Low-cost river discharge measurements using a transparent velocity-head rod

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélien Despax ◽  
Jérôme Le Coz ◽  
Francis Pernot ◽  
Alexis Buffet ◽  
Céline Berni
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Electrical Contact ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Velocity Head ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Average Deviation ◽  
The Difference

<p>The common streamgauging methods (ADCP, current-meter or tracer dilution) generally require expensive equipment, with the notable exception of volumetric gaugings and floats, which are however often difficult to implement and limited to specific conditions. The following work aims at testing and validating a reliable, easy-to-deploy and low-cost gauging method, at a cost typically below 40 € each.<br><br>The “velocity-head rod” firstly described by Wilm and Storey (1944), made transparent by Fonstad et al. (2005) and improved by Pike et al. (2016) meets these objectives, for wading gauging with velocities greater than 20 cm/s typically. The 9.85 cm wide clear plastic rod is placed vertically across the stream to identify upstream and downstream water levels using adjustable rulers. The difference in level (or velocity head) makes it possible to calculate the average velocity over the vertical, using a semi-empirical calibration relationship.<br><br>Experiments carried out in INRAE’s hydraulic laboratory and in the field have enabled us to find a calibration relationship similar to that proposed by Pike et al. (2016) and confirm the optimal conditions of use. The average deviation to a reference discharge has been found to be close to 5 % except for very slow-flow conditions. The influence of the width of the rod on the velocity-head was studied in the laboratory. The uncertainty of the velocity due to the reading of water levels has been estimated. It increases at low velocity due to decreasing sensitivity, and increases at high velocities due to water level fluctuations that are difficult to average.<br><br>Several improvements were tested in order to facilitate and improve the measurement operations, without increasing the cost too much: magnetic ruler, removal of a graduated steel rule (expensive), plastic ruler with water level and velocity graduations, reading the depth with another ruler, spirit level, electrical contact (so the operator has not to bend to the surface of the water). An operational procedure and a spreadsheet for computing discharge are proposed. The method being extremely simple and quick to apply is well suited for rapid estimates of flow (instead of floats), training or demonstrations, citizen science programs or cooperation with services with limited resources.</p><p>Acknowledgments<strong>: </strong>The authors thank Q. Morice, J. Cousseau, Y. Longefay (DREAL) who were involved in this study by carrying out field tests.</p>

scholarly journals Dynamics and consequences of water level fluctuations of selected lakes in the catchment of the Ostrowo-Gopło Channel

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 187-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Piasecki ◽  
Włodzimierz Marszelewski
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Dynamic Changes ◽  
Type Change ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference ◽  
High Precipitation ◽  
Lake Type

Abstract The article discusses water level fluctuations in lakes and the associated changes in the lake surface and water resources in the years 1992-2011. On the basis of detailed field studies carried out in the hydrological year 2011, short-term and dynamic changes in the lakes’ hydrology were determined. Changes in hydrological lake types were evoked by unexpected hydro-meteorological situations, in particular high precipitation totals and sudden thaws in winter. The main symptom of the lake type change was the restoration, after nearly 10 years, of channels connecting the lakes. In addition, a strong interdependence was recorded in the difference between evaporation and precipitation, as well as the mean annual ranges of lake water levels in the years 1992-2010

AUTOMATIC WATER LEVEL MONITORING WITH IOT AND LPWAN

2019 ◽  
pp. 95-103
Author(s):  
Krum Videnov ◽  
Vanya Stoykova
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Level Monitoring ◽  
Water Level Monitoring

Monitoring water levels of lakes, streams, rivers and other water basins is of essential importance and is a popular measurement for a number of different industries and organisations. Remote water level monitoring helps to provide an early warning feature by sending advance alerts when the water level is increased (reaches a certain threshold). The purpose of this report is to present an affordable solution for measuring water levels in water sources using IoT and LPWAN. The assembled system enables recording of water level fluctuations in real time and storing the collected data on a remote database through LoRaWAN for further processing and analysis.

scholarly journals The effect of water level on lateral movements of fish between river and off-channel habitats and implications for management

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarod Lyon ◽  
Ivor Stuart ◽  
David Ramsey ◽  
Justin O'Mahony
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Life History Strategy ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Main River Channel ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Wetland Biodiversity ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Riverine Wetland

Off-channel habitats, such as wetlands and backwaters, are important for the productivity of river systems and for many species of native fish. This study aimed to investigate the fish community, timing and cues that stimulated movement to and from off-channel habitats in the highly regulated Lake Hume to Lake Mulwala reach of the Murray River, south-eastern Australia. In 2004–05, 193 712 fish were collected moving bi-directionally between a 50-km section of the Murray River and several off-channel habitats. Lateral fish movements approximated water level fluctuations. Generally as water levels rose, fish left the main river channel and moved into newly flooded off-channel habitats; there was bi-directional movement as water levels peaked; on falling levels fish moved back to the permanent riverine habitats. Fish previously classified as ‘wetland specialists’, such as carp gudgeons (Hypseleotris spp.), have a more flexible movement and life-history strategy including riverine habitation. The high degree of lateral movement indicates the importance of habitat connectivity for the small-bodied fish community. Wetlands adjacent to the Murray River are becoming increasingly regulated by small weirs and ensuring lateral fish movement will be important in maintaining riverine-wetland biodiversity.

scholarly journals Regulation of Vegetation and Evapotranspiration by Water Level Fluctuation in Shallow Lakes

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2651
Author(s):  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Liqiao Liang ◽  
Xiaomin Yuan ◽  
Sirui Yan ◽  
Miao Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Water Area ◽  
Water Level Fluctuation ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Water Evaporation ◽  
Level Fluctuation ◽  
Open Water Area ◽  
Annual Scale

Water level fluctuations play a critical role in regulating vegetation distribution, composition, cover and richness, which ultimately affect evapotranspiration. In this study, we first explore water level fluctuations and associated impacts on vegetation, after which we assess evapotranspiration (ET) under different water levels. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to estimate the fractional vegetation cover (Fv), while topography- and vegetation-based surface-energy partitioning algorithms (TVET model) and potential evaporation (Ev) were used to calculate ET and water evaporation (Ep). Results show that: (1) water levels were dramatically affected by the combined effect of ecological water transfer and climate change and exhibited significant decreasing trends with a slope of −0.011 m a−2; and (2) as predicted, there was a correlation between water level fluctuation at an annual scale with Phragmites australis (P. australis) cover and open-water area. Water levels also had a controlling effect on Fv values, an increase in annual water levels first increasing and then decreasing Fv. However, a negative correlation was found between Fv values and water levels during initial plant growth stages. (iii) ET, which varied under different water levels at an annual scale, showed different partition into transpiration from P. australis and evaporation from open-water area and soil with alterations between vegetation and open water. All findings indicated that water level fluctuations controlled biological and ecological processes, and their structural and functional characteristics. This study consequently recommends that specifically-focused ecological water regulations (e.g., duration, timing, frequency) should be enacted to maintain the integrity of wetland ecosystems for wetland restoration.

scholarly journals Determination of diurnal water level fluctuations in headwaters

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 888-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Marciniak ◽  
Anna Szczucińska
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Hyporheic Zone ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Diurnal Changes ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Diurnal Fluctuations

The aim of this paper is to study diurnal fluctuations of the water level in streams draining headwaters and to identify the controlling factors. The fieldwork was carried out in the Gryżynka River catchment, western Poland. The water levels of three streams draining into the headwaters via a group of springs were monitored in the years 2011–2014. Changes in the water pressure and water temperature were recorded by automatic sensors – Schlumberger MiniDiver type. Simultaneously, Barodiver type sensors were used to record air temperature and atmospheric pressure, as it was necessary to adjust the data collected by the MiniDivers calculate the water level. The results showed that diurnal fluctuations in water level of the streams ranged from 2 to 4 cm (approximately 10% of total water depth) and were well correlated with the changes in evapotranspiration as well as air temperature. The observed water level fluctuations likely have resulted from processes occurring in the headwaters. Good correlation with atmospheric conditions indicates control by daily variations of the local climate. However, the relationship with water temperature suggests that fluctuations are also caused by changes in the temperature-dependent water viscosity and, consequently, by diurnal changes in the hydraulic conductivity of the hyporheic zone.

Lake water level response to drought in a lake-rich region explained by lake and landscape characteristics

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 1836-1845
Author(s):  
K. Martin Perales ◽  
Catherine L. Hein ◽  
Noah R. Lottig ◽  
M. Jake Vander Zanden
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Lake Water ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Lake Water Level ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Lake Ecology ◽  
Coarse Woody Habitat

Climate change is altering hydrologic regimes, with implications for lake water levels. While lakes within lake districts experience the same climate, lakes may exhibit differential climate vulnerability regarding water level response to drought. We took advantage of a recent drought (∼2005–2010) and estimated changes in lake area, water level, and shoreline position on 47 lakes in northern Wisconsin using high-resolution orthoimagery and hypsographic curves. We developed a model predicting water level response to drought to identify characteristics of the most vulnerable lakes in the region, which indicated that low-conductivity seepage lakes found high in the landscape, with little surrounding wetland and highly permeable soils, showed the greatest water level declines. To explore potential changes in the littoral zone, we estimated coarse woody habitat (CWH) loss during the drought and found that drainage lakes lost 0.8% CWH while seepage lakes were disproportionately impacted, with a mean loss of 40% CWH. Characterizing how lakes and lake districts respond to drought will further our understanding of how climate change may alter lake ecology via water level fluctuations.

Emergent plant communities of oxbow lakes in northeastern Alberta: salinity, water-level fluctuation, and succession

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 310-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. J. Lieffers
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Acorus Calamus ◽  
Oxbow Lakes ◽  
Salinity Water ◽  
Northeastern Alberta

Emergent vegetation was sampled in 15 oxbow lakes in a 50-km segment of the Athabasca River in northeastern Alberta. Cover of individual species was visually assessed in plots at the outer, middle, and (or) inner edge of the emergent zone of each lake (n, 37 sample units). Detrended correspondence analysis showed two main axes of variation. The first axis related to salinity. Water conductivity ranged from 170 to 12200 μS cm−1 and community types ranged from freshwater fens to saline wetland communities dominated by Scolochloa festucacea, Scirpus maritimus, and Triglochin maritima. The second axis of variation related to water-level fluctuations. Half of the lakes had an increase in water level in the recent past (ca. 6–30 years). In these lakes, Typha latifolia was dominant in both grounded and floating substrates subjected to increased water levels. Sedge communities dominated by Carex rostrata, C. aquatilis, and Acorus calamus were common in sites with stable water levels. In freshwater lakes, floating substrates were established over open water by the lateral growth of floating stems of Calla palustris and Potentilla palustris. Floating substrates were not in the saline sites probably because these open-water colonizers were not present under saline regimes.

Effects of nutrients and water levels on emergent macrophyte biomass in a prairie marsh

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 1007-1014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Neill
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Nutrient Limitation ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Nitrogen Limitation ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Water Depths

Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers were added over two growing seasons to marshes dominated by whitetop grass (Scolochloa festucacea) or cattail (Typha glauca) in a prairie lacustrine marsh to assess nutrient limitation and the interaction of nutrient limitation with water depth. For each species, stands were selected at the deep and shallow extremes of its water depth range. Water levels were high during the first year of fertilization and low during the second year, exposing the fertilized stands to a variety of water depths. Nitrogen limited growth in whitetop and cattail marshes. Water level, by controlling whether the soil was flooded or the water table was below the soil surface, affected growth and the degree of nitrogen limitation. In whitetop marshes, nitrogen increased biomass more when the soil was flooded or when standing water was deeper and in cattail marshes, it increased biomass more under intermediate water depths (approximately 0–20 cm) than under more deeply flooded (20–40 cm) or dry conditions. Nitrogen reduced biomass in whitetop marshes the second year, apparently because growth was inhibited by fallen litter from the previous year. Nitrogen did not limit cattail marsh biomass in the driest locations during a year of low water levels. Phosphorus caused a small increase in growth of both species after 2 years. Changes of nitrogen limitation with flooding suggest that annual water level fluctuations, by creating alternating flooded and dry conditions, may influence the primary production of emergent macrophytes through effects on nitrogen cycling.

Tree-ring analysis of wetlands of the upper St. Lawrence River, Quebec: response to hydrology and climate

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 482-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Jean ◽  
André Bouchard
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
Climatic Variations ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Growth Variation ◽  
St Lawrence River

A dendrochronological analysis of three tree species colonizing a swamp along the St. Lawrence River was undertaken to (a) study the extent to which water-level fluctuations have an impact on tree growth in comparison to climatic variations; (b) compare the responses of three species (Acerrubrum L., Larixlaricina (Du Roi) K. Koch, and Thujaoccidentalis L.) with hydrologic and climatic variations; and (c) examine the duration of the influence of water-level fluctuations on tree growth. Tree cores from 78 stands were cross-dated and verified with COFECHA and a master chronology for each species was produced using ARSTAN. Response function analyses were used to measure the influence of climate (temperature and precipitation) and water level on tree growth. Water-level fluctuations have a significant influence on A. rubrum growth, accounting for 30% of the tree growth variation. A significant relationship exists between L. laricina and water-level fluctuations, but only 9% of the tree growth is explained by hydrology. No significant relationship was found between water levels and T. occidentalis growth. Climatic fluctuations are a more important influence on growth for all three species, accounting for 46% to 51% of the tree growth variation not explained by water levels.

Zooplankton species richness and abiotic conditions in Thirlmere Lakes, New South Wales, Australia, with reference to water-level fluctuations

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-123
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Kobayashi ◽  
Martin Krogh ◽  
Hiroyuki ◽  
Russell J. Shiel ◽  
Hendrik Segers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Lake Water ◽  
New South ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Zooplankton Species ◽  
Abiotic Conditions ◽  
Lake Water Level ◽  
South Wales

Water-level fluctuations can have significant effects on lake biological communities. Thirlmere Lakes are a group of five interconnected lakes located near Sydney. Water levels in Thirlmere Lakes have fluctuated over time, but there has been a recent decline that is of significant concern. In this study, we examined over one year the species composition and richness of zooplankton (Rotifera, Cladocera and Copepoda) and abiotic conditions in Lakes Nerrigorang and Werri Berri, two of the five Thirlmere lakes, with reference to lake water level. We recorded a total of 66 taxa of zooplankton, with the first report of the rotifer Notommata saccigera from Australia, and the first report of the rotifers Keratella javana, Lecane rhytida and Rousseletia corniculata from New South Wales. There was a marked difference in abiotic conditions between the two lakes, with more variable conditions in Lake Nerrigorang. There was a significant positive correlation between zooplankton species richness and lake water level but only for Lake Nerrigorang. Although the two lakes are closely situated and thought to be potentially connected at high water levels, they show distinct ecological characters and the effect of water-level fluctuations on zooplankton species richness seems to differ between the lakes.

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