Critical Water Level Research Articles

Engineering geological monitoring to ensure the stability of landslide slopes in the conditions of transport construction

Exploitation of landslide-prone escarpments of middle safety factor, or in a state of limiting equilibrium can lead to a crash when changing the seismic and hydro-geological situation. In this connection it is necessary to develop recommendations for the deployment of a network of information collection points hydrogeomechanical c monitoring high density for rapid notification of reaching the critical water level and management decisions to strengthen the slope.

Heavy Water Zero Power Reactor (HWZPR) mixed core first criticality, calculation and experiments

HWZPR original fuel is natural U metal fuel but other kinds of fuel can also be utilized. In a research work on UO2 fuel, reactor fuel was partially replaced by natural UO2 fuel and physical parameters of the new core were compared with original core. Thirty six natural U metal fuel rods were substituted by natural UO2 fuel assemblies. Prior to the first criticality operation with the new core, it was simulated by stochastic and deterministic calculation methods i.e. MCNP-4C and WIMS-CITATON codes, respectively. In order to investigate criticality and safety of the mixed core, important reactor physics parameters such as effective multiplication factor (Keff) at different water levels, critical water level, reactivity worth of D2O and reactivity worth of safety and control rods were calculated.The calculated results ensured reactor criticality and satisfied reactor safety criteria. Therefore, with the permission of the reactor safety committee, the first criticality operation was performed successfully. Later, during a series of reactor operations important physical parameters were measured experimentally. There is good consistency between the theoretical and experimental results.

Modelling storm responses on a high-energy coastline with XBeach

The XBeach model has been used to simulate the morphological impacts of storms on sandy and gravel beaches. Taking as a case study Rossbeigh Spit located on the high-energy coast of western Ireland, the study reported here tests the capacity of XBeach to reproduce barrier breaching during a storm in December 2008. It demonstrates that predictions of the breaching event agree reasonably well with observations. However, the main focus of the paper is to establish using the model results, site-specific critical wave and water level conditions giving rise to dune erosion, overwashing and breaching. By deriving simple-to-use expressions to define hydrodynamic thresholds the study advances the ability to predict the impacts of infrequent and rarely observed storm events and is considered to provide useful coastal management tool for assessing the vulnerability of sandy barriers to breaching high-energy during storms.

Real-Time Updating of Rainfall Threshold Curves for Flood Forecasting

AbstractThe rainfall threshold (RT) method is a nonstructural flood mitigation approach that is emerging as an effective flood forecasting tool. A critical RT value is the minimum cumulative rainfall depth necessary to cause critical water level or discharge at a cross section of a river. The major drawback of the RT approach is associated with the offline methods used for extracting critical RT values based on some fixed watershed characteristics and rainfall conditions. In this paper, a novel methodology is presented for real-time updating of RT curves for flood forecasting using a rainfall-runoff model and an artificial neural network. In this method, in addition to the rainfall depth, observed discharges are also used to update the rainfall threshold curves for real-time soil moisture and rainfall temporal and spatial patterns. The method was tested on the Walnut Gulch watershed with a 50-min time of concentration for selected historical rainfall events. It was shown that applying the proposed updatin...

Critical heavy water level and some parameters for the HWZPR reactor core using MCNP4c code

The MCNP4c code, based on the probabilistic approach, is applied in modeling the 3D configuration of the Heavy Water Zero Power Reactors (HWZPRs) core. All of the constituents of the core such as fuel pellets, fuel elements, moderator (D2O) and annular graphite reflector are simulated using the MCNP4c code. The benchmark calculations are made to estimate various parameters including effective multiplication factor (Keff), number of neutron production per fission (ν), and energy release in the fuel per fission (Q). The (n,Xn) reaction with changes in water level are investigated. In order to validate the MCNP4c calculations, the obtained critical water level is compared to that of the experimental data. Good consistency is observed between calculated and experimental data.

Visualizing relationships between hydrology, climate, and water level fluctuations on Earth's largest system of lakes

Understanding drivers behind monthly, annual, and decadal water level fluctuations on the North American Great Lakes is a high priority for regional research and water resource management planning. The need for improved understanding of these relationships is underscored by a series of recent unprecedented extreme water level patterns, including (but not limited to) record low water levels on Lakes Michigan and Huron in December 2012 and January 2013. To address this need, we developed the Great Lakes Hydro-Climate Dashboard (GLHCD), a dynamic flash-based web interface that builds upon the previously-released Great Lakes Water Level Dashboard (GLWLD). In addition to including water level data and projections from the GLWLD, the GLHCD presents a range of hydrological and climatological data through an improved graphical user interface specifically designed to manage, and display simultaneously, a variety of data time series from different sources. By serving as a common portal to critical regional hydro-climate and water level data, the GLHCD helps visualize and explain lake level phenomena including water level declines across all of the Great Lakes in the early 1960s and their relationship to changes in regional precipitation, as well as the abrupt water level declines in the late 1990s and their relationship to remarkable changes in over-lake evaporation. By providing insight into these, and other important regional hydro-climate events, the GLHCD helps practitioners, researchers, and the general public improve their understanding of the drivers behind Great Lakes water levels, and to employ that understanding in prudent water resource management planning.

Experimental investigation into rockfill dam failure initiation by overtopping

Rockfill is the most abundant building material. It is often used for water retention under different contexts, such as dams, embankments or drainage systems. Climate change may cause water levels to rise in reservoirs. As rockfill structures are not able to resist strong overtopping flow, rising water levels will constitute a danger for rockfill dam stability as well as for people living nearby. This work is aimed at the development of an empirical formula that enables calculation of the critical water level of overflow at the crest from the geometrical and physical parameters of a dam. To achieve these objectives, several experimental tests on a rockfill dam model with two different impervious cores, moraine with a sand filter and an empty wooden formwork, were conducted in a hydraulic channel at the hydro-environmental laboratory at Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. The purpose of these tests was to study the initiation of a riprap failure under the influence of different variables, such as rock size, riprap bank, downstream side slope and bed slope. Results showed linear trends between the critical water level and both the downstream side slope and bed slope. Also, a power trend was observed between the critical level and riprap grain size. A formula that gives the critical overtopping water level was developed from these results.

Shifts in fish assemblages indicate failed recovery of threatened species following prolonged drought in terminating lakes of the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia

Freshwater fishes are vulnerable to changes in water quality, physical habitat and connectivity resulting from drought, particularly in regulated rivers. When adequate river flows return, the recovery of populations might depend on the duration and consequences of drought. Rivers of the highly regulated Murray–Darling Basin in south-eastern Australia terminate at two large, shallow lakes that are separated from the estuary by tidal barrages. Over-abstraction of water and widespread prolonged drought (1997–2010) placed the lakes under severe environmental stress, culminating in critical water level recession from 2007 to 2010. Concurrently, most freshwater fish populations collapsed. We investigate shifts in fish assemblages resulting from habitat inundation in the lakes following the drought. The inundation and re-connection of the lakes and fringing habitats led to a substantial reduction of salinity throughout the region, and aquatic vegetation shifted from salt-tolerant to freshwater species. Fish assemblages became increasingly characterized by common freshwater taxa (ecological generalists), including high proportions of alien species. There were no indications of population recovery for three threatened species. The findings emphasize that short-lived fishes with specialized habitat requirements are vulnerable to severe population declines during prolonged drought in regulated rivers, which might restrict their recovery when adequate flows return.

Prototropic studies in vitreous and in solid phases: Pyranine and 2-naphthol excited state proton transfer

Excited state proton transfer processes in vitreous glasses and in solid mixtures are investigated by steady state fluorimetry and laser flash photolysis kinetic studies with the photoacids pyranine and 2-naphthol. Glasses were derived from TEOS by the sol–gel condensation process and hydrated solid mixtures from NaCl or KH2PO4/K2HPO4 crystals. The extent of the water content necessary for the reaction is determined. Shrinkage of TEOS derived monoliths from water loss leads to an increase in proton transfer extent due to the increase in local concentrations of accepting and donor buffer species, but the concomitant increase in the ionic strength actuates in an opposite direction. Furthermore, water losses by aging of air-exposed gel goes to a critical 20% weight fraction, beyond it proton transfer reactions are hindered. Similar studies with solid NaCl or solid phosphate buffer mixtures demonstrated the same critical water level indicating that free water molecules are crucial for the proton to escape from the original cage where the geminate ion pair [–||RO−⁎H+||–] is formed and can undergo coupled proton transfer reactions.

Experimental Study on Flow Conditions of Jiaogang Ship Lock during Sluice Gate Hoist

The physical model of Jiaogang Ship Lock is established. Through model test, the flow condition in lock chamber and approach channel is studied. The results indicate when the upstream water level keeps high and the water level difference between upstream and downstream is less than 0.5 meter, the main flow oscillates less during spring tide flux and reflux in the flood year. When the upper water level is 0.96 m and during spring tide flux and reflux in the flood year, the flow is from downstream to upstream and the flow is smooth. When the upper water level is greater than lower water level, the sluice gate hoist condition is tidal range less than 0.3m in tide flux and less than 0.4m in tide reflux. Under the critical water level conditions, the Jiaogang Ship Lock sluice gate can be hoisted safely.

Stability Analysis of the Impoundment of Ash

Abstract An impoundment is an engineering construction used for the safe deposition of unexploitable waste from industrial and mining facilities. In terms of the legislative requirements of the Slovak Republic, a “Measurements Project” must be developed for each impoundment. In this document the prerequisites for the safe operation of an impoundment, the limit and critical values of the monitored phenomena and the facts influencing the safety of the impoundment and the area endangered by such a site are also defined. The safety and stability of an impoundment are verified according to a ”Measurements Project” by considering stability at regular time intervals. This contribution presents, in the form of a parametric study, a stability analysis of an ash impoundment. The stability analysis provides an example of the utilization of an information database of the results of the regular monitoring of the geotechnical properties of the materials forming the impoundment´s body and the surrounding rock mass. The stability of the impoundment is expressed for a recent state - without a continuous water level in its body and, at the same time, for a hypothetical limit and critical water level according to the valid “Handling Regulations“.

Forecast of the Maximal Flow for the Caucasus Black Sea Coast Rivers

Methods of the maximum river flow forecasting of the Mzymta, Sochi, Zapadnyi Dagomys, Kuapse, Tuapse and Vulan rivers have been developed in order to prevent the flood risk on the rivers of the Black Sea coast. Approach of sufficiently accurate and efficient forecasting of maximum discharges and water levels with a lead time of one day has been developed on the basis of a hydrological model of snowmelt and rainfall runoff formation. A scheme for the computation of daily critical precipitation amount at the meteorological stations causing the exceeding with a given probability of critical flow rates and water levels during the expected day was proposed. Techniques of dangerous flooding probability computation during the next day and next five days depending on the initial hydro/meteorological data available on the forecast issue date of hydro/meteorological information have been developed. The proposed methods can be implemented in the operational automated flood forecasting system and used for warning of dangerous floods on the rivers of the Black Sea coast.

Assessing ecological status of regulated lakes with littoral macrophyte, macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages

Anthropogenic alterations of hydrologic regime are a major stressor for aquatic ecosystems. In boreal lakes water levels are often drawn down several meters for hydropower production in winter, which may have negative impacts particularly on littoral biota. We examined macrophyte, macroinvertebrate, and fish assemblages in littoral zone of 30 regulated and non-regulated reference lakes in Finland. We applied community metrics which correspond to demands of EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) to (i) assess and classify ecological status of the lakes, and to (ii) estimate critical water level drawdown in winter that would allow for acceptable status (“Good” ecological quality class in WFD). All three organism groups indicated strong response to winter drawdown, but with rather high mutual variation. Macroinvertebrates showed the strongest response (r2=0.73 between Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR) and winter drawdown), followed by macrophytes (r2=0.43) and fish (r2=0.40). Mean-EQR over the three organism groups indicated that Good ecological status class was usually not attained if winter drawdown exceeded 3.46m, whereas minimum-EQR (lowest of the three groups, i.e. one-out, all-out principle) indicated a critical threshold of 1.76m. Generally, our results suggest that monitoring and ecological status assessment of regulated lakes should focus on littoral biota which is most vulnerable to water level fluctuations.

Extending the forecast range of the UK storm surge ensemble

AbstractFlooding due to coastal storm surges presents a significant threat to life and property. The UK has long had a storm surge forecasting system based on a single ‘deterministic’ simulation. This was augmented with an operational storm surge ensemble in December 2009. By producing several simulations sampling the forecast uncertainty, the ensemble estimates the probability of reaching critical water levels and thus supports a more risk‐based approach to civil protection.The original storm surge ensemble provided forecasts out to T + 54 h, limited by the forecast range of the driving MOGREPS‐R atmospheric ensemble. Longer‐range forecasts could provide advance notice of the potential for a significant event, allowing suitable preparatory actions to be taken. This study investigates the possibility of extending the storm surge ensemble to between 5 and 7 days using atmospheric data from the lower‐resolution Met Office 15‐day ensemble (MOGREPS‐15).Both case studies and statistical verification indicate the potential for useful forecasts out to the full 7.25 days tested. The best performance is obtained by extending the existing surge ensemble products with output from separate runs of the storm surge model, which have been driven by MOGREPS‐15 meteorology from T + 0 h. An attempt to create a single surge history for each member by switching from MOGREPS‐R to MOGREPS‐15 input at T + 54 h led to spurious oscillations in some cases, and poorer performance on several statistical measures. These issues might be improved by smoothing the discontinuity in atmospheric forcing.Following this successful trial, the separate‐runs extension to the surge ensemble was implemented operationally in summer 2011. The study also demonstrates the benefit of online bias correction and ‘dressing’ the forecast members to account for errors which the system does not otherwise sample. The operational implementation of these features is left for future work. Copyright © 2012 British Crown copyright, the Met Office Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Managing floodplain‐forest restoration in European river landscapes combining ecological and flood‐protection issues

Throughout Europe the demands for improved flood protection on the one hand and the requirements to maintain and enhance floodplain forests on the other are perceived as conflicting goals in river-basin management, revealing the urgent need for strategies to combine both issues. We developed an interdisciplinary approach for floodplain-forest restoration identifying sites suitable for reforestations from both an ecological and hydraulic point of view. In the ecological module, habitat-distribution models are developed providing information on ecologically suitable sites. In the hydraulic module, a two-dimensional hydrodynamic-numerical model (2D-HN model) delivers the requested hydraulic information. The output of the two models is intersected. Subsequently, in an iterative procedure, the potential of plantings without exceeding critical water levels can be identified by hydraulic evaluation using the 2D-HN-model. The approach is exemplified using two reforestation scenarios at the Elbe River, Germany, showing considerable potential for softwood forest establishment without negative hydraulic effects. The approach reported here provides a solution for a severe conflict in river-basin management that hampers the reestablishment of the strongly threatened floodplain forests in Europe. Alternative measures to enhance floodplain-forest regeneration feasible under certain preconditions are discussed in the context of the current state of European large rivers.

Numerical Modeling of Water Levels on Pavements under Extreme Rainfall

AbstractThis study presents an advanced model for calculating water levels on impervious areas. The approach combines information about rain intensity and flow condition to dynamically determine overland roughness values. When water levels on profiled surfaces of less than 500 m are calculated, the full dynamic wave approximation is necessary because the transition of flow differs compared to kinetic wave theory at the beginning of the runoff event. The application of the model to a civil airport demonstrates how the frequency of critical water levels changes when the cutting of grooves into the runways is considered. The local storm water characteristics are defined by heavy convective precipitation during summer. A critical event was presumed when the water level may cause aquaplaning. The results present a reduction of the number of critical events during a period of 10 years by 68%, even without recognizing the additional friction by the grooves. If increasing friction was included, the remaining freq...

Water Table Fluctuation in Tidal Lowland for Developing Agricultural Water Management Strategies

Water Table Fluctuation in Tidal Lowland for Developing Agricultural Water Management Strategies (MS Imanuddin, E Armanto, RH Susanto and SM Bernas):The research objective is to evaluate the water status in the tertiary block of tidal lowland for developing water management strategies and cropping pattern for food crop agriculture. The research was conducted in tidal lowland reclamation areas of Delta Saleh South Sumatera. The methodology used in this research was survey and monitoring. The result showed that the study area has a potential of acid sulphate soil which is indicated by phyrite layer at 60 cm below the soil surface. Variation of water table was very high in the range of 0-2 cm at rainy season and it was drop up to 90 to 100 cm below soil surface at dry season. This conditions result in the soil oxidation and the pH drop up to 2.5-3.5 (very acid). Analysis of water surplus and deficit during one year period was calculated by surplus excess water under 30 cm (SEW-30) and showed that the area study was experienced water deficit. Analysis of groundwater effect on soil moisture content showed that the critical water level was in 60 cm below soil surface. The soil moisture content at this point in the root zone was dropped into the wilting point level. It means that the water availability for crop water requirement is inadequate. For sustainable agriculture in the area study, the water table should be maintained in 50-60 cm below soil surface. Therefore, the recommendation of water management strategies in the study area is water retention in combination with control drainage system.

Water Table Fluctuation in Tidal Lowland for Developing Agricultural Water Management Strategies

Water Table Fluctuation in Tidal Lowland for Developing Agricultural Water Management Strategies (MS Imanuddin, E Armanto, RH Susanto and SM Bernas):The research objective is to evaluate the water status in the tertiary block of tidal lowland for developing water management strategies and cropping pattern for food crop agriculture. The research was conducted in tidal lowland reclamation areas of Delta Saleh South Sumatera. The methodology used in this research was survey and monitoring. The result showed that the study area has a potential of acid sulphate soil which is indicated by phyrite layer at 60 cm below the soil surface. Variation of water table was very high in the range of 0-2 cm at rainy season and it was drop up to 90 to 100 cm below soil surface at dry season. This conditions result in the soil oxidation and the pH drop up to 2.5-3.5 (very acid). Analysis of water surplus and deficit during one year period was calculated by surplus excess water under 30 cm (SEW-30) and showed that the area study was experienced water deficit. Analysis of groundwater effect on soil moisture content showed that the critical water level was in 60 cm below soil surface. The soil moisture content at this point in the root zone was dropped into the wilting point level. It means that the water availability for crop water requirement is inadequate. For sustainable agriculture in the area study, the water table should be maintained in 50-60 cm below soil surface. Therefore, the recommendation of water management strategies in the study area is water retention in combination with control drainage system.

Assessment of Sustainable Yield of Karst Water in Huaibei, China

This paper presents the assessment of sustainable yield in the Huaibei karst water area of Anhui province, China. A review of sustainable yield definition is introduced first in this paper, and sustainable development in karst areas is more difficult due to the complicated hydrogeologic conditions. General hydrogeology of the study area is provided to characterize hydraulic connections between the karst aquifer and an overlying porous aquifer. Groundwater level declines continuously due to over-exploitation of the karst groundwater, and two layers of groundwater dropping funnel were formed in Huaibei. These problems not only threaten the eco-geo-environment, but also compromise the water utilization which depends on the shallow porous water. A “critical water level” is proposed in this study to assess the sustainable yield, and it is determined by the historical exploitation data which represent the relationship between the karst water and the shallow porous water uses. A three layer Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model is used to understand the complex relationship of the karst water level and its influencing factors. Precipitation, exploitation and water level of latest period are chosen as the input nodes, seasonal records of water level are simulated by the ANN model. The sustainable yield is calculated by the trail-and-error adjusting method, and is equal to the pumping rate when the “critical water level” is maintained. The rate of 30.05 MCM/a is the sustainable yield for the Huaibei karst area in 2008, and it is less than the real pumping rate of 35.92 MCM/a. This assessment is meaningful to the management for the Huaibei karst water.

Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) Studies on the Thermal Properties of Peanut Proteins

Studies related to the functional and thermal properties of peanut proteins are limited if compared with other vegetable protein sources. The aim of this work was to study the thermal denaturation of peanut protein isolates (PPI) by DSC. The thermal profile of PPI showed two endothermic peaks (assigned to denaturation of arachin and conarachin fractions). The thermal stability of arachin and conarachin increased when water content decreased, and a critical water level was found for both fractions. The effect of protein denaturants was studied. Low contents of urea stabilized protein fractions, but lower T(d) values were found with increasing concentrations. DeltaH values of arachin were affected by urea. SDS affected DeltaH values and thermal stability of conarachin; the arachin fraction showed higher resistance to SDS-induced denaturation. DTT addition did not affect conarachin stability, although enthalpy values decreased significantly. On the other hand, arachin was greatly affected by DTT. In summary, thermal denaturation parameters of PPI were sensitive to water content, indicating that polar groups of arachin and conarachin contribute to structure stabilization. Urea addition mainly affected the structure of the arachin fraction, which was attributed to its higher surface hydrophobicity. Results obtained from SDS and DTT suggest that hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonds play an important role in structure maintenance of arachin and conarachin.