Contrasting watershed-scale trends in runoff and sediment yield complicate  rangeland water resources planning

Berg, Matthew D.; Marcantonio, Franco; McAlister, Jason; Wilcox, Bradford P.; Fox, William E.

doi:10.5194/hess-20-2295-2016

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…We then performed non-parametric Mann-Kendall trend analyses using the annual peak streamflow measurements for each qualifying stream gage. Two-tailed statistical tests were assessed for significance at α = 0.1 (Lettenmaier et al 1994;Berg et al 2016). Streamflow data were used in favor of gage heights because these volume measures are considered to be absolute, more robust to changes in channel morphology and gage placement, and comparable between locations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peak flow trends highlight emerging urban flooding hotspots in Texas

Berg¹

2018

Texas Water Journal

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In the aftermath of flooding disasters, a temptation is to pursue recovery while also dismissing the event as unlikely to recur. Is it possible that underlying streamflow trends, which often avoid detection, help explain individual flooding episodes and should influence future expectations? How do impoundments (dams) affect these trends? Our study provides a comparative analysis to answer these key questions that help determine whether flood planning will be successful. Examining the 25 largest Texas metropolitan areas, we assessed peak flow trends for stream gages having at least 25 years of data. Of 181 total gages, 34 (18.8%) exhibited significant upward trends. Over 85% of those with upward trends are located in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (17.6%) and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (67.6%) areas. Approximately 62% of gages with upward trends are in Harris County. Among 84 sites impacted by impoundment, 11 (13.1%) still exhibited upward trends. These findings show that increasing peak flows underlie recent flooding in some areas, spotlighting streams in greatest need of examination. Increasing peak flows in some locations even after impoundment suggest dams might not be a complete solution. Finally, maintaining a robust monitoring network is critical to flood planning, and analysis is hampered when data are lacking. Citation: Berg MD. 2018. Peak flow trends highlight emerging urban flooding hotspots in Texas. Texas Water Journal. 9(1):18-29. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21423/twj.v9i1.7068.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peak flow trends highlight emerging urban flooding hotspots in Texas

Berg¹

2018

Texas Water Journal

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“…In this circumstance, we argue that it is inappropriate to discuss how different parameters affect the WY and SY without addressing the precise site and time scale. It is therefore suggested that any extrapolation of WY and SY relationships from one basin to another must be done with caution (Berg et al 2016). Compared to coarser scales, simulations at daily scale are more detailed in their representation of hydrological processes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the significance of basin parameters and hydro-climatic factors to water and sediment yields across spatio-temporal scales in mountainous river Basin, Sikkim

Lepcha

Pandey

2022

Journal of Water and Climate Change

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The precise identification of basin characteristics and climate factors that plays a significant role in determining water and sediment yield is of paramount importance. However, due to the enormous complexity associated with the hydrologic cycle, it is usually challenging to extricate the influence of individual parameters on the combined water and sediment yield responses. To accomplish this, a combined hydrological modelling and statistical approach was adopted in this study. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was adopted to simulate different components of the watershed and the results were utilized in Boosted Regression Trees (BRTs) to analyze the contribution of different parameters to water and sediment yield at spatio-temporal and seasonal scales in the upstream Teesta River basin. The outcomes of the analysis showed that precipitation and baseflow play a crucial role in regulating the water yield at all spatio-temporal scales. On the other hand, precipitation alone has a key role in determining the sediment yield, especially at the daily (49.30%) and monthly (21.14%) temporal scales. The relative contribution of the remaining parameters at a yearly temporal scale, and small and intermediate spatial scales showed relatively close results with an exception at the large basin scale (precipitation alone by 35.88%). The average contribution of actual evapotranspiration was found less on both water and sediment yield prediction in all spatio-temporal scales considered. The analysis also revealed that the precipitation, baseflow, and minimum temperature play a key role in regulating the water and sediment yield in both monsoon and non-monsoon seasons, whereas the contribution of maximum temperature and snowmelt was found less during monsoon and non-monsoon seasons. The outcomes of this study may assist policymakers and water managers in rational water management goals as well as in coping soil degradation issues.

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“…Thus, any changes in total evapotranspiration caused by WPE will be quite small. Instead, in these landscapes WPE will often lead to higher soil infiltrability, which-depending on soil and geologic conditions-can either reduce streamflows and groundwater recharge (Wilcox et al, 2008a), increase streamflows and groundwater recharge (Wilcox and Huang, 2010), or have minimal effect (Berg et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecohydrological connectivity: A unifying framework for understanding how woody plant encroachment alters the water cycle in drylands

Wilcox

Basant

Olariu

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Grasslands and savannas in drylands have been and continue to be converted to woodlands through a phenomenon often described as woody plant encroachment. This conversion has profound implications for the ecosystem services that these landscapes provide, including water. In this paper, using examples from six case studies across drylands in the Great Plains and Chihuahuan Desert regions of the United States, we explore the ecohydrological changes that occurred following woody plant encroachment (WPE). In all cases, the increase in woody plant cover brought about modifications in connectivity, which led to profound ecohydrological changes at both the patch and landscape scales. At the wet end of the dryland spectrum (subhumid climates), increases in evapotranspiration following WPE led to reduced streamflows and groundwater recharge. In drier regions, woody plant encroachment did not alter evapotranspiration appreciably but did significantly alter hydrological connectivity because of changes to soil infiltrability. In semiarid climates where rainfall is sufficient to maintain cover in intercanopy areas concurrent with woody plant encroachment (thicketization), overall soil infiltrability was increased—translating to either decreased streamflows or increased streamflows, depending on soils and geology. In the driest landscapes, woody plant encroachment led to xerification, whereby intercanopy areas became bare and highly interconnected, resulting in higher surface runoff and, ultimately, higher groundwater recharge because of transmission losses in stream channels. On the basis of our review of the studies’ findings, we argue that the concept of ecohydrological connectivity provides a unifying framework for understanding these different outcomes.

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Contrasting watershed-scale trends in runoff and sediment yield complicate rangeland water resources planning

Cited by 9 publications

References 77 publications

Peak flow trends highlight emerging urban flooding hotspots in Texas

Peak flow trends highlight emerging urban flooding hotspots in Texas

Quantifying the significance of basin parameters and hydro-climatic factors to water and sediment yields across spatio-temporal scales in mountainous river Basin, Sikkim

Ecohydrological connectivity: A unifying framework for understanding how woody plant encroachment alters the water cycle in drylands

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