scholarly journals Modelling Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Large Wood Recruitment, Transport, and Deposition at the River Reach Scale during Extreme Floods

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Zischg ◽  
Niccolo Galatioto ◽  
Silvana Deplazes ◽  
Rolf Weingartner ◽  
Bruno Mazzorana

Large wood (LW) can lead to clogging at bridges and thus cause obstruction, followed by floodplain inundation. Moreover, colliding logs can cause severe damage to bridges, defense structures, and other infrastructure elements. The factors influencing spatiotemporal LW dynamics (LWD) during extreme floods vary remarkably across river basins and flood scenarios. However, there is a lack of methods to estimate the amount of LW in rivers during extreme floods. Modelling approaches allow for a reliable assessment of LW dynamics during extreme flood events by determining LW recruitment, transport, and deposition patterns. Here, we present a method for simulating LWD on a river reach scale implemented in R (LWDsimR). We extended a previously developed LW transport model with a tree recognition model on the basis of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data for LW recruitment simulation. In addition, we coupled the LWD simulation model with the hydrodynamic simulation model Basic Simulation Environment for Computation of Environmental Flow and Natural Hazard Simulation (BASEMENT-ETH) by adapting the existing LW transport model to be used on irregular meshes. The model has been applied in the Aare River basin (Switzerland) to quantify mobilized LW volumes and the associated flow paths in a probable maximum flood scenario.

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 665
Author(s):  
Chanchai Petpongpan ◽  
Chaiwat Ekkawatpanit ◽  
Supattra Visessri ◽  
Duangrudee Kositgittiwong

Due to a continuous increase in global temperature, the climate has been changing without sign of alleviation. An increase in the air temperature has caused changes in the hydrologic cycle, which have been followed by several emergencies of natural extreme events around the world. Thailand is one of the countries that has incurred a huge loss in assets and lives from the extreme flood and drought events, especially in the northern part. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the hydrological regime in the Yom and Nan River basins, affected by climate change as well as the possibility of extreme floods and droughts. The hydrological processes of the study areas were generated via the physically-based hydrological model, namely the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The projected climate conditions were dependent on the outputs of the Global Climate Models (GCMs) as the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 2.6 and 8.5 between 2021 and 2095. Results show that the average air temperature, annual rainfall, and annual runoff will be significantly increased in the intermediate future (2046–2070) onwards, especially under RCP 8.5. According to the Flow Duration Curve and return period of peak discharge, there are fluctuating trends in the occurrence of extreme floods and drought events under RCP 2.6 from the future (2021–2045) to the far future (2071–2095). However, under RCP 8.5, the extreme flood and drought events seem to be more severe. The probability of extreme flood remains constant from the reference period to the near future, then rises dramatically in the intermediate and the far future. The intensity of extreme droughts will be increased in the near future and decreased in the intermediate future due to high annual rainfall, then tending to have an upward trend in the far future.


2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-242
Author(s):  
Ian H. Halket ◽  
Peter F. Rasmussen ◽  
John C. Doering

One-dimensional substance transport models assume that the river reach modelled has a uniform cross-sectional shape which manifests as a constant average velocity in the model equations. Rarely do rivers meet this criterion. Their channels are seldom uniform in shape but rather alternate in a quasi-periodic manner between pool and riffle sections. This bedform sequencing imparts a corresponding variation in the average cross-sectional velocity which is not accounted for in constant velocity transport models. The literature points out that the pool and riffle planform may be the reason for the sometimes poor predictions obtained from these models. This paper presents a new variable velocity transport model and confirms that the fluctuation in average cross-sectional velocity caused by the pool and riffle planform does have a marked effect on transport in rivers. The pool and riffle planform promotes an enhanced decay of a substance when a first-order biochemical reaction is simulated with the new transport equation. Investigation of the analytical solution shows that the enhanced decay is the result of the overall lower velocity experienced in a pool and riffle channel as opposed to a uniform channel. This difference in transport velocity between a pool and riffle channel and a uniform channel becomes more pronounced as flow declines a critical finding for total maximum daily load calculations because these regulatory limits are usually determined for low flow levels by models that do not account for this phenomenon.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 5503-5515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Hirashima ◽  
Francesco Avanzi ◽  
Satoru Yamaguchi

Abstract. The heterogeneous movement of liquid water through the snowpack during precipitation and snowmelt leads to complex liquid water distributions that are important for avalanche and runoff forecasting. We reproduced the formation of capillary barriers and the development of preferential flow through snow using a three-dimensional water transport model, which was then validated using laboratory experiments of liquid water infiltration into layered, initially dry snow. Three-dimensional simulations assumed the same column shape and size, grain size, snow density, and water input rate as the laboratory experiments. Model evaluation focused on the timing of water movement, thickness of the upper layer affected by ponding, water content profiles and wet snow fraction. Simulation results showed that the model reconstructs relevant features of capillary barriers, including ponding in the upper layer, preferential infiltration far from the interface, and the timing of liquid water arrival at the snow base. In contrast, the area of preferential flow paths was usually underestimated and consequently the averaged water content in areas characterized by preferential flow paths was also underestimated. Improving the representation of preferential infiltration into initially dry snow is necessary to reproduce the transition from a dry-snow-dominant condition to a wet-snow-dominant one, especially in long-period simulations.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Spreitzer ◽  
Isabella Schalko ◽  
Robert M. Boes ◽  
Volker Weitbrecht

<p>Large wood (LW) and logjams are common and important elements in rivers, yet knowledge about composition, volume and porosity of wooden structures in streams is still limited. Most studies apply a rectangular approach (manually measuring a rough bounding-box of the logjam) to estimate LW accumulation volume and porosity. However, this method cannot capture the complex dimensions of LW accumulations and may introduce an additional human-made estimation error. Furthermore, there is a risk of accidents involved when obtaining manual measurements on logjams in the field. Drones represent a powerful tool in geosciences, yet their potential has not been fully exploited to date. The application of non-intrusive quantification methods is widely available in geosciences and recently also increasing for research related to LW in rivers. Recent studies demonstrated that drone imagery and Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry provide true replicates of prototype logjams in form of 3D-models. In the present study we used video footage of a LW accumulation, obtained via standard drone (DJI Phantom 4 Pro+), to evaluate its potential for a rapid assessment of geometric measures (e.g. length, width, height, volume) of the LW accumulation. The gained results from the 4k drone video footage (4,096 x 2,160 pixels) were scaled solely from the obtained video georeferencing data and verified with a properly scaled 3D-accumulation-model that has been generated from high resolution drone imagery (5,472 x 3,648 pixels). We are interested in the level of detail and accuracy, that can be obtained from georeferenced drone footage, and aim to introduce a practical and more reliable assessment method as a state-of-the-art alternative to the traditionally applied rectangular approach. Our study may be of interest for river managers and engineers to rapidly and safely assess LW accumulation volume and porosity in the field.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 727-745
Author(s):  
Tao Liu ◽  
Lin Ji ◽  
Victor R Baker ◽  
Tessa M Harden ◽  
Michael L Cline

Given its singular importance for water resources in the southwestern USA, the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) is remarkable for the paucity of its conventional hydrological record of extreme flooding. Short-term record-based flood frequency analyses lead to very great aleatory uncertainties about infrequent extreme flood events and their climate-driven causal associations. This study uses paleoflood hydrology to examine a small portion of the underutilized, but very extensive natural record of Holocene extreme floods in the UCRB. We perform a meta-analysis of 82 extreme paleofloods from 18 slack water deposit sites in the UCRB to show linkages between Holocene climate patterns and extreme floods. The analysis demonstrates several clusters of extreme flood activity: 8040–7960, 4400–4300, 3600–3460, 2900–2740, 2390–1980, 1810–720, and 600–0 years BP. The extreme paleofloods were found to occur during both dry and wet periods in the paleoclimate record. When compared with independent paleoclimatic records across the Rocky Mountains and the southwestern USA, the observed temporal clustering pattern of UCRB extreme paleofloods shows associations with periods of abruptly intensified North Pacific-derived storms connected with enhanced variability of El Niño. This approach demonstrates the value of creating paleohydrological databases and comparing them with hydro-climatic proxies in order to identify natural patterns and to discover possible linkages to fundamental processes such as changes in climate.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 2053-2058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Ravazzolo ◽  
Luca Mao ◽  
Bruno Mazzorana ◽  
Virginia Ruiz-Villanueva

Abstract. Large wood transported during extreme flood events can represent a relevant additional source of hazards that should be taken into account in mountain environments. However, direct observations and monitoring of large-wood transport during floods are difficult and scarce. Here we present a video of a flood characterised by multiple phases of large-wood transport, including an initial phase of wood-laden flow rarely described in the literature. Estimations of flow velocity and transported wood volume provide a good opportunity to develop models of large-wood-congested transport.


Author(s):  
Takatoshi Asada ◽  
Yosuke Hirata ◽  
Susumu Naito ◽  
Mikio Izumi ◽  
Yukio Yoshimura

In alpha radioactivity measurement using ionized air transportation (AMAT), conversion from ion currents to radioactivity accurate is required. An ion transport simulation provides ways of complementarily determining conversion factors. We have developed an ion transport simulation model. Simulation results were compared with experiments with air speeds, faster than 1 m/s, achieving good agreement. In a practical AMAT apparatus, the air-flow at the alpha source may be slower than 1 m/s, and ion loss is likely to be large. Reinforcement of the ion transport model to cover the lower air speed region is effective. Ions are generated by an alpha particle in a very thin column. Since the ion density at this temporal stage is high, the recombination loss, proportional to the square of ion density, is dominant within a few milli-seconds. The spatial and temporal scales of this columnar recombination are too small for CFD simulation. We solve an ion transport equation during the period of columnar recombination with diffusion and recombination terms and incorporated the relation between ion loss and turbulent parameters into CFD. Using this model, simulations have been done for various air speeds and targets. Those for simulation results agree with experiments, showing improvement of simulation accuracy.


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 3033-3053 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. V. Manh ◽  
N. V. Dung ◽  
N. N. Hung ◽  
B. Merz ◽  
H. Apel

Abstract. Sediment dynamics play a major role in the agricultural and fishery productivity of the Mekong Delta. However, the understanding of sediment dynamics in the delta, one of the most complex river deltas in the world, is very limited. This is a consequence of its large extent, the intricate system of rivers, channels and floodplains, and the scarcity of observations. This study quantifies, for the first time, the suspended sediment transport and sediment deposition in the whole Mekong Delta. To this end, a quasi-2D hydrodynamic model is combined with a cohesive sediment transport model. The combined model is calibrated using six objective functions to represent the different aspects of the hydraulic and sediment transport components. The model is calibrated for the extreme flood season in 2011 and shows good performance for 2 validation years with very different flood characteristics. It is shown how sediment transport and sediment deposition is differentiated from Kratie at the entrance of the delta on its way to the coast. The main factors influencing the spatial sediment dynamics are the river and channel system, dike rings, sluice gate operations, the magnitude of the floods, and tidal influences. The superposition of these factors leads to high spatial variability of sediment transport, in particular in the Vietnamese floodplains. Depending on the flood magnitude, annual sediment loads reaching the coast vary from 48 to 60% of the sediment load at Kratie. Deposited sediment varies from 19 to 23% of the annual load at Kratie in Cambodian floodplains, and from 1 to 6% in the compartmented and diked floodplains in Vietnam. Annual deposited nutrients (N, P, K), which are associated with the sediment deposition, provide on average more than 50% of mineral fertilizers typically applied for rice crops in non-flooded ring dike floodplains in Vietnam. Through the quantification of sediment and related nutrient input, the presented study provides a quantitative basis for estimating the benefits of annual Mekong floods for agriculture and fishery, and is an important piece of information with regard to the assessment of the impacts of deltaic subsidence and climate-change-related sea level rise on delta morphology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Zhen Xiang Soo ◽  
Wan Zurina Wan Jaafar ◽  
Sai Hin Lai ◽  
Faridah Othman ◽  
Ahmed Elshafie ◽  
...  

Abstract Even though satellite precipitation products have received an increasing amount of attention in hydrology and meteorology, their estimations are prone to bias. This study investigates the three approaches of bias correction, i.e., linear scaling (LS), local intensity scaling (LOCI) and power transformation (PT), on the three advanced satellite precipitation products (SPPs), i.e., CMORPH, TRMM and PERSIANN over the Langat river basin, Malaysia by focusing on five selected extreme floods due to northeast monsoon season. Results found the LS scheme was able to match the mean precipitation of every SPP but does not correct standard deviation (SD) or coefficient of variation (CV) of the estimations regardless of extreme floods selected. For LOCI scheme, only TRMM and CMORPH estimations in certain floods have showed some improvement in their results. This might be due to the rainfall threshold set in correcting process. PT scheme was found to be the best method as it improved most of the statistical performances as well as the rainfall distribution of the floods. Sensitivity of the parameters used in the bias correction is also investigated. PT scheme is found to be least sensitive in correcting the daily SPPs compared to the other two schemes. However, careful consideration should be given for correcting the CMORPH and PERSIANN estimations.


Geografie ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-50
Author(s):  
Jakub Langhammer

The extreme flood events in the last decade in Central Europe served as a unique opportunity to study the impact of environmental changes on runoff process, to test the methods of their efficient assessment and to determine the applicability of the findings in effective flood protection measures. The paper presents the assessment of impact of environmental changes in landscape on the course and consequences of extreme floods. Assessment draws on selected indicators of environmental transformation related to rainfall-runoff processes, flood wave formation and transformation, and local retention capacity. The solution is based on geostatistical approach and applies to the Otava river basin located in the core zone of the extreme floods in August 2002 in Central Europe and representing area with high level of heterogeneity in terms of physicogeographic and social and economic aspects. The results of the presented research indicated evident links between physicogeographic characteristics of river basins, their anthropogenic transformation, and responses to extreme runoff situations. However the results hasn't proved the current intensity of river network shortening, riverbed transformation or floodplain and landscape modifications to be the main driving force of extremity of the flooding that occurred in August 2002 in Central Europe.


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