Evaluating the Applicability of a Two‐dimensional Flow Model of a Highly Heterogeneous Domain to Flow and Environmental Management

Two‐dimensional simulation of highly heterogeneous domains, especially those with disparate length scales, roughness conditions, and geometries, often leads to challenges such as long computation times and numerical instability. Simulation of challenging domains is often needed to guide flood management and environmental regulation agencies in operation and potential domain modifications. This work evaluates the ability of a two‐dimensional unsteady hydrodynamic model to represent long‐duration transient flows over a domain with highly heterogeneous roughness, geometric characteristics, and length scales through bed roughness representation. The domain includes 13 km of Cache Creek and the 14.5 km² Cache Creek Settling Basin, which traps both sediment and mercury. Calibration under different bed roughness methods, validation, and modeling results of bathymetric modification scenarios are presented. The modeling approach's performance supports its application as a tool for management of similar domains, such as settling basins, leveed floodplains, and reservoirs. Accurate representation of flow dynamics can also inform environmental management that involves transport of sediments, nutrients, and heavy metals. This study found that a two‐dimensional unsteady flow model can accurately represent long‐duration transient flow in a large settling basin with highly heterogeneous characteristics without parsing of the domain or flow events simulated.     

A CyberGIS Integration and Computation Framework for High‐Resolution Continental‐Scale Flood Inundation Mapping

We present a Digital Elevation Model‐based hydrologic analysis methodology for continental flood inundation mapping (CFIM), implemented as a cyberGIS scientific workflow in which a 1/3rd arc‐second (10 m) height above nearest drainage (HAND) raster data for the conterminous United States (CONUS) was computed and employed for subsequent inundation mapping. A cyberGIS framework was developed to enable spatiotemporal integration and scalable computing of the entire inundation mapping process on a hybrid supercomputing architecture. The first 1/3rd arc‐second CONUS HAND raster dataset was computed in 1.5 days on the cyberGIS Resourcing Open Geospatial Education and Research supercomputer. The inundation mapping process developed in our exploratory study couples HAND with National Water Model forecast data to enable near real‐time inundation forecasts for CONUS. The computational performance of HAND and the inundation mapping process were profiled to gain insights into the computational characteristics in high‐performance parallel computing scenarios. The establishment of the CFIM computational framework has broad and significant research implications that may lead to further development and improvement of flood inundation mapping methodologies.     

Impact of 20 Years of Land-Cover Change on the Hydrology of Streams in the Southeastern United States1

Cruise, James F., Charles A. Laymon, and Osama Z. Al-Hamdan, 2010. Impact of 20 Years of Land-Cover Change on the Hydrology of Streams in the Southeastern United States. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(6):1159–1170. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00483.x Abstract: Land-cover changes for portions of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee were estimated for the years 1980, 1990, and 2000 using classified Landsat images, and associated with hydrologic indices for 12 watersheds in the region. Rainfall-adjusted mean annual streamflow, an ET proxy (precipitation minus runoff), frequency of inundation above thresholds, and duration of inundation were used to characterize the hydrologic response of the test basins over the two-decade study period. Results indicate that several of the watersheds had undergone significant (>20%) reductions in agricultural land cover with a coincident increase in forested land. Attempts to correlate the hydrologic results with the land-cover changes were only partially successful. Watersheds with the largest land conversion from agriculture to forest (20% or more) did show significant trends in hydrologic indices indicating decreasing streamflow; however, other basins evidenced ambiguous results. The net conclusions of the study are that land-cover effects on hydrologic variables may be nuanced and can sometimes be only indirectly evident, and that a rigorous and detailed land-cover classification effort along with a battery of statistical tests with the same objective may be necessary to uncover these effects.     

氮输入和水淹对闽江河口短叶茳芏光合特性的影响

由于人类活动导致的外源氮(N)输入增加强烈影响着河口湿地生态系统.本研究采用中型生态系方法,以闽江河口潮滩湿地主要土著种短叶茳芏(Cyperus malaccensis)为研究对象,探讨不同外源N输入水平(0、8和16 g·m~(-2)·a~(-1))和水淹(短时水淹和中度水淹)对短叶茳芏的生长和光合特性的影响.结果表明,实验6个月后,短时水淹的地上、地下生物量显著高于中度水淹(p0.05);N输入主要通过提高光饱和点(LSP)和叶绿素相对含量(SPAD值),同时降低暗呼吸速率(Rd值),提高光合性能,进而显著提高植物的生物量.短叶茳芏各个生长期净光合速率(Pn)日变化与胞间CO_2浓度(Ci)日变化大致相反,短时水淹在各个生长期Pn日变化都为"单峰"曲线,中度水淹则在第15个月变为"双峰"曲线,出现明显的"光合午休"现象.N输入增强条件下,非气孔因素是短叶茳芏植株日均Pn值显著提高的重要光合生理因素.     

三峡库区典型消落带草本植物氮磷养分浸泡释放实验

三峡库区消落带植被淹水后腐烂分解,可能成为影响库区水环境安全的重要营养源.以三峡库区6种消落带优势草本植物茎叶为材料,利用室内浸泡模拟实验,测定上覆水中氮磷浓度的变化,结合初始基质碳、氮、磷含量分析,力图查明消落带草本植物淹水后氮磷养分释放特征.结果表明:①消落带植物初始基质碳、氮含量差异显著,而磷含量彼此相近.②消落带植物淹水分解造成上覆水pH升高,氧化还原电位(Eh)降低,氮磷养分快速释放和上覆水氮磷浓度增加,总氮(TN)和总磷(TP)释放量分别为(3.85±2.53)、(1.33±0.73)mg.g-1.消落带植物淹水TN和氨氮(NH4+-N)的释放过程呈抛物线状,TP呈对数曲线状.TN、TP的释放峰值时间平均15 d,NH4+-N平均33 d.养分释放量和释放速率均呈TN>TP>NH4+-N的特点,消落带植被经过3个月的浸泡,TN、NH4+-N和TP的释放负荷分别为:22.4、8.9、4.5 kg.hm-2.③植物初始基质的C含量越低,N、P含量越高,植物淹水后氮磷养分的释放量和释放速率就越大.     

盐度和水淹对短叶茳芏枯落物分解和二氧化碳释放的影响

在全球气候变暖和盐水入侵的背景下,探究湿地枯落物分解和CO_2释放对盐度和水淹的响应具有重要意义.以闽江河口湿地的短叶茳芏为研究对象,模拟不同盐度和水淹条件下枯落物分解.研究结果表明:(1)盐度升高抑制枯落物的分解(p0.01),低盐(5)、中盐(10)、高盐(15)在非水淹条件下分别比对照(0)的失重率平均减少10.83%、17.93%和29.39%,水淹条件下平均减少24.18%、31.62%和47.46%.(2)对照组的枯落物分解速率为水淹条件(0.0070 d~(-1),t_(0.95)=0.76 a)大于非水淹条件(0.0051 d~(-1),t0.95=0.94 a),而处理组的枯落物分解速率和CO_2释放速率均呈现出非水淹条件大于水淹条件.非水淹的枯落物CO_2释放通量比水淹条件的增长7.05%~86.23%.(3)在枯落物分解95%的干物质的期间内,与水淹条件相比,非水淹对照组平均每g干物质释放的CO_2高于水淹对照组34.49%;然而,随盐度升高,非水淹条件下的平均每g干物质释放的CO_2受抑制.(4)盐度和水淹对枯落物残留量的贡献率分别为24.82%和14.29%,对枯落物CO_2释放通量的贡献率分别为75.62%和6.13%.     

三峡库区消落带优势草本植物淹水后汞的释放特征

为研究三峡库区消落带植物淹水后汞的释放特征,选取狗牙根、酸模叶蓼、空心莲子草这3种优势草本植物在库区现场进行原位淹水试验,研究这3种植物淹水后总汞(THg)含量动态变化特征,分析其释放通量与速率,估算其THg释放负荷.结果表明,3种植物在淹水过程中THg浓度的下降速率呈现先快后慢的趋势,表明淹水前期植物中THg随植物腐解快速释放,随后释放基本稳定.3种植物的THg释放量存在显著差异,且表现为酸模叶蓼空心莲子草狗牙根.3种植物的THg释放量可能受植物初始C/N和THg浓度的影响.植物初始C/N越高,单位质量THg释放量越小.而植物初始THg浓度越高,单位质量植物THg释放量越大.结合3种植物在三峡库区消落带的分布权重和生物量,估算出酸模叶蓼、空心莲子草、狗牙根完全分解后的THg释放负荷分别为167.31、78.13、88.33 mg·hm~(-2).     

Intercomparison of Satellite Remote Sensing‐Based Flood Inundation Mapping Techniques

The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of five different digital image processing techniques to map flood inundation extent with Landsat 8–Operational Land Imager satellite imagery. The May 2016 flooding event in the Hempstead region of the Brazos River, Texas is used as a case study for this first comprehensive comparison of classification techniques of its kind. Five flood water classification techniques (i.e., supervised classification, unsupervised classification, delta‐cue change detection, Normalized Difference Water Index [NDWI], modified NDWI [MNDWI]) were implemented to characterize flooded regions. To identify flood water obscured by cloud cover, a digital elevation model (DEM)–based approach was employed. Classified floods were compared using an Advanced Fitness Index to a “reference flood map” created based on manual digitization, as well as other data sources, using the same satellite image. Supervised classification yielded the highest accuracy of 86.4%, while unsupervised, MNDWI, and NDWI closely followed at 79.6%, 77.3%, and 77.1%, respectively. Delta‐cue change detection yielded the lowest accuracy with 70.1%. Thus, supervised classification is recommended for flood water classification and inundation map generation under these settings. The DEM‐based approach used to identify cloud‐obscured flood water pixels was found reliable and easy to apply. It is therefore recommended for regions with relatively flat topography.     

Potential Vulnerability Implications of Sea Level Rise for the Coastal Zones of Cochin, Southwest Coast of India

This study presents the results of the impact assessment analysis of the coastal zones of Cochin along the southwest coast of India. The climatological cycle of sea level derived for the region for the period 1939–2003 has shown a range of about 17 cm. From the results obtained on the coastal sedimentary environments, it is found that climate-induced sea level rise scenarios will bring profound effects. It is also revealed that the mean beach slope and relief play a vital role in land loss of the region. The local relief of coastal zone will decrease as sea level rises, thus increasing the percentage of land above mean sea level subjected to episodic inundations. Results of the yearly probability of damages indicated the urgency to upgrade the existing designs of coastal protection structures. A brief characterisation of the issues on infrastructure and uncertainties in policy planning also are attempted.     

Forward planning to maintain the attractiveness of coastal areas: Choosing between seawalls and managed retreat

This paper aims to inform forward-planning policies in the face of sea-level rise due to climate change, focussing on the choice of reducing the vulnerability of property at risk through managed retreat or protection behind seawalls. This adaptation is important not only to reduce the cost of future damage but also to maintain the beaches which are an attractive feature for tourism, of vital importance for coastal areas. Some 421 residents with main and secondary homes were surveyed in Hyères-les-palmiers in the Var department (Southeast France). The survey sought to compare the willingness of residents to contribute financially to building a seawall or to relocating sea-front property. Preferences depend both on common variables and variables specific to the proposed arrangement. They reveal common concerns focused on effectiveness and the determining factor of property ownership. The results also show some awareness of the long-term advantages of managed retreat, despite some opposition from older people, who are also more sceptical about the reality of the risk incurred.