that the concentration of fluoride ranged from 0.08 mg/l to 4.56 mg/l in the groundwater of Jaisalmer and from 0.56 mg/l to 6.60 mg/l in the samples of the Pokharan block. The alkaline condition (average pH, 7.7 ± 0.22 and 8.01 ± 0.25 in Jaisalmer and the Pokharan administrative block, respectively) in the region favours fluorite dissolution. Ion exchange, dissolution of calcite, semi‐arid climate, alkaline conditions and weathering are responsible for fluoride enrichment in the groundwater of the study area. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Petrogenetic modelling of strongly residual metapelitic xenoliths within the southern Platreef,Bushveld Complex,South Africa

Xenoliths of quartz‐absent Fe‐rich aluminous metapelite are common within the platinum group element‐rich mafic/ultramafic magmatic rocks of the Platreef. Relative to well‐characterized protoliths, the xenoliths are strongly depleted in K₂O and H₂O, and have lost a substantial amount of melt (>50 vol.%). Mineral equilibria calculations in the NCKFMASHTO system yield results that are consistent with observations in natural samples. Lower‐grade rocks that lack staurolite constrain peak pressures to ～2.5 kbar in the southern Platreef. Smaller xenoliths and the margins of larger xenoliths comprise micro‐diatexite rich in coarse acicular corundum and spinel, which record evidence for the metastable persistence of lower‐grade hydrous phases and rapid melting consequent on a temperature overstep of several hundred degrees following their incorporation in the mafic/ultramafic magmas. In the cores of larger xenoliths, temperatures increased more slowly enabling progressive metamorphism by continuous prograde equilibration and the loss of H₂O by subsolidus dehydration; the H₂O migrated to xenolith margins where it may have promoted increased melting. According to variations in the original compositional layering, layers became aluminosilicate‐ and/or cordierite‐rich, commonly with spinel but only rarely with corundum. The differing mineralogical and microstructural evolution of the xenoliths depends on heating rates (governed by their size and, therefore, proximity to the Platreef magmas) and the pre‐intrusive metamorphic grade of the protoliths. The presence or absence of certain phases, particularly corundum, is strongly influenced by the degree of metastable retention of lower‐grade hydrates in otherwise identical protolith bulk compositions. The preservation of fine‐scale compositional layering that is inferred to be relict bedding in xenolith cores implies that melt loss by compaction was extremely efficient.     

Estimation of source water to cedar elm in a central Texas riparian ecosystem

A riparian ecosystem downstream of a small dam in central Texas was instrumented for sap flow, soil moisture content, and stream level from 2001. Stable isotopes in water (D and ¹⁸O) were analysed from rainfall, stream, lake, and cored sapwood cellulose from cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia). The isotope signature of water source to cedar elm was identified by back calculation starting with the water isotopes in cellulose, and accounting for leaf‐water evaporation and biological fractionation during cellulose synthesis. The estimated mean isotope of the source water to cedar elm was enriched above rainfall in similarity to stream water during 2002. Flow paths that may have contributed to estimated variability from regional base flow and recharge water were identified using the variably saturated HYDRUS‐2D model. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study of bond stress–slip relationship and radial dilation in prestressed concrete

This paper presents two test procedures for evaluating the bond stress–slip and the slip–radial dilation relationships when the prestressing force is transmitted by releasing the steel (wire or strand) in precast prestressed elements. The bond stress–slip relationship is obtained with short length specimens, to guarantee uniform bond stress, for three depths of the wire indentation (shallow, medium and deep). An analytical model for bond stress–slip relationship is proposed and compared with the experimental results. The model is also compared with the experimental results of other researchers. Since numerical models for studying bond‐splitting problems in prestressed concrete require experimental data about dilatancy angle (radial dilation), a test procedure is proposed to evaluate these parameters. The obtained values of the radial dilation are compared with the prior estimated by numerical modelling and good agreement is reached. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of longwall support on the occurrence of roof cavities

Summary The forming of roof cavities in longwall faces is a complicated process. A likely explanation for this process is the presence of relaxed zones in the first beds of the roof above and ahead of the support. If existing or potential fissures are allowed to open through insufficient constraint, the block of roof delimited by these fissures will collapse. An increasing unsupported distance, an increasing distance between the face and the first row of legs, a lower vertical bearing force and a lower support pressure on the roof will increase the extent of the relaxed zones. These effects are investigated through underground observations and numerical modelling.Supplementary to this local influence, there is also a spatial relation between the support characteristics of one element in one coal step and the occurrence of fall outs in the roof uncovered by the next coal steps (3 on average) and above the neighbourhood elements (2 to 4 on average). It is probable that, once a cavity is formed, it is extended easily (in the two directions), until appropriate measures are taken.