scholarly journals Assessment of Surface Hydrological Connectivity in an Ungauged Multi-Lake System with a Combined Approach Using Geostatistics and Spaceborne SAR Observations

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2780
Author(s):  
Yueqing Chen ◽  
Lili Wu ◽  
Guangxin Zhang ◽  
Y. Jun Xu ◽  
Zhiqiang Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Threshold Effect ◽  
Hydrological Connectivity ◽  
Lake System ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Binary State ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Overbank Flow ◽  
Human Use

Connectivity metrics for surface water are important for predicting floods and droughts, and improving water management for human use and ecological integrity at the landscape scale. The integrated use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations and geostatistics approach can be useful for developing and quantifying these metrics and their changes, including geostatistical connectivity function (GCF), maximum distance of connection (MDC), surface water extent (SWE), and connection frequency. In this study, we conducted a geostatistical analysis based on 52 wet and dry binary state (i.e., water and non-water) rasters derived from Sentinel-1 A/B GRD products acquired from 2015 to 2019 for China’s Momoge National Nature Reserve to investigate applicability and dynamics of the hydrologic connectivity metrics in an ungauged (i.e., data such as flow and water level are scarce) multi-lake system. We found: (1) generally, the change of GCF in North–South and Northeast–Southwest directions was greater than that in the West–East and Northwest–Southeast directions; (2) MDC had a threshold effect, generally at most 25 km along the W–E, NW–SE and NE–SW directions, and at most 45 km along the N–S direction; (3) the flow paths between lakes are diverse, including channelized flow, diffusive overbank flow, over-road flow and “fill-and-merge”; (4) generally, the values of the three surface hydrological connectivity indicators (i.e., the MDC, the SWE, and the conneciton frequency) all increased from May to August, and decreased from August to October; (5) generally, the closer the distance between the lakes, the greater the connection frequency, but it is also affected by the dam and road barrier. The study demonstrates the usefulness of the geostatistical method combining Sentinel-1 SAR image analysis in quantifying surface hydrological connectivity in an ungagged area. This approach should be applicable for other geographical regions, in order help resource managers and policymakers identify changes in surface hydrological connectivity, as well as address potential impacts of these changes on water resources for human use and/or ecological integrity at the landscape level.

scholarly journals Integrating the JRC Monthly Water History Dataset and Geostatistical Analysis Approach to Quantify Surface Hydrological Connectivity Dynamics in an Ungauged Multi-Lake System

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 497
Author(s):  
Lili Wu ◽  
Yueqing Chen ◽  
Guangxin Zhang ◽  
Y. Jun Xu ◽  
Zhiqiang Tan
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Wetland Management ◽  
Reduction Rate ◽  
Geostatistical Analysis ◽  
Hydrological Connectivity ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Lake System ◽  
The North ◽  
Geographical Regions

Determining the dynamics of surface hydrological connectivity in a landscape of multiple lakes with different sizes and depths is challenging. This is especially the case for ungagged, large areas of multi-lake systems. Integrated use of remote sensing and geostatistical analysis can be a useful approach for developing metrics that can be used to identify the hydrological connectivity and their changes. In this study, we conducted a geostatistical analysis of 18 wet and dry binary state rasters derived from Landsat images over a large ungauged multi-lake system, the Momoge National Nature Reserve in Northeast China. Our goal was to investigate applicability and dynamics of three surface hydrological connectivity metrics, namely, geostatistical connectivity function (GCF), maximum distance of connection (MDC), and surface water extent (SWE) of the top 10 largest connectomes (i.e., seasonally connected water bodies). We found that, during a dry year, the reduction rate of the GCF curve was slower along the west–east (W–E) direction than along the north–south (N–S) direction, which was contrary to the patterns exhibited in a normal or wet year. The minimum values of the MDC in W–E and N–S directions in the dry year were 22.4 km and 6.3 km, respectively, while the maximum values of the MDC along the above two directions in the wet year were 50.7 km and 65.1 km, respectively. The components and spatial distribution of the top 10 largest connectomes changed dramatically in different months of each hydrological year, resulting in a huge change in the monthly SWE of the top 10 largest connectomes. Overall, this study validated the usefulness of combining remote sensing image analysis with geostatistical methods to quantify the surface hydrological connectivity from different perspectives in an ungauged area. The approach may be applicable to studies in other geographical regions, to guide water resources and wetland management practices.

scholarly journals A Hydrologic Landscapes Perspective on Groundwater Connectivity of Depressional Wetlands

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian P. Neff ◽  
Donald O. Rosenberry ◽  
Scott G. Leibowitz ◽  
Dave M. Mushet ◽  
Heather E. Golden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Groundwater Discharge ◽  
Depressional Wetlands ◽  
Hydrologic Connectivity ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Depressional Wetland ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Flow Through

Research into processes governing the hydrologic connectivity of depressional wetlands has advanced rapidly in recent years. Nevertheless, a need persists for broadly applicable, non-site-specific guidance to facilitate further research. Here, we explicitly use the hydrologic landscapes theoretical framework to develop broadly applicable conceptual knowledge of depressional-wetland hydrologic connectivity. We used a numerical model to simulate the groundwater flow through five generic hydrologic landscapes. Next, we inserted depressional wetlands into the generic landscapes and repeated the modeling exercise. The results strongly characterize groundwater connectivity from uplands to lowlands as being predominantly indirect. Groundwater flowed from uplands and most of it was discharged to the surface at a concave-upward break in slope, possibly continuing as surface water to lowlands. Additionally, we found that groundwater connectivity of the depressional wetlands was primarily determined by the slope of the adjacent water table. However, we identified certain arrangements of landforms that caused the water table to fall sharply and not follow the surface contour. Finally, we synthesize our findings and provide guidance to practitioners and resource managers regarding the management significance of indirect groundwater discharge and the effect of depressional wetland groundwater connectivity on pond permanence and connectivity.

scholarly journals Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions in “La Charca de Suárez” Wetlands, Spain

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 344
Author(s):  
Angela M. Blanco-Coronas ◽  
Manuel López-Chicano ◽  
Maria L. Calvache ◽  
José Benavente ◽  
Carlos Duque
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Exchange Flow ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Activity Setting ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Flow Directions ◽  
Human Use

La Charca de Suárez (LCS) is a Protected Nature Reserve encompassing 4 lagoons located 300 m from the Mediterranean coast in southern Spain. LCS is a highly anthropized area, and its conservation is closely linked to the human use of water resources in its surroundings and within the reserve. Different methodologies were applied to determine the hydrodynamics of the lagoons and their connection to the Motril-Salobreña aquifer. Fieldwork was carried out to estimate the water balance of the lagoon complex, the groundwater flow directions, the lagoons-aquifer exchange flow and the hydrochemical characteristics of the water. The study focussed on the changes that take place during dry-wet periods that were detected in a 7-month period when measurements were collected. The lagoons were connected to the aquifer with a flow-through functioning under normal conditions. However, the predominant inlet to the system was the anthropic supply of surface water which fed one of the lagoons and produced changes in its flow pattern. Sea wave storms also altered the hydrodynamic of the lagoon complex and manifested a future threat to the conservation status of the wetland according to predicted climate change scenarios. This research presents the first study on this wetland and reveals the complex hydrological functioning of the system with high spatially and temporally variability controlled by climate conditions and human activity, setting a corner stone for future studies.

scholarly journals Analysis of Floodplain Dynamics in the Atrato River Colombia Using SAR Interferometry

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastián Palomino-Ángel ◽  
Jesús A. Anaya-Acevedo ◽  
Marc Simard ◽  
Tien-Hao Liao ◽  
Fernando Jaramillo
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Level ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Sar Interferometry ◽  
Hydrological Connectivity ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Alos Palsar ◽  
Water Flows ◽  
Main River Channel ◽  
Synthetic Aperture Radars

Floodplain water flows have large volumetric flowrates and high complexity in space and time that are difficult to understand using water level gauges. We here analyze the spatial and temporal fluctuations of surface water flows in the floodplain of the Atrato River, Colombia, in order to evaluate their hydrological connectivity. The basin is one of the rainiest areas of the world with wetland ecosystems threatened by the expansion of agriculture and mining activities. We used 16 Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radars (DInSAR) phase observations from the ALOS-PALSAR L-band instrument acquired between 2008–2010 to characterize the flow of surface water. We were able to observe water level change in vegetated wetland areas and identify flooding patterns. In the lower basin, flow patterns are conditioned by fluctuations in the levels of the main river channel, whereas in the middle basin, topography and superficial channels strongly influence the flow and connectivity. We found that the variations in water level in a station on the main channel 87 km upstream explained more than 56% of the variations in water level in the floodplain. This result shows that, despite current expansion of agriculture and mining activities, there remain significant hydrological connectivity between wetlands and the Atrato River. This study demonstrates the use of DInSAR for a spatially comprehensive monitoring of the Atrato River basin hydrology. For the first time, we identified the spatiotemporal patterns of surface water flow of the region. We recommend these observations serve as a baseline to monitor the potential impact of ongoing human activities on surface water flows across the Atrato River basin.

Climate change vs. human impact. A look into Austrian groundwater

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Christoph Haas ◽  
Steffen Birk
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Human Impact ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Special Role ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Human Use ◽  
The Impact

<p>Climate change is mostly associated with the term of “global warming” and thus conjures images of a hotter and dryer future. Indeed, the Alpine region already has seen much higher warming compared to the average of the northern hemisphere [1]. However, because of the impact of other climate variables (e.g. precipitation) and vegetation responses, warming does not necessarily have to mean higher evapotranspiration and dryer conditions [2]. This matter is further complicated as groundwater is closely interlinked with surface water. While surface water is of course related to precipitation, it is also one of the major pathways for humans to have a large and direct impact on the water cycle, e.g. by the construction of run-of-river powerplants. A further direct human impact is the abstraction of groundwater. For this factor, it is generally understood that water use increased with economic activity until the rise of environmentalism in the 1980s and more efficient water use stopped this trend and turned it into a decrease in many industrialized countries.</p><p> </p><p>Assessing impacts of climate change on groundwater resources therefore is a challenging task. In order to assess these, as well as direct human impacts on groundwater, we analyzed a large dataset (1017 groundwater level-, 426 stream stage- and 646 precipitation time series) covering Austria from earlier than 1930 until 2015, with the majority of the data from the 1970s on.</p><p> </p><p>It is shown that groundwater shows a strong falling trend, followed by a rise, fitting the human water use, whereas precipitation shows a more moderate trend. River stages show a completely deviating behavior before the 1980s but also follow the rising trend afterwards [3]. While this does not yet prove a causal link, it does highlight the possibility that human use could affect groundwater levels more than the climate, especially since Austria almost exclusively uses groundwater for human use and the wells in the dataset are all located in the populated lowlands.</p><p> </p><p>Going beyond [3], we take a closer look at the history and future of the human factor, namely water abstraction for public water supply and the effects of humans on rivers. We show that Austria has a very particular form of water supply, mainly due to the special role of the capital, Vienna, whose history could see a repeat in the near future. Under a changing climate, there is also a possibility for further changes in Austria’s rivers. In addition to effects of such changes on groundwater levels, we try to address potential impacts on the chemical quality and ecological status of groundwater.</p><p> </p><p>References:</p><p>[1] Gobiet et al., 2014, 21<sup>st</sup> century climate change in the European alps-a review. Sci. Total. Environ. 493, 1138 – 1151.</p><p>[2] Pangle et al., 2014, Rainfall seasonality and an ecohydrological feedback offset the potential impact of climate warming on evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge, Water Resour. Res., 50, 1308–1321</p><p>[3] Haas & Birk, 2019, Trends in Austrian groundwater – climate or human impact? J. Hydrol.: Reg. Stud. 22, 100597</p>

Assessing surface water–groundwater interactions in a complex river‐floodplain wetland‐isolated lake system

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunliang Li ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Jianrong Lu ◽  
Jing Yao ◽  
Zhiqiang Tan
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Floodplain Wetland ◽  
River Floodplain ◽  
Lake System

Application of semi-distributed hydrological model to simulate the lake volumes of small closed lakes in the Northern Kazakhstan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurlan Ongdas ◽  
Vadim Yapiyev ◽  
Farida Akiyanova ◽  
Adlet Nazhbiyev ◽  
Yergali Karakulov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Distributed Hydrological Model ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Lake System ◽  
Northern Kazakhstan

<p>Burabay National Nature Park (BNNP), which is famous for its beautiful lakes and pine forests, is an important tourist destination and biodiversity hot spot in cold, semi-arid Northern Kazakhstan, Central Asia. BNNP lake system is being influenced by increasing anthropogenic pressures and climate change impacts. Lake level declines observed from 2008 to 2013 followed by rebound from 2013 onwards raised concerns about the future of these unique lakes. Previous studies on BNNP lakes showed that its steady long-term water storage decline was mainly due to a natural water balance deficit, with evaporation (from the lakes and catchments) exceeding precipitation. Next, to obtain a deeper understanding of this complex lake system, we studied the BNNP’s catchments by applying a hydrological model. This work is the first attempt to simulate the hydrological processes in two key BNNP lakes (Ulken Shabakty and Burabay) using a semi-distributed hydrological model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The available daily lake level measurements were transformed into lake volumes using the data from a recent bathymetric survey and Surface Volume tool of ArcGIS. The level of Burabay Lake is determined by its main outlet, Gromotukha river, that discharges the excess water from Burabay Lake to Ulken Shabakty. Therefore, it acts as a natural reservoir and allows to use the Reservoir function of SWAT. Calibration of the model by lake volumes was done for years 2010-2013 and the model performed well for both lakes (NSE 0.71 and 0.57; KGE 0.77 and 0.73; PBIAS -0.9 and -0.4 for Ulken Shabakty and Burabay, respectively). However, during validation for years 2014-2016 the model performance decreased considerably (NSE -23.94 and -0.35, KGE 0.12 and -0.35, PBIAS 7.6 and -0.3 for Ulken Shabakty and Burabay, respectively). SWAT substantially overestimated the lake volumes for Ulken Shabakty by 0.01 km<sup>3</sup> on average for the validation period. This extreme overestimation highlights the specific features of both basins, which has to do with the local subsurface flows. Due to the relatively simplistic representation of groundwater in SWAT and the absence of comprehensive groundwater data, the calibrated model might not have been able to fully capture the complexity of the actual hydrogeologic system. As a result, smaller in size surface catchment boundary (in the case of Ulken Shabakty Lake) is considered in comparison to potentially larger groundwater catchment boundary. In addition, two years (2010 and 2012) used for calibration were drought years, during which the model might have compensated for the lower groundwater flows by simulating enhanced surface runoff and lateral flow. As a result, during the following years with normal and higher precipitation amounts (2013-2016) significantly higher surface runoff was generated. Further studies using coupled groundwater and surface water models are necessary to understand the interactions between groundwater and surface water.</p>

Getting the Message Across: Using Ecological Integrity to Communicate with Resource Managers

2014 ◽  
pp. 199-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian R. Mitchell ◽  
Geraldine L. Tierney ◽  
E. William Schweiger ◽  
Kathryn M. Miller ◽  
Don Faber-Langendoen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Resource Managers
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