HYDRODYNAMIC CONTROL OF AN EMERGENT AQUATIC PLANT (SCIRPUS ACUTUS) IN OPEN CHANNELS1

ABSTRACT: Control of emergent aquatic plants such as tule (Scirpus acutus Muhl.; Bigel.) is of direct interest to managers of surface waters in Western North America. Where conditions of water velocity and depth occur that permit this and similar species to colonize and grow, their clonal habit may restrict, or even block, open channels within several seasons after their establishment. Fortunately, sufficient flow depth and velocity naturally prevent these plants from growing into and blocking channels. We investigated physical constraints for tule stem growth with the ultimate intent to apply this knowledge in rehabilitating 60 miles of the diverted Owens River in Eastern California, presently choked with emergent growth. Bending stress resulting from hydrodynamic drag on tule stems was found to induce lodging; permanent deformation and consequent loss of function. The depth-velocity envelope describing this process (at 95 percent confidence) is uD/d= 12.8 where u = average velocity acting upon the stem (m/s), D = local depth of flow (m), and d = tule stem diameter at the point of attachment (m). Maintaining a discharge or reconfiguring a channel so this critical depth-velocity-stem diameter envelope is exceeded (predictable using flow models) through the summer growing period should prevent encroachment into an active channel.     

THE VRANA LAKE HYDROLOGY (ISLAND OF CRES - CROATIA)1

ABSTRACT: The Vrana Lake on the island of Cres in the Adriatic Sea represents a specific phenomenon of karst hydrology. The island of Cres covers an area of 404.3 km² with an average volume of 220 × 10⁶ m³ of fresh water in the lake. The island has an average rainfall of 1,063 mm, with a Mediterranean climate. The lake has a bottom reaching a depth of 62 m below mean sea level. The average water level is 14 m above mean sea level. The most probable theories on the origin of the lake and its hycirologic-hydrogeologic functioning state that it is a flooded poije in karst. The water budget method was used to define the lake catchments area at approximately 25 km². During the last six years, there has been drastic decrease of about 3 m in the lake's water level. This phenomenon was analyzed and it was calculated that 53 percent of the water-level decline was caused by water discharges from the lake to satisfy water supply demands, and 47 percent was due to a period of low precipitation during the analyzed period.     

A CASE STUDY OF SHALLOW FLOW PATHS IN A STEEP ZERO-ORDER BASIN1

ABSTRACT: Soil water potentials, slope throughflow, runoff chemistry, and isotopic composition were monitored in a 97 m² zero-order basin within the Maimai 8 watershed on the South Island of New Zealand, for a natural rain storm and two artificial water applications. Contrary to results previously reported for other portions of the Maimai catchment, much of the runoff occurred as a shallow subsurface organic layer flow. For the 47 mm natural rain event, pre-storm soil matric potential ranged from ?60 to ?150 cm H₂O. No saturation was produced within the profile, and the majority of storm runoff emanated from flow within the organic horizon perched on the mineral soil surface. Hillslope applications corroborated this interpretation by showing >90 percent new water flushing with negligible mineral soil moisture response. Although the mechanisms cited in the text are not representative of the entire catchment, the study demonstrates: (1) the value of a combined physical-chemical-isotopic approach in quantifying slope processes, and (2) the heterogeneous nature and diversity of slope runoff pathways in a relatively homogeneous catchment.     

DOCUMENTED AUTUMNAL STREAMFLOW INCREASE WITHOUT MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION1

ABSTRACT: In the south-central interior of British Columbia, the summer and fall of 1987 were very dry. Streamflow was extremely low throughout the region, and an extended rainless period coincided with the onset of the winter dormant period. During a five-day rainless period from October 9 to October 13, which should have been a period of declining streamflow in all watersheds, 19 of 31 small forested watersheds having suitable natural flow record experienced increasing discharge. The data is reviewed and analyzed with an initial attempt made to explain the streamflow changes among the various watersheds quantitatively. The only explanation for the widespread increases in streamflow in the region during this dry period is that greatly reduced transpiration, as the vegetation went dormant, permitted increased volumes of water in the soil to drain into surface streams rapidly enough to be recorded as increased discharge in 61 percent of the study streams.     

IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE WELL CLOSURE ON CROP PRODUCTION: A WATERSHED CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: Much of north-central Iowa is characterized by flat topography, shallow depressions, and poor natural surface drainage. Land drainage systems comprising of tile drains and agricultural drainage wells (ADWs) are used as outlets for subsurface drainage of cropland under corn and soybean production. Studies have shown that these drainage systems, mainly the ADWs, are potential routes for agricultural chemicals to underground aquifers. To protect the region's vital groundwater resource, researchers are evaluating alternative outlets ranging from complete closure of existing ADWs (and creation of wetlands) to continued use of ADWs and chemical management in a comprehensive policy framework. This paper presents the results of a study designed to provide government jurisdictions, farmers, and land managers information for assessing the impact of closing ADWs on crop production. The study couples a geographic information systems database for a 471-hectare watershed in Humboldt County, Iowa, with a groundwater flow model (MODFLOW) and an empirical crop yield loss model to predict long-term effects of complete closure of ADWs on crop production. The cropland areas inundated and the relative crop yield loss due to ADW closure are determined as a function of long-term climatic data. The results indicate that elimination of drainage outlets in the watershed could result in ponding of low-lying areas and poorly drained soils, making them unsuitable for crop production. Such wetness also decreases the efficiency of production in the no-ponding areas by isolating fields, and the crop yield loss can be reduced by an annual average of about 18 percent.     

THE GROUND WATER FLUX OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS TO BERMUDA'S COASTAL WATERS1

ABSTRACT: The concentrations of dissolved fixed inorganic nitrogen (ΣN) in Bermuda ground waters can be very high due to both natural and anthropogenic processes. The high anthropogenic flux is due to domestic cesspit operation. Mass balance calculations indicate that ground water seepage, especially rich in ΣN, is a major source of nutrients into the near shore coastal zone of Bermuda. The ground water flux of ΣN is approximately 1.5 to 4 times that of the sewage flux of ΣN to Bermuda's nearshore waters. This input of ΣN may be important in the development of algal blooms in these waters. Our work, coupled with other recent investigations, suggests that the ground water input of nutrients into nearshore marine waters is an important process globally.     

CHANGES TO INFILTRATION AND INTERRILL EROSION FROM LONG-TERM PRESCRIBED BURNING IN LOUISIANA1

ABSTRACT: Effects of long-term prescribed burning on infiltration and interrill erosion were assessed on two longleaf pine-bluestem sites in Louisiana. Treatments represented biennially-applied winter, spring, or summer burning on an upland sandy loam site for 20 years; and annual winter or spring, and biennial winter or spring burns on a bottomland silt loam site for 10 years, with unburned controls. Immediate effects of burning were a reduction in surface cover, exposing soil to raindrop impact. Burning the sandy loam site increased interrill erosion after winter and spring treatments, but produced no immediate changes in infiltration capacity or time to runoff irrespective of treatment season. Rapid recovery of under-story vegetation mitigated soil exposure. Biennial burning did not increase interrill erosion, or reduce infiltration capacity and time to runoff on the sandy loam site after 20 years. A complete herbaceous understory covered the silt loam site two years after treatment. Interrill erosion was not significantly increased, or infiltration capacity and time to runoff decreased on burning treatments than unburned controls on the silt loam site. Litter biomass was important in predicting interrill erosion. No surface cover condition could be linked to variability in infiltration capacity. This study provides evidence for the resiliency of a longleaf pine-bluestem association to prescribed burning.     

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A DIMENSIONLESS UNIT HYDROGRAPH1

ABSTRACT: A generalized unit hydrograph method is developed and evaluated for ungaged watersheds. A key component in this method is the value of a dimensionless storage coefficient. Procedures to estimate this coefficient are given using calibrated values from 142 rainfall-runoff events gaged in watershed located mainly in the Eastern US. Only limited success was obtained in predicting this storage coefficient. Thirty-seven, independent rainfall-runoff events were used to test the proposed technique. The generalized unit hydrograph predicted the observed runoff hydrographs fairly well with considerable improvement in accuracy over the SCS dimensionless unit hydrograph. Approximately one-half of test storms had percent errors in predicted peak flow rates that were less than 34 percent compared to percent error of 88 percent with the SCS method.     

ESTIMATING RUNOFF VOLUMES FROM URBAN AREAS1

ABSTRACT: Estimations of runoff volumes from urban areas can be made by the equation Q = a A σ(P_e– b), where Q is the runoff volume, a is the part of the total area A Contributing to runoff, P_e is the rainfall amount for a single event, and b is the initial rainfall losses. For the evaluation of a and b, rainfall/runoff measurements were made in five areas of sizes between 0.035 km² and 1.450 km². By linear regression analysis of rainfall volumes versus runoff volumes, the initial rainfall losses were found to vary from 0.38 mm to 0.70 mm for the different areas. The parts of the areas contributing to runoff were found to be proportional to the impermeable parts of the mas. The equation is applicable in urban areas with well defined paved surfaces and roofs and with a negligible amount of runoff from permeable areas.