Monitoring and modelling of hydrological processes in the semiarid region of Brazil: The Cariri experimental basins

Catchments have highly variable yields of runoff and soil erosion. The size, land use and the surface cover play a significant role and influence the catchment response and parameter values of simulation models. Two experimental basins—the Cariri basins—were equipped in a semi-arid region of Brazil, for obtaining runoff and sediment yield at different catchment scales, as well as, to evaluate the influence of the land use and surface cover. In the first basin, located in the municipality of Sumé, the field studies were carried out at two different scales: four micro-catchments with an area of around 0.5 ha and nine standard Wischmeier-type erosion plots of 100 m². The experimental units had varied vegetation and management. They were subjected only to natural rainfall events, and were monitored from 1982 to 1991. The total runoff and total sediment yield were determined for each of the events. The installations in the second basin, in the municipality of São João do Cariri, from 1999, include two erosion plots, three micro-catchments, and two sub-catchments of a small basin. These basins are still being monitored for runoff and sediment production. Among the micro-catchments two are nested to detect any scale effect at the micro-catchment level. Nearly 600 events of precipitation, that produced runoff in at least one of the experimental units, have been registered. These data have been used to evaluate the influence of various factors, including cultivation practices and to calibrate hydrological models for plots and micro-catchments. Parameters have been tested by means of cross validations among micro-catchments and sub-catchments. The data sets are made available to all the catchment hydrology researchers and others at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4690886 .     

Impact of flooded rice paddy on remotely sensed evapotranspiration in the Krishna River basin,India

Evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the major water exchange processes between the earth's surface and the atmosphere. ET is a combined process of evaporation from open water bodies, bare soil and plant surfaces, and transpiration from vegetation. Remote sensing-based ET models have been developed to estimate spatially distributed ET over large regions, however, many of them reportedly underestimate ET over semi-arid regions (Jamshidi et al., Journal of Hydrometeorology, 2019, 20, 947–964). In this work, we show that underestimation of ET can occur due to the open water evaporation from flooded rice paddies ignored in the existing ET models. To address the gap in ET estimation, we have developed a novel approach that accounts for the missing ET component over flooded rice paddies. Our method improved ET estimates by a modified Penman-Monteith algorithm that considered the fraction of open water evaporation from flooded rice paddies. Daily ET was calculated using ground based meteorological data and the MODIS satellite data over the Krishna River Basin. Seasonal and annual ET values over the Krishna Basin were compared with two different ET algorithms. ET estimates from these two models were also compared for different crop combinations. Results were validated with flux tower-based measurements from other studies. We have identified a 17 mm/year difference in average annual ET over the Krishna River Basin with this new ET algorithm. This is very critical in basin scale water balance analysis and water productivity studies.     

Assessing basin storage: Comparison of hydrometric- and tracer-based indices of dynamic and total storage

Storage is a fundamental but elusive component of drainage basin function, influencing synchronization between precipitation input and streamflow output and mediating basin sensitivity to climate and land use/land cover (LULC) change. We compare hydrometric and isotopic approaches to estimate indices of dynamic and total basin storage, respectively, and assess inter-basin differences in these indices across the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) region of southern Ontario, Canada. Dynamic storage indices for the 20 study basins included the ratio of baseflow to total streamflow (baseflow index BFI), Q ₉₉ flow and flow duration curve (FDC) slope. Ratios of the standard deviation of the streamflow stable isotope signal relative to that of precipitation were determined for each basin from a 1 year bi-weekly sampling program and used as indicators of total storage. Smaller ratios imply longer water travel times, smaller young water fractions (F _yw, < ~2–3 months in age) in streamflow and greater basin storage. Ratios were inversely related to BFI and Q ₉₉, and positively related to FDC slope, suggesting longer travel times and smaller F _yw for basins with stable baseflow-dominated streamflow regimes. Inter-basin differences in all indices reflected topographic, hydrogeologic and LULC controls on storage, which was greatest in steep, forest-covered headwaters underlain by permeable deposits with thick and relatively uniform unsaturated zones. Nevertheless, differential sensitivity of indices to controls on storage indicates the value of using several indices to capture more completely how basin characteristics influence storage. Regression relationships between storage indices and basin characteristics provided reasonable predictions of aspects of the streamflow regime of test basins in the ORM region. Such relationships and the underlying knowledge of controls on basin storage in this landscape provide the foundation for initial predictions of relative differences in streamflow response to regional changes in climate and LULC.     

Prediction of vegetation anomalies over an inland river basin in north‐western China

Vegetation cover plays an important role in linking the atmosphere, water, and land and is deemed as a key indicator in the terrestrial ecological system. Therefore, it is of great importance to monitor vegetation dynamics and understand the mechanisms of vegetation change, including that driven by climate change. This study examines (a) the evolution of vegetation dynamics over the Heihe River Basin in the typical arid zone in north‐western China using nonparametric Mann–Kendall test and Thiel Sen's slope; (b) the relationships between remotely sensed vegetation indices (normalized difference vegetation index [NDVI] and enhanced vegetation index [EVI]) and hydroclimatic variables based on correlation analysis; and (c) the prediction of vegetation anomalies using a multiple linear regression model. For the analysis, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer NDVI/EVI product and the gridded daily meteorological data at a spatial resolution of 0.125° over the period 2001–2010 are considered. The results indicate that vegetation cover improved over a large proportion during 2001–2010, with a significant trend towards warm and wet, characterized by an increase in average annual temperature and precipitation by 0.042 °C/year and 5.8 mm/year, respectively. We test the feasibility of NDVI and EVI in quantifying the responses of vegetation anomaly to climate change and develop a statistical model to predict vegetation dynamics in the basin. The NDVI‐based model is found to be more reliable than the EVI‐based model, partly due to the vegetation characteristics and geomorphologic properties of the study region. The proposed model performs well when there is no lag time between meteorological factors and vegetation indices for grassland and cropland, whereas 1‐month lead time prediction is found to be best for forest. The soil water content is introduced as an extra explanatory variable, which effectively improves the prediction accuracy for different land use types. In general, the predictive ability of the proposed model is stable and satisfactory, and the model can provide useful early warning information for regional water resources management under changing climate.     

Application of semi‐distributed hydrological model for basin level water balance of the Ken basin of Central India

In the present study, a semi‐distributed hydrological model soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) has been employed for the Ken basin of Central India to predict the water balance. The entire basin was divided into ten sub basins comprising 107 hydrological response units on the basis of unique slope, soil and land cover classes using SWAT model. Sensitivity analysis of SWAT model was performed to examine the critical input variables of the study area. For Ken basin, curve number, available water capacity, soil depth, soil evaporation compensation factor and threshold depth of water in the shallow aquifer (GWQ_MN) were found to be the most sensitive parameters. Yearly and monthly calibration (1985–1996) and validation (1997–2009) were performed using the observed discharge data of the Banda site in the Ken basin. Performance evaluation of the model was carried out using coefficient of determination, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, root mean square error‐observations standard deviation ratio, percent bias and index of agreement criterion. It was found that SWAT model can be successfully applied for hydrological evaluation of the Ken basin, India. The water balance analysis was carried out to evaluate water balance of the Ken basin for 25 years (1985–2009). The water balance exhibited that the average annual rainfall in the Ken basin is about 1132 mm. In this, about 23% flows out as surface run‐off, 4% as groundwater flow and about 73% as evapotranspiration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Post‐orogenic sediment drape in the Northern Pyrenees explained using a box model

The transition to a post‐orogenic state in mountain ranges has been identified by a change from active subsidence to isostatic rebound of the foreland basin. However, the nature of the interplay between isostatic rebound and sediment supply, and their impact on the topographic evolution of a range and foreland basin during this transition, has not been fully investigated. Here, we use a box model to explore the syn‐ to post‐orogenic evolution of foreland basin/thrust wedge systems. Using a set of parameter values that approximate the northern Pyrenees and the neighbouring Aquitaine foreland basin, we evaluate the controls on sediment drape over the frontal parts of the retro‐wedge following cessation of crustal thickening. Conglomerates preserved at approximately 600‐m elevation, which is ~ 300 m above the present mountain front in the northern Pyrenees are ca. 12 Ma, approximately 10 Myrs younger than the last evidence of crustal thickening in the wedge. Using the model, this post‐orogenic sediment drape is explained by the combination of a sustained, high sediment influx from the range into the basin relative to the efflux out of the basin, combined with cessation of the generation of accommodation space through basin subsidence. Post‐orogenic sediment drape is considered a generic process that is likely to be responsible for elevated low‐gradient surfaces and preserved remnants of continental sedimentation draping the outer margins of the northern Pyrenean thrust wedge.     

Tectonic inversion assessed by integration of geological and geophysical data: The intracontinental Rio do Peixe Basin,NE Brazil

Common basin models assume that the post‐rift tectonic evolution of most basins is usually associated with tectonic quiescence. However, tectonic inversion during the post‐rift phase has been proposed for several sedimentary basins worldwide, but how and why it happens is still a matter of debate, especially in intracontinental settings where the lithosphere is old and thick. Here, we use geological and geophysical data from the Rio do Peixe Basin in NE Brazil to show evidence that intracontinental sedimentary basins can be tectonically inverted by far‐field compressive stresses acting on pre‐existing weakness zones of lithospheric‐scale where stresses can concentrate and inversion can occur. Geomorphological and field data combined with seismic reflection, gravimetric and borehole data show that: (a) inversion occurred along two main Precambrian lithospheric‐scale shear zones, the Patos (E‐W trending) and Portalegre (NE‐SW trending), which had already been reactivated as basin‐bounding faults during the earlier rift stage; (b) post‐rift reactivation affected (mostly) the original master normal faults with the largest rift displacements, and locally produced new reverse faults; (c) during contraction, deformation was partitioned between fault reactivation and buckling of the incompetent sediment pushed against the hard basement; (d) all these signs of inversion have been observed in the field and can be demonstrated on seismic reflection profiles; and (e) combined gravimetric and seismic data show that the main structures of the basin were followed by an inversion. These data are consistent with the operation of WSW‐ENE horizontal maximum compressive stress as a result of combined pushes of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge (towards the W) and the Andes (towards the E), responsible for the post‐rift oblique inversion of normal faults inherited from the rift phase and formed with vertical maximum compressive stress.     

胶莱盆地莱阳群杨家庄组沉凝灰岩SHRIMP U-Pb年代学特征及地质意义

胶莱盆地为一发育于华北陆块东部的白垩纪断陷盆地,该次工作主要对盆地底部莱阳群杨家庄组中沉凝灰岩层进行了初步研究,通过对沉凝灰岩岩石学、锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年代学的研究,认为胶莱盆地莱阳群杨家庄组中凝灰岩层形成时代为131.1±1.7Ma,限制了莱阳群杨家庄组的沉积时限,为胶莱盆地早期的形成与演化提供了新的年代学依据。沉凝灰岩中获得单颗碎屑锆石年龄为835±23Ma,指示苏鲁造山带为莱阳群提供了物质来源。     

青藏高原三江源和河湾区夏季降水变化特征及对高原夏季风的响应

本文利用1981～2020年观测数据和ERA5再分析资料,将青藏高原腹地三江源和东南重要水汽通道河湾区作为典型研究区域,分析了降水不同时间尺度变化特征及其典型强弱年对高原季风环流系统的响应,结果表明：（1）三江源和河湾区降水的季节变化均呈双峰型分布,峰值出现在7月初和8月下旬。夏季降水在21世纪初发生年代际转折,尤其是三江源降水量在近20年增加明显。两个高原季风指数DPMI(Dynamic Plateau Monsoon Index)和ZPMI(Zhou Plateau Monsoon Index)的夏季风爆发时间均超前于河湾区和三江源降水的明显增加期。三江源夏季降水年际变化与两个高原夏季风指数有较好的相关性。三江源与河湾区虽然相邻很近,但三江源夏季降水受高原季风影响程度远大于河湾区。当高原夏季风增强（减弱）时,三江源降水量偏多（少）。（2）三江源降水偏多年,南亚高压偏东偏强,低层高原主体低压异常,有利于西南风和东南风在三江源区域交汇,南方暖湿空气能够深入高原腹地导致水汽辐合偏强。河湾区降水偏多年,河湾区及整个高原主体附近高度场并没有明显异常,河湾区的水汽输送主要有两条路径,一条来自孟...     

黑河流域降水统计——动力降尺度问题研究

依据区域气候模式RIEMS2.0输出的3 km高分辨率数据和站点降水记录分析了中国西北黑河流域降水的动力降尺度和统计—动力降尺度问题,检验了多种因子组合下多元线性回归（MLR）和贝叶斯模式平均（BMA）降尺度模型,评估了降尺度降水的均方根误差、相关系数、方差百分率及“负降水”偏差率等方面的统计特征。结果表明,动力降尺度降水相关系数最高,误差也最大,降水方差达到观测值的1.5～2倍;除相关系数外,统计—动力降尺度模型的几个统计特征均最优,纯统计模型次之。检验表明,仅用700 hPa位势高度场、经向风和比湿等构建的统计降尺度模型估计的站点降水相关系数较低,均方根误差也较大。当在统计降尺度模型中引入模式降水因子后站点降水的估计得到明显改善,其中MLR类模型的降水相关系数和方差百分率均明显高于BMA类模型,均方根误差二者相当,但前者“负降水”出现频次明显大于后者,“负降水”偏差主要出现在降水稀少的冬半年及黑河中、下游干旱或极端干旱区,上游出现频率较低,其中MLR类模型“负降水”出现频次明显高于BMA类模型,后者仅出现在黑河中、下游地区。包含模式降水因子的统计—动力降尺度模型能减少“负降水”出现...