Modelling the hydrologic response of a mesoscale Andean watershed to changes in land use patterns for environmental planning

Stehr, Alejandra; Aguayo, Mauricio; Link, Óscar; Parra, Óscar; Romero, Francisco; Alcayaga, Hernán

doi:10.5194/hess-14-1963-2010

Cited by 46 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…The study sites correspond to the lower Itata (36°12′–37°16′ and 71°00′–73°10′) (Link et al ., ) and the Vergara (37°29′–38°14′ and 71°36′–73°20′) (Stehr et al ., ) rivers, located in Central Chile. These reaches have lengths of 32 and 20 km, average altitudes of 68 and 27 masl, catchment areas equal to 11 290 and 4340 km 2 and Strahler orders at the study reach outlet of 6 and 5, respectively.…”

Section: Study Site and Field Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Solar‐to‐stream Power Ratio: A Dimensionless Number Explaining Diel Fluctuations of Temperature in Mesoscale Rivers

Link

Huerta

Stehr

et al. 2012

River Research & Apps

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The diel variation of temperature in mesoscale river reaches (catchment area > 1000 km2) is analysed using concurrent measurements of water temperature and of those meteorological (incident short‐wave radiation, air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed variables) and hydraulic variables (streamflow, top width, channel slope and flow depth) controlling the thermal regime. Measurements were taken along two river reaches located in central Chile, on the Itata (11 290 km2, Strahler's order 6, reach length 30 km, Qbankfull = 400 m3 s−1) and Vergara (4340 km2, Strahler's order 5, reach length 20 km, Qbankfull = 85 m3 s−1) rivers. The measuring frequency was 15 min. The relevant energy fluxes at the air–water interface, that is, atmospheric long‐wave radiation, net short‐wave radiation, radiation emitted by the water body, evaporation (latent heat) and conduction heat are computed and analysed for four scenarios of 12 days duration each, representing typical conditions for the austral winter, spring, summer and autumn. We find large differences in the diel river temperature range between the two sites and across seasons (and thus, flows and meteorological conditions), as reported in previous studies, but no clear relationship with the controlling variables is overtly observed. Following a dimensional analysis, we obtain a dimensionless parameter corresponding to the ratio of solar‐to‐stream power, which adequately explains the diel variation of water temperature in mesoscale rivers. A number of our own measurements as well as literature data are used for preliminary testing of the proposed parameter. This easy‐to‐compute number is shown to predict quite well all of the cases, constituting a simple and useful criterion to estimate a priori the magnitude of temperature diel variations in a river reach, given prevailing meteorological (daily maximum solar radiation) and hydrologic–hydraulic (streamflow, mean top width) conditions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Study Site and Field Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Solar‐to‐stream Power Ratio: A Dimensionless Number Explaining Diel Fluctuations of Temperature in Mesoscale Rivers

Link

Huerta

Stehr

et al. 2012

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“…The authors showed that information from short‐term glacio‐meteorological experiments within the region is indispensable for the estimation of parameter values in distributed, physically oriented glacio‐hydrological models. Meanwhile, studies with application of conceptual (Melo et al ., ; Vicuña et al ., , ) or physically oriented but semi‐distributed (Stehr et al ., , , ) hydrological models are relatively abundant in the Central Andes of Chile. Because streamflow data are relatively available, but field measurements represent a considerable financial and logistical effort, such models have often been favoured over more complex distributed models (Sivapalan, ), in spite of the risk of overparametrization resulting, for example, in the adequate fit between observed and modelled streamflow but overall in a less realistic simulation of catchment behaviour (Seibert and McDonnell, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An evaluation of approaches for modelling hydrological processes in high‐elevation, glacierized Andean watersheds

Ragettli

Cortés

McPhee

et al. 2013

Hydrological Processes

114

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We use two hydrological models of varying complexity to study the Juncal River Basin in the Central Andes of Chile with the aim to understand the degree of conceptualization and the spatial structure that are needed to model present and future streamflows. We use a conceptual semi‐distributed model based on elevation bands [Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP)], frequently used for water management, and a physically oriented, fully distributed model [Topographic Kinematic Wave Approximation and Integration ETH Zurich (TOPKAPI‐ETH)] developed for research purposes mainly. We evaluate the ability of the two models to reproduce the key hydrological processes in the basin with emphasis on snow accumulation and melt, streamflow and the relationships between internal processes. Both models are capable of reproducing observed runoff and the evolution of Moderate‐resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer snow cover adequately. In spite of WEAP's simple and conceptual approach for modelling snowmelt and its lack of glacier representation and snow gravitational redistribution as well as a proper routing algorithm, this model can reproduce historical data with a similar goodness of fit as the more complex TOPKAPI‐ETH. We show that the performance of both models can be improved by using measured precipitation gradients of higher temporal resolution. In contrast to the good performance of the conceptual model for the present climate, however, we demonstrate that the simplifications in WEAP lead to error compensation, which results in different predictions in simulated melt and runoff for a potentially warmer future climate. TOPKAPI‐ETH, using a more physical representation of processes, depends less on calibration and thus is less subject to a compensation of errors through different model components. Our results show that data obtained locally in ad hoc short‐term field campaigns are needed to complement data extrapolated from long‐term records for simulating changes in the water cycle of high‐elevation catchments but that these data can only be efficiently used by a model applying a spatially distributed physical representation of hydrological processes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…In this regard, remote sensing provides a promising opportunity to enhance the assessment and monitoring of the spatial and temporal variability of different variables involved in the precipitation-runoff processes in areas where data availability for hydrological modelling is scarce (Simic et al, 2004;Boegh et al, 2004;Melesse et al, 2007;Montzka et al, 2008;Milzowa et al, 2009, Er-Raki et al, 2010Stehr et al, 2009Stehr et al, , 2010.…”

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Snow cover dynamics in Andean watersheds of Chile (32.0–39.5° S) during the years 2000–2016

Stehr¹,

Aguayo²

2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Andean watersheds present important snowfall accumulation mainly during the winter, which melts during the spring and part of the summer. The effect of snowmelt on the water balance can be critical to sustain agriculture activities, hydropower generation, urban water supplies and wildlife. In Chile, 25 % of the territory between the region of Valparaiso and Araucanía comprises areas where snow precipitation occurs. As in many other difficult-to-access regions of the world, there is a lack of hydrological data of the Chilean Andes related to discharge, snow courses, and snow depths, which complicates the analysis of important hydrological processes (e.g. water availability). Remote sensing provides a promising opportunity to enhance the assessment and monitoring of the spatial and temporal variability of snow characteristics, such as the snow cover area (SCA) and snow cover dynamic (SCD). With regards to the foregoing questions, the objective of the study is to evaluate the spatiotemporal dynamics of the SCA at five watersheds (Aconcagua, Rapel, Maule, Biobío and Toltén) located in the Chilean Andes, between latitude 32.0 and 39.5 • S, and to analyse its relationship with the precipitation regime/pattern and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Those watersheds were chosen because of their importance in terms of their number of inhabitants, and economic activities depending on water resources. The SCA area was obtained from MOD10A2 for the period 2000-2016, and the SCD was analysed through a number of statistical tests to explore observed trends. In order to verify the SCA for trend analysis, a validation of the MOD10A2 product was done, consisting of the comparison of snow presence predicted by MODIS with ground observations. Results indicate that there is an overall agreement of 81 to 98 % between SCA determined from ground observations and MOD10A2, showing that the MODIS snow product can be taken as a feasible remote sensing tool for SCA estimation in southern-central Chile. Regarding SCD, no significant reduction in SCA for the period 2000-2016 was detected, with the exception of the Aconcagua and Rapel watersheds. In addition to that, an important decline in SCA in the five watersheds for the period of 2012 and 2016 was also evident, which is coincidental with the rainfall deficit for the same years. Findings were compared against ENSO episodes that occurred during 2010-2016, detecting that Niña years are coincident with maximum SCA during winter in all watersheds.

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Modelling the hydrologic response of a mesoscale Andean watershed to changes in land use patterns for environmental planning

Cited by 46 publications

References 53 publications

The Solar‐to‐stream Power Ratio: A Dimensionless Number Explaining Diel Fluctuations of Temperature in Mesoscale Rivers

The Solar‐to‐stream Power Ratio: A Dimensionless Number Explaining Diel Fluctuations of Temperature in Mesoscale Rivers

An evaluation of approaches for modelling hydrological processes in high‐elevation, glacierized Andean watersheds

Snow cover dynamics in Andean watersheds of Chile (32.0–39.5° S) during the years 2000–2016

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Modelling the hydrologic response of a mesoscale Andean watershed to changes in land use patterns for environmental planning

Cited by 46 publications

References 53 publications

The Solar‐to‐stream Power Ratio: A Dimensionless Number Explaining Diel Fluctuations of Temperature in Mesoscale Rivers

The Solar‐to‐stream Power Ratio: A Dimensionless Number Explaining Diel Fluctuations of Temperature in Mesoscale Rivers

An evaluation of approaches for modelling hydrological processes in high‐elevation, glacierized Andean watersheds

Snow cover dynamics in Andean watersheds of Chile (32.0–39.5° S) during the years 2000–2016

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Snow cover dynamics in Andean watersheds of Chile (32.0–39.5° S) during the years 2000–2016