Impact of Climate Variability and Landscape Patterns on Water Budget and Nutrient Loads in a Peri-urban Watershed: A Coupled Analysis Using Process-based Hydrological Model and Landscape Indices

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 954-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chongwei Li ◽  
Yajuan Zhang ◽  
Gehendra Kharel ◽  
Chris B. Zou
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magali Troin ◽  
Richard Arsenault ◽  
Jean-Luc Martel ◽  
François Brissette

Abstract Projected climate change effects on hydrology are investigated for the 2041–60 horizon under the A2 emission scenarios using a multimodel approach over two snowmelt-dominated catchments in Canada. An ensemble of 105 members was obtained by combining seven snow models (SMs), five potential evapotranspiration (PET) methods, and three hydrological model (HM) structures. The study was performed using high-resolution simulations from the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM–15 km) driven by two members of the third-generation Canadian Coupled Global Climate Model (CGCM3). This study aims to compare various combinations of SM–PET–HM in terms of their ability to simulate streamflows under the current climate and to evaluate how they affect the assessment of the climate change–induced hydrological impacts at the catchment scale. The variability of streamflow response caused by the use of different SMs (degree-day versus degree-day/energy balance), PET methods (temperature-based versus radiation-based methods), and HM structures is evaluated, as well as the uncertainty due to the natural climate variability (CRCM intermember variability). The hydroclimatic simulations cover 1961–90 in the present period and 2041–60 in the future period. The ensemble spread of the climate change signal on streamflow is large and varies with catchments. Using the variance decomposition on three hydrologic indicators, the HM structure was found to make the most substantial contribution to uncertainty, followed by the choice of the PET methods or natural climate variability, depending on the hydrologic indicator and the catchment. Snow models played a minor, almost negligible role in the assessment of the climate change impacts on streamflow for the study catchments.


2017 ◽  
Vol 239 ◽  
pp. 47-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Kunert ◽  
Luiza Maria T. Aparecido ◽  
Stefan Wolff ◽  
Niro Higuchi ◽  
Joaquim dos Santos ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Asit Mazumder ◽  

Nitrogen is one of the critical nutrients regulating terrestrial and aquatic productivity, and is linked to degradation of water quality of freshwater and marine ecosystems worldwide. The landscape patterns of stream nitrogen components, concentrations and loadings and their relationships with climate variability and landuse, were analyzed and quantified in this study. We used stream nitrogen concentration data collected at 2,125 sites and climate data at 301 weather stations during 1976 to 2005 in 30 eco-regions across British Columbia, Canada. While the patterns of stream nitrogen component, concentration, and loading distributions were found to be related to landscape patterns of climate variability, human activities, landuse, natural vegetation, and relief across British Columbia, the climate variability on both temporal a d spatial scales were found to be the dominant driver of variability in loading and concentrations of nitrogen. Elevated air temperature gradient across the landscape of British Columbia resulted in a significant increase in stream nitrogen loading from terrestrial into aquatic ecosystems. Precipitation, nitrogen deposition, population density and urban area also significantly affected the stream nitrogen components, concentrations and loadings. We suggest that climate change, especially shifts in temperature and precipitation, along with increased human activities tend to have important implications for loading of nitrogen from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems and associated water quality in aquatic ecosystems


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 830-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Quesada-Montano ◽  
Ida K. Westerberg ◽  
Diana Fuentes-Andino ◽  
Hugo G. Hidalgo ◽  
Sven Halldin

Hydrology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Christina Papadaki ◽  
Elias Dimitriou

River flow alterations, caused by climate variability/change and intense anthropogenic uses (e.g., flow regulation by dams) are considered among the main global challenges of which hydrologists should be dealing with. For the purpose of this study, environmental flow and potential hydrological alterations are made for the extended Drin river basin, with limited historical hydrological information available. To overcome this limitation environmental flow assessment is made using simulated streamflow data from a watershed hydrological model. Descriptive statistics applied to streamflow values indicate that median monthly flows with no anthropogenic uses are consistently greater than those with anthropogenic uses by 0–37.4 m3/s in all subbasins. Moreover, an investigation of potential climate variability/change impact on river flow regime is made using streamflow simulations from a global hydrological model. Results indicate that hydrologic alteration is intense between nonregulated and regulated streamflow conditions. More specifically, for all Global Circulation Models and Regional Climate Models combinations, and both regulated and unregulated streamflow conditions, the minimum discharge values had statistically significant decreasing trends, except one combination (RCP 4.5–RCA4/ECEARTH) for unregulated conditions. Finally, results from this preliminary analysis could enhance the necessary conversations among all relevant stakeholders to discuss and decide on sustainable water resources management issues for the development of a Drin Basin Management Plan in the future.


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