scholarly journals Rainstorm Magnitude Likely Regulates Event Water Fraction and Its Transit Time in Mesoscale Mountainous Catchments: Implication for Modelling Parameterization

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1169
Author(s):  
Jun-Yi Lee ◽  
Yu-Ting Shih ◽  
Chiao-Ying Lan ◽  
Tsung-Yu Lee ◽  
Tsung-Ren Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Transit Time ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Mean Transit Time ◽  
Time Estimation ◽  
Parameter Sensitivity ◽  
Hydrograph Separation ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Mountainous Catchments ◽  
Time Invariant

Event water transit time estimation has rarely been done for violent rainstorms (e.g., typhoons) in steep and fractured mountainous catchments where the range of transit time, potential controlling factors, and the validity of time-invariant parametrization are unclear. Characterized by steep landscape and torrential typhoon rainfall, Taiwan provides great opportunities for inquiring into the above questions. In this study, the hydrometrics and δ18O in rainwater and streamwater were sampled with a ~3-h interval for six typhoon events in two mesoscale catchments. The TRANSEP (transfer function hydrograph separation) model and global sensitivity analysis were applied for estimating mean transit time (MTTew) and fraction (Few) of event water and identifying the chronosequent parameter sensitivity. Results showed that the MTTew and Few varied from 2.0 to 11.0 h and from 0.2 to 0.8, respectively. Our MTTew in the mesoscale catchments is comparable with that in microscale catchments, showing a fast rainfall-runoff transfer in our steep catchments. The average rainfall intensity is a predominant indicator, which negatively affects the MTTew and positively affects the Few, likely activating preferential flow-paths and quickly transferring event water to the stream. Sensitivity analysis among inter- and intra-events demonstrates that parameter sensitivity is event-dependent and time-variant. A quick and massive subsurface flow without distinct mixing with groundwater would be triggered during large rainstorms, suggesting that time-variant parameterization should be particularly considered when estimating the MTTew in steep and fractured catchments at rainstorm scale.

scholarly journals Characterization of event water fractions and transit times under typhoon rainstorms in fractured mountainous catchments: Implications for time-variant parameterization

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-Yi Lee ◽  
Yu-Ting Shih ◽  
Chiao-Ying Lan ◽  
Tsung-Yu Lee ◽  
Tsung-Ren Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Transfer Function ◽  
Transit Time ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Mean Transit Time ◽  
Nonlinear Behavior ◽  
Parameter Sensitivity ◽  
Hydrograph Separation ◽  
Mountainous Catchments

Abstract. Transit time with its indicative significance in regulating rainfall-runoff mechanism is a key factor for understanding many biogeochemical processes, but is rarely investigated in steep and fractured mountainous catchments. Mountainous catchments in Taiwan are characterized by active endogenic tectonics and exogenic typhoons and thus provide opportunities to explore the hydrodynamic systems over time. In this study, the hydrometrics and δ18O in rain and stream water were sampled by ~ 3-hour interval for six typhoon events in two mesoscale catchments. The TRANSEP (transfer function hydrograph separation model) and global sensitivity analysis was applied for estimating mean transit time (MTTew) and fraction (Few) of event water and identifying the chronosequent parameter sensitivity. Results show that TRANSEP could satisfactorily simulate the streamflow and δ18O change with the efficiency coefficients of from 0.85 to 0.97 and from 0.61 to 0.99, respectively. The MTTew and Few varied from 2 to 11 h and from 0.2 to 0.8, respectively. Our MTTew in the meso-scale catchments is similar with that in micro-scale catchments, showing a fast transfer in our steep catchments. The mean rainfall intensity which negatively controls on the MTTew and positively on the Few is a predominant indicator which likely activates preferential flow paths and quickly transfers event water to the stream. Sensitivity analysis among inter- and intra-events suggested that parameter sensitivity is event-depend and time-variant, affirming a nonlinear behavior in event water transfer function and time-variant parameterization should be particularly considered when estimating the MTTew in steep and fractured catchments.

scholarly journals Aggregation in environmental systems: seasonal tracer cycles quantify young water fractions, but not mean transit times, in spatially heterogeneous catchments

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 3059-3103 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Kirchner
Keyword(s):  
Transit Time ◽  
Mean Transit Time ◽  
Strong Nonlinearity ◽  
Isotopic Tracers ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Benchmark Tests ◽  
Environmental Systems ◽  
Transit Times ◽  
Event Based ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Environmental heterogeneity is ubiquitous, but environmental systems are often analyzed as if they were homogeneous instead, resulting in aggregation errors that are rarely explored and almost never quantified. Here I use simple benchmark tests to explore this general problem in one specific context: the use of seasonal cycles in chemical or isotopic tracers (such as Cl−, δ18O, or δ2H) to estimate timescales of storage in catchments. Timescales of catchment storage are typically quantified by the mean transit time, meaning the average time that elapses between parcels of water entering as precipitation and leaving again as streamflow. Longer mean transit times imply greater damping of seasonal tracer cycles. Thus, the amplitudes of tracer cycles in precipitation and streamflow are commonly used to calculate catchment mean transit times. Here I show that these calculations will typically be wrong by several hundred percent, when applied to catchments with realistic degrees of spatial heterogeneity. This aggregation bias arises from the strong nonlinearity in the relationship between tracer cycle amplitude and mean travel time. I propose an alternative storage metric, the young water fraction in streamflow, defined as the fraction of runoff with transit times of less than roughly 0.2 years. I show that this young water fraction (not to be confused with event-based "new water" in hydrograph separations) is accurately predicted by seasonal tracer cycles within a precision of a few percent, across the entire range of mean transit times from almost zero to almost infinity. Importantly, this relationship is also virtually free from aggregation error. That is, seasonal tracer cycles also accurately predict the young water fraction in runoff from highly heterogeneous mixtures of subcatchments with strongly contrasting transit time distributions. Thus, although tracer cycle amplitudes yield biased and unreliable estimates of catchment mean travel times in heterogeneous catchments, they can be used reliably to estimate the fraction of young water in runoff.

scholarly journals Assessment of hydrological pathways in East African montane catchments under different land use

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4981-5000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne R. Jacobs ◽  
Edison Timbe ◽  
Björn Weeser ◽  
Mariana C. Rufino ◽  
Klaus Butterbach-Bahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Transit Time ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Mean Transit Time ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Smallholder Agriculture ◽  
Tea Plantation ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Transit Times ◽  
Water Isotope

Abstract. Conversion of natural forest (NF) to other land uses could lead to significant changes in catchment hydrology, but the nature of these changes has been insufficiently investigated in tropical montane catchments, especially in Africa. To address this knowledge gap, we aimed to identify stream water (RV) sources and flow paths in three tropical montane sub-catchments (27–36 km2) with different land use (natural forest, NF; smallholder agriculture, SHA; and commercial tea and tree plantations, TTP) within a 1021 km2 catchment in the Mau Forest complex, Kenya. Weekly samples were collected from stream water, precipitation (PC) and mobile soil water for 75 weeks and analysed for stable isotopes of water (δ2H and δ18O) for mean transit time (MTT) estimation with two lumped parameter models (gamma model, GM; and exponential piston flow model, EPM) and for the calculation of the young water fraction. Weekly samples from stream water and potential endmembers were collected over a period of 55 weeks and analysed for Li, Na, Mg, K, Rb, Sr and Ba for endmember mixing analysis (EMMA). Solute concentrations in precipitation were lower than in stream water in all catchments (p < 0.05), whereas concentrations in springs, shallow wells and wetlands were generally more similar to stream water. The stream water isotope signal was considerably damped compared to the isotope signal in precipitation. Mean transit time analysis suggested long transit times for stream water (up to 4 years) in the three sub-catchments, but model efficiencies were very low. The young water fraction ranged from 13 % in the smallholder agriculture sub-catchment to 15 % in the tea plantation sub-catchment. Mean transit times of mobile soil water ranged from 3.2–3.3 weeks in forest soils and 4.5–7.9 weeks in pasture soils at 15 cm depth to 10.4–10.8 weeks in pasture soils at 50 cm depth. The contribution of springs and wetlands to stream discharge increased from a median of 16.5 (95 % confidence interval: 11.3–22.9), 2.1 (−3.0–24.2) and 50.2 (30.5–65.5) % during low flow to 20.7 (15.2–34.7), 53.0 (23.0–91.3) and 69.4 (43.0–123.9) % during high flow in the natural forest, smallholder agriculture and tea plantation sub-catchments, respectively. Our results indicate that groundwater is an important component of stream water, irrespective of land use. The results further suggest that the selected transit time models and tracers might not be appropriate in tropical catchments with highly damped stream water isotope signatures. A more in-depth investigation of the discharge dependence of the young water fraction and transit time estimation using other tracers, such as tritium, could therefore shed more light on potential land use effects on the hydrological behaviour of tropical montane catchments.

scholarly journals Water Age in Stormwater Management Ponds and Stormwater Management Pond Treated Catchments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayla Wong
Keyword(s):  
Transit Time ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Damping Ratio ◽  
Mean Transit Time ◽  
Sine Wave ◽  
Urban Stream ◽  
Water Age ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Hydrologic Responses

Increasing coverage of impervious surfaces in urban waterways result in 'flashy' hydrologic responses, elevated flood risk, and degraded water quality. Stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) are engineered into urban stream networks to mitigate this response. However, little is known about how SWMPs affect hydrological transit time at the catchment scale. This study aims to examine water age in SWMPs and catchments of varying SWMP control. Grab samples of ∂¹⁸O and ∂²H were collected bi-weekly from two SWMPs and five stream sites with varying land cover and stormwater control in their catchments. The damping ratio (DR), young water fraction (Fyw) and mean transit time (MTT) by sine-wave fitting were calculated for each sampled site. SWMP inlet water was consistently older than water arriving at SWMP outlets. MTT decreased as catchments SWMP control increased. Surficial geology was found to have the greatest influence on catchment MTT.

scholarly journals Parameter sensitivity of a watershed-scale flood forecasting model as a function of modelling time-step

2012 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiachra O'Loughlin ◽  
Michael Bruen ◽  
Thorsten Wagener
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Strong Dependence ◽  
Flow Regimes ◽  
Flood Forecasting ◽  
Parameter Sensitivity ◽  
Hydrograph Separation ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Soil Moisture Accounting ◽  
Distributed Modelling ◽  
Sensitivity Indices

Although ongoing technological advances have alleviated data restrictions and most of the computational barriers to distributed modelling, lumped, parsimonious, conceptual and rainfall-runoff models are still widely used for flood forecasting. However both optimum parameter values and the fluxes of water through individual model components change significantly with the time-step used. Thus, such models should be used with caution in applications such as hydrograph separation or water quality studies that require the fluxes through individual flow routes through the model or which try to relate parameters to physical features of the catchment. To demonstrate this time-scale limitation, a parameter sensitivity analysis was performed on the lumped conceptual Soil Moisture Accounting and Routing with Groundwater component (SMARG) model for a 182 km2 rural catchment in Ireland for a number of time-steps, flow regimes and evaluation metrics. A global sensitivity analysis method (Higher Dimensional Model Representation) showed that sensitivity indices vary greatly with time-step and evaluation metric. The sensitivity of parameters also varied for different flow regimes. Certain parameters' sensitivities remain fairly constant across both flow regimes and time-step, while others are very much regime or time-step dependent. Care should be taken in using internal information from conceptual models because of this strong dependence on time-step.

scholarly journals Quantifying new water fractions and transit time distributions using ensemble hydrograph separation: theory and benchmark tests

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 303-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. Kirchner
Keyword(s):  
Transit Time ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Isotopic Fractionation ◽  
Hydrograph Separation ◽  
Isotopic Tracers ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Benchmark Tests ◽  
Water Fractions ◽  
Lag Times ◽  
Over Time

Abstract. Decades of hydrograph separation studies have estimated the proportions of recent precipitation in streamflow using end-member mixing of chemical or isotopic tracers. Here I propose an ensemble approach to hydrograph separation that uses regressions between tracer fluctuations in precipitation and discharge to estimate the average fraction of new water (e.g., same-day or same-week precipitation) in streamflow across an ensemble of time steps. The points comprising this ensemble can be selected to isolate conditions of particular interest, making it possible to study how the new water fraction varies as a function of catchment and storm characteristics. Even when new water fractions are highly variable over time, one can show mathematically (and confirm with benchmark tests) that ensemble hydrograph separation will accurately estimate their average. Because ensemble hydrograph separation is based on correlations between tracer fluctuations rather than on tracer mass balances, it does not require that the end-member signatures are constant over time, or that all the end-members are sampled or even known, and it is relatively unaffected by evaporative isotopic fractionation. Ensemble hydrograph separation can also be extended to a multiple regression that estimates the average (or “marginal”) transit time distribution (TTD) directly from observational data. This approach can estimate both “backward” transit time distributions (the fraction of streamflow that originated as rainfall at different lag times) and “forward” transit time distributions (the fraction of rainfall that will become future streamflow at different lag times), with and without volume-weighting, up to a user-determined maximum time lag. The approach makes no assumption about the shapes of the transit time distributions, nor does it assume that they are time-invariant, and it does not require continuous time series of tracer measurements. Benchmark tests with a nonlinear, nonstationary catchment model confirm that ensemble hydrograph separation reliably quantifies both new water fractions and transit time distributions across widely varying catchment behaviors, using either daily or weekly tracer concentrations as input. Numerical experiments with the benchmark model also illustrate how ensemble hydrograph separation can be used to quantify the effects of rainfall intensity, flow regime, and antecedent wetness on new water fractions and transit time distributions.

scholarly journals Quantifying new water fractions and transit time distributions using ensemble hydrograph separation: theory and benchmark tests

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Kirchner
Keyword(s):  
Transit Time ◽  
Isotopic Fractionation ◽  
Hydrograph Separation ◽  
Isotopic Tracers ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Benchmark Tests ◽  
Water Fractions ◽  
Lag Times ◽  
Storm Characteristics ◽  
Over Time

Abstract. Decades of hydrograph separation studies have estimated the proportions of recent precipitation in streamflow using end-member mixing of chemical or isotopic tracers. Here I propose an ensemble approach to hydrograph separation that uses regressions between tracer fluctuations in precipitation and discharge to estimate the average fraction of new water (e.g., same-day or same-week precipitation) in streamflow across an ensemble of time steps. The points comprising this ensemble can be selected to isolate conditions of particular interest, making it possible to study how the new water fraction varies as a function of catchment and storm characteristics. Even when new water fractions are highly variable over time, one can show mathematically (and confirm with benchmark tests) that ensemble hydrograph separation will accurately estimate their average. Because ensemble hydrograph separation is based on correlations between tracer fluctuations rather than on tracer mass balances, it does not require that the end-member signatures are constant over time, or that all the end-members are sampled or even known, and it is relatively unaffected by evaporative isotopic fractionation. Ensemble hydrograph separation can also be extended to a multiple regression that estimates the average (or "marginal") transit time distribution directly from observational data. This approach can estimate both "backward" transit time distributions (the fraction of streamflow that originated as rainfall at different lag times) and "forward" transit time distributions (the fraction of rainfall that will become future streamflow at different lag times), with and without volume-weighting. It makes no assumption about the shapes of the transit time distributions, nor does it assume that they are time-invariant, and it does not require continuous time series of tracer measurements. Benchmark tests with a nonlinear, nonstationary catchment model confirm that ensemble hydrograph separation reliably quantifies both new water fractions and transit time distributions across widely varying catchment behaviors, using either daily or weekly tracer concentrations as input. Numerical experiments with the benchmark model also illustrate how ensemble hydrograph separation can be used to quantify the effects of rainfall intensity, flow regime, and antecedent wetness on new water fractions and transit time distributions.

scholarly journals Aggregation in environmental systems – Part 1: Seasonal tracer cycles quantify young water fractions, but not mean transit times, in spatially heterogeneous catchments

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 279-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Kirchner
Keyword(s):  
Transit Time ◽  
Mean Transit Time ◽  
Strong Nonlinearity ◽  
Isotopic Tracers ◽  
Water Fraction ◽  
Benchmark Tests ◽  
Environmental Systems ◽  
Transit Times ◽  
Event Based ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Environmental heterogeneity is ubiquitous, but environmental systems are often analyzed as if they were homogeneous instead, resulting in aggregation errors that are rarely explored and almost never quantified. Here I use simple benchmark tests to explore this general problem in one specific context: the use of seasonal cycles in chemical or isotopic tracers (such as Cl−, δ18O, or δ2H) to estimate timescales of storage in catchments. Timescales of catchment storage are typically quantified by the mean transit time, meaning the average time that elapses between parcels of water entering as precipitation and leaving again as streamflow. Longer mean transit times imply greater damping of seasonal tracer cycles. Thus, the amplitudes of tracer cycles in precipitation and streamflow are commonly used to calculate catchment mean transit times. Here I show that these calculations will typically be wrong by several hundred percent, when applied to catchments with realistic degrees of spatial heterogeneity. This aggregation bias arises from the strong nonlinearity in the relationship between tracer cycle amplitude and mean travel time. I propose an alternative storage metric, the young water fraction in streamflow, defined as the fraction of runoff with transit times of less than roughly 0.2 years. I show that this young water fraction (not to be confused with event-based "new water" in hydrograph separations) is accurately predicted by seasonal tracer cycles within a precision of a few percent, across the entire range of mean transit times from almost zero to almost infinity. Importantly, this relationship is also virtually free from aggregation error. That is, seasonal tracer cycles also accurately predict the young water fraction in runoff from highly heterogeneous mixtures of subcatchments with strongly contrasting transit-time distributions. Thus, although tracer cycle amplitudes yield biased and unreliable estimates of catchment mean travel times in heterogeneous catchments, they can be used to reliably estimate the fraction of young water in runoff.

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