Automated Sizing of Coarse-Grained Sediments: Image-Processing Procedures

This is the first in a pair of papers in which we present image-processing-based procedures for the measurement of fluvial gravels. The spatial and temporal resolution of surface grain-size characterization is constrained by the time-consuming and costly nature of traditional measurement techniques. Several groups have developed image-processing-based procedures, but none have demonstrated the transferability of these techniques between sites with different lithological, clast form and textural characteristics. Here we focus on image-processing procedures for identifying and measuring image objects (i.e. grains); the second paper examines the application of such procedures to the measurement of fluvially deposited gravels. Four image-segmentation procedures are developed, each having several internal parameters, giving a total of 416 permutations. These are executed on 39 images from three field sites at which the clasts have contrasting physical properties. The performance of each procedure is evaluated against a sample of manually digitized grains in the same images, by comparing three derived statistics. The results demonstrate that it is relatively straightforward to develop procedures that satisfactorily identify objects in any single image or a set of images with similar sedimentary characteristics. However, the optimal procedure is that which gives consistently good results across sites with dissimilar sedimentary characteristics. We show that neighborhood-based operations are the most powerful, and a morphological bottom-hat transform with a double threshold is optimal. It is demonstrated that its performance approaches that of the procedures giving the best results for individual sites. Overall, it out-performs previously published, or improvements to previously published, methods.     

Proposed river-linking project of India: a boon or bane to nature

India is a vast country and is highly diversified in terms of natural resources and socio-economic setup. Moreover, its water resources are unevenly distributed in space and time. With increasing population and increasing aspiration for improved standard of living, there is an acute pressure on the demand and availability of water. Though the idea of interlinking of rivers is not a new concept in India, it had rather persisted long back as much as in other countries of ancient civilization. National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has given the real shape to the proposal of the interlinking of rivers of the country. In India the river-linking project in a sensible and scientific manner will not only allow the prevention of the colossal wastage of a vitally important natural resource, mitigate the flood and inundation by detaining flowing surface water of rainy seasons, but also ensure availability of water to drier areas; combating both flood and drought simultaneously. Moreover, this project will generate 34,000 MW of hydropower and irrigation of an additional 35 million hectares (135,135 square miles) of land. Though linking of rivers may initially appear to be a costly proposition in ecological, geological, hydrological and economical terms, in the long run the net benefits coming from it will far outweigh these costs or losses. However, in the absence of any definite international legal framework, Bangladesh has raised objections against the project. This paper aims at looking at this long-term plan, the project proposal, its involvement and impact not only on the states of India, India as a whole, but also on its neighbouring nations which are linked with India through the waterways, and share the common climatic conditions and economic status.     

吉林省参考作物蒸散量的时空变化特征及影响因素

基于吉林省50个气象站1960—2014年逐日最高气温、最低气温、日照时数、风速数据,采用Penman-Monteith算法,计算各站逐日参考作物蒸散量,进而计算各站及全省四季和年平均参考作物蒸散量,利用数理统计方法,结合地理信息系统软件,分析参考作物蒸散量的时空变化特征及主要气候影响因子。结果表明:近55 a,吉林省年平均参考作物蒸散量为876 mm,年参考作物蒸散量呈显著下降趋势(p <0. 01);空间分布差异显著,由东南向西北逐级递增,56%的站点呈显著下降趋势(p <0. 05)。参考作物蒸散量夏季最大、春季次之、冬季最小,且均呈下降趋势,但只有春季的下降趋势显著(p <0. 01);春、夏、秋、冬季与年平均参考作物蒸散量在空间分布上基本一致,但气候倾向率为负值以及通过显著性检验的站点数依次减少。全省四季和年参考作物蒸散量均与降水呈显著负相关,与日照时数、风速、最高气温呈显著正相关;其中年、春、夏、秋季与气温日较差以及春、夏、秋季与平均气温也呈显著正相关;冬季与最低气温、平均气温呈显著正相关;而典型站点参考作物蒸散量各季节影响因素及影响大小略有差异,各气象因子的共同作用导致了参考作物蒸散量的变化。     

SWAT模型在三江源地区适用性的初步分析

为验证SWAT模型在三江源地区运用的可行性,利用SWAT模型对黄河源头地区的地表径流进行了模拟,结果表明：SWAT模型在三江源地区水文水资源模拟是可行的,模拟结果与实测结果具有良好的一致性,对未来气候变化背景下水资源变化预测结果与其他研究结论基本一致。SWAT模型在三江源地区可运用于水文水资源的利用及管理、气候变化背景下水资源的变化模拟、洪水短期预报、人工增雨对水资源的影响、冰雪消融对河流水文特征的影响。由于区域环境特点,在使用SWAT模型时,必须解决气象站点稀缺、流域面积过大且分属不同流域、验证资料缺乏、冻土层的存在、地理信息系统资料陈旧等问题。总体而言,SWAT模型在我国高原地区有一定推广及应用价值。     

Heat flux calculations for Mackenzie and Yukon Rivers

This study analyzes long-term (40–60 years) discharge and water temperature records collected near the basin outlets of the Yukon and Mackenzie Rivers. It defines seasonal cycles of discharge, water temperature (WT), and heat flux (HF) for the basins, and compares their main features to understand their similarity and difference. Both rivers have similar hydrographs, i.e. low flows in winter and high discharge in summer, with the peak flood in June due to snowmelt runoff. Mackenzie River has many large lakes and they sustain the higher base flows over the fall/winter season. Mackenzie basin is large with high precipitation, thus producing 50% more discharge than the Yukon River to the Arctic Ocean. The WT regimes are also similar between the two rivers. Yukon River WT is about 2–3 °C warmer than the Mackenzie over the open water months. Both rivers have the highest WT in the mid summer and they transport large amount of heat to the polar ocean system. Yukon River monthly HF is lower by 10–60% than the Mackenzie mainly due to smaller discharge. Mackenzie River heat transport peaks in July, while the Yukon HF reaches the maximum in June and July. These results provide critical knowledge of river thermal condition and energy transport to the northern seas. They are useful for large-scale climate and ocean model development and validation, and climate/hydrology change research in the northern regions.     

Dams in the last large free-flowing rivers of Patagonia,the Santa Cruz River,environmental features,and macroinvertebrate community

Three large rivers have their headwaters in the Patagonian Ice Fields (PIFs) in the Andes Mountains, the largest mid-latitude ice masses on Earth: Santa Cruz, Baker and Pascua. They are the last large free flowing rivers in Patagonia, but plans are advanced for building dams for hydroelectric power generation. The three PIF rivers, with a discharge dominated by ice melt, share a common, unique hydrograph compared to that of the other eight large rivers in the region: a distinct seasonal cycle, and an extremely stable discharge, with much lower variability than other rivers. In this study we present the first extensive survey of habitats and benthic macroinvertebrates in the least studied system, the Santa Cruz River. We assess how much of the natural capital provided and sustained by benthic invertebrates are expected to be lost by flooding and discuss how dams would affect riverine habitat and biota. In the Santa Cruz River, we conducted an intensive field survey during September 2010; a total of 52 sites located at regular 6 km intervals were sampled along the 310 river-km for macroinvertebrates and seventeen habitat variables. Although some habitat structure is apparent at the local scale, the Santa Cruz River could be described as very homogeneous. Macroinvertebrate density and the richness (38 genera) found in the Santa Cruz River resulted to be one of the lowest in comparison with 42 other Patagonian rivers. Albeit weak, the structure of the macroinvertebrates assemblages was successfully described by a reduced set of variables. The reduced flow variation and the lack of bed scouring flows have a direct and negative effect on the heterogeneity of riverbeds and banks. The high turbidity of the Santa Cruz River may also contribute to shorter food webs, by affecting autotrophic production, general trophic structure, and overall macroinvertebrate productivity and diversity. Dams will obliterate 51% of the lotic environment, including the most productive sections of the river according to our macroinvertebrate data. Since Santa Cruz River has a naturally homogeneous flow cycle, dams may provide more variable flows and more diverse habitat. Our data provide critically valuable baseline information to understand the effects of dams on the unique set of glacial driven large rivers of Patagonia.     

Optical remote sensing of submerged aquatic vegetation: Opportunities for shallow clearwater streams

Remote sensing has rarely been used as a tool to map and monitor submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in rivers, due to a combination of insufficient spatial resolution of available image data and strong attenuation of light in water through absorption and scattering. The latter process reduces the possibility to use spectral reflectance information to accurately classify submerged species. However, increasing availability of very high resolution (VHR) image data may enable the use of shape and texture features to help discriminate between species by taking an object based image analysis (OBIA) approach, and overcome some of the present limitations.This study aimed to investigate the possibility of using optical remote sensing for the detection and mapping of SAV. It firstly looked at the possibilities to discriminate submerged macrophyte species based on spectral information only. Reflectance spectra of three macrophyte species were measured in situ across a range of submergence depths. The results showed that water depth will be a limiting factor for the classification of species from remote sensing images. Only Spiked Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) was indicated as spectrally distinct through ANOVA analysis, but subsequent Jeffries–Matusita distance analysis did not confirm this. In particular Water Crowfoot (Ranunculus fluitans) and Pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) could not be discriminated at 95% significance level. Spectral separability of these two species was also not possible without the effect of an overlying water column.Secondly, the possibility to improve species discrimination, using spatial and textural information was investigated for the same SAV species. VHR image data was acquired with a Near Infrared (NIR) sensitive DSLR camera from four different heights including a telescopic pole and a Helikite UAS. The results show that shape and texture information can improve the detection of the spectrally similar Pondweed and Water Crowfoot from VHR image data. The best performing feature ‘length/width ratio of sub-objects’ was obtained through expert knowledge. All of the shape and texture based features performed better at species differentiation than the spectrally based features.In conclusion this study has shown that there is considerable potential for the combination of VHR data and OBIA to map SAV in shallow stream environments, which can benefit species monitoring and management.     

Carbon isotopes in the rivers from the Lesser Antilles: origin of the carbonic acid consumed by weathering reactions in the Lesser Antilles

In this paper, we use carbon isotopes in the dissolved load of rivers from the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc (Guadeloupe, Martinique and Dominica islands) to constrain the source of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) involved in the neutralization reactions during water–rock interactions. The δ¹³C data span a large range of variations, from –19‰ to –5 · 2‰ for DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon) concentrations ranging from 11 μM to 2000 μM. Coupled with major element concentrations, carbon isotopic ratios are interpreted as reflecting a mixture of magmatic CO₂ (enriched in heavy carbon (δ¹³C ≈ –3 · 5‰) and biogenic CO₂ produced in soils (enriched in light carbon (δ¹³C < –17‰)). Carbon isotopes show that, at the regional scale, 23 to 40% of CO₂ consumed by weathering reactions is of magmatic origin and is transferred to the river system through aquifers under various thermal regimes. These numbers remain first‐order estimates as the major uncertainty in using carbon isotopes as a source tracer is that carbon isotopes can be fractionated by a number of processes, including soil and river degassing. Chemical weathering is clearly, at least, partly controlled by the input of magmatic CO₂, either under hydrothermal (hot) or surficial (cold) weathering regimes. This study shows that the contribution of magmatic CO₂ to chemical weathering is an additional parameter that could explain the high weathering rates of volcanic rocks. The study also shows that a significant part of the carbon degassed from the Earth's interior is not released as CO₂ to the atmosphere, but as DIC to the ocean because it interacts with the groundwater system. This study calls for a better understanding of the contributions of deep carbon to the hydrosphere and its influence on the development of the Critical Zone. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long-term changes in temperature of river waters in the transitional zone of the temperate climate: a case study of Polish rivers

ABSTRACT

The article discusses the range and course of changes in the thermal regime of 14 rivers in Poland over the period 1961–2010. Eleven rivers are located in the Central European Plain, and the others flow in the foothills of the Carpathians Mountains. Statistical analyses take into consideration the results of daily measurements of water temperature carried out at 16 hydrological stations by the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management—National Research Institute. In the first part of the analysed period (1961–1986) water temperature in most rivers declined in relation to its mean value for the entire study period (1961–2010). In 1987 there was a reverse trend: the temperature started rising. The fastest increase in water temperature was recorded in the western part of the study area, and it became slower towards the east. In the southern part of the study area (the foothills) changes of that kind were not observed. The mean yearly temperature of fluvial waters in the Central European Plain showed a positive trend, ranging from 0.17 to 0.27°C (10 years)^-1, whereas it did not change in the rivers in the foothills of the Carpathians Mountains. Its fastest rise was recorded in spring, and it reached from 0.08 to 0.43°C (10 years)^-1. The increase in water temperature correlated strongly with rising air temperature. The temperature of river waters in the lowlands is believed to be a good indicator of climatic changes.

Editor M.C. Acreman Associate editor T. Okruszko     

Impacts of rising water demands in the Juba and Shabelle river basins on water availability in south Somalia

ABSTRACT

Somalia has frequently been affected by droughts, famines and water-related humanitarian crises. Water is scarce and the only perennial streams, the Juba and Shabelle rivers, are trans-boundary with river flows mainly originating from the Ethiopian highlands. In both riparian countries water demands are projected to increase. This paper reveals the impact of rising regional water abstractions on stream flows by illustrating sectoral demands and joining them into scenarios of medium and high population and economic growth. These scenarios are associated to the time horizons of 2035 and 2055, respectively. The scenarios disclose alarming trends especially for the Shabelle River: in the medium and high growth scenarios, water demands surpass the available river flows by 200 and 3500 hm³, respectively. The calculated deficits partly derive from conflicting assumptions about river flows by the two main riparian countries, an obstacle to any integrated planning efforts and sustained regional development.

EDITOR Z.W. Kundzewicz; ASSOCIATE EDITOR F. Hattermann