Catchment Research Articles

Groundwater Recharge Assessment for Small Karstic Catchment Basins with Different Extents of Anthropogenic Development

Climate change and anthropogenic development considerably influence groundwater resource distribution and conditions. Catchment basin groundwater recharge—discharge computation reliability is needed for effective groundwater management policy formulation and implementation and also for resolving environmental challenges in such a watershed. This paper compares groundwater recharge patterns between urbanized and nearly natural small catchment basins of Israel’s Western Mountain Aquifer (WMA). The correlation between precipitation volumes and surface runoff shows that surface runoff volume constitutes 3–4% of the precipitation volume in the Natuf catchment and 1–2% in the Te’enim catchment. These assessments reflect the differences in the land use, outcrop lithology, topography and hydrodynamic properties of the WMA within the model basins. A groundwater recharge assessment based on water balance and water table fluctuation methods was performed for the mountainous karstic Te’enim and Natuf catchment basins for all the available data from 2000 to 2020. The water balance method provided reliable estimates. The groundwater recharge assessment considered land use classification and climate changes during this period. The average multiannual groundwater recharge values for the 2000–2021 period varied from 17.6 × 106–24.8 × 106 m3 to 24.5–29.2 × 106 m3 for the Te’enim and Natuf catchment basins, respectively. For the relatively dry period of the 2013/2014–2017/2018 hydrological years when detailed measurements of the surface runoff were available, the corresponding groundwater recharge volumes were 17.6 × 106 m3 and 24.5 × 106 m3. The corresponding local groundwater recharge coefficients constitute 0.46–0.57 for the mostly agricultural Te’enim basin and 0.29–0.32 for the urbanized Natuf basin. A significant difference in the groundwater recharge coefficients between the studied catchments is caused mostly by the differences in land use. It is suggested that applying such a groundwater recharge estimation for small hydrological sub-basins can improve one’s understanding of the groundwater recharge distribution within a major basin, enabling the application of an accurate regional hydrogeological model that may be extrapolated to other similar regions.

Optimizing the Criteria of Crop Pattern Based on Sustainable Development and Increasing Agricultural Water Productivity in Tajan Catchment Basin

Optimizing the Criteria of Crop Pattern Based on Sustainable Development and Increasing Agricultural Water Productivity in Tajan Catchment Basin

TWO NEW LOCALITIES FOR THE SPOTTED BETTA BETTA PICTA (VALENCIENNES 1846) (ANABANTIFORMES, OSPHRONEMIDAE) IN JAVA, INDONESIA

For the first time, the species Betta picta is registered for the southern part of Central Java (Indonesia), being recorded for two localities in the Progo River basin catchment, one in the Magelang and the other in the Bantul Regency, representing an extension of about 100km south to the nearest previously known distribution. These two new records were based on four specimens, three males and one female, collected in February 2019, which were identified as Betta picta since the males possess the main diagnostic features of the species: opercle with yellow-gold iridescence coloration, interrupted stripe below eyes, and a dark subdistal band on caudal and anal fins. Currently, this species is categorized as Near Threatened (NT) by the IUCN, and considering the negative effects of urbanization over the species natural habitats, the new records are important for the species conservation.

Is the pathway length of sediments relevant to assess the background value in stream sediment geochemical exploration?

The sample catchment basin approach (SCBA) is one of the methods mainly used to assess the expected chemical composition of a stream sediment sample considering the geolithological variability of the catchment basin upstream of its collection point. In the original SCBA, the catchment surface considered for the purpose is limited to the area between two subsequent collected samples; in the true sample catchment basin approach (TSCBA), the catchment area of each collected sample is limited upstream only by the actual watershed. In both approaches, the dilution is generally assessed in relation to the extension of the single geolithological units falling within the sample catchment area used.However, it makes sense to think that when multiple geolithological units are outcropping upstream of a sampling location, the sediments originating from the ones closer to the collection point (which have traveled a shorter distance) could have a major influence on the geochemical composition of the samples. It is plausible that the degree of dilution occurring during the transport from the source to a given point could also be a function of the distance traveled by the sediments along the fluvial pattern. This also holds in the case of mineralization occurring within the catchment: the farther a mineralization is from a sampling point, the more its geochemical signal should be diluted at the sampling site.In the present study, using the TSCBA, a modification of the existing algorithm is proposed to include both the extension of the geological units and their position relative to the catchment outlet (represented by the sampling point).The territory around Feshark village (Isfahan, central Iran), where stream sediment and rock samples have been collected and analyzed, has been used as the study area. The geochemical background values (corresponding to the expected geochemical values following dilution) for each stream sediment sample were determined using the modified algorithm. The results were compared with those obtained by applying the original equation to the same dataset. The results demonstrated that the new equation could more accurately estimate background (expected) concentrations at the basin outlet, showing a better performance of the new method compared to the original one.

THE IMPACT OF URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY IN THE POLLUTION OF SHKUMBINI RIVER

Demographic movements and increased industrial activity in the Elbasan area have affected the water quality of the Shkumbin River. River water pollution can be natural, as a result of the erosion of the soil formations that make up its catchment basin, but also of anthropogenic activity related to life and industrial activity.In the study area, we have the urban influence on the pollution of the river, which is caused by the city of Elbasan, and the industrial one, which is caused by the activity of a large number of industrial activities.Shkumbin River is one of the most important rivers in Albania. Its waters are widely used for the irrigation of the field of Elbasani and a part of Myzeqeja field. But it is also used for fishing and for various reasons.Considering these facts, the study of river water pollution and the determination of the sources of its pollution assume great importance. In this paper, an assessment of the urban and industrial impact on river water pollution is made. Water quality monitoring of Shkumbini river water, was carried out based on the investigation of ten physical - chemical parameters: pH. EC, T, DO, TDS, salinity, nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, and PO43-, in three water samples taken at three stations.The water quality assessment is based on: NIVA classification and the European Community directive on "quality of fresh waters supporting fish life".

Effect of sand mining on riparian landcover transformation in Dallung-Kukou catchment of the White Volta basin, Ghana

Rapid urbanization has increased demand for sand in the construction industry to meet housing and infrastructure needs of urban population. The Dallung-Kukuo catchment of the White Volta River Basin is a major sand mining site for the construction industry in Tamale and other peri-urban communities. On the contrary, the river serves as a major source of water supply to the population. Riparian vegetation is essential to water protection, but research has focused extensively on the impact of sand mining on water quality in the river basin. The present study employed GIS and remote sensing techniques coupled with in-situ vegetation sampling to assess riparian land cover changes from 1990 to 2021. Land cover images of the catchment revealed a 14.9% increase in sand mining area, while river bed area and woodland cover decreased by 0.7% and 20%, respectively, from 1990 to 2021. A comparison of woody plant diversity also showed a higher Shannon diversity index in the unmined area of the riparian zone (3.0) compared to the sand mining area (2.0). Environmental Protection Agency and traditional authorities should intensify monitoring to protect the White Volta basin from unsustainable exploitation.

Identification of river basins within northwestern slope of Crimean Mountains using various digital elevation models (ASTER GDEM, ALOS World 3D, Copernicus DEM, and SRTM DEM)

Since the end of the 20th century, the use of geographic information systems and digital elevation models has reduced the time required for and improved the quality of morphometric analysis of the relief within river basins. However, researchers are constantly faced with the problem of choosing the most accurate and suitable digital terrain model for their task. Many global, regional, and local digital elevation models are available. In this study, we comparatively analyzed the accuracy of the ASTER GDEM, ALOS World 3D, Copernicus DEM, and SRTM DEM spatial datasets for the purpose of catchment basin modeling for the river basins of the northwestern slope of the Crimean Mountains (Zapadnyy Bulganak, Alma, Kacha, Belbek, and Chernaya Rivers) as an example. For each river basin, we calculated the systematic, root mean square, mean absolute, standard root mean square (Bessel’s correction), and centered mean absolute errors by comparing ASTER GDEM, ALOS World 3D, Copernicus DEM, and SRTM DEM data with a 1:100,000 topographic map within the considered river basins. We found the smallest error values for the Copernicus DEM and ALOS World 3D datasets; furthermore, we used the Copernicus DEM dataset to model the river basins and sub-basins of the northwestern slope of the Crimean Mountains. As a result, we identified these river basins and sub-basins for the Zapadnyy Bulganak, Alma, Kacha, Belbek, and Chernaya Rivers, which are represented by stream basins, valleys, gullies, and ravine systems.

Estimation of component-wise runoff contribution using temperature index approach, in a snow- and glacier-fed transboundary Shyok River catchment of the Upper Indus Basin

Estimation of component-wise runoff contribution using temperature index approach, in a snow- and glacier-fed transboundary Shyok River catchment of the Upper Indus Basin

MICROBIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF FECAL CONTAMINATION IN THE RIVER WATERS OF THE VOGHJI RIVER CATCHMENT BASIN

Quantitative parameters of total and fecal coliform, as well as Escherichia coli bacteria in the river waters of the Voghji River catchment basin were investigated to characterize fecal contamination in the investigated watershed basin. Water samples for microbial analyses were collected from the Voghji River and its Geghi, Norashenik and Vachagan tributaries in 2016, 2017 and 2020. The results of the study revealed the distribution, potential sources and environmental risks of fecal contamination in the Voghji River catchment basin.

Metallogeny and exploration indicators of Sn and Ag deposits in the Southern Great Xing'an Range, China: Application of knowledge-driven CoDA based on geology and geochemistry

There have been recent breakthroughs in exploration for tin (Sn) and silver (Ag) mineral resources in the Southern Great Xing'an Range, making this region a world-class Sn and Ag metallogenic area. However, thick surface coverage and hidden deposits make exploration difficult, and conventional geological and geochemical prospecting methods have severely limited efficacy. In order to further extract geological and geochemical information on the basis of the existing research, to serve the regional mineral exploration, the knowledge-driven CoDA method is used to identify geochemical associations for inferring matallogenic information. Meanwhile, the fractal C-A model is used to determine geochemical anomalies, the catchment basin geochemical method is used to delineate anomaly boundary. Especially, the data-driven CoDA method is employed for comparison analysis with the knowledge-driven one. As a result, seven groups of compositional balances are proposed and verified, and geological bodies closely related to Sn and Ag mineralization are identified. These occurred in Dashizhai Formation strata, being calcareous rocks and granites, especially A-type granite, which is most closely related to mineralization. Meanwhile, Sn and Ag mineralization areas were identified and found to be consistent with known deposits. Finally, this paper proposes a novel model of regional porphyry Sn–Cu metallogenic systems and delineates exploration targets for Ag–Zn–Pb–Cu deposits and Sn–polymetallic deposits based on the analysis of catchment basins.

Satellite data reveal how Sudd wetland dynamics are linked with globally-significant methane emissions

Recent work has highlighted the large role of methane emissions from the Sudd wetland and surrounding ecosystems on the global atmospheric growth rate of methane since 2010. These emissions are driven by high rainfall over basin catchments linked with the positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole. We reconstruct flood inundation for the Sudd wetland over a 38-year period at a spatial resolution of 30 m using a new satellite Earth Observation (EO) wetland mapping tool. We reveal considerable changes in the wet season extent of the wetland, including an increase >300% since 2019 compared to the median 1984–2022 extent. We report major increases in flood extent within grassland-dominated floodplains outside of the area currently defined Sudd wetland region. These year-to-year changes in wetland extent are corroborated with total water storage anomalies inferred from satellite data (Pearson correlation R = 0.92), Lake Victoria levels (R = 0.73), and anomalies in reported annual mean global methane growth rates since 2009 (R = 0.88). Our analysis shows that flood water inundation is dominated by inundated vegetation and aquatic vegetation, accounting for an average of 40% and 50% of total extent, respectively, compared to open water that accounted for just 9% of inundation in a typical year. This is consistent with recent studies that report wetland methane emissions are focused on areas with inundated vegetation. Our findings also support recent studies that highlight the significant role of the Sudd wetland in driving anomalously large global atmospheric annual growth rates, 2020–2022. By capturing high resolution information on inundated vegetation, our EO wetland mapping tool has significant potential for improved wetland emission estimates of methane. Vascular plants common in the Sudd wetland, e.g. macrophytes including Phragmites Australis and Cyperus Papyrus, seem to play a key role in methane emissions and we recommend they should be the focus of future research.

Diversity of the On-Farm Crop Dry Spell Adaptation Technologies in Isingiro Town Council, Isingiro District, Uganda

Isingiro Town Council is located within Uganda’s diagonal eco-region referred to as the “cattle corridor” and is synonymous with extreme climatic conditions, particularly dry spells, and intermittent floods (Egeru, 2016). Dry spells create a crisis among the highly rain-fed dependent farming Households (HH) in the study area. Some farming practices among HH are believed to contribute to Crop Dry Spell Adaptation (DSA). An exploratory survey was conducted to collect data from 125 crop farmers. The selection of respondents was through purposive and referral sampling methods in this study that were aimed at determining the diversity and extent of implementation of on-farm crop-specific Dry Spell Adaptation Technologies (DSATs) for major crops grown at the HH level. These include Bananas (98.4%), Beans (69.6%), Maize (43.2%) plus Fruits (4.0%) as per results from generated summary tables from Stata 14 analysis. 99.2% of the farmers who can define DSA are aware that some of their farming practices contribute to its attainment. DSATs for bananas include; up-rooting underground corms (75.2%), pruning (72.0%), de-suckering and pruning (70.4%), weeding before seeding (68.8%), mulching (67.2%) and staking with nylon strings or poles (64.0%) among others. DSAT for beans includes; strip/row planting with hoe weeding (68.8%), hoe weeding (68%), and beans-banana inter-cropping (16.8%) among others. strip/row planting with hoe weeding (44.8%), hand weeding (42.4%), and maize-banana inter-cropping (5.6%) among others. DSATs among fruits include; pruning and weeding and mulching each is implemented by 4.8% of the fruit farmers while spraying against flower abortion is done by 4%. planting with manure, watering/irrigation, and using water catchment basins each is implemented by 2.4% of the fruit farming HH among others. Farmers tend to implement diverse DSATs on crops where there they expected more Returns on Investment

Developing a Bayesian network model for understanding river catchment resilience under future change scenarios

Abstract. The resilience of river catchments and the vital socio-ecological services they provide are threatened by the cumulative impacts of future climatic and socio-economic change. Stakeholders who manage freshwaters require tools for increasing their understanding of catchment system resilience when making strategic decisions. However, unravelling causes, effects and interactions in complex catchment systems is challenging, typically leading to different system components being considered in isolation. In this research, we tested a five-stage participatory method for developing a Bayesian network (BN) model to simulate the resilience of the Eden catchment in eastern Scotland to future pressures in a single transdisciplinary holistic framework. The five-stage participatory method involved co-developing a BN model structure by conceptually mapping the catchment system and identifying plausible climatic and socio-economic future scenarios to measure catchment system resilience. Causal relationships between drivers of future change and catchment system nodes were mapped to create the BN model structure. Appropriate baseline data to define and parameterise nodes that represent the catchment system were identified with stakeholders. The BN model measured the impact of diverse future change scenarios to a 2050 time horizon. We applied continuous nodes within the hybrid equation-based BN model to measure the uncertain impacts of both climatic and socio-economic change. The BN model enabled interactions between future change factors and implications for the state of five capitals (natural, social, manufactured, financial and intellectual) in the system to be considered, providing stakeholders with a holistic catchment-scale approach to measure the resilience of multiple capitals and their associated resources. We created a credible, salient and legitimate BN model tool for understanding the cumulative impacts of both climatic and socio-economic factors on catchment resilience based on stakeholder evaluation. BN model outputs facilitated stakeholder recognition of future risks to their primary sector of interest, alongside their interaction with other sectors and the wider system. Participatory modelling methods improved the structure of the BN through collaborative learning with stakeholders while providing stakeholders with a strategic systems-thinking approach for considering river basin catchment resilience

Eco-Cultural Development of a Restored Lake Environment: The Case Study of Lake Karla (Thessaly, Greece)

Lake Karla is the first reconstructed lake in the EU, supporting agriculture, biodiversity and cultural activities and being part of the Natura 2000 protected area network. In order to investigate opportunities for the sustainable development of the wider lake area, this study aims to identify and assess current ecosystem services in the catchment basin of lake Karla with focus on cultural ecosystem services and in particular on eco-cultural tourism routes and trails. Based on recent literature and field surveys the main results of the study include mapping of ecosystem types and a first overview of potential ecosystem services. Additionally, mapping, assessment and proposal of selected eco-cultural routes alongside with estimation on their carrying capacity is also presented. Finally, discussion on future steps and policy recommendations is provided, towards the integrated, sustainable management of the protected area.

Analysis and research of the state of Lake Sukorivshchyna as a result of anthropogenic influence, as well as hydroecological and geomorphological conditions of species coexistence

This article is devoted to the study of Lake Sukorivshchyna in the Pishchanska united rural community of Novomoskovsk district. When studying the characteristics of the lake, the landscape location, hydrochemical and hydrobiological characteristics, and the degree of their anthropogenic transformation were taken into account. In the conditions of the northern part of the steppe zone of Ukraine, lakes are located exclusively in valley-terrace landscapes, the constituent elements of which differ in the most significant biodiversity. Ecosystems of lakes, despite their considerable similarity, also have many differences: their size and shape, trophic level, and degree and nature of overgrowth with macrophytes. There are examples of typologies of continental bodies of water, including lakes, but for the steppe zone of Ukraine, where the lakes have an insignificant area, and number and ecological differences inherent in water bodies of the steppe zone, a separate typology for them has not been developed. The quality of water at all times has been and is one of the main indicators of the standard of living. Therefore, all developed societies make every effort to provide the population and economy with a sufficient amount of water of a quality that is adequate to the requirements of the consumer. Most of the water comes from natural sources – rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, the water quality of which must not only be assessed, but also predicted. Two main components are responsible for the quality of water in nature – the catchment basin and the ecological system of the water body. Each of them is located in certain conditions of geography and climate, characteristic of the region under study, which in our research is the Steppe zone of Ukraine. This article reflects the studies of Lake Sukorivshchina, and also shows the role of the location of the studied water body, and reveals the patterns of the reaction of the aquatic ecosystem to human activity, which was carried out without scientific justification and proper recommendations for action.

Assessment of groundwater nitrate vulnerability using DRASTIC and modified DRASTIC in upper catchment of Sabarmati basin

Assessment of groundwater nitrate vulnerability using DRASTIC and modified DRASTIC in upper catchment of Sabarmati basin

Determinants of households' flood risk coping strategies in a high exposure system of the Manafwa catchment and Lake Kyoga Basin

Abstract The impact of floods on households in Uganda is becoming increasingly severe. It is often assumed that people who reside in a riverine area have adapted to flood pulses. However, in most cases, household-level risk reduction strategies are inadequate for ensuring a livelihood resilient to floods. The objective of this study was to investigate the determinants of households' decisions on coping strategies in the Manafwa catchment, Eastern Uganda. The study was based on a field survey of 210 households supplemented with focused group discussions (6) and key informant interviews (4) conducted in the Butaleja district in March 2019. The study used the protection motivation theory framework and applied the multivariate probit model. The most common short-term coping strategy was building temporary embankments (37%), whereas afforestation (44%) was the most common long-term solution deployed. The determinants that consistently and significantly influenced the choice of coping strategies adopted were: family size, number of adult males in the family, location of the house within the floodplain and time of residence in the affected area (P > 0.05). For policy purposes, this study recommends that the relevant stakeholder interventions should consider these determinants, in order to enhance the adaptive capacity of rural households to flooding.

Investigating naturally occurring radionuclides in sediment by characterizing the catchment basin geology of rivers in South Africa

Fingerprinting of sediment by means of naturally occurring radionuclides provides an environmentally friendly technique to trace and model sediment. This article describes a technique for determining the radioactive fingerprint of river sediment by correlating it with the geology of the river's catchment basin. The geology of the catchment basins of all the major rivers within South Africa was analysed and average nuclide concentrations were estimated by means of GIS techniques. The concentrations and ratios between these naturally occurring nuclides were then estimated and compared with experimentally measured values. The estimated values compared well with the experimental data and several unique tendencies were shown. Distinct differences were found between the radionuclide characteristics in the sediment of the different rivers. This research, therefore, proved that different sediments can be fingerprinted and identified based on their radionuclide characteristics.

Causes, concerns and hazards of sinkhole formation in Brengi stream catchment of Upper Jhelum basin, Kashmir Himalaya

Causes, concerns and hazards of sinkhole formation in Brengi stream catchment of Upper Jhelum basin, Kashmir Himalaya

Modelling the Impact of Climate Variability and LULC Changes on the Hydrological Processes in the Upper Jhelum Basin Catchment, Western-Himalayas

Modelling the Impact of Climate Variability and LULC Changes on the Hydrological Processes in the Upper Jhelum Basin Catchment, Western-Himalayas