Modeling streamflow sensitivity to climate warming and surface water inputs in a montane catchment

Hale, K.; Wlostowski, A. N.; Badger, Andrew M.; Musselman, K. N.; Livneh, Ben; Molotch, N. P.

doi:10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100976

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 88 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Earlier SWI may lead to efficient streamflow generation if soil moisture is conducive to infiltration excess overland flow, saturation excess overland flow, or shallow subsurface flow. However, for warmer low and mid elevations where snowmelt is a smaller component of SWI, earlier SWI was simulated to be associated with reduced annual total SWI (Hale et al., 2022). Integration of high resolution SnowModel output with a hydrological model would be useful to assess study‐area‐wide hydrologic partitioning and streamflow generation for future periods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Resolution SnowModel Simulations Reveal Future Elevation‐Dependent Snow Loss and Earlier, Flashier Surface Water Input for the Upper Colorado River Basin

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Resolution SnowModel Simulations Reveal Future Elevation‐Dependent Snow Loss and Earlier, Flashier Surface Water Input for the Upper Colorado River Basin

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For model spin‐up we use the daily average precipitation minus evapotranspiration as the recharge boundary condition on the model top. To account for evapotranspiration, we examined previous studies that estimated potential evapotranspiration for the Gordon Gulch basin and found that potential evapotranspiration values may range from 31 to >100% of the annual average precipitation (Hale, 2022; Langston et al., 2015; Salberg, 2021). Most recently, Salberg (2021) calculated monthly total evapotranspiration loss for a catchment‐scale water budget of Gordon Gulch.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining subsurface response to an extreme precipitation event using HYDRUS‐1D

Corona

2022

Vadose Zone Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

North-central Colorado experienced an extreme precipitation event (EPE) in September 2013, during which the equivalent of 80% of the region's annual average precipitation fell in a few days. Widespread flooding occurred above ground, but the shortand long-term subsurface response remains unclear. The objective of the study is to better understand the dynamic subsurface response, namely how the water table and soil water storage responded to a large amount of infiltration in a short period of time and how the hydrologic properties of the subsurface influence the response. Better understanding of subsurface response to EPEs is expected to increase with the advent of more intense and frequent EPEs in the coming decades. A one-dimensional subsurface flow model using HYDRUS-1D, was built to simulate and examine infiltration of an EPE at a site in the Boulder Creek Watershed, Colorado. Model calibration was conducted with local field data to fit site observations over a 6-yr period. A rapid water table depth response in field observations was observed, with the modeled subsurface storing water for 18 mo acting as a hydro-buffer during recovery. To examine influence on model results, a sensitivity study of soil hydraulic parameters was conducted. The sensitivity study found that changes in n, an empirical parameter related to pore-size distribution, most significantly affects water table depth. The implications are that one-dimensional models may provide useful estimates of water table fluctuations and subsurface hydro-buffer capacities in response to EPEs, which could be of use to regions preparing for EPE effect on water resources.

show abstract

“…As snow melts, the water becomes available for evaporation, runoff, and/or infiltration. In Gordon Gulch, precipitation that falls as snow during the winter is stored in snowpacks, creating a lag between the timing of snowfall and when liquid water is available (Hale et al, 2022). We used changes in snow depth (ignoring compaction) and average snow density to compute snowmelt.…”

Section: Snowmeltmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Groundwater Flow in a Montane, Semi-Arid, Headwater Catchment

Salberg

Anderson

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Groundwater is critical in sustaining streamflow, especially in headwater catchments, because of its ability to supply baseflow. In water-limited arid and semi-arid mountain environments, the need to characterize groundwater recharge and discharge has grown in tandem with demands to manage current and future water resources. However, studying groundwater in complex terrain is challenging due to limited field measurements. Nearly a decade of monitoring in Gordon Gulch in the Colorado Front Range provides an opportunity to study such an environment. The field data is used to parameterize and calibrate a groundwater flow model (MODFLOW-NWT). Model results reveal that groundwater is recharged primarily during one to two recharge periods each year, driven by spring snowmelt coupled with rain or by intense/prolonged summer rain. Gordon Gulch is a net gaining stream, with greater fluxes from groundwater to stream in lower Gordon Gulch and during springtime. Groundwater is discharged to the stream via long, deep flowpaths sourced from upper Gordon Gulch and from hillslopes, and via short, shallow flowpaths in lower Gordon Gulch. Modelled groundwater accounts for approximately 16 to 34% of baseflow in the stream. Using Gordon Gulch as a case study, this model and data analysis contribute to a larger effort to understand and constrain the mechanisms driving groundwater recharge and groundwater-stream exchanges in semi-arid, headwater catchments.

show abstract

Modeling streamflow sensitivity to climate warming and surface water inputs in a montane catchment

Cited by 16 publications

References 88 publications

High Resolution SnowModel Simulations Reveal Future Elevation‐Dependent Snow Loss and Earlier, Flashier Surface Water Input for the Upper Colorado River Basin

High Resolution SnowModel Simulations Reveal Future Elevation‐Dependent Snow Loss and Earlier, Flashier Surface Water Input for the Upper Colorado River Basin

Examining subsurface response to an extreme precipitation event using HYDRUS‐1D

The Role of Groundwater Flow in a Montane, Semi-Arid, Headwater Catchment

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About