bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
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 gas diffusivity in soil. 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 recovery may not be expected and emission of greenhouse gas might continue in future.
A contribution to understanding the turbidity behaviour in an Amazon floodplain
Authors: Alcântara E. , Novo E. , Stech J. , Lorenzzetti J. , Barbosa C. , Assireu A. , Souza A.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Observations of turbidity provide quantitative information about water quality. However, the number of available in situ measurements for water quality determination is usually limited in time and space. Here, we present an analysis of the temporal and spatial variability of the turbidity of an Amazon floodplain lake using two approaches: (1) wavelet analysis of a turbidity time series measured by an automatic monitoring system, which should be improved/simplified, and (2) turbidity samples measured in different locations and then interpolated using an ordinary Kriging algorithm. The spatial and temporal variability of turbidity are clearly related to the Amazon River flood pulses in the floodplain. When the water level in the floodplain is rising or receding, the exchange between the Amazon River and the floodplain is the major driving force in turbidity variability. At high-water levels, turbidity variability is controlled by Lake Bathymetry. When the water level is low, wind action and Lake Morphometry are the main causes of turbidity variability. The combined use of temporal and spatial data shows a good potential for better understanding of the turbidity behaviour in a complex aquatic system such as the Amazon floodplain.
HESS Opinions On the use of laboratory experimentation: "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.
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 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. 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. 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.
Reading the bed morphology of a mountain stream: a geomorphometric study on high-resolution topographic data
Authors: Trevisani S. , Cavalli M. , Marchi L.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. High-resolution topographic data expand the potential of quantitative analysis of the earth surface, improving the interpretation of geomorphic processes. In particular, the morphologies of the channel beds of mountain streams, which are characterised by strong spatial variability, can be analysed much more effectively with this type of data. In this study, we analysed the aerial LiDAR topographic data of a headwater stream, the Rio Cordon (watershed area: 5 km2), located in the Dolomites (north-eastern Italy). The morphology of the channel bed of Rio Cordon is characterised by alternating step pools, cascades, and rapids with steps. We analysed the streambed morphology by means of ad hoc developed morphometric indices, capable of highlighting morphological features at a high level of spatial resolution. To perform the analysis and the data interpolation, we carried out a channel-oriented coordinate transformation. In the new coordinate system, the calculation of morphometric indices in directions along and transverse to the flow direction is straightforward. Three geomorphometric indices were developed and applied as follows: a slope index computed on the whole width of the channel bed, directional variograms computed along the flow direction and perpendicular to it, and local anomalies, calculated as the difference between directional variograms at different spatial scales. Directional variograms in the flow direction and local anomalies have proven to be effective at recognising morphologic units, such as steps, pools and clusters of large boulders. At the spatial scale of channel reaches, these indices have demonstrated a satisfactory capability to outline patterns associated with boulder cascades and rapids with steps, whereas they did not clearly differentiate between morphologies with less marked morphological differences, such as step pools and cascades.
Flood trends and variability in the Mekong river
Authors: Delgado J. M. , Apel H. , Merz B.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Annual maximum discharge is analyzed in the Mekong river in Southeast Asia with regard to trends in average flood and trends in variability during the 20th century. Data from four gauging stations downstream of Vientiane, Laos, were used, covering two distinct hydrological regions within the Mekong basin. These time series span through over 70 years and are the longest daily discharge time series available in the region. The methods used, Mann Kendal test (MK), ordinary least squares with resampling (OLS) and non-stationary generalized extreme value function (NSGEV), are first tested in a Monte Carlo experiment, in order to evaluate their detection power in presence of changing variance in the time series. The time series are generated using the generalized extreme value function with varying scale and location parameter. NSGEV outperforms MK and OLS, both because it resulted in less type II errors, but also because it allows for a more complete description of the trends, allowing to separate trends in average and in variability. Results from MK, OLS and NSGEV agreed on trends in average flood behaviour. However, the introduction of a time-varying scale parameter in the NSGEV allowed to isolate flood variability from the trend in average flood and to have a more complete view of the changes. Overall, results showed an increasing likelihood of extreme floods during the last half of the century, although the probability of an average flood decreased during the same period. A period of enhanced variance in the last quarter of the 20th century, estimated with the wavelet power spectrum as a function of time, was identified, which confirmed the results of the NSGEV. We conclude that the absence of detected positive trends in the hydrological time series was a methodological misconception due to over-simplistic models.
Selection of an appropriately simple storm runoff model
Authors: van Dijk A. I. J. M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. An appropriately simple event runoff model for catchment hydrological studies was derived. The model was selected from several variants as having the optimum balance between simplicity and the ability to explain daily observations of streamflow from 260 Australian catchments (23–1902 km2). Event rainfall and runoff were estimated from the observations through a combination of baseflow separation and storm flow recession analysis, producing a storm flow recession coefficient (kQF). Various model structures with up to six free parameters were investigated, covering most of the equations applied in existing lumped catchment models. The performance of alternative structures and free parameters were expressed in Aikake's Final Prediction Error Criterion (FPEC) and corresponding Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiencies (NSME) for event runoff totals. For each model variant, the number of free parameters was reduced in steps based on calculated parameter sensitivity. The resulting optimal model structure had two or three free parameters; the first describing the non-linear relationship between event rainfall and runoff (Smax), the second relating runoff to antecedent groundwater storage (CSg), and a third that described initial rainfall losses (Li), but which could be set at 8 mm without affecting model performance too much. The best three parameter model produced a median NSME of 0.64 and outperformed, for example, the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number technique (median NSME 0.30–0.41). Parameter estimation in ungauged catchments is likely to be challenging: 64% of the variance in kQF among stations could be explained by catchment climate indicators and spatial correlation, but corresponding numbers were a modest 45% for CSg, 21% for Smax and none for Li, respectively. In gauged catchments, better estimates of event rainfall depth and intensity are likely prerequisites to further improve model performance.
Actual daily evapotranspiration estimated from MERIS and AATSR data over the Chinese Loess Plateau
Authors: Liu R. , Wen J. , Wang X. , Wang L. , Tian H. , Zhang T. T. , Shi X. K. , Zhang J. H. , Lv SH. N.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The Chinese Loess Plateau is located in the north of China and has a significant impact on the climate and ecosystem evolvement over the East Asian continent. Estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) at a regional scale are in crucial need for climate studies, weather forecasts, hydrological surveys, ecological monitoring and water resource management. In this research, the ET of the Chinese Loess Plateau was estimated by using an energy balance approach and data collected during the LOess Plateau land-atmosphere interaction pilot EXperiments 2005 (LOPEX05). With the combined data of the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS), the Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) and some other variables such as air temperature, crop height and wind speed, the instantaneous net radiation, sensible heat flux and soil heat flux were calculated; the instantaneous latent heat flux was derived as the residual term of energy balance, and then converted to daily ET value by sunshine duration. The calculated daily ET from the model showed a good match with the measurements of the eddy covariance systems deployed in LOPEX05. The minimum relative error of this approach is 9.0%, the cause of the bias was also explored and discussed.
Contribution of soil moisture feedback to hydroclimatic variability
Authors: Krakauer N. Y. , Cook B. I. , Puma M. J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. While a variety of model experiments and analyses of observations have explored the impact of soil moisture variation on climate, it is not yet clear how large or detectable soil moisture feedback is across spatial and temporal scales. Here, we study the impact of dynamic versus climatological soil moisture in the GISS GCM ModelE (with prescribed sea-surface temperatures) on the variance and on the spatial and temporal correlation scale of hydrologically relevant climate variables (evaporation, precipitation, temperature, cloud cover) over the land surface. We also confirm that synoptic variations in soil moisture have a substantial impact on the mean climate state, because of the nonlinearity of the dependence of evapotranspiration on soil moisture. We find that including dynamic soil moisture increases the interannual variability of seasonal (summer and fall) and annual temperature, precipitation, and cloudiness. Dynamic soil moisture tends to decrease the correlation length scale of seasonal (warm-season) to annual land temperature fluctuations and increase that of precipitation. Dynamic soil moisture increases the persistence of temperature anomalies from spring to summer and from summer to fall, and makes the correlation between land precipitation and temperature fluctuations substantially more negative. Global observation sets that allow determination of the spacetime correlation of variables such as temperature, precipitation, and cloud cover could provide empirical measures of the strength of soil moisture feedback, given that the feedback strength varies widely among models.
Estimation of evapotranspiration in the Mu Us Sandland of China
Authors: Liu S. , Bai J. , Jia Z. , Jia L. , Zhou H. , Lu L.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Evapotranspiration (ET) was estimated from 1981–2005 over Wushen County located in the Mu Us Sandland, China, by applying the Advection-Aridity model, which is based on the complementary relationship hypothesis. We used National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and meteorological data. Our results show that the estimated daily ET was about 4.5% higher than measurements using an Eddy Covariance (EC) system after forcing energy balance closure over an alfalfa field from 22 July 2004 to 23 August 2004. At a regional scale, the estimated monthly ET was about 8.7% lower than measurements using the EC system after forcing energy balance closure over an alfalfa field in August 2004. These results were about 3.0% higher than ET measurements by microlysimeter over sand dunes during June 1988. From 1981 to 2005, the average annual ET and precipitation levels were 287 mm and 336 mm, respectively, in Wushen County. The average annual ET varied from 230 mm in western parts of Wushen County to 350 mm in eastern parts of the county. Both inter-annual and seasonal variations in ET were substantial in Wushen County. The annual ET was 200–400 mm from 1981–2005, and the seasonal pattern of ET showed a single peak distribution. The cumulative ET during the June–September 2004 period was 250 mm, which was 87% of the total annual ET. The annual ET, precipitation, and the maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVImax) showed positive correlations temporally and spatially.
Bacteriophages as surface and ground water tracers
Authors: Rossi P. , Dörfliger N. , Kennedy K. , Müller I. , Aragno M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Bacteriophages are increasingly used as tracers for quantitative analysis in both hydrology and hydrogeology. The biological particles are neither toxic nor pathogenic for other living organisms as they penetrate only a specific bacterial host. They have many advantages over classical fluorescent tracers and offer the additional possibility of multi-point injection for tracer tests. Several years of research make them suitable for quantitative transport analysis and flow boundary delineation in both surface and ground waters, including karst, fractured and porous media aquifers. This article presents the effective application of bacteriophages based on their use in differing Swiss hydrological environments and compares their behaviour to conventional coloured dye or salt-type tracers. In surface water and karst aquifers, bacteriophages travel at about the same speed as the typically referenced fluorescent tracers (uranine, sulphurhodamine G extra). In aquifers of interstitial porosity, however, they appear to migrate more rapidly than fluorescent tracers, albeit with a significant reduction in their numbers within the porous media. This faster travel time implies that a modified rationale is needed for defining some ground water protection area boundaries. Further developments of other bacteriophages and their documentation as tracer methods should result in an accurate and efficient tracer tool that will be a proven alternative to conventional fluorescent dyes.
Land subsidence and hydrodynamic compaction of sedimentary basins
Authors: Kooi H. , de Vries J. J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A one-dimensional model is used to investigate the relationship between land subsidence and compaction of basin sediments in response to sediment loading. Analysis of the model equations and numerical experiments demonstrate quasi-linear systems behaviour and show that rates of land subsidence due to compaction: (i) can attain a significant fraction (>40%) of the long-term sedimentation rate; (ii) are hydrodynamically delayed with respect to sediment loading. The delay is controlled by a compaction response time τc that can reach values of 10-5-107 yr for thick shale sequences. Both the behaviour of single sediment layers and multiple-layer systems are analysed. Subsequently the model is applied to the coastal area of the Netherlands to illustrate that lateral variability in compaction-derived land subsidence in sedimentary basins largely reflects the spatial variability in both sediment loading and compaction response time. Typical rates of compaction-derived subsidence predicted by the model are of the order of 0.1 mm/yr but may reach values in excess of 1 mm/yr under favourable conditions.
Evaluation of a scaling cascade model for temporal rain- fall disaggregation
Authors: Olsson J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The possibility of modelling the temporal structure of rainfall in southern Sweden by a simple cascade model is tested. The cascade model is based on exact conservation of rainfall volume and has a branching number of 2. The weights associated with one branching are 1 and 0 with probability P(1/0), 0 and 1 with P(0/1), and Wx/x, and 1 - Wx/x, 0 < Wx/x, < 1, with P(x/x), where Wx/x is associated with a theoretical probability distribution. Furthermore, the probabilities p are assumed to depend on two characteristics of the rainy time period (wet box) to be branched: rainfall volume and position in the rainfall sequence. In the first step, analyses of 2 years of 8-min data indicates that the model is applicable between approximately 1 hour and 1 week with approximately uniformly distributed Wx/x values. The probabilities P show a clear dependence on the box characteristics and a slight seasonal nonstationarity. In the second step, the model is used to disaggregate the time series from 17- to 1-hour resolution. The model-generated data reproduce well the ratio between rainy and nonrainy periods and the distribution of individual volumes. Event volumes, event durations, and dry period lengths are fairly well reproduced, but somewhat underestimated, as was the autocorrelation. From analyses of power spectrum and statistical moments the model preserves the scaling behaviour of the data. The results demonstrate the potential of scaling-based approaches in hydrological applications involving rainfall disaggregation.
Simulation of extreme precipitation in the Rhine basin by nearest-neighbour resampling
Authors: Brandsma T. , Buishand T. A.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The use of the nonparametric nearest-neighbour resampling technique is studied for generating time series of daily rainfall and temperature for seven stations in the German part of the Rhine basin. The emphasis is on the reproduction of extreme N-day precipitation amounts. The daily temperatures are used to determine snow accumulation and melt in winter. Two versions of the resampling method, conditional on the atmospheric circulation and unconditional, show comparable results. For precipitation, the autocorrelation properties are well reproduced, whereas for temperature the autocorrelation coefficients are systematically underpredicted. The distributions of the N-day annual maximum precipitation amounts are adequately preserved. Despite the systematic underprediction of the temperature autocorrelation, the distributions of N-day maximum snowmelt are well reproduced. A 1000-year simulation for the seven stations shows that unprecedented rainfall situations can be generated.
30 years of forest hydrology changes at Coalburn: water balance and extreme flows
Authors: Robinson M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The Coalburn experimental catchment, located in the Kielder Forest in northern Britain, was established in 1967 to study the hydrological impacts of upland coniferous plantation forestry. Results of 30 years' study (1967–96) are presented; they cover the transformation of the catchment from rough grazing through drainage and planting with conifers in 1972–73 and the subsequent forest development to canopy closure. In the early years of forest growth, the pre-planting forestry drainage dominated the hydrology and the observed changes were quite different from those normally associated with forestry; catchment evaporation was reduced, stream stormflow response times were shortened and dry weather baseflows were enhanced. These effects were sustained for an unexpectedly long period-up to one half of the forest plantation cropping cycle - before being reversed by the increasing influence of the growing forest. These results indicate that significant areas of young plantation forests may function hydrologically in ways very different from what is generally assumed from studies of mature forests. For large plantations, a mixed age forest structure may have hydrological as well as environmental advantages.
Modelling root water uptake in a complex land surface scheme coupled to a GCM
Authors: de Rosnay P. , Polcher J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The aim of this paper is to improve the representation of root water uptake in the land surface scheme SECHIBA coupled to the LMD General Circulation Model (GCM). Root water uptake mainly results from the interaction between soil moisture and root profiles. Firstly, one aspect of the soil hydrology in SECHIBA is changed: it is shown that increasing the soil water storage capacity leads to a reduction in the frequency of soil water drought, but enhances the mean evapotranspiration. Secondly, the representation of the soil-vegetation interaction is improved by allowing a different root profile for each type of vegetation. The interaction between sub-grid scale variabilities in soil moisture and vegetation is also studied. The approach consists of allocating a separate soil water column to each vegetation type, thereby 'tiling' the grid square. However, the possibility of choosing the degree of soil moisture spatial heterogeneity is retained. These enhancements of the land surface system are compared within a number of GCM experiments.
Modelling regional response of lakewater chemistry to changes in acidic deposition: the MAGIC model applied to lake surveys in southernmost Norway 1974-1986-1995
Authors: Cosby B. J. , Wright R. F.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Two methods for modelling regional responses of lake water quality to changes in acidic deposition in southernmost Norway were examined. Both methods are based upon the MAGIC model but differ in mode of regional application; one uses site-specific while the other uses Monte-Carlo methods for model calibration. The simulations of regional responses from both methods were compared with observed responses based on data from three lake surveys in southernmost Norway conducted in 1974, 1986 and 1995. The regional responses of the two modelling approaches were quite similar and agreed well with the observed regional distributions of lakewater chemistry variables. From 1974 to 1986 the observed data indicated that despite a decline of approximately 10% in sulphate (SO4) deposition, the mean acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) of lakes in southernmost Norway declined by approximately 6 μeq l-1. Both modelling approaches simulated no change or a very small decline in mean ANC for that period. From 1986 to 1995 the observed data indicated that, in response to an approximate 40% decline in SO4 deposition, the mean ANC of lakes in southernmost Norway increased by 11-16 μeq l-1. The modelling approaches simulated increases of 9-10 μeq l-1 in mean ANC for the same period. Both simulations and observations indicate that > 65% of lakes in southernmost Norway were acidic in 1974 and 1995. Both simulation methods predict that >65% of the lakes in southernmost Norway will have positive ANC values within 10 years of reductions of SO4 deposition to 20% of 1974 levels. Of the two regionalization methods the site-specific method appears preferable, because whereas the Monte-Carlo method gives results for a region as a whole, the site-specific method also reveals patterns within the region. The maintenance of a one-to-one correspondence between simulated and observed systems means that simulation results can be mapped for a geographically explicit presentation of model results. The ability to examine geographic patterns of response is becoming increasingly important in regional assessments.
Major faults and the development of dryland salinity in the western wheatbelt of Western Australia
Authors: Clarke C. J. , George R. J. , Bell R. W. , Hobbs R. J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Dryland salinity poses a major threat to agricultural production in the wheatbelt of Western Australia and much time and effort is expended on understanding the mechanisms which cause it and on developing techniques to halt or reverse its development. Whilst the location of much dryland salinity can be explained by its topographic position, a significant proportion of it cannot. This study investigated the hypothesis that major faults in the Yilgarn Craton represented in aeromagnetic data by intense curvilinear lows explained the location of areas of dryland salinity not explained by topography. Moreover, the causal mechanisms that might underpin a spatial relationship between major faults and dryland salinity were sought. In one fourth order catchment, nearly 85% of the salinity that was not explained topographically was within 2km of the centre line of a major fault, the remaining 15% being in the other 12km of the catchment. Three groups of similar third order catchments in the western wheatbelt of Western Australia were also investigated; in each case the catchment that was underlain by a major fault had dryland salinity an order of magnitude more than the unfaulted catchment(s). This evidence demonstrates a strong spatial association between major faults and the development of dryland salinity. Other evidence suggests that the underlying mechanism is hydraulic conductivity 5.2 to 2.9 times higher inside the fault zone compared to outside it and shows that geomorphology, salt store, regolith thickness, and degree of clearing are not the underlying mechanisms. In one of the groups of catchments, it has been calculated that an amount of recharge, significant in relation to recharge from rainfall, was entering from an adjacent catchment along a major fault. The paper concludes that geological features such as major faults affect the development of dryland salinity in the wheatbelt of Western Australia because of permeability differences in the regolith and therefore computer models of salinity risk need to take these differences into account. Techniques need to be developed to map, quickly and relatively cheaply, the geology-related permeability differences over wide areas of the landscape.
Deriving albedo maps for HAPEX-Sahel from ASAS data using kernel-driven BRDF models
Authors: Lewis P. , Disney M. I. , Barnsley M. J. , Muller J.-P.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. This paper describes the application and testing of a method for deriving spatial estimates of albedo from multi-angle remote sensing data. Linear kernel-driven models of surface bi-directional reflectance have been inverted against high spatial resolution multi-angular, multi- spectral airborne data of the principal cover types within the HAPEX-Sahel study site in Niger, West Africa. The airborne data are obtained from the NASA Airborne Solid-state Imaging Spectrometer (ASAS) instrument, flown in Niger in September and October 1992. The maps of model parameters produced are used to estimate integrated reflectance properties related to spectral albedo. Broadband albedo has been estimated from this by weighting the spectral albedo for each pixel within the map as a function of the appropriate spectral solar irradiance and proportion of direct and diffuse illumination. Partial validation of the results was performed by comparing ASAS reflectance and derived directional-hemispherical reflectance with simulations of a millet canopy made with a complex geometric canopy reflectance model, the Botanical Plant Modelling System (BPMS). Both were found to agree well in magnitude. Broadband albedo values derived from the ASAS data were compared with ground-based (point sample) albedo measurements and found to agree extremely well. These results indicate that the linear kernel-driven modelling approach, which is to be used operationally to produce global 16 day, 1 km albedo maps from forthcoming NASA Earth Observing System spaceborne data, is both sound and practical for the estimation of angle-integrated spectral reflectance quantities related to albedo. Results for broadband albedo are dependent on spectral sampling and on obtaining the correct spectral weigthings.
The FORGEX method of rainfall growth estimation III: Examples and confidence intervals
Authors: Faulkner D. S. , Jones D. A.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. This paper illustrates the performance of the FORGEX method of rainfall growth estimation. Results are presented for three regions of the United Kingdom: the East Midlands, north-west England and south-west England. Focused rainfall growth curves are compared between regions and between different sites within each region. Typical growth curve shapes are discussed with reference to the climate of each region. Daily growth curves are derived from a large number of records of annual maximum rainfalls. A smaller number of hourly annual maximum series is available for estimation sub-daily rainfall growth curves. Rainfall growth rates are compared with the results of a widely used method. The present method allows more local and regional variation in growth rates. The new growth rates are higher for durations of 1 and 2 days in parts of south-west England, but lower for moderate return periods at some focal points in the north-west. In the East Midlands, the new 1-hour growth rates are considerably higher for long return periods. Confidence limits for growth rates are derived by bootstrapping. This is accomplished by fitting a large number of growth curves to resampled sets of rainfall data.
Rainfall input generation for the European Soil Erosion Model
Authors: Strauss P. , Konecny F. , Blum W. E. H.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A procedure to generate rainfall input for the EUROpean Soil Model is presented. To develop such a procedure, first of all the influence of rainfall event amount, rainfall event duration, and time to peak intensity of event rainfall on soil losses, calculated with EUROSEM, has been tested for several rainfall stations. Results revealed that every tested rainfall parameter had highly significant influence on computed soil loss. Therefore, distributions for each station of the dataset and for each of these rainfall parameters were calculated. To simulate rainfall event amounts, a mixed exponential distribution was applied. After transformation of rainfall event durations, their distribution could be simulated using a normal distribution. The location of the peak intensity was estimated using a kernel estimator, because no specific distribution characteristics could be identified. According to the respective distribution functions, parameter values for each of the tested rainfall event characteristic were then generated. These values were used to select rainfall events with identical parameter values out of the rainfall station-specific dataset. Computed soil losses for events selected this way were compared with soil losses calculated with available station specific rainfall event data. Comparisons for the respective means and medians generally revealed good agreement. A comparison of 75 % quartiles resulted in less good agreement, especially for test conditions with high soil losses. In general, the applied procedure was capable of simulation station-specific soil losses and of reflecting different environment conditions for the respective stations. Therefore, it seems possible to produce site specific appropriate rainfall input for EUROSEM, only with the knowledge of distributions for the investigated basic rainfall parameters. These are normally easier to obtain than long term rainfall information with high temporal resolution which would otherwise be necessary. In order to improve the procedure and make it practically useful, it will be necessary to account for seasonal changes of distributions of basic rainfall event parameters.
Distribution of bog and heath in a Newfoundland blanket bog complex: topographic limits on the hydrological processes governing blanket bog development
Authors: Graniero P. A. , Price J. S.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. This research quantified the role of topography and hydrological processes within and, hence, the development of, blanket bogs. Topographic characteristics were derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) developed for the surface and underlying substrate at three blanket bog sites on the southeastern lobe of the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland. A multinomial logit (MNL) model of the probability of bog occurrence was constructed in terms of relevant topographic characteristics. The resulting model was then used to investigate the probabilistic boundary conditions of bog occurrence within the landscape. Under average curvatures for the sites studied, substrate slopes up to 0.065 favoured blanket bog development. However, steeper slopes could, theoretically, be occupied by blanked bog where water is concentrated by convergent curvatures or large contributing areas. Near community boundaries, bog and heath communities both occupied similar topographic conditions. Since these boundary locations are capable of supporting the hydrological conditions necessary for bog development, the heath is likely to be encroached upon by bog.
Examination of evaporative fraction diurnal behaviour using a soil-vegetation model coupled with a mixed-layer model
Authors: Lhomme J.-P. , Elguero E.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. In many experimental conditions, the evaporative fraction, defined as the ratio between evaporation and available energy, has been found stable during daylight hours. This constancy is investigated over fully covering vegetation by means of a land surface scheme coupled with a mixed-layer model, which accounts for entrainment of overlying air. The evaporation rate follows the Penman-Monteith equation and the surface resistance is given by a Jarvis type parameterization involving solar radiation, saturation deficit and leaf water potential. The diurnal course of the evaporative fraction is examined, together with the influence of environmental factors (soil water availability, solar radiation input, wind velocity, saturation deficit above the well-mixed layer). In conditions of fair weather, the curves representing the diurnal course of the evaporative fraction have a typical concave-up shape. Around midday (solar time) these curves appear as relatively constant, but always lower that the daytime mean value. Evaporative fraction decreases when soil water decreases or when solar energy increases. An increment of saturation deficit above the mixed-layer provokes only a slight increase of evaporative fraction, and wind velocity has almost no effect. The possibility of estimation daytime evaporation from daytime available energy multiplied by the evaporative fraction at a single time of the day is also investigated. It appears that it is possible to obtain fairly good estimates of daytime evaporation by choosing adequately the time of the measurement of the evaporative fraction. The central hours of the day, and preferably about 3 hr before or after noon, are the most appropriate to provide good estimates. The estimation appears also to be much better when soil water availability (or evaporation) is high than when it is low.
A new approach for estimation suspended sediment yield
Authors: Lidén R.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A semi-distributed conceptual model, HBV-SED, for estimation of total suspended sediment concentration and yield at the outlet of a catchment was developed and tested through a case study. The base of the suspended sediment model is a dynamic hydrological model, which produces daily series of areal runoff and rainfall for each sub-basin as input to the sediment routine. A lumped measure of available sediment is accumulated continuously based on a linear relationship between log-transformed values of rainfall and erosion, while discharge of suspended sediment at the sub-basin outlet is dependent on runoff and amount of stored available sediment. Four model parameter are empirically determined through calibration against observed records of suspended sediment concentration. The model was applied to a 200 km2 catchment with high altitude differences in the tropical parts of Bolivia, where recorded suspended sediment concentrations were available during a two-year period. 10,000 parameter sets were generated through a Monte Carlo procedure to evaluate the parameter sensitivity and interdependence. The predictability of the model was assessed through dividing the data record into a calibration and an independent period for which the model was validated and compared to the sediment rating curve technique. The results showed that the slope coefficients of the log-transformed model equations for accumulation and release were much stronger than the intercept coefficients. Despite and existing interdependence between the model parameters, the HBV-SED model gave clearly better results than the sediment rating curve technique for the validation period, indication that the supply-based approached has a promising future as a tool for basic engineering applications.
Hydrological processes and water resources management in a dryland environment II: Surface redistribution of rainfall within fields
Authors: Butterworth J. A. , Mugabe F. , Simmonds L. P. , Hodnett M. G.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Soil water movement was studied within fields on two different soil types, a red clay soil and a duplex soil of sand over clay, at the Romwe Catchment in southern Zimbabwe. Each study site comprised two fields and formed a surface water sub-catchment (1.0-2.4 ha) from which runoff was gauged. Soil moisture was measured in-situ at up to 20 locations within each sub-catchment over an entire cropping season and the following dry season. Maize was cultivated at both sites according to the farmers' normal cropping practice and crop yields were recorded. Surface redistribution of rainfall through localised runon and runoff was shown to be an important process in both sub-catchments with rainfall concentration factors between 0.2 and 2.7 for major rainfall events. This process was a key factor controlling deep drainage to groundwater. Results indicate that surface water redistribution is of particular importance for groundwater recharge in years with low or evenly distributed rainfall, when it would not otherwise have occurred. The soil water conditions created by surface redistribution of rainfall are also actively exploited by farmers who vary cropping practices within fields to maximise crop yields and reduce the risks of crop failure.
Carbon dioxide measurements in the nocturnal boundary layer over Amazonian forest
Authors: Culf A. D. , Fisch G. , Malhi Y. , Carvalho Costa R. , Nobre A. D. , de O. Marques Filho A. , Gash J. H. C. , Grace J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Measurements of carbon dioxide concentration, temperature and windspeed were made in the nocturnal boundary layer over a tropical forest near Manaus, Brazil using a tethered balloon system. The measurements were made up to a maximum height of 300 m on ten consecutive nights in November 1995. Simultaneous surface flux and in-canopy concentration measurements were made at the surface close to the site. The observation period included several different types of conditions. Generally strong windshear and relatively weak temperature gradients prevented the formation of a strong capping inversion to the nocturnal boundary layer. On some nights, however, the inversion was sufficiently strong that the CO2 concentration at 100 m above the surface exceeded 400 ppm. The concentration within the canopy was largely controlled by the presence of an inversion very close to the canopy surface. The temperature and wind profiles are contrasted with conditions in Randônia, Brazil, where the windshear was found to be weaker and higher carbon dioxide concentrations were observed in the early morning. The difference in carbon dioxide concentrations in the nocturnal boundary layer between dusk and dawn is used to estimate the regional nighttime flux of carbon dioxide. The value obtained generally exceeds the measured surface flux and sometimes exceeds the sum of the surface flux and the in-canopy storage made at the tower site. The reasons for the discrepancy are not clear; either one of the methods is in error or the regional carbon dioxide budget differs significantly from the local budget measured at the tower site.
Tropical forest hydrology and the role of the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme
Authors: Bonell M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The paper outlines a perspective on tropical forest hydrology within the context of an international hydrological programme. Experience in tropical forest hydrology research in North East Australia is a focal point for comparison with international activities elsewhere. The impacts of climate variability and change are considered briefly, as well as those of reforestation of degraded land on the land use hydrology, which requires a longer term vision and support of long term experimental catchments. Sadly, too few long term experimental catchments have been maintained in the humid tropics and there have been some significant closures even of these sites in recent years. Yet the case for long-term experiments is strengthened by the problematic issue of separating anthropogenic influences (such as land use change) on the hydrology of landscapes from the effects of climate variability at a time of escalation in population and related socio-economic pressures in the humid tropics. Particular emphasis is made of the need for greater consideration for the social and cultural dimensions of forest management within forest hydrology. Furthermore, scientists must be committed to incorporating ‘societal needs' in their planning of research projects, as well as in publicizing the applications of their results, within the framework of forest-land-water policy. Alarm is expressed at the extensive disregard for the application of existing forest hydrology ‘know how' in forest-land management manipulations associated with the humid tropics.
Multi-objective conditioning of a simple SVAT model
Authors: Franks S. W. , Beven K. J. , Gash J. H. C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. It has previously been argued that current Soil Vegetation Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT) models are over-parameterised given the calibration data typically available. Using the Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) methodology, multiple feasible model parameter sets are here conditioned on latent heat fluxes and then additionally on the sensible and ground heat fluxes at a single site in Amazonia. The model conditioning schemes were then evaluated with a further data set collected at the same site according to their ability to reproduce the latent, sensible and ground heat fluxes. The results indicate that conditioning the model on only the latent heat flux component of the energy balance does not constrain satisfactorily the predictions of the other components of the energy balance. When conditioning on all heat flux objectives, significant additional constraint of the feasible parameter space is achieved with a consequent reduction in the predictive uncertainty. There are still, however, many parameter sets that adequately reproduce the calibration/validation data, leading to significant predictive uncertainty. Surface temperature measurements, whilst also subject to uncertainty, may be employed usefully in a multi-objective calibration of SWAT models.
A Bayesian approach to flow record infilling and extension for reservoir design
Authors: Jones D. A. , Sene K. J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A Bayesian approach is described for dealing with the problem of infilling and generating stochastic flow sequences using rainfall data to guide the flow generation process, and including bounded (censored) observed flow and rainfall data to provide additional information. Solutions are obtained using a Gibbs sampling procedure. Particular problems discussed include developing new procedures for fitting transformations when bounded values are available, coping with additional information in the form of values, or bounds, for totals of flows across several sites, and developing relationships between annual flow and rainfall data. Examples are shown of both infilled values of unknown past river flows, with assessment of uncertainty, and realisations of flows representative of what might occur in the future. Several procedures for validating the model output are described and the central estimates of flows, taken as a surrogate for historical observed flows, are compared with long term regional flow and rainfall data.