scholarly journals Insights into hydrologic and hydrochemical processes based on concentration-discharge and end-member mixing analyses in the mid-Merced River Basin, Sierra Nevada, California

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 832-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengjing Liu ◽  
Martha H. Conklin ◽  
Glenn D. Shaw
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Hydrochemical Processes

scholarly journals Impact of change in erosion rate and landscape steepness on hillslope and fluvial sediments grain size in the Feather River Basin (Sierra Nevada, California)

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1047-1092 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Attal ◽  
S. M. Mudd ◽  
M. D. Hurst ◽  
B. Weinman ◽  
K. Yoo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Fluvial Sediments ◽  
Sediment Grain Size ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Feather River ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

Abstract. The characteristics of the sediment transported by rivers (e.g., sediment flux, grain size distribution – GSD –) dictate whether rivers aggrade or erode their substrate. They also condition the architecture and properties of sedimentary successions in basins. In this study, we investigate the relationship between landscape steepness and the grain size of hillslope and fluvial sediments. The study area is located within the Feather River Basin in Northern California, and studied basins are underlain exclusively by tonalite lithology. Erosion rates in the study area vary over an order of magnitude, from > 250 mm ka−1 in the Feather River canyon to < 15 mm ka−1 on an adjacent low relief plateau. We find that the coarseness of hillslope sediment increases with increasing hillslope steepness and erosion rates. We hypothesize that, in our soil samples, the measured ten-fold increase in D50 and doubling of the amount of fragments larger than 1 mm when slope increases from 0.38 to 0.83 m m−1 is due to a decrease in the residence time of rock fragments, causing particles to be exposed for shorter periods of time to processes that can reduce grain size. For slopes in excess of 0.7 m m−1, landslides and scree cones supply much coarser sediment to rivers, with D50 and D84 more than one order of magnitude larger than in soils. In the tributary basins of the Feather River, a prominent break in slope developed in response to the rapid incision of the Feather River. Downstream of the break in slope, fluvial sediment grain size increases, due to an increase in flow competence (mostly driven by channel steepening) but also by a change in sediment source and in sediment dynamics: on the plateau upstream of the break in slope, rivers transport easily mobilised fine-grained sediment derived exclusively from soils. Downstream of the break in slope, mass wasting processes supply a wide range of grain sizes that rivers entrain selectively, depending on the competence of their flow. Our results also suggest that in this study site, hillslopes respond rapidly to an increase in the rate of base-level lowering compared to rivers.

scholarly journals Impact of Irrigation over the California Central Valley on Regional Climate

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1341-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Yang ◽  
Francina Dominguez ◽  
Xubin Zeng ◽  
Huancui Hu ◽  
Hoshin Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Colorado River Basin ◽  
Windward Side ◽  
Irrigation Scheme ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Irrigation, while being an important anthropogenic factor affecting the local to regional water cycle, is not typically represented in regional climate models. An irrigation scheme is incorporated into the Noah land surface scheme of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model that has a calibrated convective parameterization and a tracer package is used to tag and track water vapor. To assess the impact of irrigation over the California Central Valley (CCV) on the regional climate of the U.S. Southwest, simulations are run (for three dry and three wet years) both with and without the irrigation scheme. Incorporation of the irrigation scheme resulted in simulated surface air temperature and humidity that were closer to observations, decreased depth of the planetary boundary layer over the CCV, and increased convective available potential energy. The result was an overall increase in precipitation over the Sierra Nevada range and the Colorado River basin during the summer. Water vapor rising from the irrigated region mainly moved northeastward and contributed to precipitation in Nevada and Idaho. Specifically, the results indicate increased precipitation on the windward side of the Sierra Nevada and over the Colorado River basin. The former is possibly linked to a sea-breeze-type circulation near the CCV, while the latter is likely associated with a wave pattern related to latent heat release over the moisture transport belt.

scholarly journals Intercomparison of Meteorological Forcing Data from Empirical and Mesoscale Model Sources in the North Fork American River Basin in Northern Sierra Nevada, California*

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 677-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas E. Wayand ◽  
Alan F. Hamlet ◽  
Mimi Hughes ◽  
Shara I. Feld ◽  
Jessica D. Lundquist
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Meteorological Forcing ◽  
The North ◽  
Single Station ◽  
American River ◽  
North Fork

Abstract The data required to drive distributed hydrological models are significantly limited within mountainous terrain because of a scarcity of observations. This study evaluated three common configurations of forcing data: 1) one low-elevation station, combined with empirical techniques; 2) gridded output from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF); and 3) a combination of the two. Each configuration was evaluated within the heavily instrumented North Fork American River basin in California during October–June 2000–10. Simulations of streamflow and snowpack using the Distributed Hydrology Soil and Vegetation Model (DHSVM) highlighted precipitation and radiation as variables whose sources resulted in significant differences. The best source of precipitation data varied between years. On average, the WRF performed as well as the single station distributed using the Parameter Regression on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM). The average percent biases in simulated streamflow were 3% and 1%, for configurations 1 and 2, respectively, even though precipitation compared directly with gauge measurements was biased high by 6% and 17%, suggesting that gauge undercatch may explain part of the bias. Simulations of snowpack using empirically estimated longwave irradiance resulted in melt rates lower than those observed at high-elevation sites, while at lower elevations the same forcing caused significant midwinter melt that was not observed. These results highlight the complexity of how forcing data sources impact hydrology over different areas (high- versus low-elevation snow) and different time periods. Overall, results support the use of output from the WRF model over empirical techniques in regions with limited station data.

scholarly journals Possible Hydrochemical Processes Influencing Dissolved Solids in Surface Water and Groundwater of the Kaidu River Basin, Northwest China

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 467
Author(s):  
Dalong Li ◽  
Haiyan Chen ◽  
Shaofeng Jia ◽  
Aifeng Lv
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Hydrochemical Characteristics ◽  
Dissolved Solids ◽  
Rock Interaction ◽  
Hydrochemical Processes ◽  
Type Water ◽  
Kaidu River ◽  
Water Rock Interaction

Hydrochemical processes under intense human activities were explored on the basis of the hydrochemical characteristics of 109 surface water samples and 129 groundwater samples collected during August 2015 to September 2016, in the Kaidu River Basin. Results obtained in this study indicated that the water in the basin was neutral to slightly alkaline with low total dissolved solids. Rock weathering and evaporation controlled the natural hydrochemical mechanisms. Mountain groundwater and stream water were dominated by Ca2+-HCO3− type water, whereas the plains groundwater was dominated by mixed type water. The results of principal component analysis demonstrated that water-rock interaction and human activity explained 71.6% and 12.9% of surface water hydrochemical variations, respectively, and 75.1% and 14.2% of groundwater hydrochemical variations, respectively. Sulfate, chloride, and carbonate weathering were the major water-rock interaction processes. Livestock farming and agricultural activities were the primary human activities influencing the water hydrochemistry. In addition, cation exchange is another important process influencing the hydrochemical characteristics in the study area. This study would be helpful in forecasting of water quality in arid areas.

scholarly journals Assessing differences in snowmelt-dependent hydrologic projections using CMIP3 and CMIP5 climate forcing data for the western United States

2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 483-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren L. Ficklin ◽  
Sally L. Letsinger ◽  
Iris T. Stewart ◽  
Edwin P. Maurer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Recent Climate ◽  
High Emission ◽  
And Shifts

Most recent climate change impact studies are using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) projections to replace older generation CMIP3 projections. Here we evaluate whether differences between projections based on comparable high emission pathways of a seven-member general circulation model CMIP3 versus CMIP5 ensemble change our understanding of the expected hydrologic impacts. This work focuses on the important snowmelt-dominated mountain runoff-generating regions of the western United States (WUS; Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), Columbia River Basin (CRB), and Sierra Nevada (SN) Basins). Significant declines in snowmelt, and shifts in streamflow timing owing to warmer, wetter CMIP5 projections match or exceed those based on CMIP3 throughout the WUS. CMIP3- and CMIP5-based projections, while generally in agreement about hydroclimatic changes, differ in some important aspects for key regions. The most important is the UCRB, where CMIP5-based projections suggest increases in future streamflows. Comparable hydrologic projections result from similar underlying climate signals in CMIP3 and CMIP5 output for the CRB and SN, suggesting that previous work completed in these basins based on CMIP3 projections is likely still useful. However, UCRB hydrologic projections based on CMIP5 output suggest that a re-evaluation of future impacts on water resources is warranted.

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