scholarly journals Ensemble reconstruction of spatio-temporal extreme low-flow events in France since 1871

Author(s):  
Laurie Caillouet ◽  
Jean-Philippe Vidal ◽  
Eric Sauquet ◽  
Alexandre Devers ◽  
Benjamin Graff

Abstract. The historical depth of streamflow observations is generally limited to the last 50 years even in data-rich countries like France. It therefore offers too small a sample of extreme low-flow events to properly explore the long-term evolution of their characteristics and associated impacts. In order to overcome this limit, this work first presents a daily 140-year ensemble reconstructed streamflow dataset for a reference network of near-natural catchments in France. This dataset, called SCOPE Hydro (Spatially COherent Probabilistic Extended Hydrological dataset), is based on (1) a probabilistic precipitation, temperature and reference evapotranspiration downscaling of the Twentieth Century Reanalysis over France, called SCOPE Climate, and (2) a continuous hydrological modelling using SCOPE Climate as forcings over the whole period. This work then introduces tools for defining spatio-temporal extreme low-flow events. Extreme low-flow events are first locally defined through the Sequent Peak Algorithm using a novel combination of a fixed threshold and a daily variable threshold. A dedicated spatial matching procedure is then set up to identify spatio-temporal events across France. This procedure is furthermore adapted to the SCOPE Hydro 25-member ensemble in order to characterize in a probabilistic way unrecorded historical events at the national scale. For the first time, extreme low-flow events are described and compared in a spatially and temporally homogeneous way over 140 years on a large set of catchments. Initial results bring forward well-known recent events like 1976 or 1989–1990, but also older and relatively forgotten ones like the 1878 and 1893 events. These results contribute to improve our knowledge on historical events and provide a selection of benchmark events for climate change adaptation purposes. This study moreover allows for further detailed analyses of the effect of climate variability and anthropogenic climate change on low-flow hydrology at the scale of France.

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 2923-2951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Caillouet ◽  
Jean-Philippe Vidal ◽  
Eric Sauquet ◽  
Alexandre Devers ◽  
Benjamin Graff

Abstract. The length of streamflow observations is generally limited to the last 50 years even in data-rich countries like France. It therefore offers too small a sample of extreme low-flow events to properly explore the long-term evolution of their characteristics and associated impacts. To overcome this limit, this work first presents a daily 140-year ensemble reconstructed streamflow dataset for a reference network of near-natural catchments in France. This dataset, called SCOPE Hydro (Spatially COherent Probabilistic Extended Hydrological dataset), is based on (1) a probabilistic precipitation, temperature, and reference evapotranspiration downscaling of the Twentieth Century Reanalysis over France, called SCOPE Climate, and (2) continuous hydrological modelling using SCOPE Climate as forcings over the whole period. This work then introduces tools for defining spatio-temporal extreme low-flow events. Extreme low-flow events are first locally defined through the sequent peak algorithm using a novel combination of a fixed threshold and a daily variable threshold. A dedicated spatial matching procedure is then established to identify spatio-temporal events across France. This procedure is furthermore adapted to the SCOPE Hydro 25-member ensemble to characterize in a probabilistic way unrecorded historical events at the national scale. Extreme low-flow events are described and compared in a spatially and temporally homogeneous way over 140 years on a large set of catchments. Results highlight well-known recent events like 1976 or 1989–1990, but also older and relatively forgotten ones like the 1878 and 1893 events. These results contribute to improving our knowledge of historical events and provide a selection of benchmark events for climate change adaptation purposes. Moreover, this study allows for further detailed analyses of the effect of climate variability and anthropogenic climate change on low-flow hydrology at the scale of France.


2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Fischer ◽  
S M Thomas ◽  
M Neteler ◽  
N B Tjaden ◽  
C Beierkuhnlein

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is capable of transmitting a broad range of viruses to humans. Since its introduction at the end of the 20th century, it has become well established in large parts of southern Europe. As future expansion as a result of climate change can be expected, determining the current and projected future climatic suitability of this invasive mosquito in Europe is of interest. Several studies have tried to detect the potential habitats for this species, but differing data sources and modelling approaches must be considered when interpreting the findings. Here, various modelling methodologies are compared with special emphasis on model set-up and study design. Basic approaches and model algorithms for the projection of spatio-temporal trends within the 21st century differ substantially. Applied methods range from mechanistic models (e.g. overlay of climatic constraints based on geographic information systems or rather process-based approaches) to correlative niche models. We conclude that spatial characteristics such as introduction gateways and dispersal pathways need to be considered. Laboratory experiments addressing the climatic constraints of the mosquito are required for improved modelling results. However, the main source of uncertainty remains the insufficient knowledge about the species' ability to adapt to novel environments.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Jan-Erik Lane

<p><em>The global warming problematic is in reality decided not by the UNFCCC or IPCC with its mastodon meetings. The decisive players are the states of the following BIG polluters of CO2: China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia Mexico, South Korea, Canada, Australia and the US, despite the fact that its present government already has defected from the common pool regime, set up in Paris 2017, These countries together with international shipping and aviation are putting out more than 50% of the CO2s. However, they are little interested, because they emphasize the policy-making of socio-economic development, either economic growth with rich countries or the “catch-up” strategy with poor or emerging economies. Resilience will decide which countries can support the consequences of climate change.</em></p>


Author(s):  
Katarzyna Kubiak-Wójcicka ◽  
Martina Zeleňáková ◽  
Peter Blištan ◽  
Dorota Simonová ◽  
Agnieszka Pilarska

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2101
Author(s):  
Christian Charron ◽  
André St-Hilaire ◽  
Taha B.M.J. Ouarda ◽  
Michael R. van den Heuvel

Simulation of surface water flow and temperature under a non-stationary, anthropogenically impacted climate is critical for water resource decision makers, especially in the context of environmental flow determination. Two climate change scenarios were employed to predict streamflow and temperature: RCP 8.5, the most pessimistic with regards to climate change, and RCP 4.5, a more optimistic scenario where greenhouse gas emissions peak in 2040. Two periods, 2018–2050 and 2051–2100, were also evaluated. In Canada, a number of modelling studies have shown that many regions will likely be faced with higher winter flow and lower summer flows. The CEQUEAU hydrological and water temperature model was calibrated and validated for the Wilmot River, Canada, using historic data for flow and temperature. Total annual precipitation in the region was found to remain stable under RCP 4.5 and increase over time under RCP 8.5. Median stream flow was expected to increase over present levels in the low flow months of August and September. However, increased climate variability led to higher numbers of periodic extreme low flow events and little change to the frequency of extreme high flow events. The effective increase in water temperature was four-fold greater in winter with an approximate mean difference of 4 °C, while the change was only 1 °C in summer. Overall implications for native coldwater fishes and water abstraction are not severe, except for the potential for more variability, and hence periodic extreme low flow/high temperature events.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 467
Author(s):  
Mostafa Farrag ◽  
Gerald Corzo Perez ◽  
Dimitri Solomatine

Many grid-based spatial hydrological models suffer from the complexity of setting up a coherent spatial structure to calibrate such a complex, highly parameterized system. There are essential aspects of model-building to be taken into account: spatial resolution, the routing equation limitations, and calibration of spatial parameters, and their influence on modeling results, all are decisions that are often made without adequate analysis. In this research, an experimental analysis of grid discretization level, an analysis of processes integration, and the routing concepts are analyzed. The HBV-96 model is set up for each cell, and later on, cells are integrated into an interlinked modeling system (Hapi). The Jiboa River Basin in El Salvador is used as a case study. The first concept tested is the model structure temporal responses, which are highly linked to the runoff dynamics. By changing the runoff generation model description, we explore the responses to events. Two routing models are considered: Muskingum, which routes the runoff from each cell following the river network, and Maxbas, which routes the runoff directly to the outlet. The second concept is the spatial representation, where the model is built and tested for different spatial resolutions (500 m, 1 km, 2 km, and 4 km). The results show that the spatial sensitivity of the resolution is highly linked to the routing method, and it was found that routing sensitivity influenced the model performance more than the spatial discretization, and allowing for coarser discretization makes the model simpler and computationally faster. Slight performance improvement is gained by using different parameters’ values for each cell. It was found that the 2 km cell size corresponds to the least model error values. The proposed hydrological modeling codes have been published as open-source.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 4286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samiksha S. V. ◽  
P. Vethamony ◽  
Prasad K. Bhaskaran ◽  
P. Pednekar ◽  
M. Jishad ◽  
...  

Coastal regions of India are prone to sea level rise, cyclones, storm surges, and human-induced activities, resulting in flood, erosion, and inundation, and some of these impacts could be attributed to climate change. Mangroves play a very protective role against some of these coastal hazards. The primary aim of the study was to estimate wave energy attenuation by mangrove vegetation using modeling, and to validate the model results with measurements conducted off Mumbai coast, where a mangrove forest is present. Wave measurements were carried out from 5–8 August 2015 at three locations in a transect normal to the coast using surface-mounted pressure-level sensors in spring tide conditions. The measured data presented wave height attenuation of the order of 52%. Model set-up and sensitivity analyses were conducted to understand the model performance with respect to vegetation parameters. It was observed that wave attenuation increases with an increase in drag coefficient, vegetation density, and stem diameter. For a typical set-up in the Mumbai coastal region having a vegetation density of 0.175 per m2, stem diameter of 0.3 m, and drag coefficient varying from 0.4 to 1.5, the model reproduced attenuation ranging from 49% to 55%, which matches reasonably well with the measured data. Spectral analysis performed for the cases with and without vegetation very clearly portrays energy dissipation in the vegetation area. This study also highlights the importance of climate change and mangrove vegetation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 386-409
Author(s):  
Elmar Spiegel ◽  
Thomas Kneib ◽  
Fabian Otto-Sobotka

Spatio-temporal models are becoming increasingly popular in recent regression research. However, they usually rely on the assumption of a specific parametric distribution for the response and/or homoscedastic error terms. In this article, we propose to apply semiparametric expectile regression to model spatio-temporal effects beyond the mean. Besides the removal of the assumption of a specific distribution and homoscedasticity, with expectile regression the whole distribution of the response can be estimated. For the use of expectiles, we interpret them as weighted means and estimate them by established tools of (penalized) least squares regression. The spatio-temporal effect is set up as an interaction between time and space either based on trivariate tensor product P-splines or the tensor product of a Gaussian Markov random field and a univariate P-spline. Importantly, the model can easily be split up into main effects and interactions to facilitate interpretation. The method is presented along the analysis of spatio-temporal variation of temperatures in Germany from 1980 to 2014.


Water Policy ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (S1) ◽  
pp. 9-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharat R. Sharma ◽  
Devaraj de Condappa

The topography of the Ganges basin is highly variable, with the steep mountainous region of the Himalaya upstream and the large fertile plains in eastern India and Bangladesh downstream. The contribution from the glaciers to streamflows is supposed to be significant but there is uncertainty surrounding the impact of climate change on glaciers. An application of the Water Evaluation and Planning model was set up which contained an experimental glaciers module. The model also examined the possible impacts of an increase in temperature. The contribution from glaciated areas is significant (60–75%) in the Upper Ganges but reduces downstream, falling to about 19% at Farakka. Climate change-induced rise in temperature logically increases the quantity of snow and ice that melts in glaciated areas. However, this impact decreases from upstream (+8% to +26% at Tehri dam) to downstream (+1% to +4% at Farakka). Such increases in streamflows may create flood events more frequently, or of higher magnitude, in the upper reaches. Potential strategies to exploit this additional water may include the construction of new dams/reservoir storage and the development of groundwater in the basin through managed aquifer recharge. The riparian states of India, Nepal and Bangladesh could harness this opportunity to alleviate physical water scarcity and improve productivity.


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