Contribution of oceanic circulation to the polewar heat flux

Oceanic contribution to the poleward heat flux in the climate system includes two components: the sensible heat flux and the latent heat flux. Although the latent heat flux has been classified as atmospheric heat flux exclusively, it is argued that oceanic control over this component of poleward heat flux should play a critically important role. The so-called swamp ocean model practice is analyzed in detail, and the critical role of oceanic circulation in the establishment of the meridional moisture transport is emphasized.     

The influence of elevation error on the morphometrics of channel networks extracted from DEMs and the implications for hydrological modelling

Stream network morphometrics have been used frequently in environmental applications and are embedded in several hydrological models. This is because channel network geometry partly controls the runoff response of a basin. Network indices are often measured from channels that are mapped from digital elevation models (DEMs) using automated procedures. Simulations were used in this paper to study the influence of elevation error on the reliability of estimates of several common morphometrics, including stream order, the bifurcation, length, area and slope ratios, stream magnitude, network diameter, the flood magnitude and timing parameters of the geomorphological instantaneous unit hydrograph (GIUH) and the network width function. DEMs of three UK basins, ranging from high to low relief, were used for the analyses. The findings showed that moderate elevation error (RMSE of 1·8 m) can result in significant uncertainty in DEM‐mapped network morphometrics and that this uncertainty can be expressed in complex ways. For example, estimates of the bifurcation, length and area ratios and the flood magnitude and timing parameters of the GIUH each displayed multimodal frequency distributions, i.e. two or more estimated values were highly likely. Furthermore, these preferential estimates were wide ranging relative to the ranges typically observed for these indices. The wide‐ranging estimates of the two GIUH parameters represented significant uncertainty in the shape of the unit hydrograph. Stream magnitude, network diameter and the network width function were found to be highly sensitive to elevation error because of the difficulty in mapping low‐magnitude links. Uncertainties in the width function were found to increase with distance from outlet, implying that hydrological models that use network width contain greater uncertainty in the shape of the falling limb of the hydrograph. In light of these findings, care should be exercised when interpreting the results of analyses based on DEM‐mapped stream networks. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrological sensitivity of a large Himalayan basin to climate change

The present study sets out to investigate the sensitivity of water availability to climate change for a large western Himalayan river (the Satluj River basin with an area of 22 275 km² and elevation range of 500 to 7000 m), which receives contributions from rain, snow and glacier melt runoff. About 65% of the basin area is covered with snow during winter, which reduces to about 11% after the ablation period. After having calibrated a conceptual hydrological model to provide accurate simulations of observed stream flow, the hydrological response of the basin was simulated using different climatic scenarios over a period of 9 years. Adopted plausible climate scenarios included three temperature scenarios (T + 1, T + 2, T + 3 °C) and four rainfall scenarios (P ? 10, P ? 5, P + 5 and P + 10%). The effect of climate change was studied on snowmelt and rainfall contribution runoff, and total stream flow. Under warmer climate, a typical feature of the study basin was found to be reduction in melt from the lower part of the basin owing to a reduction in snow covered area and shortening of the summer melting season, and, in contrast, an increase in the melt from the glacierized part owing to larger melt and an extended ablation period. Thus, on the basin scale, reduction in melt from the lower part was counteracted by the increase from melt from upper part of the basin, resulting in a decrease in the magnitude of change in annual melt runoff. The impact of climate change was found to be more prominent on seasonal rather than annual water availability. Reduction of water availability during the summer period, which contributes about 60% to the annual flow, may have severe implications on the water resources of the region, because demand of water for irrigation, hydropower and other usage is at its peak at this time. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi‐decadal variability of drought risk,eastern Australia

A number of previous studies have identified changes in the climate occurring on decadal to multi‐decadal time‐scales. Recent studies also have revealed multi‐decadal variability in the modulation of the magnitude of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) impacts on rainfall and stream flow in Australia and other areas. This study investigates multi‐decadal variability of drought risk by analysing the performance of a water storage reservoir in New South Wales, Australia, during different climate epochs defined using the Inter‐decadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) index. The performance of the reservoir is also analysed under three adaptive management techniques and these are compared with the reservoir performance using the current ‘reactive’ management practices. The results indicate that IPO modulation of both the magnitude and frequency of ENSO events has the effect of reducing and elevating drought risk on multi‐decadal time‐scales. The results also confirm that adaptive reservoir management techniques, based on ENSO forecasts, can improve drought security and become significantly more important during dry climate epochs. These results have marked implications for improving drought security for water storage reservoirs. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study of hydrological processes by the combination of environmental tracing and hill slope measurements: application on the Haute‐Mentue catchment

The objective of this research is to improve the comprehension of the hydrological behaviour of natural catchments. The main originality of this work is to associate different types of measurement in order to obtain a better vision of hydrological processes responsible for streamflow generation. First, the hydrological behaviour is studied at the catchment scale by the application of environmental tracing. A three‐component mixing model based on the silica and calcium concentrations of water allows one to distinguish the contributions of direct precipitation, soil water and groundwater during flood generation. Despite the different hydrological responses observed between the four subcatchments studied, a common behaviour is apparent. Soil contribution increases with a rise in the basin humidity. The subsurface water dominates the generation of major floods, which occur in wet conditions. In order to discover the processes responsible for the important soil water contributions, a large‐scale time‐domain reflectometry experiment (64 probes) was conducted. On the whole, this experiment indicates that the water flow in soil is spatially quite heterogeneous and depends on local properties. Macropore flows were clearly identified during a rainfall simulator experiment. Preferential flows may be responsible for the important contribution of soil water and the heterogeneity of the soil moisture. In order to test this hypothesis, a dye‐tracing experiment was done. This new investigation confirms that an important part of soil water reaches the stream by preferential flows. So as to synthesize all these observations, a conceptual model is proposed. This model respects both the hydrochemical responses highlighted by the environmental tracing experiment and the observations done at the local scale. This conceptual model suggests that the important contribution of soil water is due to the extent of the hydrographic network and the role of preferential flows. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

UNFCCC before and after Paris – what's necessary for an effective climate regime?

What can reasonably be expected from the UNFCCC process and the climate conference in Paris 2015? To achieve transformative change, prevailing unsustainable routines embedded in socio-economic systems have to be translated into new and sustainable ones. This article conceptualizes the UNFCCC and the associated policy processes as a catalyst for this translation by applying a structurational regime model. This model provides an analytical distinction of rules (norms and shared meaning) and resources (economic resources as well as authoritative and allocative power) and allows us to conceptualize agency on various levels, including beyond nation states. The analysis concludes that the UNFCCC's narrow focus on emission targets, which essentially is a focus on resources, has proven ineffective. In addition, the static division of industrialized and developing countries in the Convention's annexes and the consensus-based decision-making rules have impeded ambitious climate protection. The article concludes that the UNFCCC is much better equipped to provide rules for climate protection activities and should consciously expand this feature to improve its impact.

Policy relevance

The international community is negotiating a new global climate agreement, to be adopted at the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in December 2015 in Paris and to be applicable from 2020. This article analyses the successes and limitations the UNFCCC has had so far in combating climate change and it develops recommendations on how to enhance efforts within and beyond the framework of the Convention. From our analysis we derive two main recommendations for an effective and structurationally balanced treaty: First, multidimensional mitigation contributions going beyond emission targets could strongly improve countries’ abilities to tailor their contributions around national political discourses. Second, the UNFCCC regime should be complemented with another treaty outside of the UNFCCC framework. This ‘Alliance of the Ambitious’ would allow the pioneers of climate protection to move ahead and enjoy the benefits of cooperation. The dynamics generated through such a club approach could be fed back into the UNFCCC, leading to increased ambition by others in future commitment cycles.     

基于分布式水文模型的区域“四水”转化

根据天津市现状,利用中国水利水电科学研究院水资源研究所近期针对强人类活动地区,尤其是复杂的农田系统开发的分布式水文模型——MODCYCLE模型,构建了天津市MODCYCLE模型,并对天津市"四水"转化特征进行了定量分析。结果表明:天津市"四水"转化过程受社会侧支水循环的影响较大,有地表产流少、土壤补给大消耗量大、地下水超采以及入境水和外调水利用率高等特点。当地地表水已不能满足区域用水需求,现状条件下通过消耗上游来水量和外调水量保证区域用水,未来虽然还有南水北调工程补水,但仍需要执行严格的水资源管理制度才能逐步减少地下水超采,增加入海水量。     

马粪沟流域不同景观带水文过程

目前高寒水源区完整水文过程规律研究还非常薄弱。应用同位素技术与水化学分析模拟方法来甄别高寒区马粪沟流域不同景观带冰川、积雪、冻土、地表水、地下水和降雨等水体对出山径流的贡献组合与路径,旨在揭示各景观带的水文过程。据端元混合模型计算,在湿季出山径流52%来自地下水补给,其地下水主要是由冻土融水、冰雪融水和降雨下渗转化形成;冰雪带融水占11%;高山寒漠带和灌丛带地表径流占20%;高山草原带约占9%;降雨直接补给占8%。整个流域降雨很少直接产生地表径流,而是在各个景观带转化成壤中流或地下径流,然后汇入河道。     

气候变化下水文极端事件变化预测研究进展

全球气候变化对洪水、干旱等极端水文事件的影响已成为一个亟待解决的科学问题.针对国内外在气候变化下采用统计降尺度和降雨径流模型对水文极端事件进行预测的研究进展进行了系统分析,在分类阐述的基础上,总结了国内外最新的研究进展及在预估过程中存在的问题和解决方案,试图凝练出一些气候变化背景下水文极端事件预估的新思路.结果表明:为有效降低极端水文事件预估的不确定性,各种集合模拟技术、数据同化方法、强化观测技术及水文模型的尺度转换理论将是有效的解决途径.