Subsurface lateral flow generation in aspen and conifer‐dominated hillslopes of a first order catchment in northern Utah     

Amy R. Burke  Tamao Kasahara 《水文研究》2011,25(9):1407-1417

Mountain headwater catchments in the semi‐arid Intermountain West are important sources of surface water because these high elevations receive more precipitation than neighboring lowlands. This study examined subsurface runoff in two hillslopes, one aspen dominated, the other conifer dominated, adjacent to a first order stream in snow‐driven northern Utah. Snow accumulation, soil moisture, trenchflow and streamflow were examined in hillslopes and their adjacent stream. Snow water equivalents (SWEs) were greater under aspen stands compared to conifer, the difference increasing with higher annual precipitation. Semi‐variograms of shallow spatial soil moisture patterns and transects of continuous soil moisture showed no increase in soil moisture downslope, suggesting the absence of subsurface flow in shallow (～12 cm) soil layers of either vegetation type. However, a clear threshold relationship between soil moisture and streamflow indicated hillslope–stream connectivity, deeper within the soil profile. Subsurface flow was detected at ～50 cm depth, which was sustained for longer in the conifer hillslope. Soil profiles under the two vegetation types varied, with deep aspen soils having greater water storage capacity than shallow rocky conifer soils. Though SWEs were less under the conifers, the soil profile had less water storage capacity and produced more subsurface lateral flow during the spring snowmelt. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Impact of grid resolution on the integrated and distributed response of a coupled surface–subsurface hydrological model for the des Anglais catchment,Quebec     

Mauro Sulis  Claudio Paniconi  Matteo Camporese 《水文研究》2011,25(12):1853-1865

Digital elevation models (DEMs) at different resolutions (180, 360, and 720 m) are used to examine the impact of different levels of landscape representation on the hydrological response of a 690‐km² catchment in southern Quebec. Frequency distributions of local slope, plan curvature, and drainage area are calculated for each grid size resolution. This landscape analysis reveals that DEM grid size significantly affects computed topographic attributes, which in turn explains some of the differences in the hydrological simulations. The simulations that are then carried out, using a coupled, process‐based model of surface and subsurface flow, examine the effects of grid size on both the integrated response of the catchment (discharge at the main outlet and at two internal points) and the distributed response (water table depth, surface saturation, and soil water storage). The results indicate that discharge volumes increase as the DEM is coarsened, and that coarser DEMs are also wetter overall in terms of water table depth and soil water storage. The reasons for these trends include an increase in the total drainage area of the catchment for larger DEM cell sizes, due to aggregation effects at the boundary cells of the catchment, and to a decrease in local slope and plan curvature variations, which in turn limits the capacity of the watershed to transmit water downslope and laterally. The results obtained also show that grid resolution effects are less pronounced during dry periods when soil moisture dynamics are mostly controlled by vertical fluxes of evaporation and percolation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

The sensitivity of simulated flow and water quality response to spatial heterogeneity on a hillslope in the Tarrawarra catchment,Australia     

L. N. Neumann  A. W. Western  R. M. Argent 《水文研究》2010,24(1):76-86

Models are widely used to simulate hydrological response and the generation and transport of constituents such as salt, phosphorus, and nitrogen from catchments to streams. Several models use a spatial representation with catchments divided into subcatchments. Variations in land use and other characteristics within subcatchments are represented by spatially lumped hydrologic response units (HRUs) or functional units instead of using fully distributed models. This approach disregards any spatial interaction between HRUs, including their connectivity to each other and to the stream and the influence of these interactions on water and constituent export. A spatially explicit hydrological model (Thales) was used to simulate a variety of theoretical catchments with soils dominated by combinations of infiltration excess, saturation excess, and subsurface stormflow processes and different soil constituent concentrations that were spatially interacting (i.e. located along a hillslope sequence). The modelling results show that the response of both runoff and concentration is sensitive to varying spatial arrangements due to interactions of runoff, infiltration, and chemical processes between the different soil types in many but not all situations. Results highlight the importance of considering connectivity of pathways when modelling hydrological response and constituents export. This is achieved by comparing pairs of simulations and the corresponding differences in the exported loads. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Influences of climate,terrain and land cover on stream salinity in southeastern Australia,and implications for management through reforestation     

A. I. J. M. van Dijk  M. Gilfedder  J. Austin 《水文研究》2008,22(17):3275-3284

Reforestation of cleared land has the potential to reduce groundwater recharge, salt mobilization and streamflow. Stream salinity change is the net result of changes in stream salt load and streamflow. The net effect of these changes varies spatially as a function of climate, terrain and land cover. Successful natural resource management requires methods to map the spatial variability of reforestation impacts. We investigated salinity data from 2000 bores and streamflow and salinity measurements from 27 catchments in the Goulburn–Broken region in southeast Australia to assess the main factors determining stream salinity and opportunities for management through reforestation. For groundwater systems of similar geology, relationships were found between average annual rainfall and groundwater salinity and between groundwater salinity and low‐flow salinity. Despite its simplicity, we found that the steady‐state component of a simple conceptual coupled water–salt mass balance model (BC2C) adequately explained the spatial variation in streamflow and salinity. The model results suggest the efficiency of afforestation to reduce stream salinity could be increased by more than an order of magnitude through spatial planning. However, appreciable reductions in stream salinity in large rivers through land cover change alone would still require reforestation on an unprecedented scale. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

The effect of terrace geology on ground‐water movement and on the interaction of ground water and surface water on a mountainside near Mirror Lake,New Hampshire,USA     

Thomas C. Winter  Donald C. Buso  Patricia C. Shattuck  Phillip T. Harte  Donald A. Vroblesky  Daniel J. Goode 《水文研究》2008,22(1):21-32

The west watershed of Mirror Lake in the White Mountains of New Hampshire contains several terraces that are at different altitudes and have different geologic compositions. The lowest terrace (FSE) has 5 m of sand overlying 9 m of till. The two next successively higher terraces (FS2 and FS1) consist entirely of sand and have maximum thicknesses of about 7 m. A fourth, and highest, terrace (FS3) lies in the north‐west watershed directly adjacent to the west watershed. This highest terrace has 2 m of sand overlying 8 m of till. All terraces overlie fractured crystalline bedrock. Numerical models of hypothetical settings simulating ground‐water flow in a mountainside indicated that the presence of a terrace can cause local ground‐water flow cells to develop, and that the flow patterns differ based on the geologic composition of the terrace. For example, more ground water moves from the bedrock to the glacial deposits beneath terraces consisting completely of sand than beneath terraces that have sand underlain by till. Field data from Mirror Lake watersheds corroborate the numerical experiments. The geology of the terraces also affects how the stream draining the west watershed interacts with ground water. The stream turns part way down the mountainside and passes between the two sand terraces, essentially transecting the movement of ground water down the valley side. Transects of water‐table wells were installed across the stream's riparian zone above, between, and below the sand terraces. Head data from these wells indicated that the stream gains ground water on both sides above and below the sand terraces. However, where it flows between the sand terraces the stream gains ground water on its uphill side and loses water on its downhill side. Biogeochemical processes in the riparian zone of the flow‐through reach have resulted in anoxic ground water beneath the lower sand terrace. Results of this study indicate that it is useful to understand patterns of ground‐water flow in order to fully understand the flow and chemical characteristics of both ground water and surface water in mountainous terrain. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Evaluating sulfur dynamics during storm events for three watersheds in the northeastern USA: a combined hydrological,chemical and isotopic approach     

Myron J. Mitchell  Scott W. Bailey  James B. Shanley  Bernhard Mayer 《水文研究》2008,22(20):4023-4034

Concerns related to climate change have resulted in an increasing interest in the importance of hydrological events such as droughts in affecting biogeochemical responses of watersheds. The effects of an unusually dry summer in 2002 had a marked impact on the biogeochemistry of three watersheds in the north‐eastern USA. Chemical, isotopic and hydrological responses with particular emphasis on S dynamics were evaluated for Archer Creek (New York), Sleepers River (Vermont) and Cone Pond (New Hampshire) watersheds. From 1 August to 14 September 2002, all three watersheds had very low precipitation (48 to 69 mm) resulting in either very low or no discharge (mean 0·015, 0·15 and 0·000 mm day^?1 for Archer Creek, Sleepers River and Cone Pond, respectively). From 15 September to 31 October 2002, there was a substantial increase in precipitation totals (212, 246 and 198 mm, respectively) with increased discharge. Archer Creek was characterized by a large range of SO₄^2? concentrations (152 to 389 µeq L^?1, mean = 273 µeq L^?1) and also exhibited the greatest range in δ³⁴S values of SO₄^2? (?1·4 to 8·8 ‰ ). Sleepers River's SO₄^2? concentrations ranged from 136 to 243 µeq L^?1 (mean = 167 µeq L^?1) and δ³⁴S values of SO₄^2? ranged from 4·0 to 9·0 ‰ . Cone Pond's SO₄^2? concentrations (126–187 µeq L^?1, mean = 154 µeq L^?1) and δ³⁴S values (2·4 to 4·3 ‰ ) had the smallest ranges of the three watersheds. The range and mean of δ¹⁸O‐SO₄^2? values for Archer Creek and Cone Pond were similar (3·0 to 8·9 ‰ , mean = 4·5 ‰ ; 3·9 to 6·3 ‰ , mean = 4·9 ‰ ; respectively) while δ¹⁸O‐SO₄^2? values for Sleepers River covered a larger range with a lower mean (1·2 to 10·0 ‰ , mean = 2·5). The difference in Sleepers River chemical and isotopic responses was attributed to weathering reactions contributing SO₄^2?. For Archer Creek wetland areas containing previously reduced S compounds that were reoxidized to SO₄^2? probably provided a substantial source of S. Cone Pond had limited internal S sources and less chemical or isotopic response to storms. Differences among the three watersheds in S biogeochemical responses during these storm events were attributed to differences in S mineral weathering contributions, hydrological pathways and landscape features. Further evaluations of differences and similarities in biogeochemical and hydrological responses among watersheds are needed to predict the impacts of climate change. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

A theory of pressure sensor performance in snow     

Jerome B. Johnson 《水文研究》2004,18(1):53-64

A theory of pressure sensor response in snow is derived and used to examine the sources of measurement errors in snow water equivalent (SWE) pressure sensors. Measurement errors in SWE are caused by differences in the compressibility of the pressure sensor and the adjacent snow layer, which produces a shear stress along the perimeter of the sensor. When the temperature at the base of the snow cover equals 0 °C, differences in the snowmelt rate between the snow–SWE sensor interface and the adjacent snow–soil interface may also produce a shear stress along the sensor's perimeter. This shear stress perturbs the pressure field over the sensor, producing SWE measurement errors. Snow creep acts to reduce shear stresses along the SWE sensor's perimeter at a rate that is inversely proportional to the snow viscosity. For sustained periods of differential snowmelt, a difference in the mass of snow over the sensor compared with the surrounding soil will develop, producing additional permanent errors in SWE measurements. The theory indicates that SWE pressure sensor performance can be improved by designing a sensor with a high Young's modulus (low compressibility), low aspect ratio, large diameter and thermal properties that match those of the surrounding soil. Simulations of SWE pressure sensor errors using the theory are in close agreement with observed errors and may provide a means to correct historical SWE measurements for use in hydrological hindcast or climate studies. Published in 2003 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

A tracer‐based assessment of hydrological pathways at different spatial scales in a mesoscale Scottish catchment     

C. Soulsby  P. Rodgers  R. Smart  J. Dawson  S. Dunn 《水文研究》2003,17(4):759-777

Geochemically based hydrograph separation techniques were used in a preliminary assessment to infer how runoff processes change with landscape characteristics and spatial scale (1–233 km²) within a mesoscale catchment in upland Scotland. A two‐component end‐member mixing analysis (EMMA) used Gran alkalinity as an assumed conservative tracer. Analysis indicated that, at all scales investigated, acidic overland flow and shallow subsurface storm flows from the peaty soils covering the catchment headwaters dominated storm runoff generation. The estimated groundwater contribution to annual runoff varied from 30% in the smallest (ca 1 km²) peat‐dominated headwater catchment with limited groundwater storage, to >60% in larger catchments (>30 km²) with greater coverage of more freely draining soils and more extensive aquifers in alluvium and other drift. This simple approach offers a useful, integrated conceptualization of the hydrological functioning in a mesoscale catchment, which can be tested and further refined by focused modelling and process‐based research. However, even as it stands, the simple conceptualization of system behaviour will have significant utility as a tool for communicating hydrological issues in a range of planning and management decisions. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Mountain hydrology of Canada and China: A case study in comparative hydrology     

Ming-Ko Woo  Changming Liu 《水文研究》1994,8(6):573-587

Comparative hydrology attempts to identify regions with similar environmental attributes and then compares the hydrological activities in these regions to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and exchange of techniques. As a case study, the mountainous regions of Canada and China were compared. Vertical zonation is a characteristic feature of such regions, generating contrasts in microclimate, vegetation, soil and the resultant hydrological responses. An increase in precipitation with altitude is modified by aspect and other local factors. In temperate and colder latitudes, snow and ice are important, especially at higher elevations. Both countries have conducted many hydrological studies on snow and glaciers, but evaporation in mountainous terrain merits more attention. Runoff from mountainous catchments is often generated by a range of processes including rainfall, snowmelt and glacier melt, and runoff response to water input tends to be rapid. This study identifies some of the strengths and weaknesses of our current knowledge of mountain hydrology in both countries, and suggests that a more comprehensive treatment of the subject will improve the prediction of the hydrological behaviour of such regions.  相似文献   

Simulating daily soil water under foothills fescue grazing with the soil and water assessment tool model (Alberta,Canada)     

Emmanuel Mapfumo  David S. Chanasyk  Walter D. Willms 《水文研究》2004,18(15):2787-2800

Grazing is common in the foothills fescue grasslands and may influence the seasonal soil‐water patterns, which in turn determine range productivity. Hydrological modelling using the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) is becoming widely adopted throughout North America especially for simulation of stream flow and runoff in small and large basins. Although applications of the SWAT model have been wide, little attention has been paid to the model's ability to simulate soil‐water patterns in small watersheds. Thus a daily profile of soil water was simulated with SWAT using data collected from the Stavely Range Sub‐station in the foothills of south‐western Alberta, Canada. Three small watersheds were established using a combination of natural and artificial barriers in 1996–97. The watersheds were subjected to no grazing (control), heavy grazing (2·4 animal unit months (AUM) per hectare) or very heavy grazing (4·8 AUM ha^?1). Soil‐water measurements were conducted at four slope positions within each watershed (upper, middle, lower and 5 m close to the collector drain), every 2 weeks annually from 1998 to 2000 using a downhole CPN 503 neutron moisture meter. Calibration of the model was conducted using 1998 soil‐water data and resulted in Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient (EF or R²) and regression coefficient of determination (r²) values of 0·77 and 0·85, respectively. Model graphical and statistical evaluation was conducted using the soil‐water data collected in 1999 and 2000. During the evaluation period, soil water was simulated reasonably with an overall EF of 0·70, r² of 0·72 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 18·01. The model had a general tendency to overpredict soil water under relatively dry soil conditions, but to underpredict soil water under wet conditions. Sensitivity analysis indicated that absolute relative sensitivity indices of input parameters in soil‐water simulation were in the following order; available water capacity > bulk density > runoff curve number > fraction of field capacity (FFCB) > saturated hydraulic conductivity. Thus these data were critical inputs to ensure reasonable simulation of soil‐water patterns. Overall, the model performed satisfactorily in simulating soil‐water patterns in all three watersheds with a daily time‐step and indicates a great potential for monitoring soil‐water resources in small watersheds. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献