Are diurnal fluctuations in streamflow real?

Cuevas, Jaime G.; Calvo, Matías; Little, Christian; Pino, Mario; Dassori, Paul

doi:10.2478/v10098-010-0014-0

Cited by 18 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Usually, the lowest streamflows occur during the first hours of the afternoon (13:30-16:30 h; Wondzell et al, 2007;Gribovszki et al, 2008;Cuevas et al, 2010). In addition to a delay between maximum Et and the previously reported stream response (Bond et al, 2002;Constantz, 1998;Szilágyi et al, 2008), we must consider that the watershed begins 1.5-2.0 km upstream of our highest monitoring points (P3 and P4), which may explain the relatively late time for the stream minima, if the DSS does indeed originate upstream.…”

Section: Interpretation Of the Diurnal Signalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The typically reported error is 0.5 cm for water level and 0.37°C (at 20°C) for temperature, with a resolution of < 0.02 kPa (0.21 cm water) and 0.1°C (at 20°C) (Onset Computer Corporation, 2005. Cuevas et al (2010) experimentally determined that the error for the model used in this study is equivalent to 0.4 cm. On the other hand, the corresponding values for the Levelogger consist of a 10 m range, 0.9 cm error, and 0.27 cm resolution (Solinst, 2011).…”

Section: Sensor Accuracymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the cover of this species alone (0.74% in the Santa Rosa catchment) may not be the only factor controlling stream levels. Cuevas et al (2010), working in the Coastal Mountain Range of southern Chile, found a clear DSS. Its watershed had a 69% cover of Eucalyptus, but even in those areas covered entirely by native forest the pattern was still clear.…”

Section: Interpretation Of the Diurnal Signalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it has received renewed interest in recent years (Carlson Mazur et al, 2014;Graham et al, 2013;Mutzner et al, 2015). Some studies have even tested the possibility of artifacts caused by modern pressure transducers (Cuevas et al, 2010;Gribovszki et al, 2013;McLaughlin and Cohen, 2011). Even though some instruments can overestimate diurnal fluctuations, the consensus is that they are real.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An unusual kind of diurnal streamflow variation

Cuevas

Arumí

Zúñiga‐Feest

et al. 2017

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

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During hydrological research in a Chilean swamp forest, we noted a pattern of higher streamflows close to midday and lower ones close to midnight, the opposite of an evapotranspiration (Et)-driven cycle. We analyzed this diurnal streamflow signal (DSS), which appeared mid-spring (in the growing season). The end of this DSS coincided with a sustained rain event in autumn, which deeply affected stream and meteorological variables. A survey along the stream revealed that the DSS maximum and minimum values appeared 6 and 4 hours earlier, respectively, at headwaters located in the mountain forests/ plantations than at the control point in the swamp forest. Et in the swamp forest was higher in the morning and in the late afternoon, but this process could not influence the groundwater stage. Trees in the mountain headwaters reached their maximum Ets in the early morning and/or close to midday. Our results suggest that the DSS is a wave that moves from forests high in the mountains towards lowland areas, where Et is decoupled from the DSS. This signal delay seems to convert the link between streamflow and Et in an apparent, but spurious positive relationship. It also highlights the role of landscape heterogeneity in shaping hydrological processes.

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Section: Interpretation Of the Diurnal Signalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sensor Accuracymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Interpretation Of the Diurnal Signalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

An unusual kind of diurnal streamflow variation

Cuevas

Arumí

Zúñiga‐Feest

et al. 2017

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

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“…In addition, the air temperature above the plant cover is strongly influenced by transpiration. Transpiration induces not only changes in air temperature and soil water contents, but also in the streamflow (Cuevas et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of grass transpiration on the air temperature

Šír¹,

Tesař²,

Lichner

et al. 2014

Biologia

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Oscillations of the air temperature and tensiometric pressure of the soil water were measured in the experimental slope Tomšovka (Czech Republic, Jizera Mts, 822 m a.s.l.). The brown forest soil (Dystric Cambisols) is covered with Calamagrostis villosa, Avenella flexuosa and Vaccinium myrtilus. Thermometers were placed at a height of 5 and 200 cm above the grassland. The tensiometer was installed in the root zone of grass at a depth of 15 cm. Oscillations in a cloudless day, August 24, 2001, (sunshine duration 12.1 hour/day, daily total of global radiation 22.4 MJ/m 2 /day, maximum intensity of global radiation 1008 W/m 2 , transpiration 13.7 MJ/m 2 /day) were analysed in detail. The oscillations with a period of about 30 to 60 minutes were recorded in the air temperature course taken from 11 am to 5 pm. At the height of 200 cm oscillations ranged from 24 to 28• C. Concurrently, in the depth of 15 cm, the oscillations of tensiometric pressure in the range of -6 to -11 kPa were recorded from 8 am to 4 pm. It was concluded that the oscillations in the air temperature resulted from autonomous and self-regulated oscillations in the intensity of transpiration. It is evident that the 2-m air temperature was significantly influenced by transpiration of plants around the large area. The fact that the air temperature oscillated sharply confirms that the rate of transpiration was synchronized in this area. Vegetative cover thus created a self-regulated superorganism that substantially affected the temperature of the near-ground atmosphere layer.

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Controls on the diurnal streamflow cycles in two subbasins of an alpine headwater catchment

Mutzner

Weijs

Tarolli

et al. 2015

Water Resources Research

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In high-altitude alpine catchments, diurnal streamflow cycles are typically dominated by snowmelt or ice melt. Evapotranspiration-induced diurnal streamflow cycles are less observed in these catchments but might happen simultaneously. During a field campaign in the summer 2012 in an alpine catchment in the Swiss Alps (Val Ferret catchment, 20.4 km 2 , glaciarized area: 2%), we observed a transition in the early season from a snowmelt to an evapotranspiration-induced diurnal streamflow cycle in one of two monitored subbasins. The two different cycles were of comparable amplitudes and the transition happened within a time span of several days. In the second monitored subbasin, we observed an ice meltdominated diurnal cycle during the entire season due to the presence of a small glacier. Comparisons between ice melt and evapotranspiration cycles showed that the two processes were happening at the same times of day but with a different sign and a different shape. The amplitude of the ice melt cycle decreased exponentially during the season and was larger than the amplitude of the evapotranspiration cycle which was relatively constant during the season. Our study suggests that an evapotranspirationdominated diurnal streamflow cycle could damp the ice melt-dominated diurnal streamflow cycle. The two types of diurnal streamflow cycles were separated using a method based on the identification of the active riparian area and measurement of evapotranspiration.

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Are diurnal fluctuations in streamflow real?

Cited by 18 publications

References 28 publications

An unusual kind of diurnal streamflow variation

An unusual kind of diurnal streamflow variation

The effect of grass transpiration on the air temperature

Controls on the diurnal streamflow cycles in two subbasins of an alpine headwater catchment

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