bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Uncertainty in the determination of soil hydraulic parameters and its influence on the performance of two hydrological models of different complexity
Authors: Baroni G. , Facchi A. , Gandolfi C. , Ortuani B. , Horeschi D. , Van Dam J. C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Data of soil hydraulic properties forms often a limiting factor in unsaturated zone modelling, especially at the larger scales. Investigations for the hydraulic characterization of soils are time-consuming and costly, and the accuracy of the results obtained by the different methodologies is still debated. However, we may wonder how the uncertainty in soil hydraulic parameters relates to the uncertainty of the selected modelling approach. We performed an intensive monitoring study during the cropping season of a 10 ha maize field in Northern Italy. These data were used to: i) compare different methods for determining soil hydraulic parameters and ii) evaluate the effect of the uncertainty in these parameters on different outputs (i.e. evapotranspiration, water content in the root zone, fluxes through the bottom boundary of the root zone) of two hydrological models with different complexity: SWAP, a widely used model of soil moisture dynamics in unsaturated soils based on Richards equation, and ALHyMUS, a conceptual model of the same dynamics based on a reservoir cascade scheme. We employed five direct and indirect methods to determine soil hydraulic parameters for each horizon of the experimental field. Two methods were based on a parameter optimization of: a) laboratory measured retention and hydraulic conductivity data and b) field measured retention and hydraulic conductivity data. Three methods were based on the application of widely used Pedo-Transfer Functions: c) Rawls and Brakensiek; d) HYPRES; and e) ROSETTA. Simulations were performed using meteorological, irrigation and crop data measured at the experimental site during the period June–October 2006. Results showed a wide range of soil hydraulic parameter values evaluated with the different methods, especially for the saturated hydraulic conductivity Ksat and the shape parameter α of the Van Genuchten curve. This is reflected in a variability of the modeling results which is, as expected, different for each model. The variability of the simulated water content in the root zone and of the fluxes at the root zone bottom for different soil hydraulic parameter sets is found to be often larger than the difference between modeling results of the two models using the same soil hydraulic parameter set. Also we found that a good agreement in simulated soil moisture patterns may occur even if evapotranspiration and percolation fluxes are significantly different. Therefore multiple output variables should be considered to test the performances of methods and models.
Thermal remote sensing from Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner data in the framework of the SPARC and SEN2FLEX projects: an overview
Authors: Sobrino J. A. , Jiménez-Muñoz J. C. , Zarco-Tejada P. J. , Sepulcre-Cantó G. , de Miguel E. , Sòria G. , Romaguera M. , Julien Y. , Cuenca J. , Hidalgo V. , Franch B. , Mattar C. , Morales L. , Gillespie A. , Sabol D. , Balick L. , Su Z. , Jia L. , Gieske A. , Timmermans W. , Olioso A. , Nerry F. , Guanter L. , Moreno J. , Shen Q.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The AHS (Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner) instrument has 80 spectral bands covering the visible and near infrared (VNIR), short wave infrared (SWIR), mid infrared (MIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) spectral range. The instrument is operated by Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aerospacial (INTA), and it has been involved in several field campaigns since 2004. This paper presents an overview of the work performed with the AHS thermal imagery provided in the framework of the SPARC and SEN2FLEX campaigns, carried out respectively in 2004 and 2005 over an agricultural area in Spain. The data collected in both campaigns allowed for the first time the development and testing of algorithms for land surface temperature and emissivity retrieval as well as the estimation of evapotranspiration from AHS data. Errors were found to be around 1.5 K for land surface temperature and 1 mm/day for evapotranspiration.
Parameterization and uncertainty in coupled ecohydrological models
Authors: Arnold S. , Attinger S. , Frank K. , Hildebrandt A.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. In this paper we develop and apply a conceptual ecohydrological model to investigate the effects of model structure and parameter uncertainty on the prediction of vegetation structure and hydrological dynamics. The model is applied for a typical water limited riparian ecosystem along an ephemeral river: the middle section of the Kuiseb River in Namibia. We modelled this system by coupling an ecological model with a conceptual hydrological model. The hydrological model is storage based with stochastical forcing from the flood. The ecosystem is modelled with a population model, and represents three dominating riparian plant populations. In appreciation of uncertainty about population dynamics, we applied three model versions with increasing complexity. Population parameters were found by Latin Hypercube sampling of the parameter space and with the constraint that three species should coexist as observed. Two of the three models were able to reproduce the observed coexistence. However, both models relied on different coexistence mechanisms, and reacted differently to change of long term memory in the flood forcing. The coexistence requirement strongly constrained the parameter space for both successful models. Only very few parameter sets (0.5% of 150 000 samples) allowed for coexistence in a representative number of repeated simulations (at least 10 out of 100) and the success of the coexistence mechanism was controlled by the combination of population parameters. The average values of hydrologic variables like transpiration and depth to ground water were similar for both models, suggesting that they were mainly controlled by the applied hydrological model. The fluctuations of depth to groundwater and transpiration, however, differed significantly, suggesting that they were controlled by the applied ecological model and coexistence mechanisms. Our study emphasizes that uncertainty about ecosystem structure and intra-specific interactions influence the prediction of the hydrosystem.
Mapping rainfall erosivity at a regional scale: a comparison of interpolation methods in the Ebro Basin (NE Spain)
Authors: Angulo-Martínez M. , López-Vicente M. , Vicente-Serrano S. M. , Beguería S.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Rainfall erosivity is a major causal factor of soil erosion, and it is included in many prediction models. Maps of rainfall erosivity indices are required for assessing soil erosion at the regional scale. In this study a comparison is made between several techniques for mapping the rainfall erosivity indices: i) the RUSLE R factor and ii) the average EI30 index of the erosive events over the Ebro basin (NE Spain). A spatially dense precipitation data base with a high temporal resolution (15 min) has been used. Global, local and geostatistical interpolation techniques were employed to produce maps of the rainfall erosivity indices, as well as mixed methods (regression plus local interpolation). To determine the reliability of the maps several goodness-of-fit and error statistics were computed, using a cross-validation scheme. All methods represented correctly the spatial patterns of both erosivity indices, but the mixed approaches tended to be better overall considering the validation statistics. Additionally, they allowed identifying statistically significant relationships between rainfall erosivity and other geographical variables, as elevation and distance to the water bodies. All models had a relatively high uncertainty, caused by the high variability of rainfall erosivity indices both in time and space, what stresses the importance of using the longest data series available with a good spatial coverage.
Using an inverse modelling approach to evaluate the water retention in a simple water harvesting technique
Authors: Verbist K. , Cornelis W. M. , Gabriels D. , Alaerts K. , Soto G.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. In arid and semi-arid zones runoff harvesting techniques are often applied to increase the water retention and infiltration on steep slopes. Additionally, they act as an erosion control measure to reduce land degradation hazards. Nevertheless, few efforts were observed to quantify the water harvesting processes of these techniques and to evaluate their efficiency. In this study a combination of detailed field measurements and modelling with the HYDRUS-2D software package was used to visualize the effect of an infiltration trench on the soil water content of a bare slope in Northern Chile. Rainfall simulations were combined with high spatial and temporal resolution water content monitoring in order to construct a useful dataset for inverse modelling purposes. Initial estimates of model parameters were provided by detailed infiltration and soil water retention measurements. Four different measurement techniques were used to determine the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) independently. Tension infiltrometer measurements proved a good estimator of the Ksat value and a proxy for those measured under simulated rainfall, whereas the pressure and constant head well infiltrometer measurements showed larger variability. Six different parameter optimization functions were tested as a combination of soil-water content, water retention and cumulative infiltration data. Infiltration data alone proved insufficient to obtain high model accuracy, due to large scatter on the data set, and water content data were needed to obtain optimized effective parameter sets with small confidence intervals. Correlation between observed soil water content and simulated values was as high as R2=0.93 for ten selected observation points used in the model calibration phase, with overall correlation for the 22 observation points equal to 0.85. Model results indicate that the infiltration trench has a significant effect on soil water storage, especially at the base of the trench.
Modelling runoff at the plot scale taking into account rainfall partitioning by vegetation: application to stemflow of banana (Musa spp.) plant
Authors: Charlier J.-B. , Moussa R. , Cattan P. , Cabidoche Y.-M. , Voltz M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Rainfall partitioning by vegetation modifies the intensity of rainwater reaching the ground, which affects runoff generation. Incident rainfall is intercepted by the plant canopy and then redistributed into throughfall and stemflow. Rainfall intensities at the soil surface are therefore not spatially uniform, generating local variations of runoff production that are disregarded in runoff models. The aim of this paper was to model runoff at the plot scale, accounting for rainfall partitioning by vegetation in the case of plants concentrating rainwater at the plant foot and promoting stemflow. We developed a lumped modelling approach, including a stemflow function that divided the plot into two compartments: one compartment including stemflow and the relative water pathways and one compartment for the rest of the plot. This stemflow function was coupled with a production function and a transfer function to simulate a flood hydrograph using the MHYDAS model. Calibrated parameters were a "stemflow coefficient", which compartmented the plot; the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), which controls infiltration and runoff; and the two parameters of the diffusive wave equation. We tested our model on a banana plot of 3000 m2 on permeable Andosol (mean Ks=75 mm h−1) under tropical rainfalls, in Guadeloupe (FWI). Runoff simulations without and with the stemflow function were performed and compared to 18 flood events from 10 to 130 mm rainfall depth. Modelling results showed that the stemflow function improved the calibration of hydrographs according to the error criteria on volume and on peakflow and to the Nash and Sutcliffe coefficient. This was particularly the case for low flows observed during residual rainfall, for which the stemflow function allowed runoff to be simulated for rainfall intensities lower than the Ks measured at the soil surface. This approach also allowed us to take into account the experimental data, without needing to calibrate the runoff volume on Ks parameter. Finally, the results suggest a rainwater redistribution module should be included in distributed runoff models at a larger scale of the catchment.
Estimating surface fluxes over middle and upper streams of the Heihe River Basin with ASTER imagery
Authors: Ma W. , Ma Y. , Hu Z. , Su B. , Wang J. , Ishikawa H.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Surface fluxes are important boundary conditions for climatological modeling and the Asian monsoon system. Recent availability of high-resolution, multi-band imagery from the ASTER (Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) sensor has enabled us to estimate surface fluxes to bridge the gap between local scale flux measurements using micrometeorological instruments and regional scale land-atmosphere exchanges of water and heat fluxes that are fundamental for the understanding of the water cycle in the Asian monsoon system. A Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) method based on ASTER data and field observations has been proposed and tested for deriving net radiation flux (Rn), soil heat flux (G0), sensible heat flux (H) and latent heat flux (λ E) over heterogeneous land surface in this paper. As a case study, the methodology was applied to the experimental area of the WATER (Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research), located at the mid-to-upstream sections of the Heihe River, northwest China. The ASTER data of 3 May and 4 June in 2008 was used in this paper for the case of mid-to-upstream sections of the Heihe River Basin. To validate the proposed methodology, the ground-measured land surface heat fluxes (net radiation flux (Rn), soil heat flux (G0), sensible heat flux (H) and latent heat flux (λ E)) were compared to the ASTER derived values. The results show that the derived surface variables and land surface heat fluxes in different months over the study area are in good accordance with the land surface status. It is therefore concluded that the proposed methodology is successful for the retrieval of land surface heat fluxes using the ASTER data and filed observation over the study area.
Characteristics of 2-D convective structures in Catalonia (NE Spain): an analysis using radar data and GIS
Authors: Barnolas M. , Rigo T. , Llasat M. C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Flood simulation studies use spatial-temporal rainfall data input into distributed hydrological models. A correct description of rainfall in space and in time contributes to improvements on hydrological modelling and design. This work is focused on the analysis of 2-D convective structures (rain cells), whose contribution is especially significant in most flood events. The objective of this paper is to provide statistical descriptors and distribution functions for convective structure characteristics of precipitation systems producing floods in Catalonia (NE Spain). To achieve this purpose heavy rainfall events recorded between 1996 and 2000 have been analysed. By means of weather radar, and applying 2-D radar algorithms a distinction between convective and stratiform precipitation is made. These data are introduced and analyzed with a GIS. In a first step different groups of connected pixels with convective precipitation are identified. Only convective structures with an area greater than 32 km2 are selected. Then, geometric characteristics (area, perimeter, orientation and dimensions of the ellipse), and rainfall statistics (maximum, mean, minimum, range, standard deviation, and sum) of these structures are obtained and stored in a database. Finally, descriptive statistics for selected characteristics are calculated and statistical distributions are fitted to the observed frequency distributions. Statistical analyses reveal that the Generalized Pareto distribution for the area and the Generalized Extreme Value distribution for the perimeter, dimensions, orientation and mean areal precipitation are the statistical distributions that best fit the observed ones of these parameters. The statistical descriptors and the probability distribution functions obtained are of direct use as an input in spatial rainfall generators.
Areal rainfall estimation using moving cars as rain gauges – a modelling study
Authors: Haberlandt U. , Sester M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Optimal spatial assessment of short-time step precipitation for hydrological modelling is still an important research question considering the poor observation networks for high time resolution data. The main objective of this paper is to present a new approach for rainfall observation. The idea is to consider motorcars as moving rain gauges with windscreen wipers as sensors to detect precipitation. This idea is easily technically feasible if the cars are provided with GPS and a small memory chip for recording the coordinates, car speed and wiper frequency. This study explores theoretically the benefits of such an approach. For that a valid relationship between wiper speed and rainfall rate considering uncertainty was assumed here. A simple traffic model is applied to generate motorcars on roads in a river basin. Radar data are used as reference truth rainfall fields. Rainfall from these fields is sampled with a conventional rain gauge network and with several dynamic networks consisting of moving motorcars. Those observed point rainfall data from the different networks are then used to calculate areal rainfall for different scales. Ordinary kriging and indicator kriging are applied for interpolation of the point data with the latter considering uncertain rainfall observation by cars e.g. according to a discrete number of windscreen wiper operation classes. The results are compared with the true values from the radar observations. The study is carried out for the 3300 km2 Bode river basin located in the Harz Mountains in Northern Germany. The results show, that the idea is theoretically feasible. Only a small portion of the cars needed to be equipped with sensors for sufficient areal rainfall estimation. Regarding the required sensitivity of the potential rain sensors in cars it could be shown, that often a few classes for rainfall observation are enough for satisfactory areal rainfall estimation. The findings of the study suggest also a revisiting of the rain gauge network optimisation problem.
Sedimentation in the Three Gorges Dam and its impact on the sediment flux from the Changjiang (Yangtze River), China
Authors: Hu B. Q. , Yang Z. S. , Wang H. J. , Sun X. X. , Bi N. S.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. After the operation of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in 2003, the mean annual sediment load at Yichang station, 44 km downstream of the TGD, decreased drastically by 84% of that in the pre-TGD period (1986–2002). Annually, about 162 million tons (Mt) sediment was trapped by the TGD in 2003–2007, of which 92% was deposited within the region from Cuntan to TGD site; the remaining 8% deposited in the upstream of Cuntan owing to the effect of the extended backwater region of TGD. The theoretical trapping efficiency of the cascade reservoir on the lower Jinshajiang was calculated and its impact on the Changjiang sediment in the coming decades discussed. The results show that the cascade reservoir will trap up to 91% of the sediment discharge coming from the Jinshajiang tributary, and then the sediment discharge from the Changjiang to the sea will continuously decrease to less than 90 Mt/yr in the coming decades. In the presence of low sediment discharge, profound impacts on the morphology of estuary, delta and coastal sea are expected.
A regional model to predict the distribution patterns of alpine permafrost in the western part of the Qilianshan Mountains, on the northeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Sheng Y. , Li J. , Wu J. , Ye B. , Wang J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A field investigation and measurement of ground temperatures in boreholes was carried out in the upper area of Shule River in the western part of the Qilianshan Mountains, in the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in 2008. On the basis of this a sketchy distribution pattern of permafrost in this area was established. A regional permafrost model considering the effects of latitude, altitude, slope and aspect on distribution of permafrost was developed. The effect of latitude was calculated by the Gauss curve as proposed by Cheng, and then added to the effect of altitude. A linear relationship was found between altitude and the measured ground temperatures. For the effects of slope and aspect which mainly affected the amount and spatial distribution of the incoming solar radiation, a linear equation based on increments of the incoming solar radiation and the changes in ground temperature was used to evaluate their influence on the development of permafrost. A distribution map of the frozen ground, as well as a classification map of permafrost based on ground temperatures was produced using the ARCGIS software. In addition, the spatial distribution patterns of frozen ground and each permafrost type in this region were also analyzed.
Nitrogen retention in natural Mediterranean wetlands affected by agricultural runoff
Authors: García García V. , Gómez R. , Vidal-Abarca M. R. , Suárez M. L.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Nitrogen retention efficiency in natural Mediterranean wetlands affected by agricultural runoff was quantified and the effect of season and hydrological/chemical loading was examined from March 2007 to June 2008 in two wetland-streams located in Southeast Spain. Nitrate-N (NO3−-N), ammonium-N (NH4+-N), total organic nitrogen-N (TON-N) and chloride (Cl−) concentrations were analyzed to calculate nitrogen retention efficiencies. These wetlands consistently reduced water nitrogen concentration throughout the year with higher values for NO3−-N (72.3%), even though the mean values of inflow NO3−-N concentrations were above 20 mg l−1. Additionally, they usually acted as sinks for TON-N (45.4%), but as sources for NH4+-N. Over the entire study period, the Taray and Parra wetlands were capable of removing a mean value of 1.6 and 0.8 kg NO3−-N a day−1, respectively. Retention efficiencies were not affected by temperature variation and did not follow a seasonal pattern. The temporal variability for NO3−-N retention efficiency was positively and negatively explained by the net hydrologic retention and the inflow NO3−-N concentration (R2adj=0.832, p<0.001), respectively. TON-N retention efficiency was only positively explained by the net hydrologic retention (R2adj=0.1997, p<0.05). No significant regression model was found for NH4+-N. Finally, the conservation of these Mediterranean wetland-streams may act as a tool to not only improves the surface water quality in agricultural catchments, but to also achieve a good ecological status for surface waters, this being the Water Framework Directive's ultimate purpose.
Bias correction of temperature and precipitation data for regional climate model application to the Rhine basin
Authors: Terink W. , Hurkmans R. T. W. L. , Torfs P. J. J. F. , Uijlenhoet R.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. In many climate impact studies hydrological models are forced with meteorological forcing data without an attempt to assess the quality of these forcing data. The objective of this study is to compare downscaled ERA15 (ECMWF-reanalysis data) precipitation and temperature with observed precipitation and temperature and apply a bias correction to these forcing variables. The bias-corrected precipitation and temperature data will be used in another study as input for the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model. Observations were available for 134 sub-basins throughout the Rhine basin at a temporal resolution of one day from the International Commission for the Hydrology of the Rhine basin (CHR). Precipitation is corrected by fitting the mean and coefficient of variation (CV) of the observations. Temperature is corrected by fitting the mean and standard deviation of the observations. It seems that the uncorrected ERA15 is too warm and too wet for most of the Rhine basin. The bias correction leads to satisfactory results, precipitation and temperature differences decreased significantly. Corrections were largest during summer for both precipitation and temperature, and for September and October for precipitation only. Besides the statistics the correction method was intended to correct for, it is also found to improve the correlations for the fraction of wet days and lag-1 autocorrelations between ERA15 and the observations.
Assimilation of satellite information in a snowpack model to improve characterization of snow cover for runoff simulation and forecasting
Authors: Kuchment L. S. , Romanov P. , Gelfan A. N. , Demidov V. N.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A new technique for constructing spatial fields of snow characteristics for runoff simulation and forecasting is presented. The technique incorporates satellite land surface monitoring data and available ground-based hydrometeorological measurements in a physical based snowpack model. The snowpack model provides simulation of temporal changes of the snow depth, density and water equivalent (SWE), accounting for snow melt, sublimation, refreezing melt water and snow metamorphism processes with a special focus on forest cover effects. The model was first calibrated against available ground-based snow measurements and then was applied to calculate the spatial distribution of snow characteristics using satellite data and interpolated ground-based meteorological data. The remote sensing data used in the model consist of products derived from observations of MODIS and AMSR-E instruments onboard Terra and Aqua satellites. They include daily maps of snow cover, snow water equivalent (SWE), land surface temperature, and weekly maps of surface albedo. Maps of land cover classes and tree cover fraction derived from NOAA AVHRR were used to characterize the vegetation cover. The developed technique was tested over a study area of approximately 200 000 km2 located in the European part of Russia (56° N to 60° N, and 48° E to 54° E). The study area comprises the Vyatka River basin with the catchment area of 124 000 km2. The spatial distributions of SWE, obtained with the coupled model, as well as solely from satellite data were used as the inputs in a physically-based model of runoff generation to simulate runoff hydrographs on the Vyatka river for spring seasons of 2003, 2005. The comparison of simulated hydrographs with the observed ones has shown that suggested procedure gives a higher accuracy of snow cover spatial distribution representation and hydrograph simulations than the direct use of satellite SWE data.
Modelling the inorganic nitrogen behaviour in a small Mediterranean forested catchment, Fuirosos (Catalonia)
Authors: Medici C. , Bernal S. , Butturini A. , Sabater F. , Wade A. J. , Frances F.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The aim of this work was to couple a nitrogen (N) sub-model to already existent hydrological lumped (LU4-N) and semi-distributed (LU4-R-N and SD4-R-N) conceptual models, to improve our understanding of the factors and processes controlling nitrogen cycling and losses in Mediterranean catchments. The N model adopted provides a simplified conceptualization of the soil nitrogen cycle considering mineralization, nitrification, immobilization, denitrification, plant uptake, and ammonium adsorption/desorption. It also includes nitrification and denitrification in the shallow perched aquifer. We included a soil moisture threshold for all the considered soil biological processes. The results suggested that all the nitrogen processes were highly influenced by the rain episodes and that soil microbial processes occurred in pulses stimulated by soil moisture increasing after rain. Our simulation highlighted the riparian zone as a possible source of nitrate, especially after the summer drought period, but it can also act as an important sink of nitrate due to denitrification, in particular during the wettest period of the year. The riparian zone was a key element to simulate the catchment nitrate behaviour. The lumped LU4-N model (which does not include the riparian zone) could not be validated, while both the semi-distributed LU4-R-N and SD4-R-N model (which include the riparian zone) gave satisfactory results for the calibration process and acceptable results for the temporal validation process.
Comparison of algorithms and parameterisations for infiltration into organic-covered permafrost soils
Authors: Zhang Y. , Carey S. K. , Quinton W. L. , Janowicz J. R. , Flerchinger G. N.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Infiltration into frozen and unfrozen soils is critical in hydrology, controlling active layer soil water dynamics and influencing runoff. Few Land Surface Models (LSMs) and Hydrological Models (HMs) have been developed, adapted or tested for frozen conditions and permafrost soils. Considering the vast geographical area influenced by freeze/thaw processes and permafrost, and the rapid environmental change observed worldwide in these regions, a need exists to improve models to better represent their hydrology. In this study, various infiltration algorithms and parameterisation methods, which are commonly employed in current LSMs and HMs were tested against detailed measurements at three sites in Canada's discontinuous permafrost region with organic soil depths ranging from 0.02 to 3 m. Field data from two consecutive years were used to calibrate and evaluate the infiltration algorithms and parameterisations. Important conclusions include: (1) the single most important factor that controls the infiltration at permafrost sites is ground thaw depth, (2) differences among the simulated infiltration by different algorithms and parameterisations were only found when the ground was frozen or during the initial fast thawing stages, but not after ground thaw reaches a critical depth of 15–30 cm, (3) despite similarities in simulated total infiltration after ground thaw reaches the critical depth, the choice of algorithm influenced the distribution of water among the soil layers, and (4) the ice impedance factor for hydraulic conductivity, which is commonly used in LSMs and HMs, may not be necessary once the water potential driven frozen soil parameterisation is employed. Results from this work provide guidelines and can be directly implemented in LSMs and HMs to improve their application in organic covered permafrost soils.
Improved spatial mapping of leaf area index using hyperspectral remote sensing for hydrological applications with a particular focus on canopy interception
Authors: Bulcock H. H. , Jewitt G. P. W.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The use of remote sensing technology as a tool to estimate leaf area index (LAI) for use in estimating canopy interception is described in this paper. The establishment of commercial forestry plantations in natural grassland vegetation, results in increased transpiration and interception which in turn, results in a streamflow reduction. Methods to quantify this impact typically require LAI as an input into the various equations and process models that are applied. Remote sensing provides a potential solution to effectively monitor the spatial and temporal variability of LAI. This is illustrated using Hyperion hyperspectral imagery and three vegetation indices, namely the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) and Vogelmann index 1 to estimate LAI in a catchment afforested with Eucalyptus, Pinus and Acacia genera in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands of South Africa. Of the three vegetation indices used in this study, it was found that the Vogelmann index 1 was the most robust index with an R2 and root mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.7 and 0.3 respectively. However, both NDVI and SAVI could be used to estimate the LAI of 12 year old Pinus patula accurately. If the interception component is to be quantified independently, estimates of maximum storage capacity and canopy interception are required. Thus, the spatial distribution of LAI in the catchment is used to estimate maximum canopy storage capacity in the study area.
Assessment of conceptual model uncertainty for the regional aquifer Pampa del Tamarugal – North Chile
Authors: Rojas R. , Batelaan O. , Feyen L. , Dassargues A.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. In this work we assess the uncertainty in modelling the groundwater flow for the Pampa del Tamarugal Aquifer (PTA) – North Chile using a novel and fully integrated multi-model approach aimed at explicitly accounting for uncertainties arising from the definition of alternative conceptual models. The approach integrates the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) and Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) methods. For each member of an ensemble M of potential conceptualizations, model weights used in BMA for multi-model aggregation are obtained from GLUE-based likelihood values. These model weights are based on model performance, thus, reflecting how well a conceptualization reproduces an observed dataset D. GLUE-based cumulative predictive distributions for each member of M are then aggregated obtaining predictive distributions accounting for conceptual model uncertainties. For the PTA we propose an ensemble of eight alternative conceptualizations covering all major features of groundwater flow models independently developed in past studies and including two recharge mechanisms which have been source of debate for several years. Results showed that accounting for heterogeneities in the hydraulic conductivity field (a) reduced the uncertainty in the estimations of parameters and state variables, and (b) increased the corresponding model weights used for multi-model aggregation. This was more noticeable when the hydraulic conductivity field was conditioned on available hydraulic conductivity measurements. Contribution of conceptual model uncertainty to the predictive uncertainty varied between 6% and 64% for ground water head estimations and between 16% and 79% for ground water flow estimations. These results clearly illustrate the relevance of conceptual model uncertainty.
Recent floods in the Middle Ebro River, Spain: hydrometeorological aspects and floodplain management
Authors: Domenech S. , Espejo F. , Ollero A. , Sánchez-Fabre M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The Ebro River has the largest Mediterranean basin in the Iberian Peninsula and the third one by surface among those of the Mediterranean Sea. The middle stretch of this river is especially interesting because it constitutes a very economically important axis of population in a semi-arid environment context. Flooding processes are common in the Middle Ebro River, but the combination among decrease of discharges, dam construction and expansion and reinforcement of defences created an unusually quiet period as regards flooding events during the last quarter of the previous century. Nevertheless, with the turn of the century it seems that the Middle Ebro River has entered into new dynamics, with bigger and more frequent floods, the appearance of which has changed its seasonal nature. The most relevant examples are those of February 2003 and March–April 2007. The present paper examines these recent trends and discusses their possible causes from the points of view of hydro-meteorology, flood management through the use of reservoirs, and floodplain management. The consequences of recent floods in the Middle Ebro River have reopened the debate about possible risk management measures.
Estimation of evapotranspiration in the Mu Us Sandland of China
Authors: Liu S. , Bai J. , Zhou H. , Jia L. , Lu L.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Evapotranspiration (ET) in Wushen County, located in the Mu Us Sandland of China, was estimated by Advection-Aridity Model based on the complementary relationship hypothesis with reflectance data of NOAA/AVHRR and MODIS, meteorological data etc. from 1981 to 2003. The results have showed that the estimated monthly ET was about 18.9% lower than measurements of Eddy Covariance (EC) system after forcing energy balance closure over forest and grassland, and about 18.7% lower than measurements by microlysimeter over sand dune. From 1981 to 2003, annual ET in Wushen County was between 200 and 310 mm with an average of 252 mm, increasing from west to east spatially. The inter-annual relative variability of ET was between 10% and 24%, decreased from northwest to southeast spatially. Both the inter-annual and seasonal variations of ET were great. Maximum and minimum annual ET could reach 340 mm and 200 mm respectively. The seasonal pattern of ET showed a single peak normal distribution. The cumulative ET during the period (June, July, August and September) was 223 mm, which was 88% of the total annual ET. The relationships between annual ET, precipitation and Normalized Deviation of Vegetation Index (NDVI) showed positive correlations temporally and spatially.
Forest decline caused by high soil water conditions in a permafrost region
Authors: Iwasaki H. , Saito H. , Kuwao K. , Maximov T. C. , Hasegawa S.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. In the permafrost region near Yakutsk, eastern Siberia, Russia, annual precipitation (June–May) in 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 exceeded the 26-year (1982–2008) mean of 222±68 mm by 185 mm and 128 mm, respectively, whereas in 2007–2008 the excedent was only 48 mm, well within the range of variability. Yellowing and browning of larch (Larix cajanderi Mayr.) trees occurred in an undisturbed forest near Yakutsk in the 2007 summer growing season. Soil water content at a depth of 0.20 m was measured along a roughly 400 m long line transect running through areas of yellowing and browning larch trees (YBL) and of normal larch trees (NL). In the two years of supranormal precipitation, soil water content was very high compared to values recorded for the same area in previous studies. For both wet years, the mean degree of saturation (s) was significantly greater in YBL than NL areas, whereas the converse was the case for the relative gas diffusivity (DP/D0). This implies that rather than mitigating water stress suffered during normal precipitation years, elevated soil water conditions adversely affected the growth of larch trees. Eastern Siberia's taiga forest extends widely into the permafrost region. Was such supranormal annual precipitation to extend for more than two years, as might be expected under impending global climate changes, forest decline would be expanded and a danger of accelerating greenhouse gas emissions could result.
Numerical analysis of Richards' problem for water penetration in unsaturated soils
Authors: Barari A. , Omidvar M. , Ghotbi A. R. , Ganji D. D.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Unsaturated flow of soils in unsaturated soils is an important problem in geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering. Richards' equation is often used to model this phenomenon in porous media. Obtaining appropriate solution to this equation therefore provides better means to studying the infiltration into unsaturated soils. Available methods for the solution of Richards' equation mostly fall in the category of numerical methods, often having restrictions for practical cases. In this research, two analytical methods known as Homotopy Perturbation Method (HPM) and Variational Iteration Method (VIM) have been successfully utilized for solving Richards' equation. Results obtained from the two methods mentioned show a remarkably high precision in the obtained solution, compared with the existing exact solutions available.
Multilevel and multiscale drought reanalysis over France with the Safran-Isba-Modcou hydrometeorological suite
Authors: Vidal J.-P. , Martin E. , Franchistéguy L. , Habets F. , Soubeyroux J.-M. , Blanchard M. , Baillon M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Physically-based droughts can be defined as a water deficit in at least one component of the land surface hydrological cycle. The reliance of different activity domains (water supply, irrigation, hydropower, etc.) on specific components of this cycle requires drought monitoring to be based on indices related to meteorological, agricultural, and hydrological droughts. This paper describes a high-resolution retrospective analysis of such droughts in France over the last fifty years, based on the Safran-Isba-Modcou (SIM) hydrometeorological suite. The high-resolution 1958–2008 Safran atmospheric reanalysis was used to force the Isba land surface scheme and the hydrogeological model Modcou. Meteorological droughts are characterized with the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) at time scales varying from 1 to 24 months. Similar standardizing methods were applied to soil moisture and streamflow for identifying multiscale agricultural droughts – through the Standardized Soil Wetness Index (SSWI) – and multiscale hydrological droughts, through the Standardized Flow Index (SFI). Based on a common threshold level for all indices, drought event statistics over the 50-yr period – number of events, duration, severity and magnitude – have been derived locally in order to highlight regional differences at multiple time scales and at multiple levels of the hydrological cycle. Independent spatio-temporal drought events have then been identified and described by combining local characteristics with the evolution of area under drought. Summary statistics have finally been used to compare past severe drought events, from multi-year precipitation deficits (1989–1990) to short hot and dry periods (2003). This multilevel and multiscale drought climatology will serve as a basis for assessing the impacts of climate change on droughts in France.
HESS Opinions "Hydrologists, bring out shovels and garden hoses and hit the dirt"
Authors: Kleinhans M. G. , Bierkens M. F. P. , van der Perk M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. From an outsider's perspective, hydrology combines field work with modelling, but mostly ignores the potential for gaining understanding and conceiving new hypotheses from controlled laboratory experiments. Sivapalan (2009) pleaded for a question- and hypothesis-driven hydrology where data analysis and top-down modelling approaches lead to general explanations and understanding of general trends and patterns. We discuss why and how such understanding is gained very effectively from controlled experimentation in comparison to field work and modelling. We argue that many major issues in hydrology are open to experimental investigations. Though experiments may have scale problems, these are of similar gravity as the well-known problems of fieldwork and modelling and have not impeded spectacular progress through experimentation in other geosciences.
Evaluation of catchment connectivity and storm runoff in flat terrain subject to urbanisation
Authors: Barron O. V. , Pollock D. W. , Dawes W. R.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Contributing Catchment Area Analysis (CCAA) is a spatial analysis technique that allows estimation of the hydrological connectivity of relatively flat catchments and the effect of relief depressions on the catchment rainfall-runoff relationship for individual rainfall events. CCAA of the Southern River catchment, Western Australia, showed that catchment contributing area varied from less than 20% to more than 60% of total catchment area for various rainfall events. Such variability was attributed to a compensating effect of relief depressions. CCAA was further applied to analyse the impact of urbanisation on the catchment rainfall-runoff relationship. It was demonstrated that the change in land use resulted in much greater catchment volumetric runoff than expected simply as a result of the increase in proportion of impervious urban surfaces. As urbanisation leads to an increase in catchment hydrological connectivity, the catchment contributing area to the river flow also becomes greater. This effect was more evident for the most frequent rainfall events, when an increase in contributing area was responsible for a 30–100% increase in total volumetric runoff. The impact of urbanisation was greatest in sandy catchments, which were largely disconnected in the pre-development conditions.
Accurate LAI retrieval method based on PROBA/CHRIS data
Authors: Fan W. , Xu X. , Liu X. , Yan B. , Cui Y.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Leaf area index (LAI) is one of the key structural variables in terrestrial vegetation ecosystems. Remote sensing offers a chance to derive LAI in regional scales accurately. Variations of background, atmospheric conditions and the anisotropy of canopy reflectance are three factors that can strongly restrain the accuracy of retrieved LAI. Based on the hybrid canopy reflectance model, a new hyperspectral directional second derivative method (DSD) is proposed in this paper. This method can estimate LAI accurately through analyzing the canopy anisotropy. The effect of the background can also be effectively removed. So the inversion precision and the dynamic range can be improved remarkably, which has been proved by numerical simulations. As the derivative method is very sensitive to the random noise, we put forward an innovative filtering approach, by which the data can be de-noised in spectral and spatial dimensions synchronously. It shows that the filtering method can remove the random noise effectively; therefore, the method can be performed to the remotely sensed hyperspectral image. The study region is situated in Zhangye, Gansu Province, China; the hyperspectral and multi-angular image of the study region has been acquired from Compact High-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer/Project for On-Board Autonomy (CHRIS/PROBA), on 4 and 14 June 2008. After the pre-processing procedures, the DSD method was applied, and the retrieve LAI was validated by the ground truth of 11 sites. It shows that by applying innovative filtering method, the new LAI inversion method is accurate and effective.
Experimental investigation of the predictive capabilities of data driven modeling techniques in hydrology – Part 1: Concepts and methodology
Authors: Elshorbagy A. , Corzo G. , Srinivasulu S. , Solomatine D. P.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A comprehensive data driven modeling experiment is presented in two-part paper. In this first part, an extensive data-driven modeling experiment is proposed. The most important concerns regarding the way data driven modeling (DDM) techniques and data were handled, compared, and evaluated, and the basis on which findings and conclusions were drawn are discussed. A concise review of key articles that presented comparisons among various DDM techniques is presented. Six DDM techniques, namely, neural networks, genetic programming, evolutionary polynomial regression, support vector machines, M5 model trees, and K-nearest neighbors are proposed and explained. Multiple linear regression and naïve models are also suggested as baseline for comparison with the various techniques. Five datasets from Canada and Europe representing evapotranspiration, upper and lower layer soil moisture content, and rainfall-runoff process are described and proposed for the modeling experiment. Twelve different realizations (groups) from each dataset are created by a procedure involving random sampling. Each group contains three subsets; training, cross-validation, and testing. Each modeling technique is proposed to be applied to each of the 12 groups of each dataset. This way, both predictive accuracy and uncertainty of the modeling techniques can be evaluated. The implementation of the modeling techniques, results and analysis, and the findings of the modeling experiment are deferred to the second part of this paper.