Hydrological trends and the evolution of catchment research in the Alptal valley,central Switzerland

When the observation of small headwater catchments in the pre-Alpine Alptal valley (central Switzerland) started in the late 1960s, the researchers were mainly interested in questions related to floods and forest management. Investigations of geomorphological processes in the steep torrent channels followed in the 1980s, along with detailed observations of biogeochemical and ecohydrological processes in individual forest stands. More recently, research in the Alptal has addressed the impacts of climate change on water supply and runoff generation. In this article, we describe, for the first time, the evolution of catchment research at Alptal, and present new analyses of long-term trends and short-term hydrologic behaviour. Hydrometeorological time series from the past 50 years show substantial interannual variability, but only minimal long-term trends, except for the ~2°C increase in mean annual air temperature over the 50-year period, and a corresponding shift towards earlier snowmelt. Similar to previous studies in larger Alpine catchments, the decadal variations in mean annual runoff in Alptal's small research catchments reflect the long-term variability in annual precipitation. In the Alptal valley, the most evident hydrological trends were observed in late spring and are related to the substantial change in the duration of the snow cover. Streamflow and water quality are highly variable within and between hydrological events, suggesting rapid shifts in flow pathways and mixing, as well as changing connectivity of runoff-generating areas. This overview illustrates how catchment research in the Alptal has evolved in response to changing societal concerns and emerging scientific questions.     

Effects of changes in canopy interception on stream runoff response and recovery following clear-cutting of a Japanese coniferous forest in Fukuroyamasawa Experimental Watershed in Japan

Understanding changes in evapotranspiration during forest regrowth is essential to predict changes of stream runoff and recovery after forest cutting. Canopy interception (Ic) is an important component of evapotranspiration, however Ic changes and the impact on stream runoff during regrowth after cutting remains unclear due to limited observations. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of Ic changes on long-term stream runoff in a regrowth Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress forest following clear-cutting. This study was conducted in two 1-ha paired headwater catchments at Fukuroyamasawa Experimental Watershed in Japan. The catchments were 100% covered by Japanese coniferous plantation forest, one of which was 100% clear-cut in 1999 when the forest was 70 years old. In the treated catchment, annual runoff increased by 301 mm/year (14% of precipitation) the year following clear-cutting, and remained 185 mm/year (7.9% of precipitation) higher in the young regrowth forest for 12–14 years compared to the estimated runoff assuming no clear-cutting. The Ic change was −358 mm/year (17% of precipitation) after cutting and was −168 mm/year (6.7% of precipitation) in the 12–14 years old regrowth forest compared to the observed Ic during the pre-cutting period. Stream runoff increased in all seasons, and the Ic change was the main fraction of evapotranspiration change in all seasons throughout the observation period. These results suggest that the change in Ic accounted for most of the runoff response following forest cutting and the subsequent runoff recovery in this coniferous forest.     

High-frequency monitoring of hydrological and biogeochemical fluxes in forested catchments of southern Chile

The variability of rainfall-dependent streamflow at catchment scale modulates many ecosystem processes in wet temperate forests. Runoff in small mountain catchments is characterized by a quick response to rainfall pulses which affects biogeochemical fluxes to all downstream systems. In wet-temperate climates, water erosion is the most important natural factor driving downstream soil and nutrient losses from upland ecosystems. Most hydrochemical studies have focused on water flux measurements at hourly scales, along with weekly or monthly samples for water chemistry. Here, we assessed how water and element flows from broad-leaved, evergreen forested catchments in southwestern South America, are influenced by different successional stages, quantifying runoff, sediment transport and nutrient fluxes during hourly rainfall events of different intensities. Hydrograph comparisons among different successional stages indicated that forested catchments differed in their responses to high intensity rainfall, with greater runoff in areas covered by secondary forests (SF), compared to old-growth forest cover (OG) and dense scrub vegetation (CH). Further, throughfall water was greatly nutrient enriched for all forest types. Suspended sediment loads varied between successional stages. SF catchments exported 455 kg of sediments per ha, followed by OG with 91 kg/ha and CH with 14 kg/ha, corresponding to 11 rainfall events measured from December 2013 to April 2014. Total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) concentrations in stream water also varied with rainfall intensity. In seven rainfall events sampled during the study period, CH catchments exported less nutrients (46 kg/ha TN and 7 kg/ha TP) than SF catchments (718 kg/ha TN and 107 kg/ha TP), while OG catchments exported intermediate sediment loads (201 kg/ha TN and 23 kg/ha TP). Further, we found significant effects of successional stage attributes (vegetation structure and soil physical properties) and catchment morphometry on runoff and sediment concentrations, and greater nutrients retention in OG and CH catchments. We conclude that in these southern hemisphere, broad-leaved evergreen temperate forests, hydrological processes are driven by multiple interacting phenomena, including climate, vegetation, soils, topography, and disturbance history.     

Wetlands and low-gradient topography are associated with longer hydrologic transit times in Precambrian Shield headwater catchments

The estimation of hydrologic transit times in a catchment provides insights into the integrated effects of water storage, mixing dynamics, and runoff generation processes. There has been limited effort to estimate transit times in southern boreal Precambrian Shield landscapes, which are characteristically heterogeneous with surface cover including till, thin soils, bedrock outcrops, and depressional wetland features that play contrasting hydrologic roles. This study presents approximately 3.5 years of precipitation and streamflow water isotope data and estimates mean transit times (MTTs) and the young water fraction (p_y) across six small catchments in the Muskoka-Haliburton region of south-central Ontario. The main objectives were to define a typical range of MTTs for headwater catchments in this region and to identify landscape variables that best explain differences in MTTs/p_y using airborne light detection and ranging and digital terrain analysis. Of the transit time distributions, the two parallel linear reservoir and gamma distributions best describe the hydrology of these catchments, particularly because of their ability to capture more extreme changes related to events such as snowmelt. The estimated MTTs, regardless of the modelling approach or distribution used, are positively associated with the percent wetland area and negatively with mean slope in the catchments. In this landscape, low-gradient features such as wetlands increase catchment scale water storage when antecedent conditions are dryer and decrease transit times when there is a moisture surplus, which plausibly explains the increases in MTTs and mean annual runoff from catchments with significant coverage of these landscape features.     

Isotope hydrological study of mean transit time in the granitic Strengbach catchment (Vosges massif,France): application of the FlowPC model with modified input function

Measurements of ¹⁸O concentrations in precipitation, soil solution, spring and runoff are used to determine water transit time in the small granitic Strengbach catchment (0·8 km²; 883–1146 m above sea level) located in the Vosges Mountains of northeastern France. Water transit times were calculated by applying the exponential, exponential piston and dispersion models of the FlowPC program to isotopic input (rainfall) and output (spring and stream water) data sets during the period 1989–95. The input function of the model was modified compared with the former version of the model and estimated by a deterministic approach based on a simplified hydrological balance. The fit between observed and calculated output data showed marked improvements compared with results obtained using the initial version of the model. An exponential piston version of the model applied to spring water indicates a 38·5 month mean transit time, which suggests that the volume in the aquifer, expressed in water depth, is 2·4 m. A considerable thickness (>45 m) of fractured bedrock may be involved for such a volume of water to be stored in the aquifer. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The FAST/SKA site selection in Guizhou province

Many karst depressions with diameters of 300 m to 500 m, suitable for constructing Arecibo-style radio telescopes, were identified in the south of Guizhou Province by Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies together with field investigations. Fundamental topography and landform databases were established for 391candidate depressions, and using GIS the3-dimensional images of depressions, at a scale of 1:10000, were then simulated to fit a spherical antenna. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

临邑洼陷圈闭类型及成因研究

临邑洼陷是一个含油气层系较多,结构复杂的复式油气聚集区。本文重点介绍了临邑洼陷圈闭的类型及其成因,从圈闭角度对临邑洼陷油气藏的形成进行了概述,对临邑洼陷下步的勘探工作方向进行了分析。     

大型敞流坳陷湖盆浅水三角洲与湖盆中心砂体的形成与分布

大型敞流坳陷湖盆浅水三角洲及湖盆中心砂体已成为中国陆相盆地岩性油气藏最重要的勘探目标。通过对现代典型湖盆浅水三角洲的深入分析,结合我国中、新生代大型坳陷湖盆浅水三角洲及湖盆中心砂体的地质研究,取得以下主要进展与认识：①在分析浅水三角洲形成地质背景的基础上,按照供源体系、湖水深度及三角洲前缘倾斜坡度将湖盆三角洲分为9种成因结构类型;②建立了毯式浅水曲流河三角洲的沉积模式,指出末端分流河道及末端决口扇是浅水曲流河三角洲的典型微相类型;③分析了浅水三角洲砂体大面积分布的形成条件,指出敞流湖盆是湖盆中心浅水三角洲砂体发育的重要条件,敞流通道对湖盆中心砂体分布有重要控制作用;④湖盆中心发育河流、三角洲、湖流及密度底流砂体等牵引流成因砂体,也发育洪水浊积扇及滑塌浊积扇等重力流成因砂体;⑤大型浅水三角洲体系三级层序界面对岩性（成岩）圈闭的发育有重要控制作用,三角洲平原带层序界面上覆叠置砂体富集岩性油气藏,勘探潜力大。本文研究成果希对坳陷湖盆沉积学研究及岩性油气藏勘探能有推动作用。     

三肇凹陷青山口组源岩生成油向下“倒灌”运移层位及其研究意义

为了研究三肇凹陷青山口组源岩生成的油向下“倒灌”运移层位,对油向下“倒灌”运移机制及条件进行了研究,得到三肇凹陷扶杨油层同时具备①青山口组源岩目前应具有足够大的超压;②存在连通青山口组源岩和扶杨油层的T2断裂2个条件,青山口组源岩生成的油能够在超压的作用下在嫩江组沉积末期、明水组沉积末期和古近系沉积末期通过T2断裂向下伏扶杨油层中“倒灌”运移。利用压力封闭原理,对三肇凹陷青山口组源岩生成的油向下“倒灌”运移距离进行了研究,得到三肇凹陷青山口组源岩生成的油向下“倒灌”运移距离一般大于500 m,而三肇凹陷扶杨油层地层厚度最大只有500 m,表明三肇凹陷青山口组源岩生成的油可以向下“倒灌”运移至整个扶杨油层的任何部位。目前三肇凹陷扶杨油层从上至下均含油,且已找到的油藏均分布于青山口组源岩生成的油能够向下“倒灌”运移分布范围内或附近,这表明青山口组源岩生成的油向下“倒灌”运移层位控制着油气富集层位,青山口组源岩生成的油向下“倒灌”运移分布范围控制着三肇凹陷扶杨油层油藏形成与分布范围。青山口组源岩生成的油向下“倒灌”运移分布范围及其附近应是三肇凹陷扶杨油层油下一步勘探的有利地区。     

东营凹陷王家岗地区王古1潜山构造特征及油气成藏条件

进一步了解王古1潜山的构造特征及成藏条件,利用渤海湾盆地济阳坳陷东营凹陷王家岗地区的大量三维地震剖面和一些钻井资料,并结合东营凹陷南坡缓坡带区域构造背景及成藏条件分析认为,王古1潜山初始发育于印支期,后经燕山期拉张断陷,切割为断块并抬升,最后于燕山期定型,为典型的缓坡盆倾残丘潜山。该潜山被NW向和NE向断裂切割,潜山高部位侵蚀风化严重,上覆孔店组盖层及沙河街组烃源岩,油气通过断层和不整合面运移至潜山顶部形成侵蚀残丘型油气藏。