Hydrological characterization of livestock watering ponds in semi-arid rangelands of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ubaldo Marín-Comitre ◽  
Susanne Schnabel ◽  
Manuel Pulido-Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Antecedent Rainfall ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Pond Size ◽  
Semi Arid

<p>Watering ponds are the main source of drinking water supply for livestock in the rangelands of the SW Iberian Peninsula. Most of these ponds consist of small earth dams which collect surface runoff from intermittent streams, with pond sizes rarely exceeding 1 ha. Understanding the hydrological functioning of this type of infrastructures is crucial for an efficient water management in extensive livestock farms, especially in semi-arid areas, where water resources are often scarce.</p><p>In this line, we have analysed the temporal patterns of water availability in a sample of representative livestock watering ponds in the SW Iberian Peninsula, being the objectives (1) to determine the influence of temporal rainfall variability on water availability in the ponds; (2) to examine the influence of factors such as pond size and catchment area on the effectiveness of the ponds, understood as their capacity to keep water during dry periods; and (3) to suggest minimum values for those factors, which can serve as a guide for the design of watering ponds in comparable rangeland areas. The applied methodology was primarily based on the analysis of aerial photographs and rainfall data available from public sources, requiring only few field measurements, and could therefore be used in areas with data scarcity.</p><p>High correlation coefficients were obtained between the water availability observed in the ponds and the antecedent rainfall at several time scales, evidencing the principal role of precipitation in the hydrological dynamics of these infrastructures in the study area. The accumulation periods (AP) of antecedent rainfall that best explained the hydrological response of the ponds depended largely on pond size. In those ponds whose maximum flooded area (A<sub>max</sub>) was less than 2000 m<sup>2</sup>, water availability in the ponds was greatly influenced by AP between 2 and 5 months, while for the ponds larger than 2000 m<sup>2</sup>, the best correlations were obtained for AP greater than 6 months. These results highlight the key role of the size of the ponds in their effectiveness. Thus, since the dry season usually lasts in the study area for 3-4 months, the large ponds (A<sub>max</sub> > 2000 m<sup>2</sup>) could remain operational throughout the summer, if it rains enough during the wet season and if their watersheds are large enough to allow a sufficiently high pond water level to be reached at the end of the wet season. In relation to the latter, the analyses carried out led us to suggest, for the study area, a minimum value of the catchment-area/pond-capacity ratio around 100 m<sup>-1</sup>.</p><p>Moreover, the analysis of the water availability observed in the ponds under drought conditions (i.e., with an antecedent rainfall substantially lower than normal for the corresponding time of year) revealed a high vulnerability to droughts in most of the ponds, which limits their use as the sole source of water supply in many farms.</p>

scholarly journals Hydrological Characterization of Watering Ponds in Rangeland Farms in the Southwest Iberian Peninsula

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ubaldo Marín-Comitre ◽  
Susanne Schnabel ◽  
Manuel Pulido-Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Summer Period ◽  
Arid Rangelands ◽  
The One ◽  
Hydrological Functioning

Watering ponds are an important source of drinking water supply for livestock in semi-arid rangelands. Understanding the hydrological functioning of this kind of infrastructures is crucial for efficient water management in areas where water resources are often scarce. In this line, we have analyzed temporal patterns of water availability in a set of watering ponds located in Iberian rangelands and their relationship with temporal rainfall variability. In addition, the effectiveness of the ponds for conserving stored water during dry periods and some influencing factors (pond size and catchment area) have also been assessed. The results showed a high correlation between water availability and precedent rainfall, confirming, on the one hand, the capacity of storage of these infrastructures and, on the other hand, the importance of temporal rainfall patterns in their hydrological behavior. Our findings point to a minimum pond area of 2000 m2 and a catchment area/storage capacity ratio around 100 m−1 in order for watering ponds can face the dry summer period with certain guarantees, at least in regular hydrological years. Nonetheless, the vulnerability shown by the majority of the watering ponds in times of drought limits their usefulness as unique sources of water supply in many farms.

Enhancing food security in semi-arid eastern Indonesia through permanent raised-bed cropping: a review

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 1035 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Van Cooten ◽  
A. K. Borrell
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Additional Food ◽  
Eastern Indonesia ◽  
Raised Bed ◽  
Semi Arid

Summary. Much of south-eastern Indonesia is mountainous and characterised by a semi-arid tropical environment. Soil erosion is a significant environmental problem facing the region, affecting both productivity of the land and water quality. The challenge for the region is to secure year-round food production in such a fragile environment. More than 90% of rain falls in a distinct wet season between November and April. Therefore, cropping in this region is dependent on matching crop growth with water supply. In particular, crop production depends on the efficient use of rainfall during the wet season, including avoidance of waterlogging, and efficient use of stored soil water during the dry season. This paper summarises the results of a series of experiments undertaken in West Timor, Indonesia, between 1993 and 1999 aimed at developing a raised-bed cropping system. The objective of these studies was to better utilise the more fertile alluvial soils that are often susceptible to waterlogging during the wet season, allowing a range of crops to be grown in addition to rice. Raised beds of height 0.2 m and width 1.5 m were constructed either manually or with an 8.5 hp two-wheeled hand tractor. A range of crops including soybeans, sorghum, maize, pigeon pea, yam bean and cassava were successfully grown on raised beds in the wet season in addition to rice, indicating that raised-bed technology overcomes the constraints of waterlogging in the wet season. Soybeans grew particularly well on raised beds, with December-sown crops producing almost twice the yield of January-sown crops (2.6 v. 1.4 t/ha). For rice and soybeans, early sown crops were better able to match growth with water supply, thereby avoiding end-of-season drought. Early sowing and harvesting of wet season crops enables a drought-resistant crop such as sorghum to be planted in lateMarch or early April, utilising the stored soil moisture for grain production and also maintaining ground cover in the dry season. It is argued that cropping systems based on permanent raised beds can reduce erosion in 2 ways. First, raised beds are a permanent structure and, with the inter-cropping and relay-cropping proposed, crops can provide all-year ground cover in lowland areas. Second, if sufficient food and cash crops are grown on raised beds to meet the basic needs of subsistence farmers, then upland cropping on steep slopes can be replaced by a variety of tree species, providing additional food, fodder, firewood and medicines. Together, these strategies have the capacity to enhance food production and security in the semi-arid areas of eastern Indonesia.

Vegetation indices as a proxy for spatio-temporal variations in water availability in the semi-arid Rio Santa valley (Callejón de Huaylas, Peru)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenz Hänchen ◽  
Cornelia Klein ◽  
Fabien Maussion ◽  
Wolfgang Gurgiser ◽  
Georg Wohlfahrt
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Vegetation Indices ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Rainfall Data ◽  
Season Length ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Over Time

<p>In the semi-arid Peruvian Andes, the agricultural growing season is mostly determined by the timing of the onset and cessation of the wet season, to which annual crop yields are highly sensitive. Recently, local farmers in the Rio Santa valley (Callejón de Huaylas) bordered by the glaciated Coordillera Blanca to the east and the unglaciated Coordillera Negra to the west, reported increasing challenges in the predictability of the onset, more frequent dry spells and extreme precipitation events during the wet season. Previous studies based on time-series of local rain gauges however did not show any significant changes in either timing or intensity of the wet season. Both in-situ and satellite rainfall data for the region lack the necessary spatial resolution to capture the highly variable rainfall distribution typical for complex terrain, and are often of questionable quality and temporal consistency. As in other Andean valleys, there remains considerable uncertainty in the Rio Santa basin regarding hydrological changes over the last decades. These changes are of a great concern for the local society and the lacking knowledge about changes in water availability (i.e. rainfall) and water demand (i.e. land use practices) hinder the assessment of relevant factors for the development of adaption strategies.</p><p>The over-archiving goal of this study was to better understand variability and recent changes of plant growth and rainfall seasonality and the interactions between them in the Rio Santa basin. Specifically, we aimed to illustrate how satellite-derived information on vegetation greenness can be exploited to infer a robust and highly resolved picture of recent changes in rainfall and vegetation across the region: As the semi-arid climate causes water availability (i.e. precipitation) to be the key limiting factor for plant growth, patterns of precipitation occurrence and the seasonality of vegetation indices (VIs) are tightly coupled. Therefore, these indices can serve as an integrated proxy of rainfall. By combining a 20 year time series of MODIS Aqua and Terra VIs (from 2000 to today) and datasets of precipitation (both remote-sensing and observations) we explore recent spatial and temporal changes in vegetation and water availability by combining VIs timeseries and derived land surface phenology (LSP) with measures of wet season onset and cessation from rainfall data. Furthermore, we analyse the interaction of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the wet and growing season.</p><p>We find spatially variable but significant greening over the majority of the Rio Santa valley domain. This greening is particularly pronounced during the the dry season (Austral winter) and indicates an overall increase of plant available water over time. The start of the growing season (SOS) is temporally highly variable and dominates the variability of growing season length over time. Peak and end of season (POS, EOS) are significantly delayed in the 20 year analysis. By partitioning the results into periods of three stages of ENSO (neutral, Niño, Niña) we find an earlier onset of the rainy and growing season and an overall increased season length in years associated with El Niño.</p>

scholarly journals Modelling land–atmosphere daily exchanges of NO, NH<sub>3</sub>, and CO<sub>2</sub> in a semi-arid grazed ecosystem in Senegal

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 2049-2077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Delon ◽  
Corinne Galy-Lacaux ◽  
Dominique Serça ◽  
Erwan Personne ◽  
Eric Mougin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Simultaneous Increase ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Nh3 Emission ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Deposition Processes ◽  
Sahel Region ◽  
Semi Arid

Abstract. Three different models (STEP–GENDEC–NOflux, Zhang2010, and Surfatm) are used to simulate NO, CO2, and NH3 fluxes at the daily scale for 2 years (2012–2013) in a semi-arid grazed ecosystem at Dahra (15∘24′10′′ N, 15∘25′56′′ W, Senegal, Sahel). Model results are evaluated against experimental results acquired during three field campaigns. At the end of the dry season, when the first rains re-wet the dry soils, the model STEP–GENDEC–NOflux simulates the sudden mineralization of buried litter, leading to pulses in soil respiration and NO fluxes. The contribution of wet season fluxes of NO and CO2 to the annual mean is respectively 51 % and 57 %. NH3 fluxes are simulated by two models: Surfatm and Zhang2010. During the wet season, air humidity and soil moisture increase, leading to a transition between low soil NH3 emissions (which dominate during the dry months) and large NH3 deposition on vegetation during wet months. Results show a great impact of the soil emission potential, a difference in the deposition processes on the soil and the vegetation between the two models with however a close agreement of the total fluxes. The order of magnitude of NO, NH3, and CO2 fluxes is correctly represented by the models, as well as the sharp transitions between seasons, specific to the Sahel region. The role of soil moisture in flux magnitude is highlighted, whereas the role of soil temperature is less obvious. The simultaneous increase in NO and CO2 emissions and NH3 deposition at the beginning of the wet season is attributed to the availability of mineral nitrogen in the soil and also to microbial processes, which distribute the roles between respiration (CO2 emissions), nitrification (NO emissions), volatilization, and deposition (NH3 emission/deposition). The objectives of this study are to understand the origin of carbon and nitrogen compounds exchanges between the soil and the atmosphere and to quantify these exchanges on a longer timescale when only a few measurements have been performed.

scholarly journals Vegetation indices as proxies for spatio-temporal variations in water availability in the Rio Santa valley (Peruvian Andes)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenz Hänchen ◽  
Cornelia Klein ◽  
Fabien Maussion ◽  
Wolfgang Gurgiser ◽  
Pierluigi Calanca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Availability ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Vegetation Indices ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Season Length ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Peruvian Andes ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Semi Arid

Abstract. In the semi-arid Peruvian Andes, the growing season is mostly determined by the timing of the onset and retreat of the wet season, to which annual crop yields are highly sensitive. Recently, local farmers in the Rio Santa basin (RSB) reported decreasing predictability of the onset of the rainy season and further challenges related to changes in rainfall characteristics. Previous studies based on time series of local rain gauges however, did not find any significant changes in either the timing or intensity of the wet season. Both in-situ and satellite rainfall data for the region lack the necessary spatial resolution to capture the highly variable rainfall distribution typical for complex terrain, and are often questionable in terms of quality and temporal consistency. To date, there remains considerable uncertainty in the RSB regarding hydrological changes over the last decades. In this study, we overcome this limitation by exploiting satellite-derived information on vegetation greenness to reveal a robust and highly resolved picture of recent changes in rainfall and vegetation phenology across the region: As the semi-arid climate causes water availability (i.e. precipitation) to be the key limiting factor for plant growth, patterns of precipitation occurrence and the seasonality of vegetation indices (VIs) are tightly coupled. Therefore, VIs can serve as an integrated proxy of rainfall. By combining MODIS Aqua and Terra VIs for 2000–2020 and several datasets of precipitation, we explore recent spatio-temporal changes in vegetation and water availability. Furthermore, we examine their links to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). While different rainfall datasets tend to be incoherent in the period of observation, we find significant greening over the majority of the RSB domain in VI data, particularly pronounced during the dry season (Austral winter). This indicates an overall increase of plant available water over time. The rainy season onset and consequently the start of the growing season (SOS) exhibits high inter-annual variability and dominates the growing season length (LOS). The end of the growing season (EOS) is significantly delayed in the analysis which matches the observed dry-season greening. By partitioning the results into periods of three stages of ENSO (neutral, Niño, Niña), we find an earlier SOS and an overall increased season length in years associated with El Niño. However, the appearance of Niño/Niña events during the analysed period cannot explain the observed greening and delayed EOS. While our study could not corroborate anecdotal evidence for recent changes in the SOS, we confirm that the SOS is highly variable and conclude that rainfed farming in the RSB would profit from future efforts being directed towards improving medium-range forecasts of the rainy season onset.

scholarly journals Modelling land atmosphere daily exchanges of NO, NH<sub>3</sub>, and CO<sub>2</sub> in a semi-arid grazed ecosystem in Senegal

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Delon ◽  
Corinne Galy-Lacaux ◽  
Dominique Serça ◽  
Erwan Personne ◽  
Eric Mougin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Simultaneous Increase ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Nh3 Emission ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Daily Scale ◽  
Sahel Region ◽  
Semi Arid

Abstract. Three different models (STEP-GENDEC-NOflux, Zhang2010 and Surfatm) are used to simulate NO, CO2, and NH3 fluxes at the daily scale during two years (2012–2013) in a semi-arid grazed ecosystem at Dahra (15°24′10′′ N, 15°25′56′′ W, Senegal, Sahel). Model results are evaluated against experimental results acquired during three field campaigns. At the end of the dry season, when the first rains rewet the dry soils, the model STEP-GENDEC-NOflux simulate the sudden mineralization of buried litter, leading to pulses in soil respiration and NO fluxes. The contribution of wet season fluxes of NO and CO2 to the annual mean is respectively 51 % and 57 %. NH3 fluxes are simulated by two models: Surfatm and Zhang2010. During the wet season, air humidity and soil moisture increase, leading to a transition between low soil NH3 emissions (which dominate during the dry months) to large NH3 deposition on vegetation during wet months, Results show a great impact of the soil emission potential and a close agreement between the two models. The order of magnitude of NO, NH3 and CO2 fluxes are correctly represented by the models, as well as the sharp transitions between seasons, specific to the Sahel region. The role of soil moisture on flux magnitude is highlighted, whereas the role of soil temperature is less obvious. The simultaneous increase of NO and CO2 emissions and NH3 deposition at the beginning of the wet season is attributed to the availability of mineral nitrogen in the soil and also to microbial processes which distribute the roles between respiration (CO2 emissions), nitrification (NO emissions), volatilization and deposition (NH3 emission/deposition). This objective of this study is to understand the origin of carbon and nitrogen compounds exchanges between the soil and the atmosphere, and to quantify these exchanges on a longer time scale when only few measurements have been performed.

Impact of water availability on winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) yield characteristics

2010 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Klupács ◽  
Á. Tarnawa ◽  
I. Balla ◽  
M. Jolánkai
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Grain Quality ◽  
Physiological Condition ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Average Depth ◽  
Experimental Site ◽  
Yield Quality

Water supply of crop plants is the most essential physiological condition influencing quality and quantity performance of grain yield. In a 12-year experimental series of winter wheat agronomic trials run at the Nagygombos experimental site (Hungary) the effect of water availability has been studied. The location represents the typical average lowland conditions of the country, the annual precipitation of the experimental site belonging to the 550–600 mm belt of the Northern edges of the Great Hungarian Plain, while the average depth of groundwater varies between 2 to 3 metres. Crop years with various precipitation patterns have had different impacts on crop yield quality and quantity. Yield figures were in positive correlation with annual precipitation in general. Water availability had diverse influence on quality manifestation. Good water supply has often resulted in poorer grain quality, especially wet gluten and Hagberg values have been affected by that. Drought reduced the amount of yield in general, but contributed to a better quality manifestation in some of the crop years.

scholarly journals Forensic Investigation of Four Monitored Green Infrastructure Inlets

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1787
Author(s):  
Leena J. Shevade ◽  
Franco A. Montalto
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Uncertainty ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Stormwater Management ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Inflow Rate ◽  
Forensic Investigation ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
The Mean

Green infrastructure (GI) is viewed as a sustainable approach to stormwater management that is being rapidly implemented, outpacing the ability of researchers to compare the effectiveness of alternate design configurations. This paper investigated inflow data collected at four GI inlets. The performance of these four GI inlets, all of which were engineered with the same inlet lengths and shapes, was evaluated through field monitoring. A forensic interpretation of the observed inlet performance was conducted using conclusions regarding the role of inlet clogging and inflow rate as described in the previously published work. The mean inlet efficiency (meanPE), which represents the percentage of tributary area runoff that enters the inlet was 65% for the Nashville inlet, while at Happyland the NW inlet averaged 30%, the SW inlet 25%, and the SE inlet 10%, considering all recorded events during the monitoring periods. The analysis suggests that inlet clogging was the main reason for lower inlet efficiency at the SW and NW inlets, while for the SE inlet, performance was compromised by a reverse cross slope of the street. Spatial variability of rainfall, measurement uncertainty, uncertain tributary catchment area, and inlet depression characteristics are also correlated with inlet PE. The research suggests that placement of monitoring sensors should consider low flow conditions and a strategy to measure them. Additional research on the role of various maintenance protocols in inlet hydraulics is recommended.

scholarly journals Zonal aspects of the influence of forest cover change on runoff in northern river basins of Central Siberia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Onuchin ◽  
Т. Burenina ◽  
А. Shvidenko ◽  
D. Prysov ◽  
A. Musokhranova
Keyword(s):  
River Runoff ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Forest Vegetation ◽  
Middle Taiga ◽  
Northern Eurasia ◽  
Runoff Formation ◽  
Forest Tundra

Abstract Background Assessment of the reasons for the ambiguous influence of forests on the structure of the water balance is the subject of heated debate among forest hydrologists. Influencing the components of total evaporation, forest vegetation makes a significant contribution to the process of runoff formation, but this process has specific features in different geographical zones. The issues of the influence of forest vegetation on river runoff in the zonal aspect have not been sufficiently studied. Results Based on the analysis of the dependence of river runoff on forest cover, using the example of nine catchments located in the forest-tundra, northern and middle taiga of Northern Eurasia, it is shown that the share of forest cover in the total catchment area (percentage of forest cover, FCP) has different effects on runoff formation. Numerical experiments with the developed empirical models have shown that an increase in forest cover in the catchment area in northern latitudes contributes to an increase in runoff, while in the southern direction (in the middle taiga) extensive woody cover of catchments “works” to reduce runoff. The effectiveness of geographical zonality in regards to the influence of forests on runoff is more pronounced in the forest-tundra zone than in the zones of northern and middle taiga. Conclusion The study of this problem allowed us to analyze various aspects of the hydrological role of forests, and to show that forest ecosystems, depending on environmental conditions and the spatial distribution of forest cover, can transform water regimes in different ways. Despite the fact that the process of river runoff formation is controlled by many factors, such as temperature conditions, precipitation regime, geomorphology and the presence of permafrost, the models obtained allow us to reveal general trends in the dependence of the annual river runoff on the percentage of forest cover, at the level of catchments. The results obtained are consistent with the concept of geographic determinism, which explains the contradictions that exist in assessing the hydrological role of forests in various geographical and climatic conditions. The results of the study may serve as the basis for regulation of the forest cover of northern Eurasian river basins in order to obtain the desired hydrological effect depending on environmental and economic conditions.

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