Dry Water Year Research Articles

A copula-based approach to instream ecological flow determination considering inter- and intra-annual runoff variability

ABSTRACT Instream ecological flow (IEF) provides a flow reference value for maintaining the stability of river ecosystems and enriching biodiversity. Existing methods for determining the IEF often consider only one of the intra-annual runoff distribution characteristics or the inter-annual runoff distribution characteristics. In this study, a copula-based ecological runoff determination method is proposed to consider both annual and monthly runoff magnitudes. The marginal distribution functions of annual and monthly runoff are first determined using the maximum likelihood method. Then the copula function is used to construct the joint distribution function of annual and monthly runoff series. Using the flow duration curve method, the IEF under different annual and monthly runoff exceedance probabilities is calculated. The probability values are combined with the initial IEF values to determine the final IEF process. A case study is conducted using real-world data from the Tongtian River in China. The results show that the total annual basic ecological water demands of the Tongtian River in abundant, flat, and dry water years are 138, 102 and 72.2 billion m3. The proposed method effectively avoids the disturbance of extreme runoff.

Optimization of cotton irrigation management for different climatic conditions using the CROPGRO-Cotton model

To study the feasibility of CROPGRO_cotton model in the optimization of cotton irrigation management under different climatic conditions, the empirical values corresponding to 25%, 50% and 75% of the empirical frequencies of precipitation were obtained by ranking the frequency fitness line of precipitation data during 20 years of cotton fertility at the experimental site, and then the years corresponding to three empirical frequencies were selected as typical years: 2015 (abundant water year), 2001 (flat water year), and 2006 (dry water year). By combining cotton fertility stages, irrigation frequency and irrigation amount, 21 irrigation regimes (T1~T21) were identified and simulated using the calibrated DSSAT model for cotton irrigation regimes under the three precipitation year types, and the results showed that under the best combination of irrigation usage, yield and water utilization, 2015 (abundant water year), 2001 (flat water year), and T20 irrigation management should be selected in 2006 (dry water year).Under the three typical years, the effect of temperature change on cotton yield and water utilization was investigated, and it was found that the increase of temperature would reduce cotton yield and water utilization, but a reasonable irrigation management would reduce the negative effect of climate change on cotton yield and water utilization,According to the simulation results under different situations, T20 irrigation management can minimize the yield variation range under temperature change, and has a high water utilization rate, which has good applicability. Keywords: Cotton; DSSAT model; Irrigation management; Typical years; Applicability

Effect of the Iranian Seperation Dikes on the Water Salinity Patterns Within Al Huweizah Marsh

Al Huweizah Marsh is considered as the largest marsh at the southern part of Iraq. About one third of the marsh is located within the Iranian territory. Iran began to construct earth dikes along the Iraqi-Iranian international borders to separate the Iranian part of the marsh. The electrical conductivity, EC, value was adopted to be the indicator for the water salinity within the marsh. A steady two-dimensional water quality routing model was implemented by using the RMA2 and RMA4 softwares within the SMS computer package to estimate the distribution of theEC values within the marsh seasonally during the wet, moderate and dry water years. The EC distribution Patterns were estimated considering the expected two cases of the marsh future hydrological and geometrical conditions of the marsh, Case 1: without existence of the earth dikes and Case2: with the existence of the earth dikes. The estimated distribution patterns of EC values showed that the construction of the earth dikes,Case2, deteriorate the water salinity within most of the Iraqi part of the marsh during the four seasons of the wet, moderate and dry water years. During the wet and moderate years, the EC values are greater than the maximum allowable limits within most of the Iraqi part of the marsh except small portions near the outfall of the Iraqi feeders of the marsh and the lower portion of the southern part of the marsh during winter of the moderate years. While during the four seasons of the dry years, the marsh water is stagnant and the EC values are much greater than the maximum allowable limits.

Sustainable evaluation of the water footprint in Heilongjiang Province, China, based on correlation-matter element analysis

Heilongjiang Province, China, has been facing a perennial water shortage problem, and the demand for water is increasing year by year, leading to water supply difficulties and reduced water carrying capacity, which restricts the sustainable development of the region. In this paper, a water footprint (WF) sustainability evaluation system was constructed based on three dimensions: environmental, social, and economic. The correlation was used to calculate the weights of the indicators, reducing the influence of human subjectivity on the weights, and the matter element model was used to determine the sustainability of the different indicators and the ease of development to a high sustainability level. The results showed that the WF was unsustainable in 2000, 2001, 2007, and 2008 due to factors such as dry water years and low water use efficiency. The main factors affecting the sustainability of the WF in Heilongjiang Province were the per capita WF, WF composition, and regional social situation. The sustainability level of the WF in Heilongjiang Province in 2018 was at Level II, with a trend toward Level III, and the unsustainable WF in the cities of Harbin, Jixi, Hegang, Qitaihe, and Suihua was the main reason for the unsustainable WF in Heilongjiang Province. The results of this study provide a reference for the rational allocation of water resources and the sustainable use of the WF in Heilongjiang Province.

Research on water resource carrying capacity of capital water conservation functional zone

Water resources are important for supporting regional economic development. A scientific and reasonable evaluation of the carrying capacity of water resources is of high significance to regional sustainable development. Zhangjiakou City is China’s first capital water conservation functional area, which plays a role in ensuring the safety of water resources and ecological environment in the capital. Considering Chicheng County, Zhangjiakou City, as a typical area, its water resource carrying capacity in the current year (2018) and the plan year (2025) is evaluated by constructing a water resource carrying capacity evaluation index system for the county, determining the threshold of the bearing capacity evaluation index, and using the single-factor evaluation method and cloud theory method. In addition, the main factors affecting the water resource carrying capacity of Chicheng County are analyzed. The results show that: Based on the single factor evaluation results, the critical state of water resources carrying capacity was evaluated comprehensively, and the factor carrying capacity of total water consumption in the predicted planning level year (38.0603 in normal water year and 41.3403 in dry water year) does not exceed the total water consumption index (51.14). Furthermore, The water resources carrying capacity level of the present level year (.45) and the planned level year (.46) belong to the third level of the evaluation index system. There is further scope for the carrying capacity of water resources in Chicheng County to satisfy its economic and social development. However, it is urgent to solve the problems affecting the water quality elements of rivers, such as heavy river water pollution, low sewage treatment capacity, and weak pollution monitoring and supervision. It is necessary to optimize the industrial economic structure of Chicheng County, accelerate the improvement of water resources management system and mechanism, and ensure the long-term safety of water resources and ecological environment in the capital.

Estimating spatiotemporally continuous snow water equivalent from intermittent satellite observations: an evaluation using synthetic data

Abstract. Accurate estimates of snow water equivalent (SWE) based on remote sensing have been elusive, particularly in mountain areas. However, there now appears to be some potential for direct satellite-based SWE observations along ground tracks that only cover a portion of a spatial domain (e.g., watershed). Fortunately, spatiotemporally continuous meteorological and surface variables could be leveraged to infer SWE in the gaps between satellite ground tracks. Here, we evaluate statistical and machine learning (ML) approaches to performing track-to-area (TTA) transformations of SWE observations in California's upper Tuolumne River watershed using synthetic data. The synthetic SWE measurements are designed to mimic a potential future P-band Signals of Opportunity (P-SoOP) satellite mission with a (along-track) spatial resolution of about 500 m. We construct relationships between multiple meteorological and surface variables and synthetic SWE observations along observation tracks, and we then extend these relationships to unobserved areas between ground tracks to estimate SWE over the entire watershed. Domain-wide, SWE inferred on 1 April using two synthetic satellite tracks (∼4.5 % basin coverage) led to percent errors of basin-averaged SWE (PEBAS) of 24.5 %, 4.5 % and 6.3 % in an extremely dry water year (WY2015), a normal water year (WY2008) and an extraordinarily wet water year (WY2017), respectively. Assuming a 10 d overpass interval, percent errors of basin-averaged SWE during both snow accumulation and snowmelt seasons were mostly less than 10 %. We employ a feature sensitivity analysis to overcome the black-box nature of ML methods and increase the explainability of the ML results. Our feature sensitivity analysis shows that precipitation is the dominant variable controlling the TTA SWE estimation, followed by net long-wave radiation (NetLong). We find that a modest increase in the accuracy of SWE estimation occurs when more than two ground tracks are leveraged. The accuracy of 1 April SWE estimation is only modestly improved for track repeats more often than about 15 d.

Understanding the Hydrogeochemical Response of a Mountainous Watershed Using Integrated Surface‐Subsurface Flow and Reactive Transport Modeling

AbstractClimate change and other disturbances significantly impact hydrogeochemical exports from mountainous headwater catchments such as the Upper Colorado River Basin. Developing a mechanistic understanding of how the physical and chemical processes interact in time and space in an integrated manner is key to quantifying the future impacts of such disturbances. The hydrogeochemical response of a mountainous catchment in the 2010–2019 period is evaluated quantitatively using a high‐resolution model that simulates integrated hydrology, and transport and reactions for selected solutes and minerals. The model assumes that pyrite is present only at depth while calcite is distributed uniformly, and captures the observed C‐Q reasonably well. Distinct C‐Q dynamics are observed in an average (WY16), a wet (WY17), and a dry (WY18) water year. The model also quantifies the water fraction from surface, shallow and deep groundwater compartments using tracers, and suggests greater groundwater contributions to peak stream discharge in the dry WY18. Results demonstrate that calcium concentrations do not change significantly from year to year, while sulfate shows significant temporal variability. Pyrite dissolution is affected by the changing hydrological drivers where it is enhanced in the dry WY18; calcite dissolution supplements calcium dilution under high flow conditions. The model simulates the reaction hotspots controlled by hydrological conditions, and the spatially‐resolved results show that higher soil saturation and less snowpack occur earlier on the south‐facing side than on the north‐facing side. This is a first‐of‐its‐kind demonstration of a model that integrates hydrologic processes, including evapotranspiration, and reactive transport to enable a predictive understanding of hydrogeochemical exports.

A Research on the Ecological Operation of Reservoirs Based on the Indicators of Hydrological Alteration

The conventional reservoir operation strategy considering hydropower production ignores the ecology of the downstream rivers and causes a series of environmental problems. To ensure the sustainable development of a reservoir, the operation strategy should consider both the economic benefits of the power station and the ecological benefits in downstream rivers, the key to which is to select suitable parameters for quantifying the ecological objectives of the rivers and incorporate them into the reservoir operation model. To this end, the ecological index (EI) based on the Indicators of Hydrological Alteration (IHA) was developed to reflect the ecology of the downstream rivers, and a reservoir ecological operation model that takes into account the power generation capacity of the power station and the degree of hydrological alteration was constructed, which can be solved using the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II). The results show that the mean EI values increase a lot, from 0.24 to 0.62, after the construction of reservoir, and the optimal reservoir operation strategy in each typical year can reduce the hydrological alteration significantly (the reduction rates of both the abundant and dry water years exceed 20%), while ensuring the hydropower production of the power station (the reduction rates of hydropower production are just 1.64%, 3.15%, and 3.16% for abundant, normal, and dry water years, respectively), which provides a good reference for restoring the natural hydrological situation of downstream rivers.

Characterization of Groundwater Recharge and Flow in California's San Joaquin Valley From InSAR-Observed Surface Deformation.

Surface deformation in California's Central Valley (CV) has long been linked to changes in groundwater storage. Recent advances in remote sensing have enabled the mapping of CV deformation and associated changes in groundwater resources at increasingly higher spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we use interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) from the Sentinel‐1 missions, augmented by continuous Global Positioning System (cGPS) positioning, to characterize the surface deformation of the San Joaquin Valley (SJV, southern two‐thirds of the CV) for consecutive dry (2016) and wet (2017) water years. We separate trends and seasonal oscillations in deformation time series and interpret them in the context of surface and groundwater hydrology. We find that subsidence rates in 2016 (mean −42.0 mm/yr; peak −345 mm/yr) are twice that in 2017 (mean −20.4 mm/yr; peak −177 mm/yr), consistent with increased groundwater pumping in 2016 to offset the loss of surface‐water deliveries. Locations of greatest subsidence migrated outwards from the valley axis in the wetter 2017 water year, possibly reflecting a surplus of surface‐water supplies in the lowest portions of the SJV. Patterns in the amplitude of seasonal deformation and the timing of peak seasonal uplift reveal entry points and potential pathways for groundwater recharge into the SJV and subsequent groundwater flow within the aquifer. This study provides novel insight into the SJV aquifer system that can be used to constrain groundwater flow and subsidence models, which has relevance to groundwater management in the context of California's 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

Analisis Pengisian Awal (Impounding) pada Bendungan Raknamo Dengan Model Tangki

The impounding of the dam is the step that will be done after construction work on the dam be finished. This study aims to determine a long time and the volume of inflow on Raknamo dam in dry water year, low water year, normal water year and wet water year with tank model. Factors that affected the time of the first impounding of the dam is the amount of rainfall and evapotranspiration that has come in to the catchment area. The total volume of annual inflow Raknamo reservoir obtained in dry water year was in 15,489 million m3, low water year equal to 23,696 million m3, normal water year equal to 32,892 million m3 and wet water year equal to 44,068 million m3. In the calculation of the length of time filling the Raknamo reservoir used the volume of low water year. The accumulation of the volume of every month calculated so that length of time filling the Raknamo reservoir can reach the volume of planned at 14.091 million m3 within three a half months (three months fifteen days).

Watersheds dynamics following wildfires: Nonlinear feedbacks and implications on hydrologic responses

AbstractIn recent years, wildfires in the western United States have occurred with increasing frequency and scale. Climate change scenarios in California predict prolonged periods of droughts with even greater potential for conditions amenable to wildfires. The Sierra Nevada Mountains provide 70% of water resources in California, yet how wildfires will impact watershed‐scale hydrology is highly uncertain. In this work, we assess the impacts of wildfires perturbations on watershed hydrodynamics using a physically based integrated hydrologic model in a high‐performance‐computing framework. A representative Californian watershed, the Cosumnes River, is used to demonstrate how postwildfire conditions impact the water and energy balance. Results from the high‐resolution model show counterintuitive feedbacks that occur following a wildfire and allow us to identify the regions most sensitive to wildfires conditions, as well as the hydrologic processes that are most affected. For example, whereas evapotranspiration generally decreases in the postfire simulations, some regions experience an increase due to changes in surface water run‐off patterns in and near burn scars. Postfire conditions also yield greater winter snowpack and subsequently greater summer run‐off as well as groundwater storage in the postfire simulations. Comparisons between dry and wet water years show that climate is the main factor controlling the timing at which some hydrologic processes occur (such as snow accumulation) whereas postwildfire changes to other metrics (such as streamflow) show seasonally dependent impacts primarily due to the timing of snowmelt, illustrative of the integrative nature of hydrologic processes across the Sierra Nevada‐Central Valley interface.

Dissolved oxygen, stream temperature, and fish habitat response to environmental water purchases

Environmental water purchases are increasingly used for ecological protection. In Nevada's Walker Basin (western USA), environmental water purchases augment streamflow in the Walker River and increase lake elevation of terminal Walker Lake. However, water quality impairments like elevated stream temperatures and low dissolved oxygen concentrations also limit ecosystems and species, including federally-threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout. In this paper, we prioritize water volumes and locations that most enhance water quality for riverine habitat from potential environmental water rights purchases. We monitored and modeled streamflows, stream temperatures, and dissolved oxygen concentrations using River Modeling System, an hourly, physically-based hydrodynamic and water quality model. Modeled environmental water purchases ranged from average daily increases of 0.11–1.41 cubic meters per second (m3/s) during 2014 and 2015, two critically dry years. Results suggest that water purchases consistently cooled maximum daily stream temperatures and warmed nightly minimum temperatures. This prevented extremely low dissolved oxygen concentrations below 5.0 mg/L, but increased the duration of moderate conditions between 5.5 and 6.0 mg/L. Small water purchases less than approximately 0.71 m3/s per day had little benefit for Walker River habitat. Dissolved oxygen concentrations were affected by upstream environmental conditions, where suitable upstream water quality improved downstream conditions and vice versa. Overall, this study showed that critically dry water years degrade environmental water quality and habitat, but environmental water purchases of at least 0.71 m3/s were promising for river restoration.

Reservoir volume optimization and performance evaluation of rooftop catchment systems in arid regions: A case study of Birjand, Iran

This study evaluated the performance of rooftop catchment systems in securing non-potable water supply in Birjand, located in an arid area in southeastern Iran. The rooftop catchment systems at seven study sites of different residential buildings were simulated for dry, normal, and wet water years, using 31-year rainfall records. The trial and error approach and mass diagram method were employed to optimize the volume of reservoirs in five different operation scenarios. Results showed that, during the dry water year from 2000 to 2001, for reservoirs with volumes of 200–20000 L, the proportion of days that could be secured for non-portable water supply was on average computed to be 16.4%–32.6% across all study sites. During the normal water year from 2009 to 2010 and the wet water year from 1995 to 1996, for reservoirs with volumes of 200–20000 L, the proportions were 20.8%–69.6% and 26.8%–80.3%, respectively. Therefore, a rooftop catchment system showed a high potential to meet a significant portion of non-potable water demand in the Birjand climatic region. Reservoir volume optimization using the mass diagram method produced results consistent with those obtained with the trial and error approach, except at sites #1, #2, and #5. At these sites, the trial and error approach performed better than the mass diagram method due to relatively high water consumption. It is concluded that the rooftop catchment system is applicable under the same climatic conditions as the study area, and it can be used as a drought mitigation strategy as well.

Pre-project geoecological studies for clearing of the Tikhomandritsa riverbed (Tver Region, Russia)

Pre-project geoecological studies were carried out in autumn 2015 along the entire length of the Tikhomandritsa river, in Navolok lake waters near the river source and Udomlya lake near its mouth, as well as on the territory adjacent to the river, as part of the Comprehensive Engineering Surveys. The aim of the studies was to obtain initial data to assess the current ambient conditions of the study area, as well as to develop the project of cleaning the upper stretch of the Tikhomandritsa riverbed and spillway structure construction. Water, bottom sediments and soil contamination levels were identified. It is found that the water quality in the studied water bodies belongs to the contaminated category. Bottom sediments at the upper stretch of the river up to a distance of 2.5 km from its source are pure and can be used in agriculture without restrictions. Bottom sediments samples taken at a distance of 5.5 km from the river source and its mouth contain dangerous level of coliform bacteria. Basing on the territory survey a tree and shurberry felling plan was drawn up and the volume of works of the river purification was determined. The project implementation will help to increase the river flow in dry water years, increase its self-cleaning velocity and environmental improvement of the area. In addition, the increase of water flow into Udomlya lake will provide Kalinin NPP with additional water resources for its process water supply. The conceptual scheme of this study is largely applicable for the basins of other small rivers.

A Framework for Effective Use of Hydroclimate Models in Climate-Change Adaptation Planning for Managed Habitats with Limited Hydrologic Response Data.

Climate-change adaptation planning for managed wetlands is challenging under uncertain futures when the impact of historic climate variability on wetland response is unquantified. We assessed vulnerability of Modoc National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) through use of the Basin Characterization Model (BCM) landscape hydrology model, and six global climate models, representing projected wetter and drier conditions. We further developed a conceptual model that provides greater value for water managers by incorporating the BCM outputs into a conceptual framework that links modeled parameters to refuge management outcomes. This framework was used to identify landscape hydrology parameters that reflect refuge sensitivity to changes in (1) climatic water deficit (CWD) and recharge, and (2) the magnitude, timing, and frequency of water inputs. BCM outputs were developed for 1981–2100 to assess changes and forecast the probability of experiencing wet and dry water year types that have historically resulted in challenging conditions for refuge habitat management. We used a Yule’s Q skill score to estimate the probability of modeled discharge that best represents historic water year types. CWD increased in all models across 72.3–100 % of the water supply basin by 2100. Earlier timing in discharge, greater cool season discharge, and lesser irrigation season water supply were predicted by most models. Under the worst-case scenario, moderately dry years increased from 10–20 to 40–60 % by 2100. MNWR could adapt by storing additional water during the cool season for later use and prioritizing irrigation of habitats during dry years.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00267-015-0569-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A framework to identify Pareto‐efficient subdaily environmental flow constraints on hydropower reservoirs using a grid‐wide power dispatch model

AbstractHydrologic alteration due to hydropeaking reservoir operations is a main concern worldwide. Subdaily environmental flow constraints (ECs) on operations can be promising alternatives for mitigating negative impacts. However, those constraints reduce the flexibility of hydropower plants, potentially with higher costs for the power system. To study the economic and environmental efficiency of ECs, this work proposes a novel framework comprising four steps: (i) assessment of the current subdaily hydrologic alteration; (ii) formulation and implementation of a short‐term, grid‐wide hydrothermal coordination model; (iii) design of ECs in the form of maximum ramping rates (MRRs) and minimum flows (MIFs) for selected hydropower reservoirs; and (iv) identification of Pareto‐efficient solutions in terms of grid‐wide costs and the Richard‐Baker flashiness index for subdaily hydrologic alteration (SDHA). The framework was applied to Chile's main power grid, assessing 25 EC cases, involving five MIFs and five MRRs. Each case was run for a dry, normal, and wet water year type. Three Pareto‐efficient ECs are found, with remarkably small cost increase below 2% and a SDHA improvement between 28% and 90%. While the case involving the highest MIF worsens the flashiness of another basin, the other two have no negative effect on other basins and can be recommended for implementation.

Research of Crop Water-Saving Irrigation Optimization

According to Luoyang rainfall data from 1951 to 2011, this paper discussed the distribution characteristics of rainfall in the whole year. It analyzed summer maize growth period with the coupling of water consumption. It set up the estimation model of summer maize water consumption, the mathematical model of yield and water relationship, and then analyzed its mutual relations. The experimental results showed that the water requirement and rainfall distribution would fit well during summer maize growth. But summer maize growth stage should be irrigated suitably in the dry and median water year.

Effects of groundwater pumping on the sustainability of a mountain wetland complex, Yosemite National Park, California

Abstract Study Region We analyzed the effects of groundwater pumping on a mountain wetland complex, Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Study Focus Groundwater pumping from mountain meadows is common in many regions of the world. However, few quantitative analyses exist of the hydrologic or ecological effects of pumping. New Hydrological Insights for the Region Daily hydraulic head and water table variations at sampling locations within 100 m of the pumping well were strongly correlated with the timing and duration of pumping. The effect of pumping varied by distance from the pumping well, depth of the water table when the pumping started, and that water year's snow water equivalent (SWE). Pumping in years with below average SWE and/or early melting snow pack, resulted in a water table decline to the base of the fen peat body by mid summer. Pumping in years with higher SWE and later melting snowpack, resulted in much less water level drawdown from the same pumping schedule. Predictive modeling scenarios showed that, even in a dry water year like 2004, distinct increases in fen water table elevation can be achieved with reductions in pumping. A high water table during summers following low snowpack water years had a more significant influence on vegetation composition than depth of water table in wet years or peat thickness, highlighting the impact of water level drawdown on vegetation.

Optimal Reservoir Operation for Hydropower Production Using Particle Swarm Optimization and Sustainability Analysis of Hydropower

This paper presents a derivation of optimal operation policies for hydropower production in the Upper Seti Hydro-Power Reservoir system in Nepal using particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. A reservoir operation model for the Upper Seti project is formulated with an objective of maximising the annual hydropower production operated at a weekly time scale subjected to various physical and operational constraints. An elitist-mutated PSO (EMPSO) technique is applied for solving the weekly reservoir operational model, and the EMPSO-based solutions are found to result in 3% more hydropower than the planned hydropower production. The reservoir operation policies are also compared for wet, dry and normal water years, and it is noted that there exist significant differences among the release policies for those hydrologic conditions. Later, the reservoir operation model is modified with an objective of minimising the annual sum of squared deviation between weekly energy production and target hydropower. Then the hydropower analysis is carried out for various target hydropower values with an aim of finding suitable firm-power for the project. The performances of various reservoir operation policies are evaluated using reliability, resilience and vulnerability measures. The sustainability of the system is evaluated by computing the sustainability index, which is then used to evolve suitable hydropower targets. It is found that a target hydropower of 4.8 GWh with a sustainability index of 0.75 may result in better overall performance of the system.

Effects of Different Micro-Catchment Mulching Methods on Growth and Water Use Efficiency of Corn

The study on the effects of three unary and binary micro-catchment mulching methods including film mulching ridge and ditch plantation, film-mulching ridge and ditch film-mulching plantation and film-mulching ridge and ditch film-mulching straw plantation on growth of corn and different precipitation years was conducted in allusion to the low and unstable yield of corn in the western Liaoning province of China and in comparison with the traditional plantation model. Under the condition of this experiment, through film-mulching ridge and ditch film-mulching plantation and film-mulching ridge and ditch plantation, the time for seedling emergence of corn was shortened and the emergence rate of corn was increased. Through film-mulching ridge and ditch film-mulching straw plantation, the time for seedling emergence of corn was prolonged and the emergence rate of corn was increased in median water or dry years, but the emergence rate of corn was reduced in the high flow year. By contrast to traditional plantation model, film-mulching ridge and ditch film-mulching plantation and film-mulching ridge and ditch plantation boosted the increase in plant height and leaf area of corn and promoted dry matter accumulation in the early period of growth while the growth was slow, the plant height, leaf area and dry matter accumulation was always at he minimum value through film-mulching ridge and ditch straw mulching plantation in the early period of growth, but the growth rate was expedited in the late period during growth. Through film-mulching ridge and ditch straw mulching plantation, due to many reasons such as the growth process ahead of schedule and high temperature, the signs of precocity or premature senility come into being and leaf area and chlorophyll content decreases swiftly; through film-mulching ridge and ditch straw mulching plantation, the descent velocity of leaf area and chlorophyll content were reduced and the leaf senescence was postponed. In different precipitation years, the increases in water use efficiency of micro-catchment plantation were different, smaller in high flow year while larger in dry or median water year.