Flood routing and alluvial aquifer recharge along the ephemeral arid Kuiseb River, Namibia

Morin, Efrat; Grodek, Tamir; Dahan, Ofer; Benito, Gerardo; Külls, Christoph; Jacoby, Yael; Langenhove, Guido Van; Seely, Mary; Enzel, Yehouda

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.02.015

Cited by 124 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Our results for infiltration losses were in agreement with results of previous studies in dryland environments which found that initial infiltration losses were independent of flood duration and were lower than the continuous losses during the main flood phase (Lange et al, 1998), which is controlled by flood duration (Morin et al, 2009). Schwartz (2001) found that the transmission losses were significantly reduced due to initial soil moisture when the time interval between two floods was less than one week.…”

Section: Water Balance and Transmission Loss Partitioningsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Estimating total transmission losses and/or individual components in dryland river systems has previously been undertaken using three main approaches (Cataldo et al, 2004;Cataldo et al, 2010): (i) small-scale field experiments (Dahan et al, 2008;Dunkerley and Brown, 1999;Dunkerley, 2008;Maurer, 2002;Parsons et al, 1999); (ii) interpolation of sparse streamflow networks using simple regression and/or differential equations (Arnott et al, 2009;Costelloe et al, 2006;Knighton and Nanson, 1994;Knighton and Nanson, 2001;McCallum et al, 2012;Schmadel et al, 2010); and (iii) water balance modelling to allow estimation of total and component transmission losses (Morin et al, 2009). Key papers for these approaches are summarised in Table 1, and includes examples where hydrodynamic modelling has incorporated remotely sensed data in order to: (i) provide input data; (ii) calibrate and validate such models; and (iii) estimate various components of transmission losses (Karim et al, 2011;Milewski et al, 2009;Sharma and Murthy, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Where does all the water go? Partitioning water transmission losses in a data-sparse, multi-channel and low-gradient dryland river system using modelling and remote sensing

Jarihani

Larsen

Callow

et al. 2015

Journal of Hydrology

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Where does all the water go? Partitioning water transmission losses in a data-sparse, multi-channel and low-gradient dryland river system using modelling and remote sensing, Journal of Hydrology (2015), doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol. 2015.08.030 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. 1Where does all the water go? Partitioning water transmission losses in a data-sparse, multi-channel and low-gradient dryland river system using modelling and remote sensing and April 2012 along a 180 km reach of the Diamantina River in the Lake Eyre Basin, Australia.Transmission losses were found to be high, on average 46% of total inflow within 180 km reach segment or 7 GL/km (range: 4 to 10 GL/km). However, in 180 km reach, transmission losses vary non-linearly with flood discharge, with smaller flows resulting in higher losses (up to 68%), which diminish in higher flows (down to 24%) and in general there is a minor increase in losses with distance downstream. Partitioning these total losses into the major components shows that actual evaporation was the most significant component (21.6% of total inflow), followed by infiltration (13.2%) and terminal water storage (11.2%). Lateral inflow can be up to 200% of upstream inflow (mean = 86%) and is therefore a critical parameter in the water balance and 3 transmission loss calculations. This study shows that it is possible to constrain the water balance using hydrodynamic models in dryland river systems using remote sensing and simple field measurements to address the otherwise scarce availability of data. The results of this study also enable a better understanding of the water resources available for ecosystems in these unique multi-channel and large floodplain rivers. The combined modelling / remote sensing approach of this study can be applied elsewhere in the world to better understand the water balances and water transmission losses, important drivers of ecohydrological processes in dryland environments.

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Section: Water Balance and Transmission Loss Partitioningsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where does all the water go? Partitioning water transmission losses in a data-sparse, multi-channel and low-gradient dryland river system using modelling and remote sensing

Jarihani

Larsen

Callow

et al. 2015

Journal of Hydrology

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“…The main geomorphological units include channel bed, sand bars (vegetated and non-vegetated), the floodplain and first alluvial terrace. The average width for each of these geomorphological units was determined by applying a GIS algorithm, developed by Morin et al (2009), to the aerial photographs. A characteristic cross-section with the support of field survey elevations of each geomorphic unit was then constructed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The potential infiltration volumes of the Spektakel aquifer were estimated as 4 million m 3 for a flood with 5 years of average recurrence interval, and up to 23 million m 3 for a flood with 500 yr of average recurrence interval (Table 2). Morin et al (2009) demonstrated in the Kuiseb River that floodwater infiltration into the alluvial aquifer is mainly sensitive to flood duration and not so much to flood peak discharge, but this is also dependent on river length and aquifer extension. In the Buffels River, however, flood magnitude controls the extent of inundation as for certain flood stages inundation area may cover sand bars and a wider area of the floodplain, increasing the infiltration volume per unit time.…”

Section: Flood Frequency Analysis (Ffa) Combining Modelled Dischargesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a contribution to improving information on floodrecharge hydrology in ephemeral rivers (e.g. Greenbaum et al, 2002;Morin et al, 2009), we propose a multidisciplinary methodological approach to quantify flood discharge, floodwater volume and aquifer recharge for ungauged ephemeral rivers. The methodology was applied in the Buffels River basin, the largest ephemeral river in Namaqualand (northwest South Africa), an example of a large dryland region (ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rainfall-runoff modelling and palaeoflood hydrology applied to reconstruct centennial scale records of flooding and aquifer recharge in ungauged ephemeral rivers

Benito

Botero

Thorndycraft

et al. 2011

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. In this study we propose a multi-source data approach for quantifying long-term flooding and aquifer recharge in ungauged ephemeral rivers. The methodology is applied to the Buffels River, at 9000 km 2 the largest ephemeral river in Namaqualand (NW South Africa), a region with scarce stream flow records limiting research investigating hydrological response to global change. Daily discharge and annual flood series were estimated from a distributed rainfall-runoff hydrological model (TETIS) using rainfall gauge records located within the catchment. The model was calibrated and validated with data collected during a two year monitoring programme (2005)(2006) at two stream flow stations, one each in the upper and lower reaches of the catchment. In addition to the modelled flow records, non-systematic flood data were reconstructed using both sedimentary and documentary evidence. The palaeoflood record identified at least 25 large floods during the last 700 yr; with the largest floods reaching a minimum discharge of 255 m 3 s −1 (450 yr return period) in the upper basin, and 510 m 3 s −1 (100 yr return period) in the lower catchment. Since AD 1925, the flood hydrology of the Buffels River has been characterised by a decrease in the magnitude and frequency of extreme floods, with palaeoflood discharges (period 1500-1921) five times greater than the largest modelled floods during the period 1965 -2006 Correspondence to: G. Benito (benito@ccma.csic.es) floods generated the highest hydrograph volumes, however their contribution to aquifer recharge is limited as this depends on other factors such as flood duration and storage capacity of the unsaturated zone prior to the flood. Floods having average return intervals of 5-10 yr (120-140 m 3 s −1 ) and flowing for 12 days are able to fully saturate the Spektakel aquifer in the lower Buffels River basin. Alluvial aquifer storage capacity limiting potential recharge by the largest floods is a common problem in arid environments, with the largest infiltration volumes favoured by increasing depth to groundwater levels.

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Estimating seepage flux from ephemeral stream channels using surface water and groundwater level data

et al. 2014

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Seepage flux from ephemeral streams can be an important component of the water balance in arid and semiarid regions. An emerging technique for quantifying this flux involves the measurement and simulation of a flood wave as it moves along an initially dry channel. This study investigates the usefulness of including surface water and groundwater data to improve model calibration when using this technique. We trialed this approach using a controlled flow event along a 1387 m reach of artificial stream channel. Observations were then simulated using a numerical model that combines the diffusion-wave approximation of the Saint-V enant equations for streamflow routing, with Philip's infiltration equation and the groundwater flow equation. the flood front timing, surface water stage, groundwater heads, and the predicted streamflow seepage were most influenced by specific yield. Furthermore, inclusion of groundwater data resulted in a higher estimate of total seepage estimates than if the flood front timing were used alone.

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Flood routing and alluvial aquifer recharge along the ephemeral arid Kuiseb River, Namibia

Cited by 124 publications

References 24 publications

Where does all the water go? Partitioning water transmission losses in a data-sparse, multi-channel and low-gradient dryland river system using modelling and remote sensing

Where does all the water go? Partitioning water transmission losses in a data-sparse, multi-channel and low-gradient dryland river system using modelling and remote sensing

Rainfall-runoff modelling and palaeoflood hydrology applied to reconstruct centennial scale records of flooding and aquifer recharge in ungauged ephemeral rivers

Estimating seepage flux from ephemeral stream channels using surface water and groundwater level data

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