Responses of Stream Water Temperature to Water Levels in Forested Catchments of South Korea

Abstract

Event flow characteristics were evaluated based on temperature and level of stream water in 22 forested catchments (area: 13.2–281.4 ha) to investigate sustainable flood management measures. Temperature and stream water levels were during 346 rainfall events in the summer season (July–September) from 2020 to 2022. Rising stream water levels responded to falling stream water temperature between ≤100 and >100 ha forested catchments in two types of time of concentration. Stream water temperature decreased by 3.0 °C when the stream water level increased by up to 0.9 m during rainfall events. Falling stream water temperature at two types of time of concentration was negatively correlated with total precipitation and rising stream water level. Based on the relatively high value of regression and cumulative frequency distribution, the estimated rising stream water level was appropriate in small catchments (≤100 ha) when the stream water temperature decreased, and the stream water level increased during rainfall events. Rising stream water levels and falling stream water temperatures are responses to catchment-scale effects, which are influenced by the nature and rapidity of the hydrological responses. Therefore, the results of the present study indicate that spatial and temporal differences in thermal responses of stream water temperature to water levels were controlled by catchment-scale effects under rapidly changing rainfall.

Trends in Air and Water Temperatures at the Confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers in Belgrade, Serbia

“…Tong et al found that global lakes are warming slower than surface air temperature due to accelerated evaporation [38]. Nam et al indicate that spatial and temporal differences in thermal responses of stream water temperature to water levels are controlled by catchment-scale effects under rapidly changing rainfall patterns [39]. Analyzing lake surface water temperatures for 92,245 lakes during the 1981-2020 period, Tong et al concluded that global lake surface water temperature is warming slower than surface air temperature due to accelerated evaporation [38].…”