USE OF SOIL MOISTURE PROBES TO ESTIMATE GROUND WATER RECHARGE AT AN OIL SPILL SITE1

Soil moisture data collected using an automated data logging system were used to estimate ground water recharge at a crude oil spill research site near Bemidji, Minnesota. Three different soil moisture probes were tested in the laboratory as well as the field conditions of limited power supply and extreme weather typical of northern Minnesota: a self‐contained reflectometer probe, and two time domain reflectometry (TDR) probes, 30 and 50 cm long. Recharge was estimated using an unsaturated zone water balance method. Recharge estimates for 1999 using the laboratory calibrations were 13 to 30 percent greater than estimates based on the factory calibrations. Recharge indicated by the self‐contained probes was 170 percent to 210 percent greater than the estimates for the TDR probes regardless of calibration method. Results indicate that the anomalously large recharge estimates for the self‐contained probes are not the result of inaccurate measurements of volumetric moisture content, but result from the presence of crude oil, or borehole leakage. Of the probes tested, the 50 cm long TDR probe yielded recharge estimates that compared most favorably to estimates based on a method utilizing water table fluctuations. Recharge rates for this probe represented 24 to 27 percent of 1999 precipitation. Recharge based on the 30 cm long horizontal TDR probes was 29 to 37 percent of 1999 precipitation. By comparison, recharge based on the water table fluctuation method represented about 29 percent of precipitation.     

Spatial Dynamics of Soil Moisture in a Complex Terrain in the Semi‐Arid Loess Plateau Region,China1

Abstract: Soil moisture is an important hydrological variable in reforestation practices in a water‐limited region of the Loess Plateau of northwestern China. The objective of this study was to quantify the spatial dynamics of soil moisture on a complex terrain. During 2004‐2006, a total of 313 sample points in two kinds of grid (2 × 2 m and 20 × 20 m) were arranged for soil moisture measurements (two soil layers: 0‐30 and 30‐60 cm) with Time Domain Reflectometry. The geostatistical properties of soil moisture patterns, the variance and correlation structure of the soil moisture, and the effects of terrain factors on soil moisture were analyzed. The results suggested that our sampling grid captured the spatial variability of soil moisture distributions for this complex terrain. Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis statistics showed that soil moisture decreased as slope gradient increased; that sunny aspects (112.5°‐292.5°) had relatively lower soil moisture than did shady aspects (292.5°‐112.5°); that soil moisture was lowest in the SWW direction and highest in the NWN direction; and that hillslope aspect was the main factor affecting soil moisture in the 0‐ to 30‐cm soil layer, whereas the main factor for the 30‐ to 60‐cm layer was slope gradient. It was found that the relative values of soil moisture for steep slopes (>36%) with shady aspect (292.5°‐112.5°), gentle slopes (<36%) with sunny aspect (112.5°‐292.5°), and steep slopes with sunny aspect were 99, 82, and 80, respectively – assuming a soil moisture value of 100 for gentle slopes with shady aspect. The results of this study are expected to be relevant to and useful for reforestation planning and design, parameterization of distributed hydrology models, and land productivity assessment in the study region.     

Reconstructions of Soil Moisture for the Upper Colorado River Basin Using Tree‐Ring Chronologies1

Anderson, SallyRose, Glenn Tootle, and Henri Grissino‐Mayer, 2012. Reconstructions of Soil Moisture for the Upper Colorado River Basin Using Tree‐Ring Chronologies. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(4): 849‐858. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00651.x Abstract: Soil moisture is an important factor in the global hydrologic cycle, but existing reconstructions of historic soil moisture are limited. We used tree‐ring chronologies to reconstruct annual soil moisture in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). Gridded soil moisture data were spatially regionalized using principal components analysis and k‐nearest neighbor techniques. We correlated moisture sensitive tree‐ring chronologies in and adjacent to the UCRB with regional soil moisture and tested the relationships for temporal stability. Chronologies that were positively correlated and stable for the calibration period were retained. We used stepwise linear regression to identify the best predictor combinations for each soil moisture region. The regressions explained 42‐78% of the variability in soil moisture data. We performed reconstructions for individual soil moisture grid cells to enhance understanding of the disparity in reconstructive skill across the regions. Reconstructions that used chronologies based on ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) and pinyon pines (Pinus edulis) explained more variance in the datasets. Reconstructed soil moisture data was standardized and compared with standardized reconstructed streamflow and snow water equivalent data from the same region. Soil moisture and other hydrologic variables were highly correlated, indicating reconstructions of soil moisture in the UCRB using tree‐ring chronologies successfully represent hydrologic trends.     

Evaluation of Methods for Delineating Riparian Zones in a Semi‐Arid Montane Watershed

Riparian zones in semi‐arid, mountainous regions provide a disproportionate amount of the available wildlife habitat and ecosystem services. Despite their importance, there is little guidance on the best way to map riparian zones for broad spatial extents (e.g., large watersheds) when detailed maps from field data or high‐resolution imagery and terrain data are not available. Using well‐established accuracy metrics (e.g., kappa, precision, computational complexity), we evaluated eight methods commonly used to map riparian zones. Focusing on a semi‐arid, mountainous watershed, we found that the most accurate and robust method for mapping riparian zones combines data on upstream drainage area and valley topography. That method performed best regardless of stream order, and was most effective when implemented with fine resolution topographic and stream line data. Other commonly used methods to model riparian zones, such as those based on fixed‐width buffers, yielded inaccurate results. We recommend that until very‐high resolution (<1 m) elevation data are available at broad extents, models of riparian zones for semi‐arid mountainous regions should incorporate drainage area, valley topography, and quantify uncertainty.     

Enhancing the Ability of a Soil Moisture‐based Index for Agricultural Drought Monitoring by Incorporating Root Distribution

Agricultural drought differs from meteorological, hydrological, and socioeconomic drought, being closely related to soil water availability in the root zone, specifically for crop and crop growth stage. In previous studies, several soil moisture indices (e.g., the soil moisture index, soil water deficit index) based on soil water availability have been developed for agricultural drought monitoring. However, when developing these indices, it was generally assumed that soil water availability to crops was equal throughout the root zone, and the effects of root distribution and crop growth stage on soil water uptake were ignored. This article aims to incorporate root distribution into a soil moisture‐based index and to evaluate the performance of the improved soil moisture index for agricultural drought monitoring. The Huang‐Huai‐Hai Plain of China was used as the study area. Overall, soil moisture indices were significantly correlated with the crop moisture index (CMI), and the improved root‐weighted soil moisture index (RSMI) was more closely related to the CMI than averaged soil moisture indices. The RSMI correctly identified most of the observed drought events and performed well in the detection of drought levels. Furthermore, the RSMI had a better performance than averaged soil moisture indices when compared to crop yield. In conclusion, soil moisture indices could improve agricultural drought monitoring by incorporating root distribution.     

Comparison of Unsteady and Quasi‐Unsteady Flow Models in Simulating Sediment Transport in an Ephemeral Arizona Stream1

Hummel, Ryan, Jennifer G. Duan, and Shiyan Zhang, 2012. Comparison of Unsteady and Quasi‐Unsteady Flow Models in Simulating Sediment Transport in an Ephemeral Arizona Stream. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(5): 987‐998. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00663.x Abstract: Hydrodynamic and sediment transport models are useful engineering tools for predicting unsteady flood flow and sediment transport. Many models such as HEC‐RAS, HEC‐6, and IALLUVIAL apply quasi‐unsteady flow model, whereas others apply the unsteady flow model. It remains unknown if a quasi‐unsteady flow model is sufficiently accurate for simulating sediment transport in rapidly varied unsteady flood events, especially in ephemeral rivers in arid and semiarid regions. This study compared the quasi‐unsteady HEC‐RAS 4.1 model with one‐dimensional (1D) Finite Volume Method (FVM) based model in simulating flood flow and sediment transport in the Pantano Wash, a dryland river in the state of Arizona. The objective is to determine which sediment transport method is appropriate in predicting bed elevation changes in an ephemeral stream, Pantano Wash, and if an unsteady model is more accurate than a quasi‐unsteady flow model in predicting sediment transport. Results showed that the quasi‐unsteady HEC‐RAS model and the 1D FVM yielded similar results of bed degradation and aggradation for this dryland stream, although the FVM model predicted better flood hydrographs. Among the seven sediment transport formulas embedded in HEC‐RAS, Yang’s and Engelund‐Hansen’s equations gave the best matches with the field measurements for this particular case study.     

Water Dispatch Model for Middle Route of a South‐to‐North Water Transfer Project in China1

Chang, Jian‐xia, Yi‐min Wang, and Qiang Huang, 2011. Water Dispatch Model for Middle Route of a South‐to‐North Water Transfer Project in China. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(1):70‐80. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00478.x Abstract: The objective of this paper is to present a simulation model to address the water dispatch problem of the south‐to‐north water transfer project for the Middle Route system in China. Reasonable rules and a system network structure are established. This model consists of five modules: (1) a data‐processing module, (2) an initial control module, (3) a multisource simulation dispatch module, (4) a system identification module, and (5) a revision module. Water allocated to each province and city along the route is obtained by simulation, and the long‐term operation results show that water supply reliabilities are significantly improved if the transferred water is jointly dispatched with the local water resources.     

Winter Hydrology and NO3− Concentrations in a Forested Watershed: A Detailed Field Study in the Adirondack Mountains of New York1

Abstract: More than 85% of NO₃^? losses from watersheds in the northeastern United States are exported during winter months (October 1 to May 30). Interannual variability in NO₃^? loads to individual streams is closely related to interannual climatic variations, particularly during the winter. The objective of our study was to understand how climatic and hydrogeological factors influence NO₃^? dynamics in small watersheds during the winter. Physical parameters including snow depth, soil temperature, stream discharge, and water table elevation were monitored during the 2007‐2008 winter in two small catchments in the Adirondack Mountains, New York State. Snowpack persisted from mid‐December to mid‐April, insulating soils such that only two isolated instances of soil frost were observed during the study period. NO₃^? export during a mid‐winter rain‐on‐snowmelt event comprised between 8 and 16% of the total stream NO₃^? load for the four‐month winter study period. This can be compared with the NO₃^? exported during the final spring melt, which comprised between 38 and 45% of the total four‐month winter NO₃^? load. Our findings indicate that minor melt events were detectable with changes in soil temperature, streamflow, groundwater level, and snow depth. But, based on loading, these events were relatively minor contributors to winter NO₃^? loss. A warmer climate and fluctuating snowpack may result in more major mid‐winter melt events and greater NO₃^? export to surface waters.     

Effect of Snow Cover Conditions on the Hydrologic Regime: Case Study in a Pluvial‐Nival Watershed,Japan1

Abstract: Hydrologic monitoring in a small forested and mountainous headwater basin in Niigata Prefecture has been undertaken since 2000. An important characteristic of the basin is that the hydrologic regime contains pluvial elements year‐round, including rain‐on‐snow, in addition to spring snowmelt. We evaluated the effect of different snow cover conditions on the hydrologic regime by analyzing observed data in conjunction with model simulations of the snowpack. A degree‐day snow model is presented and applied to the study basin to enable estimation of the basin average snow water equivalent using air temperature at three representative elevations. Analysis of hydrological time series data and master recession curves showed that flow during the snowmelt season was generated by a combination of ground water flow having a recession constant of 0.018/day and diurnal melt water flow having a recession constant of 0.015/hour. Daily flows during the winter/snowmelt season showed greater persistence than daily flows during the warm season. The seasonal water balance indicated that the ratio of runoff to precipitation during the cold season (December to May) was about 90% every year. Seasonal snowpack plays an important role in defining the hydrologic regime, with winter precipitation and snowmelt runoff contributing about 65% of the annual runoff. The timing of the snowmelt season, indicated by the date of occurrence of the first significant snowmelt event, was correlated with the occurrence of low flow events. Model simulations showed that basin average snow water equivalent reached a peak around mid‐February to mid‐March, although further validation of the model is required at high elevation sites.