Hydrological responses of a valley‐bottom wetland to land‐use/land‐cover change in a South African catchment: making a case for wetland restoration

Valley‐bottom wetlands are valuable assets as they provide many ecosystem services to mankind. Despite their value, valley‐bottom wetlands are often exploited and land‐use/land‐cover (LULC) change results in trade‐offs in ecosystem services. We coupled physically based hydrological modeling and spatial analysis to examine the effects of LULC change on water‐related ecosystem services in the Kromme catchment: an important water‐providing catchment for the city of Port Elizabeth. LULC scenarios were constructed to match 5 different decades in the last 50 years to explore the potential effects of restoring the catchment to different historic benchmarks. In the Kromme catchment, valley‐bottom wetlands have declined by 84%, driven by key LULC changes: an increase in irrigated land (307 ha) and invasion by alien trees (336 ha). If the wetlands were restored to the relatively pristine extent and condition of the 1950s, riverflow could increase by approximately 1.13 million m³/a, about 6% of the current supply to Port Elizabeth. Wetland restoration would also significantly improve the catchment's ability to absorb extreme rainfall events, decreasing flood damage. We conclude that in the face of the water scarcity in this region, all ecosystem services, particularly those related to water flow regulation, should be taken into account by decision makers in charge of land zonation. Zonation decisions should not continue to be made on the basis of provisioning ecosystem services alone (i.e. food provision or dam yield). We recommend prioritization of the preservation and restoration of valley‐bottom wetlands providing water‐related ecosystem services to settlements downstream.     

Conversion to soy on the Amazonian agricultural frontier increases streamflow without affecting stormflow dynamics

Large‐scale soy agriculture in the southern Brazilian Amazon now rivals deforestation for pasture as the region's predominant form of land use change. Such landscape‐level change can have substantial consequences for local and regional hydrology, but these effects remain relatively unstudied in this ecologically and economically important region. We examined how the conversion to soy agriculture influences water balances and stormflows using stream discharge (water yields) and the timing of discharge (stream hydrographs) in small (2.5–13.5 km²) forested and soy headwater watersheds in the Upper Xingu Watershed in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. We monitored water yield for 1 year in three forested and four soy watersheds. Mean daily water yields were approximately four times higher in soy than forested watersheds, and soy watersheds showed greater seasonal variability in discharge. The contribution of stormflows to annual streamflow in all streams was low (<13% of annual streamflow), and the contribution of stormflow to streamflow did not differ between land uses. If the increases in water yield observed in this study are typical, landscape‐scale conversion to soy substantially alters water‐balance, potentially altering the regional hydrology over large areas of the southern Amazon.     

水文过程的基流分割方法研究进展

基流分割研究是水文学、生态水文学研究的重点和难点之一,一直以来在其概念与方法上都缺乏统一的标准.本文详细介绍了基于不同基流组成定义的基流分割理论,并分析了各基流分割方法的发展历程.对不同分割方法进行对比发现：直接分割法简单、适用,却有任意性;水量平衡法实施起来困难,但符合水文规律;时间序列分析法和同位素法能克服手工图解分割方法的主观性和随意性,可以快速有效地得到连续基流过程.近年来,水文模拟、数字滤波、同位素法成为基流分割的主要方法.     

砚瓦川流域河川基流变化规律及其驱动因素

基流是黄河径流的重要补给来源,目前大部分研究都集中在黄河流域径流变化规律上,而对维持河道基本流量和生态环境安全方面发挥着重要作用的基流却研究较少。因此,基于黄河中游砚瓦川流域1981-2016年的水文、气象及植被资料,选用9种数值模拟法对基流进行分割并分析其适用性,利用Mann-Kendall法和滑动t检验法对基流进行了趋势分析和突变点检验,并定性和定量的探讨了气候变化和植被变化对流域河川基流变化的影响。结果表明：（1）在各种基流分割方法中,Lyne-Hollick滤波法的计算结果精度较高,且分割结果比较符合实际日基流变化规律,因此更适用于研究区的基流估算;（2）流域多年平均河川基流量和基流指数BFI （基流量与河川流量的比值）分别为0.152 m³/s和0.58,两者在年际上均呈现极显著的减少趋势（P<0.01）,且分别于1993年和2006年附近发生了突变;（3）基流量与潜在蒸散发量相关性最强,流域降水量、潜在蒸散发量及NDVI的变化对基流量变化的贡献率分别为-99.1%、113.3%和85.8%,可见潜在蒸散发量和NDVI的增加是引起基流量减少的主要原因,而基流指数与NDVI相关性最强,且呈负相关关系,流域降水量、潜在蒸散发量及NDVI的变化对基流指数变化的贡献率分别为41.3%、-27.7%和86.5%,这说明流域NDVI的增加对流域基流指数的降低起到了主导作用。     

Satellite‐derived estimates of forest leaf area index in southwest Western Australia are not tightly coupled to interannual variations in rainfall: implications for groundwater decline in a drying climate

There is increasing concern that widespread forest decline could occur in regions of the world where droughts are predicted to increase in frequency and severity as a result of climate change. The average annual leaf area index (LAI) is an indicator of canopy cover and the difference between the annual maximum and minimum LAI is an indicator of annual leaf turnover. In this study, we analyzed satellite‐derived estimates of monthly LAI across forested coastal catchments of southwest Western Australia over a 12 year period (2000–2011) that included the driest year on record for the last 60 years. We observed that over the 12 year study period, the spatial pattern of average annual satellite‐derived LAI values was linearly related to mean annual rainfall. However, interannual changes to LAI in response to changes in annual rainfall were far less than expected from the long‐term LAI‐rainfall trend. This buffered response was investigated using a physiological growth model and attributed to availability of deep soil moisture and/or groundwater storage. The maintenance of high LAIs may be linked to a long‐term decline in areal average underground water storage and diminished summer flows, with an emerging trend toward more ephemeral flow regimes.     

密云水库白河流域基流演变特征

基流是水文过程的一个重要组成部分,选择科学合理的基流分割方法,研究明确影响基流变化的驱动因素,对于保证河湖的生态水量至关重要。以北京密云水库的白河流域为例,根据白河流域张家坟水文站1967—2012年的实测径流数据和相关气象数据,对比分析了局部最小值法、单参数数字滤波法和递归数字滤波法三种方法的基流分割结果,并从气候变化和人类活动两方面分析影响基流变化的驱动因素。结果表明,相比局部最小值法和单参数数字滤波法,递归数字滤波法在白河流域有着更好的应用稳定性;在密云水库白河流域,基流对河川径流有着相当高的贡献比例(BFI>0.65);1967—2012年白河流域年基流量存在极显著的减少趋势(P<0.01),而年基流指数值基本保持不变。白河流域基流序列分别在1980年和1999年发生了突变,其中1999年的突变主要受到降雨过程(气候变化)的影响,而1980年的突变点主要受到其他因素(如人类活动)的影响。     

Most probable number methodology for quantifying dilute concentrations and fluxes of Salmonella in surface waters

Aims: To better understand and manage the fate and transport of Salmonella in agricultural watersheds, we developed a culture‐based, five tube–four dilution most probable number (MPN) method for enumerating dilute densities of Salmonella in environmental waters. Methods and Results: The MPN method was a combination of a filtration technique for large sample volumes of environmental water, standard selective media for Salmonella and a TaqMan confirmation step. This method has determined the density of Salmonella in 20‐l samples of pond inflow and outflow streams as low as 0·1 MPN l^?1 and a low 95% confidence level 0·015 MPN l^?1. Salmonella densities ranged from not detectable to 0·55 MPN l^?1 for pond inflow samples and from not detectable to 3·4 MPN l^?1 for pond outflow samples. Salmonella densities of pond inflow samples were associated with densities of Escherichia coli and faecal enterococci that indicated stream contamination with faeces and with nondetectable pond outflow densities of the faecal indicator bacteria. The MPN methodology was extended to flux determinations by integrating with volumetric measurements of pond inflow (mean flux of 2·5 l s^?1) and outflow (mean flux of 5·6 l s^?1). Fluxes of Salmonella ranged from 100 to greater than 10⁴ MPN h^?1. Conclusions: This is a culture‐based method that can detect small numbers of Salmonella in environmental waters of watersheds containing animal husbandry and wildlife. Significance and Impact of the Study: Applying this method to environmental waters will improve our understanding of the transport and fate of Salmonella in agricultural watersheds, and can be the basis of valuable collections of environmental Salmonella.     

赣南九曲水流域基流变化特征及其对降水的响应

基流是水资源重要组成部分,探究流域基流变化特征及其对降水的响应,对优化流域水资源配置具有重要意义。本研究基于赣南九曲水流域1982—2019年逐日降水、径流观测资料,运用数字滤波法、交叉小波变换及累积量斜率变化率比较法等,分析了基流变化特征,探讨了基流对降水的时滞效应,并计算了降水对基流变化的贡献率。结果表明: 研究期间,九曲水流域年基流深和年基流指数变化趋势均不显著,年均值分别为384.21 mm和0.44;春、夏季基流深大于秋、冬季,基流指数则与之相反。年降水量控制着年基流深的动态变化,春、夏季降水对基流深的作用强于秋、冬季;年及春、夏、秋、冬季基流滞后降水的时长分别为3.5～10.3、1.5～8.5、2～10、2～13和5～20.5 d,年均滞后时长依次为6.4、4.9、5.3、6.8和10.8 d。年基流深在1992年发生突变,降水对基流变化的贡献率为68.2%,其他因素对基流变化的贡献率为31.8%。本研究成果可为南方红壤区评价流域的森林水文效应、保障河流的水生态安全提供科学依据。     

Seasonal variability of dissolved organic carbon ina Mediterranean stream

The seasonal variability of dissolved organic carbon(DOC) flux in a Mediterranean stream subjected todischarges of wide range of intensities and variabledry period was studied as a function of the hydrologicconditions, and the relationship between surface andsubsurface (hyporheic and groundwater) DOCconcentration. DOC concentration in stream water(2.6 mg l^–1 ±1.5 SD) was higher thangroundwater (1.3 mg l^–1 ± 1.2 SD) and lower thanhyporheic water (3.8 mg l^–1 ±1.7 SD),suggesting that, at baseflow, stream DOC concentrationincreases when groundwater discharges through thehyporheic zone. Storms contributed to 39% of annualwater export and to 52% of the total annual DOCexport (220 kg km^–2). A positive relationship wasobserved between Discharge (Q) and stream DOCconcentration. Discharge explained only 40% of theannual variance in stream DOC, but explained up to93% of the variance within floods. The rate of streamDOC changes with discharge change during storms (dDOC/dQ), ranged between 0 and 0.0045 C mgl^–1 s l^–1, with minimum values during Springand Summer, and maxima values in Fall and Winter.These dynamics suggest that storm inputs ofterrigenous DOC vary between seasons. During floods inthe dormant season, DOC recession curves were alwayssteeper than discharge decline, suggesting shortflushing of DOC from the leaching of fresh detritusstored in the riparian zone.     

Effects of substratum stability on diversity of stream invertebrates during baseflow at two spatial scales

1. The effects of substratum stability on the diversity of stream invertebrates were assessed at two spatial scales in a Japanese stream during baseflow, from May to June 1998. Deposition and erosion were examined separately as distinct elements of substratum stability by a newly developed method using small steel pins. Stream invertebrates were sampled after 28 days of measurement of substratum stability. We also measured physical environmental variables, current velocity and depth, and food resource parameters including periphyton and particulate organic matter (POM) standing crops.
2. At the scale of the habitat patch, the effects of substratum stability on invertebrates were overwhelmed by those of POM standing crop. Moreover, higher taxon richness at high abundance may simply result from a higher likelihood of more taxa being included in samples. Therefore, this small scale revealed no role for substratum stability in explaining spatial pattern of community diversity.
3. At the reach scale ( n =10), taxon richness and evenness peaked at an intermediate level of deposition, whereas invertebrate abundance did not show any significant relationship. This result, and the pattern of relative abundance of common taxa, implies that the diversity of stream invertebrates was determined by subtle substratum movements and by the habitat preference of each taxon.
4. The difference in the determinant of community parameters between the habitat patch and the reach affirm the importance of a cross-scale analysis to choose an appropriate spatial scale for investigating the community structure of stream invertebrates. Prominent effects of substratum stability, particularly the deposition of substratum particles, during baseflow suggest that subtle and constant movement of small substratum particles can contribute to determine the diversity of stream invertebrates.