Catchment Characteristics Research Articles

Basin-scale riverine ecosystem services vary with network geometry

Riverine ecosystems provide a variety of services supporting biodiversity, human livelihoods, and the maintenance of river health. Multiple anthropogenic threats to riverine ecosystem services (RES) have been identified and considered in river management strategies. However, the way in which the river network is spatially arranged across the landscape – river network geometry – may also play a role in the delivery of RES. Here we studied the effect of river network geometry on the delivery of five RES in 14 catchments of the Great Barrier Reef region, Australia. Our investigation has three parts. First, we conducted a sensitivity analysis on modelled RES, holding all non-geometric catchment characteristics, other than catchment size and slope, constant to allow attribution of modelled differences directly to differences in geometry. Second, we analysed the relationships between observed RES and network structural indices. Third we compared observed RES with modelled results. Modelled results suggest that RES are sensitive to the differences in river network geometry. Furthermore, correlation analyses show good agreement between observed RES and network structural indices, and there is good correlation between the modelled and observed RES. These results suggest an important role of river network geometry in the delivery of multiple RES by mediating upstream inputs as they pass through the river network. A one size fits all approach to river management may thus be ineffective and specific management interventions will be needed in catchments of different network geometries.

One‐Parameter Analytical Derivation in Modified Budyko Framework for Unsteady‐State Streamflow Elasticity in Humid Catchments

AbstractThe changes in climate and catchment properties have altered the hydrological processes significantly at different spatiotemporal scales around the world. In particular for finer time scales, changes in water storage, which has been commonly neglected for long‐term temporal scales, may play an important role on hydrological processes. Nevertheless, few studies addressed this question in modifying the Budyko framework, with most of them remaining a steady‐state assumption on catchment characteristics. Here, we derive new analytical formulas of unsteady‐state streamflow elasticity in a modified Budyko framework, incorporating both storage change and one specific parameter for catchment properties. We study 78 humid catchments in the USA with simulation data of daily hydrological processes from a probability‐distribution‐based hydrological model (the modified HyMOD). As indicated by results, the annual storage change ratio is linearly correlated with the annual aridity index, and this relationship can be used to estimate elasticity coefficients with our formulas. The estimated elasticity coefficients perform well in simulating the annual streamflow with the power‐law model. For different catchments, variability of the unsteady‐state elasticity is higher than that of the steady‐state elasticity. Unsteady‐state streamflow coefficients show significant linear correlation with catchment properties, such as the average slope, average elevation, and catchment area. This study provides a new analytical approach to investigate the interannual stability of catchments with varying climate and catchment properties.

Stormwater Suspended Solids and Pollutant Concentrations in an Urban Stream

The chemical and ecological quality of small rivers or streams is not normally classified, but any urban stormwater discharges will result in their impairment. To assist in understanding the resulting applied environmental stress to benthic communities, the empirical relationships between in-stream suspended solids and metal pollutants, initially identified by principal component analysis, are explored using data from a small urbanised upland catchment. When data are amalgamated from individual storms, a correlation for each metal pollutant with suspended solids is obtained, starting very strongly, and decreasing in the order Fe > Al > Mn > Pb > Cr > Zn > Cu > Ni. Comparison of pollutant/solids correlations for individual storms is, for some metals, excellent, but differing intercepts and/or gradients can be obtained for an individual metal between storms. The practice of assessing their correlation based on event mean concentrations or longer-term averages across several storm events may conceal strong correlations for individual storms, exemplifying the impact of variable catchment characteristics and storm conditions; Cd and Be are poorly correlated with suspended solids and are likely affected by changes in background pollution levels. The analysis of covariance also highlights a significant difference between certain storm events for specific metals, which calls into question the validity of using combined storm-event datasets. The relationships identified here enable the determination of stormwater pollutant loads from suspended solids concentrations for heavy metals and are useful for developing water quality assessments.

National-scale nitrogen loading from the Finnish agricultural fields has decreased since the 1990s

The national scale nutrient load modelling system VEMALA-ICECREAM was used to simulate agricultural total nitrogen(TN) loading and its trends for all Finnish watersheds for the period from 1990–2019. Across Finland, agricultural TN loading (ATNL) has decreased from 17.4 kg ha-1 a-1 to 14.4 kg ha-1 a-1 (moving 10-year averages) since the 1990s. The main driver of the decrease in simulated ATNL is a reduction in mineral fertilizer use, which has decreased the N surplus in the soils. The TN leached fraction, however, did not show a trend but did have high annual variability due to variations in runoff; this corresponds to an average of 14.4% of the TN applied. The ATNL was considerably higher in the Archipelago Sea catchment compared to other Finnish Baltic Sea sub-catchments, with the lowest ATNL found in the Vuoksi catchment in Eastern Finland. The highest decrease of ATNL was simulated for Vuoksi and Gulf of Finland catchments. In the Bothnian Sea, Bothnian Bay and Archipelago Sea catchments, the decreasing trend of ATNL was smaller but still significant, with the exception of the Quark catchment, where there was no significant change. The differences in decreasing trends between regions can be explained by the heterogeneity of catchment characteristics, hydrology and agricultural practices in different regions.

Unravelling fluvial versus glacial legacy controls on boulder‐bed river geomorphology for semi‐alluvial rivers in Fennoscandia

AbstractRiver management is founded on predictable self‐organisation between river form and catchment controls in alluvial rivers. However, a substantial proportion of rivers are not fully alluvial. In previously glaciated landscapes, boulder‐rich glacial till influences river channel form and process. Increasing interest in nature‐ and process‐based river restoration requires knowledge of pre‐disturbance natural processes, which does not exist for semi‐ and non‐alluvial rivers in Fennoscandia. We aimed to determine the role of Pleistocene glaciation and subsequent deglaciation versus Holocene fluvial processes in controlling channel form of boulder‐bed rivers in Fennoscandia. We quantified morphological characteristics of northern Swedish boulder‐bed rivers, in which channel morphology was minimally impacted by humans, and used the degree of alluvial signatures to infer fluvial and legacy glacial controls. We conducted surveys of reach‐scale channel geometry, boulder and wood distributions and catchment characteristics for 20 reference reaches (drainage area: 11–114 km2). Reaches ranged in slope from 1% to 8% and were extremely diverse in channel geometry. Rivers showed little self‐organisation at the reach scale; no association exists between channel width and channel slope or bed sediment size. Boulders were rarely clustered into bedforms (e.g., step‐pools) typical of boulder‐bed mountain rivers. Drainage area was positively correlated with channel capacity but not channel width, slope or sediment size. Channel boulder density was best predicted by surveys of terrestrial boulders. Consequently, channel geometry, boulder size and the distribution of boulders were primarily controlled by legacy glacial conditioning rather than current fluvial processes, with some alluvial adjustment of smaller particles within the boulder template. Therefore, restoration of semi‐alluvial rivers should take into account local sediment and geomorphic conditions rather than use management principles built for fully alluvial rivers.

Control of climate and physiography on runoff response behavior through use of catchment classification and machine learning

Understanding of runoff response changes (RRC) is essential for water resource management decisions. However, there is a limited understanding of the effects of climate and landscape properties on RRC behavior. This study explored RRC behavior across controls and predictability in 1003 catchments in the contiguous United States (CONUS) using catchment classification and machine learning. Over 1000+ catchments are grouped into ten classes with similar hydrological behavior across CONUS. Indices quantifying RRC were constructed and then predicted within each class of the 10 classes and over the entire1000+ catchments using two machine learning models (random forest and CUBIST) based on 56 indicators of catchment attributes (CA) and 16 flow signatures (FS). This enabled the ranking of the important influential factors on RRC. We found that (i) CA/FS-based clusters followed the ecoregions over CONUS, and the impact of climate on RRC seemed to overlap with physiographic attributes; (ii) CUBIST outperforms the random forest model both within the cluster and over the whole domain, with a mean improvement of 39 % (depending on clusters) within clusters. Runoff sensitivity was better predicted than runoff changes; (iii) FS related to runoff ratio, average, and high flow are the most important for RRC, whereas climate (evaporation and aridity) is a secondary factor; and (iv) RRC patterns are substantial in the dominant factor space. High total changes and catchment characteristic-induced changes occurred mainly at 100°west longitude. The elasticity of climate and catchment characteristics was found to be high in spaces with high evaporation and low runoff ratios and low in spaces with low evaporation and high runoff ratios. Uncertainties existed in the number of catchments between clusters which was verified using a fuzzy clustering algorithm. We recommend that future research that clarifies the impact of uncertainty on hydrological or catchment behavior should be conducted.

Geomorphometric based catchment runoff characterization and assessment of temporal landuse change impact on runoff inflow to an ungauged reservoir under different climatic scenarios using geospatial techniques and SWAT model

Abstract A morphometric analysis was carried out to study runoff characteristics of the Saleran reservoir catchment. Further, the impact of catchment landuse change on runoff generation and inflow to the Saleran reservoir has been assessed using geospatial techniques and SWAT. The geomorphometric analysis shows that the catchment is less elongated in shape, having fourth-order stream network, high stream frequency (9.36 no./km2), drainage density (4.55 km/km2) and high relief (220 m), which indicates that catchment would generate a moderate amount of runoff. The SWAT (ArcSWAT) model was used for the simulation of runoff and the average annual runoff inflow was simulated to be 14.2 mm (1995–1999), 13.2 mm (2000–2009) and 11.8 mm (2010–2019) per 100 mm of rainfall under the landuse 1999, 2009 and 2019, respectively. The results indicated that the temporal change in catchment landuse has significantly increased the runoff generation and its inflow to the reservoir but there is a decrease in the volume of runoff inflow which may be due to the decreasing trend in monsoon rainfall. Hence, an appropriate conservation strategy needs to be developed and adopted in the Shivalik foot-hills for managing the catchment landuse for sustainable water supply through reservoirs.

Improving model capability in simulating spatiotemporal variations and flow contributions of nitrate export in tile-drained catchments

It is essential to identify the dominant flow paths, hot spots and hot periods of hydrological nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) losses for developing nitrogen loads reduction strategies in agricultural watersheds. Coupled biogeochemical transformations and hydrological connectivity regulate the spatiotemporal dynamics of water and NO3-N export along surface and subsurface flows. However, modeling performance is usually limited by the oversimplification of natural and human-managed processes and insufficient representation of spatiotemporally varied hydrological and biogeochemical cycles in agricultural watersheds. In this study, we improved a spatially distributed process-based hydro-ecological model (DLEM-catchment) and applied the model to four tile-drained catchments with mixed agricultural management and diverse landscape in Iowa, Midwestern US. The quantitative statistics show that the improved model well reproduced the daily and monthly water discharge, NO3-N concentration and loading measured from 2015 to 2019 in all four catchments. The model estimation shows that subsurface flow (tile flow + lateral flow) dominates the discharge (70–75%) and NO3-N loading (77–82%) over the years. However, the contributions of tile drainage and lateral flow vary remarkably among catchments due to different tile-drained area percentages and the presence of farmed potholes (former depressional wetlands that have been drained for agricultural production). Furthermore, we found that agricultural management (e.g. tillage and fertilizer management) and catchment characteristics (e.g. soil properties, farmed potholes, and tile drainage) play important roles in predicting the spatial distributions of NO3-N leaching and loading. The simulated results reveal that the model improvements in representing water retention capacity (snow processes, soil roughness, and farmed potholes) and tile drainage improved model performance in estimating discharge and NO3-N export at a daily time step, while improvement of agricultural management mainly impacts NO3-N export prediction. This study underlines the necessity of characterizing catchment properties, agricultural management practices, flow-specific NO3-N movement, and spatial heterogeneity of NO3-N fluxes for accurately simulating water quality dynamics and predicting the impacts of agricultural conservation nutrient reduction strategies.

Changes in Mediterranean flood processes and seasonality

Abstract. Floods are a major natural hazard in the Mediterranean region, causing deaths and extensive damages. Recent studies have shown that intense rainfall events are becoming more extreme in this region but, paradoxically, without leading to an increase in the severity of floods. Consequently, it is important to understand how flood events are changing to explain this absence of trends in flood magnitude despite increased rainfall extremes. A database of 98 stations in southern France with an average record of 50 years of daily river discharge data between 1959 and 2021 was considered, together with a high-resolution reanalysis product providing precipitation and simulated soil moisture and a classification of weather patterns associated with rainfall events over France. Flood events, corresponding to an average occurrence of 1 event per year (5317 events in total), were extracted and classified into excess-rainfall, short-rainfall, and long-rainfall event types. Several flood event characteristics have been also analyzed: flood event durations, base flow contribution to floods, runoff coefficient, total and maximum event rainfall, and antecedent soil moisture. The evolution through time of these flood event characteristics and seasonality was analyzed. Results indicated that, in most basins, floods tend to occur earlier during the year, the mean flood date being, on average, advanced by 1 month between 1959–1990 and 1991–2021. This seasonal shift could be attributed to the increased frequency of southern-circulation weather types during spring and summer. An increase in total and extreme-event precipitation has been observed, associated with a decrease of antecedent soil moisture before rainfall events. The majority of flood events are associated with excess rainfall on saturated soils, but their relative proportion is decreasing over time, notably in spring, with a concurrent increased frequency of short rain floods. For most basins there is a positive correlation between antecedent soil moisture and flood event runoff coefficients that is remaining stable over time, with dryer soils producing less runoff and a lower contribution of base flow to floods. In a context of increasing aridity, this relationship is the likely cause of the absence of trends in flood magnitudes observed in this region and the change of event types. These changes in flood characteristics are quite homogeneous over the domain studied, suggesting that they are rather linked to the evolution of the regional climate than to catchment characteristics. Consequently, this study shows that even in the absence of trends, flood properties may change over time, and these changes need to be accounted for when analyzing the long-term evolution of flood hazards.

Flow paths and wetness conditions explain spatiotemporal variation of nitrogen retention for a temperate, humid catchment

Excess use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer has threatened the quality of drinking water and destroyed the structure and functions of aquatic ecosystems. The N retention is defined as a catchment’s capacity to withhold nitrogen from entering surface water bodies during a certain period. Previous studies have focused on N retention in response to catchment characteristics and different climates. However, little has been done to explore the spatiotemporal variation of N retention within a catchment. This study is aimed to explore the spatiotemporal variation of the N retention and the effect of the external N input heterogeneity on the retention capacity and the N export in a small temperate, humid catchment in central Germany. A spatially distributed model was built using the fully coupled surface–subsurface model HydroGeoSphere to simulate the flow and transport of nitrate. Three scenarios considering the external N input heterogeneity, which represent different land-use patterns, were created: (i) the input was uniformly distributed over the catchment, (ii) high input was associated with high retention regions (e.g. near the hillslope top), and (iii) high input was associated with low retention regions (e.g. near the stream). The results showed that N retention exhibits strong spatial heterogeneity, which is controlled by the lengths of flow paths connecting the regions and surface water body and regional wetness conditions within a catchment. N retention showed pronounced seasonality in temperate and humid climates, being higher in wetting, drying and dry periods, but lower in wet periods. The pattern is driven by distinct shifts in the dominance of deeper flow paths and fast shallow flow paths determined by the climate seasonality. Highest denitrification, lowest export fluxes and in-stream nitrate concentration were found in scenario (ii) among the scenarios. Therefore, it was suggested that agricultural activities may avoid regions near surface water bodies to improve the surface water quality. The results of this study provide insights into the nitrogen dynamics and can guide the management of surface water quality.

Contribution of climate and catchment characteristics to runoff variations in Indian river basins: a climate elasticity approach

ABSTRACT The relative influence of climate and catchment characteristics to the variations in runoff in five Indian river basins is assessed using the climate elasticity approach based on the Budyko hypothesis. From 1980 to 1999, catchment characteristics are found to be the main contributor to runoff variation for all of the basins except Upper Mahanadi sub-basin, where climatic factors are the major contributor. Among the climatic factors, runoff is more responsive to changes in precipitation than to changes in potential evapotranspiration. The mean contribution of climate (catchment) to runoff variation is largest at the Cauvery (Krishna) basin. The findings may be useful in planning sustainable water resources infrastructure. Investigation of the relationship between runoff changes in the basins and their land use and land cover changes, as well as the vegetation index, adds to the novelty and usefulness of the study.

Catchment and climatic influences on spatio-temporal variations in suspended sediment transport dynamics in rivers

Abstract Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is an important attribute for water resources management. However, the interactions between climate and catchment characteristics that control the temporal variability of SSC in rivers are not fully resolved. The study aim is to evaluate how these variables influence spatial and seasonal variations in SSC dynamics at a continental scale. Daily SSC (mg/l) and site attribute data from 120 sites (USA) with minimum 10 years of record (1971–2000) were analysed. New indicators of SSC dynamics (magnitude and frequency) were developed and applied annually and seasonally. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) models were created for each ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model, and GWR coefficients were analysed by ecoregion. Land cover, rainfall and erosivity, baseflow index and soil texture were the most common variables in the OLS models. GWR coefficients displayed significant variation across the continent. Agricultural cover was positively associated with low frequency SSC events, while urban and forest cover predicted higher frequency events, except in the desert areas. PPT30 was generally a negative predictor for SSC magnitude, except the marine west coasts forests. These findings on catchment and climate controls on SSC will support future predictive models of SS transport dynamics.

Characteristics of entrenched meanders in catchment landscapes: a case study of Java, Indonesia

The diversity of physiography on the island of Java reflects the existence of different landforms that have properties and characteristics in the interaction of river formation. Rivers respond to longitudinal profile deformation, one of which can form river meanders. Meander rivers in Java are formed on alluvial plains (free meanders) and in hilly areas (entrenched meanders). The meander river formation factor is the high flow volume, which can be seen from the morphometric conditions. This study aimed to determine the morphometric characteristics of water catchment in entrenched meander rivers on the island of Java, as well as its relationship with the geodynamic conditions. The method used is the identification of entrenched meander rivers on Java Island, and morphometric calculations are carried out; besides that, it is also associated with morphostructural conditions to determine the process of its formation. The results obtained that the catchment area of the entrenched meander river has a tendency for small volumes of water and relatively longer floods; this is different from the nature of the free meander. The morphostructure much controls the process of forming entrenched meander rivers.

Integrated model for the fast assessment of flood volume: Modelling – management, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis

The specific flood volume is an important criterion for assessing the performance of sewage networks. It has been shown that its value is greatly influenced by the layout of the sewers in the catchment area, which is usually expressed by a fractal dimension. Currently, only mechanistic models (such as SWMM) enable the determination of the impact of the layout of the sewers on flooding volume, but they require additional and robust calculations. In the presented study an integrated tool has been proposed that includes: a flooding volume simulator based on rainfall data, catchment and sewage network characteristics, sewers layout expressed by fractal dimension. Alogistic model can be applied for fast flooding volume estimation as an alternative approach to SWMM, design and upgrade sewer layout even with limited access to data (spatial planning, architectural concepts, etc.). Using the random forest (RF) method, a likelihood function simulator was developed, which enabled the analysis of interactions and optimal selection of combinations of SWMM model parameters for calibration. It has been shown that the higher the fractal dimension and retention coefficient (the ratio of surface to sewer retention), the greater the influence of SWMM parameters on the specific flood volume.

Interactive effects of catchment mean water residence time and agricultural area on water physico-chemical variables and GHG saturations in headwater streams

Greenhouse gas emissions from headwater streams are linked to multiple sources influenced by terrestrial land use and hydrology, yet partitioning these sources at catchment scales remains highly unexplored. To address this gap, we sampled year-long stable water isotopes (δ18O and δ2H) from 17 headwater streams differing in catchment agricultural areas. We calculated mean residence times (MRT) and young water fractions (YWF) based on the seasonality of δ18O signals and linked these hydrological measures to catchment characteristics, mean annual water physico-chemical variables, and GHG % saturations. The MRT and the YWF ranged from 0.25 to 4.77 years and 3 to 53%, respectively. The MRT of stream water was significantly negatively correlated with stream slope (r2 = 0.58) but showed no relationship with the catchment area. Streams in agriculture-dominated catchments were annual hotspots of GHG oversaturation, which we attributed to precipitation-driven terrestrial inputs of dissolved GHGs for streams with shorter MRTs and nutrients and GHG inflows from groundwater for streams with longer MRTs. Based on our findings, future research should also consider water mean residence time estimates as indicators of integrated hydrological processes linking discharge and land use effects on annual GHG dynamics in headwater streams.

A complex interplay among agricultural land uses, urbanization, and landscape attributes shapes the concentration-discharge relationships in Ontario, Canada

The shape of a concentration-discharge (C-Q) relationship and its evolution in space and time can be used to elucidate the predominant hydrological pathways and residence time of a chemical of interest, to determine the rate and timing of biogeochemical production and uptake, and to evaluate how catchment characteristics (topography, land cover/soil vegetation, anthropogenic activities) modulate export dynamics. Being a powerful tool to address ecohydrology’s fundamental questions, the investigation of C–Q relationships for multiple elements at multiple spatial and temporal scales has been instrumental in the context of water-quality management. In this study, we use a statistical (Segmented, Classification and Regression Trees) modelling framework to establish linkages among watershed morphological attributes, weather variability, land-use patterns, and biogeochemical “hot spots” across Ontario, Canada. Our analysis signifies the presence of enriching behavior, either across the entire streamflow domain or at high flow regimes, for several water quality constituents, such as total phosphorus, suspended solids, nitrate, calcium, and dissolved organic carbon. Alkalinity, calcium, and dissolved inorganic carbon consistently displayed negative slopes at higher flows, indicative of source limitation for these constituents. Similarly, although many of our study watersheds are influenced by anthropogenic activities, the predominant C-Q relationship for chloride was suggestive of either a monotonically diluting pattern or a diluting one followed by a chemostatic response to increasing streamflows. Our results offer novel insights into the interplay between anthropogenic stressors and biogeochemical processes that shapes the severity of nonpoint-source pollution, as hydrological and nutrient cycles will be increasingly subjected to major disturbances by food-production systems and urbanization.

Watershed characteristics and chemical properties govern methyl mercury concentrations within headwater streams of boreal forests in Ontario, Canada

Methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations in boreal headwater streams are influenced by complex natural processes and disturbances such as forestry management. Understanding drivers of MeHg within boreal streams in Ontario, Canada, is of particular interest as there are legacy MeHg concerns. However, models accounting for the complexity of underlying processes have not yet been developed. We assessed how catchment characteristics and stream water chemistry influence MeHg concentrations within 19 watersheds of the Dryden – Wabigoon Forest in Ontario, Canada, using a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. Despite the study area encompassing a large variation of boreal forest watersheds in the Canadian Shield, our SEM had substantial explanatory power across the region (χ251 = 45.37, p-value = 0.70, R2 = 0.75). Nitrate concentrations (p-value <0.001), water temperature (p-value = 0.002), and the latent watershed characteristic (p-value <0.001) had a positive influence on MeHg concentrations once variable interactions were accounted. Due to the inherent strengths of applying an SEM approach, we describe two plausible pathways driving MeHg concentrations: 1) indirect effect of forest-derived nutrients increases in-situ MeHg production in Dryden – Wabigoon Forest streams, and 2) direct supply of MeHg from inundated soils following consistent precipitation and inundation events (i.e., fill, sit, and spill).

Res-CN (Reservoir dataset in China): hydrometeorological time series and landscape attributes across 3254 Chinese reservoirs

Abstract. Dams and reservoirs are human-made infrastructures that have attracted increasing attention because of their societal and environmental significance. Towards better management and conservation of reservoirs, a dataset of reservoir-catchment characteristics is needed, considering that the amount of water and material flowing into and out of reservoirs depends on their locations on the river network and the properties of the upstream catchment. To date, no dataset exists for reservoir-catchment characteristics. The aim of this study is to develop the first database featuring reservoir-catchment characteristics for 3254 reservoirs with storage capacity totaling 682 595 km3 (73.2 % of reservoir water storage capacity in China) to support the management and conservation of reservoirs in the context of catchment level. To ensure a more representative and accurate mapping of local variables of large reservoirs, reservoir catchments are delineated into full catchments (their full upstream contributing areas) and intermediate catchments (subtracting the area contributed by upstream reservoirs from the full upstream part of the current reservoir). Using both full catchments and intermediate catchments, characteristics of reservoir catchments were extracted, with a total of 512 attributes in six categories (i.e., reservoir and catchment body characteristics, topography, climate, soil and geology, land cover and use, and anthropogenic activity characteristics). Besides these static attributes, time series of 15 meteorological variables of catchments were extracted to support hydrological simulations for a better understanding of drivers of reservoir environment change. Moreover, we provide a comprehensive and extensive reservoir dataset on water level (data available for 20 % of 3254 reservoirs), water surface area (99 %), storage anomaly (92 %), and evaporation (98 %) from multisource satellites such as radar and laser altimeters and images from Landsat and Sentinel satellites. These products significantly enhance spatial and temporal coverage in comparison to existing similar products (e.g., 67 % increase in spatial resolution of water level and 225 % increase in storage anomaly) and contribute to our understanding of reservoir properties and functions within the Earth system by incorporated national or global hydrological modeling. In situ data of 138 reservoirs are employed in this study as a valuable reference for evaluation, thus enhancing our confidence in the data quality and enhancing our understanding of the accuracy of current satellite datasets. Along with its extensive attributes, the Reservoir dataset in China (Res-CN) can support a broad range of applications such as water resources, hydrologic/hydrodynamic modeling, and energy planning. Res-CN is on Zenodo through https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7664489 (Shen et al., 2022c).

The impact of surface melt rate and catchment characteristics on Greenland Ice Sheet moulin inputs

Abstract. The supraglacial drainage system of the Greenland Ice Sheet, in combination with surface melt rate, controls the rate of water flow into moulins, a major driver of subglacial water pressure. We apply the Subaerial Drainage System (SaDS) model, a physically based surface meltwater flow model, to a ∼20×27km2 catchment on the southwestern Greenland Ice Sheet for 4 years of melt forcing (2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016) to (1) examine the relationship between surface melt rate and the rate, diurnal amplitude, and timing of surface inputs to moulins; (2) compare SaDS to contemporary models; and (3) present a framework for selecting appropriate supraglacial drainage models for different modelling objectives. We find that variations in the rate and timing of modelled moulin inputs related to the development of supraglacial channels are relatively more important in years with low melt volumes than years with high melt volumes. We suggest that a process-resolving supraglacial hydrology model (e.g., SaDS) should be considered when modelling outcomes are sensitive to subdiurnal and long-term seasonal changes in the rate of discharge into moulins.

Cascading effects of climate change and wildfire on a subarctic lake: A 20‐year case study of watershed change

AbstractMean annual air temperature has been increasing in Alaska since the 1970s and is expected to continue to increase through the current century, resulting in significant environmental changes (e.g., permafrost thaw, shifts in vegetation community composition and distribution, increased wildfire frequency and severity). Because there is little long‐term monitoring data available on lake ecosystems in the subarctic it is difficult to predict how lakes will respond. Here we present data from an ~20‐year long‐term lake and climate monitoring program in Interior Alaska. A significant portion of the lake catchment was burned by wildfires in 1986 and again in 2004. As a result, much of the vegetation in the lake catchment was converted from spruce‐dominated forest to deciduous forest, indicating likely permafrost degradation. At a nearby monitoring site absent of fire effects, mean annual ground temperatures at 50 and 90 cm warmed significantly from about −2°C to about −1°C over the 20‐year monitoring period. Warming of similar or greater magnitude is inferred at the study site due to fire effects. Lake water analyses before and after the 2004 fire show a significant postfire increase in dissolved organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total phosphorous that persisted for a short period (~3 years) and was followed by small, but significant, increases in specific conductance and ion concentrations. Approximately 15 years postfire sulfate and cation concentrations in the lake increased exponentially due to the development of a groundwater seep near the lake. The seep likely formed as a result of permafrost thaw creating new subsurface flowpaths in response to long‐term climate warming and fire effects. In 2021, specific conductance and sulfate concentrations reached 657 μS/cm and 71 mg/L respectively, exceeding tolerance thresholds of the water lily Nuphar lutea. In 2021, N. lutea beds that had occupied the lake since 1981 were no longer visible. Depending on local catchment characteristics, source waters and flow paths contributing to small subarctic lakes will continue to evolve uniquely in response to climate change and thawing permafrost. This case study shows the cascading effects of warming soil and wildfires on catchment characteristics as well as terrestrial and aquatic vegetation and lake water chemistry.