Large-scale Basin Research Articles

Poyang Lake basin: a successful, large-scale integrated basin management model for developing countries

Protection of water environment while developing socio-economy is a challenging task for lake regions of many developing countries. Poyang Lake is the largest fresh water lake in China, with its total drainage area of 160,000 km2. In spite of rapid development of socio-economy in Poyang Lake region in the past several decades, water in Poyang Lake is of good quality and is known as the "last pot of clear water" of the Yangtze River Basin in China. In this paper, the reasons of "last pot of clear water" of Poyang Lake were analysed to demonstrate how economic development and environmental protection can be coordinated. There are three main reasons for contributing to this coordinated development: 1) the unique geomorphologic features of Poyang Lake and the short water residence time; 2) the matching of the basin physical boundary with the administrative boundary; and 3) the implementation of "Mountain-River-Lake Program" (MRL), with the ecosystem concept of "mountain as source, river as connection flow, and lake as storage". In addition, a series of actions have been taken to coordinate development, utilisation, management and protection in the Poyang Lake basin. Our key experiences are: considering all basin components when focusing on lake environment protection is a guiding principle; raising the living standard of people through implementation of various eco-economic projects or models in the basin is the most important strategy; preventing soil and water erosion is critical for protecting water sources; and establishing an effective governance mechanism for basin management is essential. This successful, large-scale basin management model can be extended to any basin or lake regions of developing countries where both environmental protection and economic development are needed and coordinated.

Hydrological Impact of a High-Density Reservoir Network in Semiarid Northeastern Brazil

Dense reservoir networks, with thousand of small dams, can be increasingly found throughout the world, especially in water-scarce environments, such as the Brazilian northeastern region. Although the effect of individual small dams might be negligible, their joint effect has proved to be relevant on water and sediment connectivity. Literature, however, is scarce concerning the effect of such networks on water availability and/or sustainability of mesoscale or large-scale basins. This research intended both to assess the effect of the dense reservoir network of the semiarid Upper Jaguaribe Basin (UJB; 24,200 km2 , in Brazil) for a 45-year period (1961–2005) and to investigate a network arrangement that maximized its hydrologic sustainability. Imagery of the years 1970 and 2002 was analyzed to assess temporal evolution of the network. The Water Availability in Semiarid Environments (WASA) model, which proved valid for the Upper Jaguaribe Basin, was used to assess its sustainability for almost 100 different...

대유역 홍수예측을 위한 연속형 강우-유출모형 개발

The objective of this study is to develop a continuous rainfall-runoff model for flood prediction on a large-scale basin. For this study, the hourly surface runoff estimation method based on the variable retention parameter and runoff curve number is developed. This model is composed that the soil moisture to continuous rainfall can be simulated with applying the hydrologic components to the continuous equation for soil moisture. The runoff can be simulated by linking the hydrologic components with the storage function model continuously. The runoff simulation to large basins can be performed by using channel storage function model. Nakdong river basin is selected as the study area. The model accuracy is evaluated at the 8 measurement sites during flood season in 2006 (calibration period) and 2007~2008 (verification period). The calibrated model simulations are well fitted to the observations. Nash and Sutcliffe model efficiencies in the calibration and verification periods exist in the range of 0.81 to 0.95 and 0.70 to 0.94, respectively. The behavior of soil moisture depending on the rainfall and the annual loadings of simulated hydrologic components are rational. From this results, continuous rainfall-runoff model developed in this study can be used to predict the discharge on large basins.

Extreme flood sensitivity to snow and forest harvest, western Cascades, Oregon, United States

We examined the effects of snow, event size, basin size, and forest harvest on floods using >1000 peak discharge events from 1953 to 2006 from three small (<1 km2), paired‐watershed forest‐harvest experiments and six large (60–600 km2) basins spanning the transient (400–800 m) and seasonal (>800 m) snow zones in the western Cascades of Oregon. Retrospectively classified rain‐on‐snow events delivered 75% more water to soils than rain events. Peak discharges of >10 year rain‐on‐snow events were almost twice as high as rain peaks in large basins but only slightly higher in small basins. Peak discharges of >1 year rain‐on‐snow events increased slightly (10%–20%) after logging in small basins, but small basin peaks do not account for the magnitudes of large basin rain‐on‐snow peak discharges during >1 year floods. In extreme floods, despite very high infiltration capacity, high soil porosity, and steep hillslope gradients, prolonged precipitation and synchronous snowmelt produce rapid, synchronized hydrograph responses to small variations in maximum precipitation intensity. At the large basin scale, forest harvest may increase the area of snowpack and simultaneous snowmelt, especially in elevation zones normally dominated by rain and transient snow, thereby increasing large basin peaks without producing very large percent increases in small basin peaks. Further work is needed to describe water flow paths in melting snowpack, snow cover and the area experiencing snowmelt, synoptic peak discharges, and routing of flood peaks through the stream network during extreme rain‐on‐snow floods. The evolving structure of the forest on the landscape is a potentially very important factor influencing extreme rain‐on‐snow floods.

Sequence and timing of conditions on early Mars

The geological record of early Mars displays a variety of features that indicate fundamental differences from more recent conditions. These include evidence for: (1) widespread aqueous alteration and phyllosilicate formation, (2) the existence of an active magnetic dynamo, (3) the erosion of extensive valley networks, some thousands of kilometers long, (4) a much more significant role of impact cratering, forming structures up to the scale of large basins, and (5) the construction of much of the Tharsis volcanic province. Mars also is likely to have had a much thicker atmosphere during this early period. We discuss and review the temporal relationships among these processes and conditions. Key observations from this analysis suggest the following: (1) the last large impact basins, Argyre, Isidis, and Hellas, all pre-date the end of valley network formation, potentially by several hundred million years, (2) the magnetic dynamo is likely to be ancient (pre-Hellas), since the center of Hellas and other young basins lack magnetic remanence, and (3) the period of phyllosilicate formation is not readily connected to the period of valley network formation. Concepts for the possible formation and evolution of life on Mars should address this time sequence of conditions.

A new fuzzy-LOGIC based model for chlorophyll-a in Pulicat lagoon, India.

Coastal lagoons are complex ecosystems exhibiting a high degree of non-linearity in the distribution and exchange of nutrients dissolved in the water column due to their spatio-temporal characteristics. This factor has a direct influence on the concentrations of chlorophyll-a, an indicator of the primary productivity in the water bodies as lakes and lagoons. Moreover the seasonal variability in the characteristics of large-scale basins further contributes to the uncertainties in the data on the physico-chemical and biological characteristics of the lagoons. Considering the above, modelling the distributions of the nutrients with respect to the chlorophyll-concentrations, hence requires an effective approach which will appropriately account for the non-linearity of the ecosystem as well as the uncertainties in the available data. In the present investigation, fuzzy logic was used to develop a new model of the primary production for Pulicat lagoon, Southeast coast of India. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the concentrations of chlorophyll-a in the lagoon was highly influenced by the dissolved concentrations of nitrate, nitrites and phosphorous to different extents over different seasons and years. A high degree of agreement was obtained between the actual field values and those predicted by the new fuzzy model (d = 0.881 to 0.788) for the years 2005 and 2006, illustrating the efficiency of the model in predicting the values of chlorophyll-a in the lagoon.

Estimating non-point source pollutant loads for the large-scale basin of the Yangtze River in China

Taking advantage of the opportunity provided by the nationally funded Water Resources Integrated Planning and Investigation of China program (WRIPI), a model was established to estimate non-point source pollutant loads in a large-scale basin (ENPS-LSB) on the basis of hydrological processes and pollutant transport. The model made use of Environment for Visualizing Images software (ENVI) and Interactive Data Language (IDL) and took the characteristics of present-day China into account: a huge rural population scattered widely, marginal rural infrastructure and livestock cultivation based on scatter-feeding. The model was divided into two sections: one on dissolved and one on adsorbed pollutant loads. The dissolved loads were divided into four different types: those originating from agricultural fields, urban areas, rural residential areas, and livestock. The study was undertaken in the Yangtze River Basin. The results showed the chemical oxygen demand (COD), the total nitrogen (TN), the total phosphorous (TP), and the ammonia nitrogen (NH3–N) loads to be 2.6 × 106, 1.6 × 106, 9.3 × 105 and 3.1 × 105 tons, respectively, in the year 2000. The dissolved COD resulted mainly from rural residential areas and livestock; 76.8% of the dissolved TN and 86.4% of the dissolved TP produced were from agricultural fields. The Yangtze River Delta, the lower reaches of the Han River, and part of the Dongting Lake, Taihu Lake and Poyang Lake basins all had relatively high dissolved pollutant loads; adsorbed nitrogen and phosphorus loads were mainly observed in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River Basin. Dissolved loads were most affected by human activity, whereas adsorbed loads were most affected by natural factors. The results showed that the model performed well on large scale, describing pollutant loads effectively. This makes it possible to properly consider not only point source pollutant discharge but also non-point source pollution in the Yangtze River Basin. Combining point source discharge investigation with the ENPS-LSB model could assist environmental management with controlling water pollution.

Climate, plankton and cod

AbstractWhile a few North Atlantic cod stocks are stable, none have increased and many have declined in recent years. Although overfishing is the main cause of most observed declines, this study shows that in some regions, climate by its influence on plankton may exert a strong control on cod stocks, complicating the management of this species that often assumes a constant carrying capacity. First, we investigate the likely drivers of changes in the cod stock in the North Sea by evaluating the potential relationships between climate, plankton and cod. We do this by deriving a Plankton Index that reflects the quality and quantity of plankton food available for larval cod. We show that this Plankton Index explains 46.24% of the total variance in cod recruitment and 68.89% of the variance in total cod biomass. Because the effects of climate act predominantly through plankton during the larval stage of cod development, our results indicate a pronounced sensitivity of cod stocks to climate at the warmer, southern edge of their distribution, for example in the North Sea. Our analyses also reveal for the first time, that at a large basin scale, the abundance of Calanus finmarchicus is associated with a high probability of cod occurrence, whereas the genus Pseudocalanus appears less important. Ecosystem‐based fisheries management (EBFM) generally considers the effect of fishing on the ecosystem and not the effect of climate‐induced changes in the ecosystem state for the living resources. These results suggest that EBFM must consider the position of a stock within its ecological niche, the direct effects of climate and the influence of climate on the trophodynamics of the ecosystem.

New features of the Moon revealed and identified by CLTM-s01

Previous analyses showed a clear asymmetry in the topography, geological material distribution, and crustal thickness between the nearside and farside of the Moon. Lunar detecting data, such as topography and gravity, have made it possible to interpret this hemisphere dichotomy. The high-resolution lunar topographic model CLTM-s01 has revealed that there still exist four unknown features, namely, quasi-impact basin Sternfeld-Lewis (20°S, 232°E), confirmed impact basin Fitzgerald-Jackson (25°N, 191°E), crater Wugang (13°N, 189°E) and volcanic deposited highland Yutu (14°N, 308°E). Furthermore, we analyzed and identified about eleven large-scale impact basins that have been proposed since 1994, and classified them according to their circular characteristics.

Evaluation of GRACE filter tools from a hydrological perspective

Approximately seven years of time-variable gravity data from the satellite mission Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) are available to quantify present-day mass variations on and near the Earth's surface. Mass variations caused by the continental water cycle are the dominant signal component after subtracting contributions from atmosphere and oceans. This makes hydrology a primary area of application of GRACE data. To derive water storage variations at the scale of large river basins, appropriate filter techniques have to be applied to GRACE gravity fields given in a global spherical harmonic representation. A desirable filter technique minimises both GRACE data error and signal leakage across the border of the region of interest. This study evaluates the performance of six widely used filter methods (isotropic filters, anisotropic filters and decorrelation methods) and their parameter values to derive regionally averaged water mass variations from GRACE data. To this end, filtered time series from GRACE for 22 of the world's largest river basins were compared to continental water mass variations from a multimodel mean of three global hydrological models (WGHM, GLDAS and LaD). Filter-induced biases for seasonal amplitudes and phases of water storage variations, as well as satellite and leakage error budgets, were quantified for each river basin and explained in terms of storage variations in and around the basin. The optimum filter types and filter parameters were identified for each basin. The best results were provided by a decorrelation method that uses GRACE orbits for the filter design. Our ranking between all filter types and parameters depended on the geographical location, shape and signal characteristics of the specific river basin. Based on a multicriterial evaluation of satellite and leakage error, as well as an error assessment of the hydrological data, the filter selection and parameter optimisation results were shown to be reliable for 17 river basins. The results serve as a guideline for the optimal filtering of GRACE global spherical harmonic coefficients for hydrological applications.

A method for developing a large-scale sediment yield index for European river basins

Background, aim, and scope Sediment fluxes within continental areas play a major role in biogeochemical cycles and are often the cause of soil surface degradation as well as water and ecosystem pollution. In a situation where a high proportion of the land surface is experiencing significant global land use and climate changes, it appears important to establish sediment budgets considering the major processes forcing sediment redistribution within drainage areas. In this context, the aim of this study is to test a methodology to estimate a sediment yield index at a large spatial resolution for European river basins. Data and methods Four indicators representing processes respectively considered as sources (mass movement and hillslope erosion), sinks (deposits), and transfers of sediments (drainage density) are defined using distributed data. Using these indicators we propose a basic conceptual approach to test the possibility of explaining sediment yield observed at the outlet of 29 selected European river basins. We propose an index which adds the two sources and transfers, and subsequently subtracts the sink term. This index is then compared to observed sediment yield data. Results With this approach, variability between river basins is observed and the evolution of each indicator analyzed. A linear regression shows a correlation coefficient of 0.83 linking observed specific sediment yield (SSY) with the SSY index. Discussion To improve this approach at this large river basin scale, basin classification is further refined using the relation between the observed SSY and the index obtained from the four indicators. It allows a refinement of the results. Conclusions This study presents a conceptual approach offering the advantages of using spatially distributed data combined with major sediment redistribution processes to estimate the sediment yield observed at the outlet of river basins. Recommendations and perspectives Inclusion of better information on spatial variability should refine the approach. In this respect, basin classification and partition can be useful when applying the model to homogeneous areas. Moreover, to assess the relative effect of each sediment redistribution process, indicators could be weighted for each basin typology.

From meso- to macro-scale dynamic water quality modelling for the assessment of land use change scenarios

The implementation of the European Water Framework Directive requires reliable tools to predict the water quality situations in streams caused by planned land use changes at the scale of large regional river basins. This paper presents the results of modelling the in-stream nitrogen load and concentration within the macro-scale basin of the Saale river (24,167 km 2) using a semi-distributed process-based ecohydrological dynamic model SWIM (Soil and Water Integrated Model). The simulated load and concentration at the last gauge of the basin show that SWIM is capable to provide a satisfactory result for a large basin. The uncertainty analysis indicates the importance of realistic input data for agricultural management, and that the calibration of parameters can compensate the uncertainty in the input data to a certain extent. A hypothesis about the distributed nutrient retention parameters for macro-scale basins was tested aimed in improvement of the simulation results at the intermediate gauges and the outlet. To verify the hypothesis, the retention parameters were firstly proved to have a reasonable representation of the denitrification conditions in six meso-scale catchments. The area of the Saale region was classified depending on denitrification conditions in soil and groundwater into three classes (poor, neutral and good), and the distributed parameters were applied. However, the hypothesis about the usefulness of distributed retention parameters for macro-scale basins was not confirmed. Since the agricultural management is different in the sub-regions of the Saale basin, land use change scenarios were evaluated for two meso-scale subbasins of the Saale. The scenario results show that the optimal agricultural land use and management are essential for the reduction in nutrient load and improvement of water quality to meet the objectives of the European Water Framework Directive and in view of the regional development plans for future.

Eclogites in the interior of the Tibetan Plateau and their geodynamic implications

Eclogites have been recently reported in the interior of the Tibetan Plateau, including in the central Qiangtang metamorphic belt, in the Basu metamorphic massif of the eastern Bangong-Nujiang suture zone, and at Songdo and Pengco in the eastern Lhasa terrane. Some typical ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic phenomena, e.g., garnet exsolution from clinopyroxene, were documented in the Basu and Pengco eclogites. The UHP metamorphism in the interior of the Tibetan Plateau marked by these eclogites generally took place in the Early Mesozoic. Along with exhumation of these eclogites, (post-) collision-related magmatism extensively occurred around the central Qiangtang belt, the eastern Bangong-Nujiang suture zone, and the eastern Lhasa terrane. The occurrence of these Early Mesozoic eclogites manifests an out-of-sequence evolution of the Tethys, and they could be a product of diachronous collision between the eastern Qiangtang terrane and the irregular continental margin of the united western Qiangtang-Lhasa plate, along the linked eastern Bangong-Nujiang-central Qiangtang zone. The collision-related magmatic rocks could have been originated from lithospheric thickening, melting, or detachment due to the collision. The presence of UHP metamorphic rocks in central Qiangtang and Basu implies likely continental deep-subduction, and the denudation of these two metamorphic zones could have served as the source of the Triassic turbidites in the Songpan-Garze complex and the Jurassic turbidites in the western Bangong-Nujiang zone, respectively. However, studies of the eclogites in the interior of the Tibetan Plateau just began, and many principal aspects still remain to be explored, such as their distributions, typical lithologies and minerals, temperature-pressure conditions, timing of formation and exhumation, protoliths and tectonic setting, and relationship with the evolution of the Tethys and large-scale basins in Tibet.

Geomorphic positioning and depositional dynamics of river systems in Lower Siwalik basin, Kumaun Himalaya

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of river systems in the Lower Siwalik sequence has enabled characterization of channel patterns, river metamorphosis and resulting sandstone body evolution in time and space. Processes related six lithofacies repeat to generate 8–10 m thick multistoried sandstone complexes deposited in perennial channel belts. Based on lateral mapping of the sandstone bodies, the surfaces of genetic significance ranging from 3rd, 4th and 5th order, suggest presence of meandering, braided and anastomosing river patterns that were responsible for the Lower Siwalik sedimentation. Variation in local base-level in response to allogenic factors including climate and tectonics forced river systems to acquire different patterns. Eustasy seems to control large-scale basin level changes.

Time series for water levels in virtual gauge stations in the Amazon basin using satellite radar altimetry

Using satellite altimeter radar technology for monitoring changes in water levels at continental scale is a relatively recent advance. Several studies have demonstrated the interest being shown in applying this technology to monitoring the hydrographic patterns of large-scale basins worldwide. The current study presents the inference of time series representing changes in water level for bodies of water by defining virtual gauge stations deduced for two very different rivers in terms of their biophysical and topographic characteristics; the two rivers were the Rio Negro in the Brazilian Amazon Basin and the Caquetá River on the Colombian side. The differences between the two rivers revealed the limits of satellite radar altimeter when applied to continental waters (±20cm and ±40 cm precision for Río Negro and Río Caquetá, respectively). However, applying this technology seems very promising, since new missions have been scheduled to be put into orbit by the end of 2008.

Assessing nitrogen pressures on European surface water

The European environmental legislation on water, in particular the 2000 Water Framework Directive, requires the evaluation of nutrient pressures and the assessment of mitigation measures at the river basin scale. Models have been identified as tools that can contribute to fulfill these requirements. The objective of this research was the implementation of a modeling approach (Geospatial Regression Equation for European Nutrient losses (GREEN)) to assess the actual nitrogen pressures on surface water quality at medium and large basin scale (European scale) using readily available data. In particular the aim was to estimate diffuse nitrogen emissions into surface waters, contributions by different sources (point and diffuse) to the nitrate load in rivers, and nitrogen retention in river systems. A comprehensive database including nutrient sources and physical watershed characteristics was built at the European scale. The modeling partially or entirely covered some of the larger and more populated European river basins, including the Danube, Rhine, Elbe, Weser, and Ems in Germany, the Seine and Rhone in France, and the Meuse basin shared by France and Belgium. The model calibration was satisfactory for all basins. The source contribution to the in‐stream nitrogen load, together with the diffuse nitrogen emissions and river nitrogen retention were estimated and were found to be in the range of values reported in the literature. Finally, the model results were extrapolated to estimate the diffuse nitrogen emission and source apportionment at the European scale.

Climate variability, snow, and physiographic controls on storm hydrographs in small forested basins, western Cascades, Oregon

AbstractLarge floods are often attributed to the melting of snow during a rain event. This study tested how climate variability, snowpack presence, and basin physiography were related to storm hydrograph shape in three small (<1 km2) basins with old‐growth forest in western Oregon. Relationships between hydrograph characteristics and precipitation were tested for approximately 800 storms over a nearly 30‐year period. Analyses controlled for (1) snowpack presence/absence, (2) antecedent soil moisture, and (3) hillslope length and gradient. For small storms (<150 mm precipitation), controlling for precipitation, the presence of a snowpack on near‐saturated soil increased the threshold of precipitation before hydrograph rise, extended the start lag, centroid lag, and duration of storm hydrographs, and increased the peak discharge. The presence of a snowpack on near‐saturated soil sped up and steepened storm hydrographs in a basin with short steep slopes, but delayed storm hydrographs in basins with longer or more gentle slopes. Hydrographs of the largest events, which were extreme regional rain and rain‐on‐snow floods, were not sensitive to landform characteristics or snowpack presence/absence. Although the presence of a snowpack did not increase peak discharge in small, forested basins during large storms, it had contrasting effects on storm timing in small basins, potentially synchronizing small basin contributions to the larger basin hydrograph during large rain‐on‐snow events. By altering the relative timing of hydrographs, snowpack melting could produce extreme floods from precipitation events whose size is not extreme. Further work is needed to examine effects of canopy openings, snowpack, and climate warming on extreme rain‐on‐snow floods at the large basin scale. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Feasibility study of a geostatistical modelling of monthly maximum stream temperatures in a multivariate space

Healthy river conditions through optimal thermal regime controls water quality as well as the availability and distribution of fish habitat. A multivariate and geostatistical approach was developed to estimate maximum stream temperatures at a large basin scale. The methodology relies on the construction of a physiographical space using characteristics of gauging stations by testing two multivariate methods: principal components analysis (PCA) and canonical correlation analysis (CCA). Within the physiographical space, a geostatistical technique called ordinary kriging was then used to interpolate stream temperatures. Data from 12 temperature monitoring stations during July 1996 and July 1997 were used to estimate monthly maximum temperature. Results from the proposed approach were evaluated by comparing kriging performance obtained using both multivariate methods. Cross-validation technique has been performed on both approaches and satisfactory results were obtained. Kriging in the CCA physiographical space leads to better results because this approach seems more adapted to link physiographical information with specific water temperature. In addition, CCA requires less physiographical information than PCA (i.e. 10 metrics for PCA vs 8 metrics for CCA) to provide more satisfactory results (up to 15% decrease in RMSEr). In physiographical space, the gauging stations were found to cluster, potentially providing information to improve the accuracy of interpolation in that space. An example is provided to illustrate how to estimate one of the stream temperature properties at ungauged stations using the PCA algorithm. The relevance of the results regarding the quality of fish habitats of the Moisie river is discussed.

Integrating Remote Sensing Information Into A Distributed Hydrological Model for Improving Water Budget Predictions in Large-scale Basins through Data Assimilation.

This paper investigates whether remote sensing evapotranspiration estimates can be integrated by means of data assimilation into a distributed hydrological model for improving the predictions of spatial water distribution over a large river basin with an area of 317,800 km2. A series of available MODIS satellite images over the Haihe River basin in China are used for the year 2005. Evapotranspiration is retrieved from these 1×1 km resolution images using the SEBS (Surface Energy Balance System) algorithm. The physically-based distributed model WEP-L (Water and Energy transfer Process in Large river basins) is used to compute the water balance of the Haihe River basin in the same year. Comparison between model-derived and remote sensing retrieval basin-averaged evapotranspiration estimates shows a good piecewise linear relationship, but their spatial distribution within the Haihe basin is different. The remote sensing derived evapotranspiration shows variability at finer scales. An extended Kalman filter (EKF) data assimilation algorithm, suitable for non-linear problems, is used. Assimilation results indicate that remote sensing observations have a potentially important role in providing spatial information to the assimilation system for the spatially optical hydrological parameterization of the model. This is especially important for large basins, such as the Haihe River basin in this study. Combining and integrating the capabilities of and information from model simulation and remote sensing techniques may provide the best spatial and temporal characteristics for hydrological states/fluxes, and would be both appealing and necessary for improving our knowledge of fundamental hydrological processes and for addressing important water resource management problems.

대청댐 유역 토양 침식량 산정을 위한 SWAT 모델의 적용

미국농무성에서 토양과 토지이용 특성을 고려한 대규모 유역의 유출해석과 토양침식량 및 비점오염원 부하를 해석하기 위해 개발한 SWAT 모델을 대청댐 유역에 적용하여 토지이용 특성별 토양침식량을 산정하였다. 연구결과는 저수지관리자와 정책입안자들에게 저수지 탁수문제를 완화하기 위한 유역관리 대안의 효율성을 평가하는데 중요한 정보를 제공한다. 유출과 토양 유실량 산정에 영향을 미치는 주요한 매개변수들을 보정한 후, 모델은 실측 연간 유출성분과 월별 유황변화를 비교적 잘 예측하였다. 모의결과, 토지 이용별 단위면적당 토양침식량은 밭이 33.1 ton/ha/yr로 가장 많았으며, 임야는 수목의 종류에 따라 <TEX>$2.3{\sim}5.4ton/ha/yr$</TEX>, 도시지역 1.0 ton/ha/yr, 논 0.1 ton/ha/yr의 순으로 나타났다. 토지이용면적 가중 연간 토양침식량 산정결과, 밭은 유역전체 면적에서 차지하는 비율이 단지 10% 정도에 해당하지만 연간 총 토양침식량의 55.3%를 차지하는 것으로 나타났다. 비록 본 연구에서 적용한 토양침식량 산정 방법에 농작물의 종류와 경작형태에 대한 구체적인 정보를 포함하지 못하는 불확실성이 내재되어 있으나, 연구결과는 최소한 저수지의 탁수문제를 완화하기 위해서는 상류 유역의 토양침식 조절대책이 필요함을 시사하며, 유역의 점유율에 비해 토양침식에 기여도가 가장 큰 밭농사 지역에 대한 토양침식 억제 대책을 우선 실시하는 것이 가장 효율적일 것으로 판단된다. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) developed by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service for the prediction of land management impact on water, sediment, and agricultural chemical yields in a large-scale basin was applied to Daecheong Reservoir basin to estimate the amount of soil losses from different land uses. The research outcomes provide important indications for reservoir managers and policy makers to search alternative watershed management practices for the mitigation of reservoir turbidity flow problems. After calibrations of key model parameters, SWAT showed fairly good performance by adequately simulating observed annual runoff components and replicating the monthly flow regimes in the basin. The specific soil losses from agricultural farm field, forest, urban area, and paddy field were 33.1, <TEX>$2.3{\sim}5.4$</TEX> depending on the tree types, 1.0, and 0.1 tons/ha/yr, respectively in 2004. It was noticed that about 55.3% of the total annual soil loss is caused by agricultural activities although agricultural land occupies only 10% in the basin. Although the soil erosion assessment approach adopted in this study has some extent of uncertainties due to the lack of detailed information on crop types and management activities, the results at least imply that soil erosion control practices for the vulnerable agricultural farm lands can be one of the most effective alternatives to reduce the impact of turbidity flow in the river basin system.