Investigation of the Curve Number Method For Surface Runoff Estimation In Tropical Regions

This study tests the applicability of the curve number (CN) method within the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to estimate surface runoff at the watershed scale in tropical regions. To do this, surface runoff simulated using the CN method was compared with observed runoff in numerous rainfall‐runoff events in three small tropical watersheds located in the Upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia. The CN method generally performed well in simulating surface runoff in the studied watersheds (Nash‐Sutcliff efficiency [NSE] > 0.7; percent bias [PBIAS] < 32%). Moreover, there was no difference in the performance of the CN method in simulating surface runoff under low and high antecedent rainfall (PBIAS for both antecedent conditions: ~30%; modified NSE: ~0.4). It was also found that the method accurately estimated surface runoff at high rainfall intensity (e.g., PBIAS < 15%); however, at low rainfall intensity, the CN method repeatedly underestimated surface runoff (e.g., PBIAS > 60%). This was possibly due to low infiltrability and valley bottom saturated areas typical of many tropical soils, indicating that there is scope for further improvements in the parameterization/representation of tropical soils in the CN method for runoff estimation, to capture low rainfall‐intensity events. In this study the retention parameter was linked to the soil moisture content, which seems to be an appropriate approach to account for antecedent wetness conditions in the tropics.     

An Analysis of Water Data Systems to Inform the Open Water Data Initiative

Improving access to data and fostering open exchange of water information is foundational to solving water resources issues. In this vein, the Department of the Interior's Assistant Secretary for Water and Science put forward the charge to undertake an Open Water Data Initiative (OWDI) that would prioritize and accelerate work toward better water data infrastructure. The goal of the OWDI is to build out the Open Water Web (OWW). We therefore considered the OWW in terms of four conceptual functions: water data cataloging, water data as a service, enriching water data, and community for water data. To describe the current state of the OWW and identify areas needing improvement, we conducted an analysis of existing systems using a standard model for describing distributed systems and their business requirements. Our analysis considered three OWDI‐focused use cases—flooding, drought, and contaminant transport—and then examined the landscape of other existing applications that support the Open Water Web. The analysis, which includes a discussion of observed successful practices of cataloging, serving, enriching, and building community around water resources data, demonstrates that we have made significant progress toward the needed infrastructure, although challenges remain. The further development of the OWW can be greatly informed by the interpretation and findings of our analysis.     

Identification of Putative Geographically Isolated Wetlands of the Conterminous United States

Geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs) are wetlands completely surrounded by uplands. While common throughout the United States (U.S.), there have heretofore been no nationally available, spatially explicit estimates of GIW extent, complicating efforts to understand the myriad biogeochemical, hydrological, and habitat functions of GIWs and hampering conservation and management efforts at local, state, and national scales. We used a 10‐m geospatial buffer as a proxy for hydrological or ecological connectivity of National Wetlands Inventory palustrine and lacustrine wetland systems to nationally mapped and available stream, river, and lake data. We identified over 8.3 million putative GIWs across the conterminous U.S., encompassing nearly 6.5 million hectares of wetland resources (average size 0.79 ± 4.81 ha, median size 0.19 ha). Putative GIWs thus represent approximately 16% of the freshwater wetlands of the conterminous U.S. The water regime for the majority of the putative GIWs was temporarily or seasonally flooded, suggesting a vulnerability to ditching or hydrologic abstraction, sedimentation, or alterations in precipitation patterns. Additional analytical applications of this readily available geospatially explicit mapping product (e.g., hydrological modeling, amphibian metapopulation, or landscape ecological analyses) will improve our understanding of the abundance and extent, effect, connectivity, and relative importance of GIWs to other aquatic systems of the conterminous U.S.     

Estimating Evapotranspiration for Dryland Cropping Systems in the Semiarid Texas High Plains Using SWAT

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is one of the most widely used watershed models for simulating hydrology in response to agricultural management practices. However, limited studies have been performed to evaluate the SWAT model's ability to estimate daily and monthly evapotranspiration (ET) in semiarid regions. ET values were simulated using ArcSWAT 2012 for a lysimeter field managed under dryland conditions at the USDA‐ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory at Bushland, Texas, and compared with measured lysimeter values from 2000 to 2010. Two scenarios were performed to compare SWAT's performance: (1) use of default plant leaf area index (LAI) values in the embedded plant database and (2) adjusted LAI values. Scenario 1 resulted in an “unsatisfactory” Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.42 and 0.38 for the calibration and validation periods, respectively. Scenario 2 resulted in a “satisfactory” NSE value for the calibration period while achieving a “good” NSE of 0.70 for the validation period. SWAT generally underestimated ET at both the daily and monthly levels. Overestimation during fallow years may be due to the limitations of the pothole function used to simulate furrow diking. Users should be aware of potential errors associated with using default LAI parameters. Inaccuracies in ET estimation may also stem from errors in the plant stress functions, particularly when evaluating water management practices for dryland watersheds.     

2000~2013年鄱阳湖流域蒸散量时空变化

蒸散是陆地表面水分循环的重要过程,是研究流域水资源、水循环等领域的重要参数。以鄱阳湖流域为研究对象,利用鄱阳湖流域5个主要子流域水文控制站监测流量资料和气象站监测降水资料,根据水量平衡原理计算各子流域年度蒸散,验证MODIS蒸散数据产品（ET_MOD）,并分析2000~2013年鄱阳湖流域蒸散时空变化状况和土地利用变化对蒸散量的影响。研究结果表明：（1）ET_MOD具有较高的精度,年蒸散量的平均误差为165.9 mm,平均相对误差为9.78%;（2）2000~2013年鄱阳湖流域的年蒸散变化范围875.4~912.2 mm;鄱阳湖流域总蒸散量呈先增加后减少的“几”字形季节变化特征;（3）从蒸散量与地形特征的关系看,鄱阳湖平原区蒸散量低,周边的山地丘陵区较高;各子流域的蒸散量表现为：赣江流域 > 抚河流域 > 信江流域 > 修水流域 > 饶河流域;（4）土地利用方式对蒸散量有显著的影响,各土地利用类型的平均蒸散量表现为：林地 > 农田 > 草地 > 未利用地。     

基于GIS分析的生态清洁小流域治理思路——以陕西省石泉县饶峰河小流域为例

生态清洁小流域建设对于维护重要水源区水生态安全具有极其重要的意义。以汉江上游的陕西省石泉县饶峰河小流域为研究对象,在对该小流域自然因素和社会经济因素进行调查的基础上,采用GIS空间分析方法,对该小流域治理区域进行精细划分。研究表明饶峰河小流域可划分7个不同的治理区域,分别为:生态修复区、坡耕地修复区、坡面治理区、坡耕地治理区、农田治理区、村镇综合治理区及河(沟)道周边整治区。根据各区域的污染产生特点,针对性地提出各区域治理方向,并进行治理措施配置。该研究可为生态清洁小流域精准治理提供一种新的建设思路。     

Coupling Socioeconomic and Lake Systems for Sustainability: A Conceptual Analysis Using Lake St. Clair Region as a Case Study

Applying sustainability at an operational level requires understanding the linkages between socioeconomic and natural systems. We identified linkages in a case study of the Lake St. Clair (LSC) region, part of the Laurentian Great Lakes system. Our research phases included: (1) investigating and revising existing coupled human and natural systems frameworks to develop a framework for this case study; (2) testing and refining the framework by hosting a 1-day stakeholder workshop and (3) creating a causal loop diagram (CLD) to illustrate the relationships among the systems’ key components. With stakeholder assistance, we identified four interrelated pathways that include water use and discharge, land use, tourism and shipping that impact the ecological condition of LSC. The interrelationships between the pathways of water use and tourism are further illustrated by a CLD with several feedback loops. We suggest that this holistic approach can be applied to other case studies and inspire the development of dynamic models capable of informing decision making for sustainability.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-013-0432-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

一种兼顾水质目标和成本投入的流域减排措施优化方法

综合考虑断面水质及治污成本,构建流域治污减排措施优化模型,分析单位污染物去除成本与断面水质改善间的关系,并以承德市武烈河流域治污减排优化为例,绘制治污减排措施优化曲线,提出优化方案。结果表明,在达到流域水质要求的情况下,优化后,治污减排项目由34项缩减到22项,平均单位COD去除成本由1.44万元/t下降到0.65万元/t,同时实现了流域水质达标和降低投入成本的要求。     

浙江省武义县石龙头流域开发治理的生态环境问题分析

系统地分析了浙江省武义县石龙头流域的气候资源、土地资源、水资源和水土流失状况 ,指出了资源的优势和劣势 ,提出了南方红壤小流域开发治理的基本原则 ,总结了开发治理的技术措施与效益     

三峡库区资源与环境一体化管理的机构、法律、制度初探

流域管理在国家区域开发和环境保护中具有极为重要的地位,国外在流域管理方面有成熟的经验和新的发展趋势。通过分析国外流域管理的经验和发展趋势,结合三峡 区管理的现状以及建库后可能因管理而出现的问题,就如何在三峡库区更加有效的实行资源与环境的综合管理,如何建立和完善适合三峡库区实行更为有效的管理框架和模式等方面的构想。