Search results for "hydrology"

Proglacial sediment dynamics from daily to seasonal scales in a glaciated Alpine catchment (Bossons glacier, Mont Blanc massif, France)

2018

The sediment yields of Alpine catchments are commonly determined from streamload measurements made some distance downstream from glaciers. However, this approach indiscriminately integrates erosion processes occurring in both the glacial and proglacial areas. A specific method is required to ascertain the respective inputs from (i) subglacial and supraglacial sediments, (ii) proglacial hillslopes and (iii) proglacial alluvial areas or sandurs. This issue is addressed here by combining high‐resolution monitoring (2 min) of suspended sediment concentrations at different locations within a catchment with discharge gauging and precipitation data. This methodological framework is applied to two …

Spatial patterns of sediment connectivity in terraced lands: Anthropogenic controls of catchment sensitivity

2017

In recent decades the dynamics of global change in developed countries has led to significant alterations in the hydrological and sediment dynamics of terraced land. Agricultural terraces were built to control overland flow and prevent erosion, acting as buffers and barriers throughout the sediment cascading system. Their abandonment and degradation increase the sensitivity of the catchment, promoting the collapse of dry-stone walls and the reworking of stored sediment. In this study, a geomorphometric Index of Connectivity (IC) –derived from high-resolution LiDAR data (0.9 pt m-2, RMSE Q8). This spatial matching was related to feedback dynamics between structural and functional connectivit…

Morphological Similarity of Channels: From Linear Erosional Features (Rill, Gully) to Alpine Rivers

2017

Carbon isotope exchange between gaseous CO2 and thin solution films: Artificial cave experiments and a complete diffusion-reaction model

2017

Abstract Speleothem stable carbon isotope (δ 13 C) records provide important paleoclimate and paleo-environmental information. However, the interpretation of these records in terms of past climate or environmental change remains challenging because of various processes affecting the δ 13 C signals. A process that has only been sparsely discussed so far is carbon isotope exchange between the gaseous CO 2 of the cave atmosphere and the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) contained in the thin solution film on the speleothem, which may be particularly important for strongly ventilated caves. Here we present a novel, complete reaction diffusion model describing carbon isotope exchange between gase…

Sensitivity of Bunker Cave to climatic forcings highlighted through multi-annual monitoring of rain-, soil-, and dripwaters

2017

The last two decades have seen a considerable increase in studies using speleothems as archives of past climate variability. Caves under study are now monitored for a wide range of environmental parameters and results placed in contextwith speleothemdata. The present study investigates trends froma seven year longmonitoring of Bunker Cave, northwestern Germany, in order to assess the hydraulic response and transfer time of meteoric water fromthe surface to the cave. Rain-, soil-, and dripwaterwere collected fromAugust 2006 to August 2013 at a monthly to bimonthly resolution and their oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition wasmeasured. Furthermore, drip rates were quantified. Due to differe…

Vegetation effects on cross-sectional flow in a large amplitude meandering bend

2017

ABSTRACTCross-stream circulation, which develops in meandering bends, exerts an important role in velocity redistribution. This paper investigates how the presence of vegetation could affect the evolution pattern of cross-stream flow along a high-curvature meandering bend. The analysis is conducted with the aid of data collected in a meandering laboratory flume over non-vegetated and vegetated beds. The experiments reveal that, once the vegetation is introduced, the flow pattern determined by the channel’s curvature is interrupted. In the presence of vegetation, the central-region circulation cell seems to be divided into thin circulation cells developing at the top of the vegetated layer a…

Changes in Latvian river discharge regime at the turn of the century

2012

The study deals with turn-of-the-century changes in the total annual river runoff distribution and high and low flows in Latvia, covering river basins within four hydrological districts which vary according to size and physiographical conditions. Mathematical statistical methods were applied in the analysis of river discharge data series for two study periods of 1951–2009 and 1881–2009. The present results confirm the basic statement concerning the Baltic countries that major significant changes in river runoff during the last two decades have occurred between spring (decrease) and winter (increase) seasons. Mostly insignificant changes in summer runoff and significant/insignificant changes…

Analysis of soil surface component patterns affecting runoff generation. An example of methods applied to Mediterranean hillslopes in Alicante (Spain)

2008

Spatial patterns of soil surface components (vegetation, rock fragments, crusts, bedrock outcrops, etc.) are a key factor determining hydrological functioning of hillslopes. A methodological approach to analyse the patterns of soil surface components at a detailed scale is proposed in this paper. The methods proposed are applied to two contrasting semi-arid Mediterranean hillslopes, and the influence of soil surface component patterns on the runoff response of the slopes was analysed. A soil surface components map was derived from a high resolution photo-mosaic obtained in the field by means of a digital camera. Rainfall simulation experimental data were used to characterise the hydrologica…

Distribution of soil organic carbon in Wadi Al-Thulaima, Saudi Arabia: A hyper-arid habitat altered by wastewater reuse

2018

The carbon cycle is being altered as a result of human-induced changes in the Earth's system. Therefore, ecosystems such as wetlands, authentic CO2 sinks, are becoming especially important. Little information exits on the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock for the middle east-countries man-made wetlands making wadis permanent with the outflow of wastewater treatment plants. This paper presents the vertical distribution of SOC content, soil bulk density (SBD) and SOC density in soil of vegetated and bare sites in Wadi Al-Thulaima, one of the artificial wetlands in central Saudi Arabia. The mean distribution of SBD in the vegetated and bare sites increased significantly with depth. Inversely, th…

Modeling Rill Erosion at the Sparacia Experimental Area

2015

In this paper the contributions of rill and interrill components to total soil erosion monitored at event scale at the Sparacia experimental area, Southern Italy, were firstly compared and the dominance of the rill component was detected. Then, the reliability of two empirical relationships between the rill length and its eroded volume and among the morphological variables (length, width, depth and volume) describing the channelized process was tested using both direct measurements of rills, carried out for the October 3, 2011 event, and those of ephemeral gullies surveyed on February 2010 at Sparacia. The measurements of rills detected by the direct field relief were compared with those ob…