EFFECTS OF BASIN-SCALE TIMBER HARVEST ON WATER YIELD AND PEAK STREAMFLOW

We applied an integrated approach to investigate the impacts of land use and land cover (LULC) changes on hydrology at different scales in the Loess Plateau of China. Hydrological modeling was conducted for the LULC maps from remote sensing images at two times in the Upper Fenhe River watershed using the SWAT model. The main LULC changes in this watershed from 1995 to 2010 were the transformation of farmland into forests, grassland, and built-up land. The simulation results showed that forested land contributed more than any other LULC class to water yield, but built-up land had most impact due to small initial loss and infiltration. At basin scale, a comparison of the simulated hydrological components of two LULC maps showed that there were slight increases in average annual potential evapotranspiration, actual evapotranspiration, and water yield, but soil water decreased, between the two intervals. In subbasins, obvious LULC changes did not have clear impacts on hydrology, and the impacts may be affected by precipitation conditions. By linking a hydrological model to remote sensing image analysis, our approach of quantifying the impacts of LULC changes on hydrology at different scales provide quantitative information for stakeholders in making decisions for land and water resource management.

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Quantifying the contribution of tile drainage to basin-scale water yield using analytical and numerical models

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.340 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 657 ◽

pp. 297-309 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Keith E. Schilling ◽

Philip W. Gassman ◽

Antonio Arenas-Amado ◽

Christopher S. Jones ◽

Jeff Arnold

Keyword(s):

Numerical Models ◽

Tile Drainage ◽

Water Yield ◽

Basin Scale

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Quantifying the impacts of land use/land cover change on the water balance in the afforested River Basin, Pakistan

Environmental Earth Sciences ◽

10.1007/s12665-020-09206-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (19) ◽

Author(s):

Naeem Saddique ◽

Talha Mahmood ◽

Christian Bernhofer

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Water Balance ◽

River Basin ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Water Yield ◽

Catchment Scale ◽

Snow Cover Area ◽

Discharge Data ◽

Basin Scale

Abstract Land use and land cover (LULC) change is one of the key driving elements responsible for altering the hydrology of a watershed. In this study, we investigated the spatio-temporal LULC changes between 2001 and 2018 and their impacts on the water balance of the Jhelum River Basin. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to analyze the impacts on water yield (WY) and evapotranspiration (ET). The model was calibrated and validated with discharge data between 1995 and 2005 and then simulated with different land use. The increase was observed in forest, settlement and water areas during the study period. At the catchment scale, we found that afforestation has reduced the WY and surface runoff, while enhanced the ET. Moreover, this change was more pronounced at the sub-basin scale. Some sub-basins, especially in the northern part of the study area, exhibited an increase in WY due to an increase in the snow cover area. Similarly, extremes land use scenarios also showed significant impact on water balance components. The basin WY has decreased by 38 mm/year and ET has increased about 36 mm/year. The findings of this study could guide the watershed manager in the development of sustainable LULC planning and water resources management.

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An assessment of land use change impacts on the water resources of the Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of Pune, India

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-17-2233-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 17 (6) ◽

pp. 2233-2246 ◽

Cited By ~ 80

Author(s):

P. D. Wagner ◽

S. Kumar ◽

K. Schneider

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Water Resources ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Water Balance ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Hydrologic Model ◽

Water Yield ◽

Catchment Scale ◽

Basin Scale

Abstract. Land use changes are altering the hydrologic system and have potentially large impacts on water resources. Rapid socio-economic development drives land use change. This is particularly true in the case of the rapidly developing city of Pune, India. The present study aims at analyzing past land use changes between 1989 and 2009 and their impacts on the water balance in the Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of Pune. Land use changes were identified from three Rivers catchment multitemporal land use classifications for the cropping years 1989/1990, 2000/2001, and 2009/2010. The hydrologic model SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) was used to assess impacts on runoff and evapotranspiration. Two model runs were performed and compared using the land use classifications of 1989/1990 and 2009/2010. The main land use changes were identified as an increase of urban area from 5.1% to 10.1% and cropland from 9.7% to 13.5% of the catchment area during the 20 yr period. Urbanization was mainly observed in the eastern part and conversion to cropland in the mid-northern part of the catchment. At the catchment scale we found that the impacts of these land use changes on the water balance cancel each other out. However, at the sub-basin scale urbanization led to an increase of the water yield by up to 7.6%, and a similar decrease of evapotranspiration, whereas the increase of cropland resulted in an increase of evapotranspiration by up to 5.9%.

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A Coupled Numerical Investigation of the Cape Fear River Basin during Hurricane Florence (2018)

10.22541/au.161484058.84543718/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dongxiao Yin ◽

Z. George Xue ◽

Daoyang Bao ◽

Arezoo RafieeiNasab ◽

Yongjie Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Rainfall Simulation ◽

Hydrological Response ◽

Basin Scale ◽

Rainfall Volume ◽

Flood Response ◽

Cape Fear River ◽

Cape Fear ◽

Flood Simulations ◽

Peak Streamflow

In this study we adapted WRF-Hydro to the Cape Fear River basin (CFRB) to assess its performance during Hurricane Florence (2018). The model was first calibrated with a strategy of mixture of automatic and manual calibration during Florence and then evaluated with an independent hurricane event. With satisfactory NSE values (>0.4) achieved at all gages for hourly simulation, the model demonstrates its potential in simulating the flood response at both basin and sub-basin scale during hurricane events. The model’s capability in reproducing rainfall and properly translating it to hydrological response was further evaluated. The analysis suggests that the calibrated WRF-Hydro in combination with a series of WRF simulation using different microphysics schemes can provide reasonable flood simulations. The model reproduced peak streamflow observed at gage stations with acceptable errors in timing and amplitude. Meanwhile, positive(negative) bias in rainfall input is likely to be amplified (reduced) in streamflow forecast when simulated rainfall volume is larger than the “model true”. And the timing bias mostly inherited from rainfall simulation and calibration process.

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An assessment of land use change impacts on the water resources of the Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of Pune, India

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/hessd-10-1943-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 1943-1985 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

P. D. Wagner ◽

S. Kumar ◽

K. Schneider

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Water Resources ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Water Balance ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Hydrologic Model ◽

Water Yield ◽

Catchment Scale ◽

Basin Scale

Abstract. Land use changes are altering the hydrologic system and have potentially large impacts on water resources. Rapid socio-economic development drives land use change. This is particularly true in the case of the rapidly developing city of Pune, India. The present study aims at analyzing past land use changes between 1989 and 2009 and their impacts on the water balance in the Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of Pune. Land use changes were identified from three multitemporal land use classifications for the cropping years 1989/1990, 2000/2001, and 2009/2010. The hydrologic model SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) was used to assess impacts on runoff and evapotranspiration. Two model runs were performed and compared using the land use classifications of 1989/1990 and 2009/2010. The main land use changes were identified as an increase of urban area from 5.1% to 10.1% and cropland from 9.7% to 13.5% of the catchment area during the 20 yr period. Urbanization was mainly observed in the eastern part and conversion to cropland in the mid-northern part of the catchment. At the catchment scale we found that the impacts of these land use changes on the water balance cancel each other. However, at the sub-basin scale urbanization led to an increase of the water yield by up to 7.6%, and a similar decrease of evapotranspiration, whereas the increase of cropland resulted in an increase of evapotranspiration by up to 5.9%.

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Land cover change modelling in Hyrcanian forests, Northern Iran: a landscape pattern and transformation analysis perspective

Cuadernos de Investigación Geográfica ◽

10.18172/cig.3279 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 743 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

S.J. Shooshtari ◽

K. Shayesteh ◽

M. Gholamalifard ◽

M. Azari ◽

J.I. López-Moreno

Keyword(s):

Land Cover ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Timber Harvest ◽

Water Yield ◽

Hyrcanian Forest ◽

Northern Iran ◽

Territorial Planning ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

Shape Complexity ◽

Land Cover Maps

The main objective of this study is to analyze the spatio-temporal changes in land cover and land use, (1984–2010), as well to simulate future land cover for 2030 in the Neka River Basin, including the Hyrcanian forest, in northern Iran. For this purpose, we used detailed land cover maps for the years 1984, 2001 and 2010. The results showed that the highest deforestation occurred in the boundaries between forest and agriculture areas between 1984 and 2010. Comparing the observed and predicted land cover in 2010 yielded agreement of 96.41%. From 1984 to 2010, landscape metrics showed that the forest area evolved to more fragmentation, with less shape complexity and less connectivity. Projections for the future are consistent with observed changes for the Neka landscape, with a tendency to continue disaggregating and increasing diversity in a number of different patch types. Between 2010 and 2030, we observed the arrival of new crops, rangelands, and urban areas within the remaining areas of homogeneous forest. Changes in the Hyrcanian forest will cause alteration in ecosystem services, such as erosion control, water yield, timber harvest, and ground water reservation. Results of this work may represent a useful tool to provide strategies and territorial planning for sustainable management of the fragile Hyrcanian forest ecosystems in the Neka Basin.

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Distinguishing the Relative Contribution of Environmental Factors to Runoff Change in the Headwaters of the Yangtze River

Water ◽

10.3390/w11071432 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1432 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mengjing Guo ◽

Jing Li ◽

Yongsheng Wang ◽

Peng Bai ◽

Jiawei Wang

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Yangtze River ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Water Yield ◽

The Yangtze River ◽

Contribution Rate ◽

The Past ◽

Relative Contribution ◽

Runoff Change ◽

Basin Scale

The change in river flows at the basin scale reflects the combined influences of changes in various environmental factors associated with climatic and underlying surface properties. Distinguishing the relative contribution of each of these factors to runoff change is critical for sustainable water resource management, but it is also challenging. The headstream region of the Yangtze River, known as “China’s Water Tower”, has undergone a significant runoff change over the past decades. However, the relative contribution of environmental factors to runoff change is still unclear. Here, we designed a series of detrending experiments based on a grid-based hydrological model to quantify the combined influences of multiple environmental factors on runoff change and the relative contribution of an individual factor to runoff change. The results indicate that changes in climate and vegetation significantly increased water yield in the study basin over the past three decades, and the increase in water yield primarily came from the contribution from the upstream of the basin. On the basin scale, the change in precipitation dominated the runoff change that contributed up to 113.2% of the runoff change, followed by the wind speed change with a contribution rate of −15.1%. Other factors, including changes in temperature, relative humidity, sunshine duration (as a surrogate for net radiation), and albedo (as a surrogate for vegetation) had limited effects on runoff change, and the contribution rate of these factors to runoff change ranged from −5% to 5%. On spatial patterns, the influences of changes in some environmental factors on runoff changes were affected by elevation, particularly for temperature. The rising temperature had mixed effects on runoff change, which generally increased water yield at high altitudes of the basin but decreased water yield at low altitudes of the basin.

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