Side Tributaries Research Articles

Virtual Geographical Environment (VGEs) By Incorporation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Imagery and Acoustic Profile for Pond Borabey

The Virtual Geographic Environment (VGEs) is a framework in which real-world information is conveyed and converted into the digital world. It contributes to a better understanding of geographic knowledge by human beings and helps decision-makers by giving them a profound view of geographic concerns like three-dimensional (3D) models. The production of 3D models is essential for the characterization, monitoring, and management of water areas. This study aims to expose the 3D model of the pond in the presence of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Acoustic Doppler Profile (ACDP) bathymetry to precisely determine the actual amount of water in the pond for possible water problems in the future. Moreover, determine how the sediments carried by the mainstream and side tributaries feeding the pond affect the pond’s water volume and in which parts of the pond their accumulation is concentrated. This study will contribute to the literature by using an ACDP device for the bathymetry measurement process which is rare in the literature. In this approach, the pond's underwater topography of the pond contributed to the sustainable management of the pond by producing Digital Elevation Models (DEM), which is a sensitive indicator of climate change and man-made effects.

Mathematical modeling of distribution of the chemicals and the solid phase of tailings deposited on the mountain gorge slopes near the Fiagdonskoye tailings, North Ossetia-Alania

Introduction. Tailings are a source of chemicals and finely dispersed solid tailings carried by air currents over considerable distances. Purpose of research. Creation of a predictive map of the concentration of chemicals and the solid phase of tailings carried by air currents in mountain landscapes, and a description of the pattern of their distribution along the slopes of mountain gorges near the Fiagdon tailing dump. With the help of a simplified aerodynamic model, the processes of aerosol dispersion of the solid phase of tailings and chemical elements in mountain landscapes from the Fiagdon tailing dump, located in the Kurtat gorge, North OssetiaAlania, Russia, are considered. These tailings contain lead, zinc, arsenic and other chemical elements. The mathematical model takes into account the complex mountainous landscape of the area, the characteristic wind roses, as well as the transport and sedimentation of the solid phase of the tailings. A forecast of the distribution of chemicals along the slopes of the Kurtat gorge, adjacent gorges and in the floodplain of the Khanikom-Don River (the right side tributary of the Fiagdon River) is presented, local wind roses are calculated, which are compared with field measurements and with measurements taken by meteorological satellites. The data of meteorological satellites of the American aerospace agency NASA are used: satellites Terra, Aqua, Geos, as well as the Copernicus global monitoring system for the environment and security of the European Space Agency. These data are averaged over an area of the order of 10 × 10 km or more, and the wind roses obtained on their basis characterize the study area on an average. The comparison of the simulations and these wind roses shows a qualitative agreement. Comparison of the wind rose measured by the weather station and the wind rose obtained from the computational model for this area shows good agreement. The results of the simulations show that the important factors determining the spatial distribution of the tailings and chemical elements deposited on the slopes of the solid phase in mountain landscapes are the features of the terrain, the characteristic direction of the wind speed and the atmospheric turbulence. The forecast of concentrations of the solid phase of tailings and chemical elements from the Fiagdon tailing dump in the mountain villages of Kakadur, Fazikau, Lamardon, Dargavs, Staraya Saniba, Karmadon, Verkhny Fiagdon is presented. Based on the results of simulations of aerodynamic processes in the atmosphere of the Kurtat Gorge, North OssetiaAlania, predictive map of the distribution of chemicals and the solid phase of tailings from source in the area of the Fiagdon is built. Chemicals and the solid phase of tailings are carried out in the Kurtat Gorge mainly in the eastern and northern directions, while in the settlement of Verkhny Fiagdon, the concentrations remain insignificant and lower than the MPC. The model can be used to estimate the concentration of chemicals and the solid phase of tailings carried by air currents in mountain landscapes and to describe their distribution patterns along the slopes of mountain gorges.

Side Tributary Distribution of Quasi-Uniform Iterative Binary Tree Networks for River Networks

Self-similarity and plane-filling are intrinsic structure properties of natural river networks. Statistical data indicates that most natural river networks are Tokunaga trees. Researchers have explored to use iterative binary tree networks (IBTNs) to simulate natural river networks. However, the characteristics of natural rivers such as Tokunaga self-similarity and plane-filling cannot be easily guaranteed by the configuration of the IBTN. In this paper, the generator series and a quasi-uniform iteration rule are specified for the generation of nonstochastic quasi-uniform iterative binary tree networks (QU-IBTNs). First, we demonstrate that QU-IBTNs definitely satisfy self-similarity. Second, we show that the constraint for a QU-IBTN to be a Tokunaga tree is that the exterior links must be replaced in the generator series with a neighboring generator that is larger than the interior links during the iterative process. Moreover, two natural river networks are examined to reveal the inherent consistency with QU-IBTN at low Horton-Strahler orders.

Impact of Heavy Rain and Flood on Ichthyofaunal Diversity and Distribution Pattern in River Network of Kumaon Region of Uttarakhand State, India

In the present study an attempt has been made to assess the ichthyofaunal diversity in the rivers and streams of Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state with main focus on impact of natural calamity such as heavy rain and flood. The estimated total length of major river network in Kumaon region is 1626.2 km including streams, tributaries and rivulets, which support occurrence of 31 fish species. The data of Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) indicated decrease in main river courses, but richness in their tributaries after flood. In main river courses, the CPUE was decreased as 0.03 kg/h to 0.32 kg/h from 0.12 kg/h to 1.28 kg/h due to heavy rain and flood condition during the month of September, 2021, while it was increased in side tributaries of these rivers as 1.84 kg/h to 3.12 kg/h from 1.14 kg/h to 2.30 kg/h after the flood. Tributaries are shelters and protected areas to the local migratory fish species during natural calamity and high turbidity in the main river course. These resources are important for ichthyofaunal diversity and sustainability of aquatic ecosystem.

The rate and extent of wind-gap migration regulated by tributary confluences and avulsions

Abstract. The location of drainage divides sets the distribution of discharge, erosion, and sediment flux between neighboring basins and may shift through time in response to changing tectonic and climatic conditions. Major divides commonly coincide with ridgelines, where the drainage area is small and increases gradually downstream. In such settings, divide migration is attributed to slope imbalance across the divide that induces erosion rate gradients. However, in some tectonically affected regions, low-relief divides, which are also called wind gaps, abound in elongated valleys whose drainage area distribution is set by the topology of large, potentially avulsing side tributaries. In this geometry, distinct dynamics and rates of along-valley wind-gap migration are expected, but this process remains largely unexplored. Inspired by field observations, we investigate along-valley wind-gap migration by simulating the evolution of synthetic and natural landscapes, and we show that confluences with large side tributaries influence migration rate and extent. Such confluences facilitate stable wind-gap locations that deviate from intuitive expectations based on symmetry considerations. Avulsions of side tributaries can perturb stable wind-gap positions, and avulsion frequency governs the velocity of wind-gap migration. Overall, our results suggest that tributaries and their avulsions may play a critical role in setting the rate and extent of wind-gap migration along valleys and thus the timescale of landscape adjustment to tectonic and climatic changes across some of the tectonically most affected regions of Earth, where wind gaps are common.

Socio-ecological consequences during the construction of a multistage system of flood control facilities on side tributaries

A method of protecting territories in a river basin during flash floods by creating a multi-stage system of intercepting flood control systems with temporarily filled reservoirs, with a phased construction of waterworks on side tributaries, including secondary ones. Using the computer programs developed by the authors, the operating modes of the hydroelectric system were simulated for a possible variant of placing their sections on the lateral tributary of the river: in the lower reaches- a traditional hydro system with an earth dam and a concrete spillway, including bottom holes and a surface spillway; upstream- an additional hydro system with a filtering dam made of gabion masonry, into which the missing accumulating volume is redistributed. The calculation of the social effect resulting from the considered method of protection by assessing the reduction of economic damage for settlements located in the downstream of the main flood control hydroelectric complex with participation in the cutoff of the flood peak of an additional temporarily filled reservoir located upstream of the river is performed.

Watershed Suspended Sediment Supply and Potential Impacts of Dam Removals for an Estuary

Observations and modeling are used to assess potential impacts of sediment releases due to dam removals on the Hudson River estuary. Watershed sediment loads are calculated based on sediment-discharge rating curves for gauges covering 80% of the watershed area. The annual average sediment load to the estuary is 1.2 Mt, of which about 0.6 Mt comes from side tributaries. Sediment yield varies inversely with watershed area, with regional trends that are consistent with substrate erodibility. Geophysical and sedimentological surveys in seven subwatersheds of the Lower Hudson were conducted to estimate the mass and composition of sediment trapped behind dams. Impoundments were classified as (1) active sediment traps, (2) run-of-river sites not actively trapping sediment, and (3) dammed natural lakes and spring-fed ponds. Based on this categorization and impoundment attributes from a dam inventory database, the total mass of impounded sediment in the Lower Hudson watershed is estimated as 4.9 ± 1.9 Mt. This represents about 4 years of annual watershed supply, which is small compared with some individual dam removals and is not practically available given current dam removal rates. More than half of dams impound drainage areas less than 1 km2, and play little role in downstream sediment supply. In modeling of a simulated dam removal, suspended sediment in the estuary increases modestly near the source during discharge events, but otherwise effects on suspended sediment are minimal. Fine-grained sediment deposits broadly along the estuary and coarser sediment deposits near the source, with transport distance inversely related to settling velocity.

Modelling a system of intercepting reservoirs distributed on the side tributaries of a river to prevent flooding of agricultural land

One of the areas of engineering protection of lands from flash floods is the use of intercepting waterworks on the side tributaries, which help to reduce the peak of the flood on the main river and redistribute it over time. With an increase in rainfall, flood protection capacity of existing or designed structures may not be enough to transform the river flow. The paper considers a mathematical model of flow control by a system of reservoirs, where a part of the accumulating capacity of the flood protection structure on the side tributary is redistributed into gabion waterworks located upstream of the river. This model allows to clarify the parameters and modes of operation of waterworks and evaluate their functioning, considering current and future economic and environmental conditions.

Policy Innovation and Governance for Irrigation Sustainability in the Arid, Saline San Joaquin River Basin

This paper provides a chronology and overview of events and policy initiatives aimed at addressing irrigation sustainability issues in the San Joaquin River Basin (SJRB) of California. Although the SJRB was selected in this case study, many of the same resource management issues are being played out in arid, agricultural regions around the world. The first part of this paper provides an introduction to some of the early issues impacting the expansion of irrigated agriculture primarily on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and the policy and capital investments that were used to address salinity impairments to the use of the San Joaquin River (SJR) as an irrigation water supply. Irrigated agriculture requires large quantities of water if it is to be sustained, as well as supply water of adequate quality for the crop being grown. The second part of the paper addresses these supply issues and a period of excessive groundwater pumping that resulted in widespread land subsidence. A joint federal and state policy response that resulted in the facilities to import Delta water provided a remedy that lasted almost 50 years until the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 was passed in the legislature to address a recurrence of the same issue. The paper describes the current state of basin-scale simulation modeling that many areas, including California, are using to craft a future sustainable groundwater resource management policy. The third section of the paper deals with unique water quality issues that arose in connection with the selenium crisis at Kesterson Reservoir and the significant threats to irrigation sustainability on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley that followed. The eventual policy response to this crisis was incremental, spanning two decades of University of California-led research programs focused on finding permanent solutions to the salt and selenium contamination problems constraining irrigated agriculture, primarily on the west side. Arid-zone agricultural drainage-induced water quality problems are becoming more ubiquitous worldwide. One policy approach that found traction in California is an innovative variant on the traditional Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) approach to salinity regulation, which has features in common with a scheme in Australia’s Hunter River Basin. The paper describes the real-time salinity management (RTSM) concept, which is geared to improving coordination of west side agricultural and wetland exports of salt load with east side tributary reservoir release flows to improve compliance with river salinity objectives. RTSM is a concept that requires access to continuous flow and electrical conductivity data from sensor networks located along the San Joaquin River and its major tributaries and a simulation model-based decision support designed to make salt load assimilative capacity forecasts. Web-based information dissemination and data sharing innovations are described with an emphasis on experience with stakeholder engagement and participation. The last decade has seen wide-scale, global deployment of similar technologies for enhancing irrigation agriculture productivity and protecting environmental resources.

Radiological risk assessment and spatial distribution of naturally occurring radionuclides within riverbed sediments near uranium deposits: Tulgheș-Grințieș, Eastern Carpathians (Romania)

The concentration and spatial distribution of three naturally occurring radionuclides, 238U, 232Th and 40K, has been determined in stream sediments from six left side tributaries of Bistricioara ri...

Hydrologic-hydraulic modeling of sediment transport along the main stem of a watershed: role of tributaries and channel geometry

ABSTRACTCurrent estimations of sediment transport at the watershed scale are limited by the difficulty of accurately simulating the sediment transfer along the main stem. The typical approach to simulating watershed sediment transport involves the adoption of hydrologic sediment routing schemes that do not fully capture the contribution and timing of side tributaries, and the inclusion of a simplified channel geometry that does not include its hydraulic feedback. In this paper, we present the results of a coupled hydrologic-hydraulic model of sediment transport applied to a small watershed of Iowa. The model was developed to simulate both the hydrologic network and non-equilibrium sediment transport that occur during a flood. The model results highlight the importance of including side tributaries in order to capture a realistic duration of shear stress that ultimately affects sediment transport. Comparisons with bank erosion measurements indicate that the presented approach is also promising to estimate sediment sources along the main stem.

Mathematical models of operating regimes of flood control facility’s system

The rapid spread of storm floods over large areas requires flood management throughout the river basin by the creation of a system of flood control facilities of various functional purposes distributed in the area. The central part of the system is the hydro system with a hydroelectric power plant. Also, the flood control facilities on the side tributaries with the self-regulating reservoir are included in it. The development of mathematical models is needed to ensure the effectiveness of using flood control facilities, reflecting the specifics of their operation. We have developed unified mathematical models of a hydraulic structure with a hydroelectric power station and a means of protection against floods. These models are implemented in a computer program that provides the ability to determine the main parameters and operating regimes of hydro systems in a wide range of initial data. It makes possible specifying the parameters and operation modes of each hydro system with the current economic and environmental requirements, to assess the energy-economic and ecological consequences in the work of the flood control facilities distributed in the area.

A Method for Systematic Design of Protection Against Flooding in a River Basin

The augmented volume of existing and anticipated hydropower installations may prove insufficient for transforming a design flood when there is an increase in the extremal flood discharges of water under the conditions of climate change. Amethod of sharing flood-control capacity between multipurpose hydropower installations provided with hydroelectric power plants on a mainstream and a system of constricting hydropower installations with self-regulated reservoirs on side tributaries is proposed to achieve the required conditions in the headrace and tailrace channels of hydropower installations. Results of simulation of the management of flood discharges in a river basin by a system of hydropower installations under the conditions of climate change are analyzed in the article. The use of geological information systems for assessing the effect of floodcontrol hydropower installations on the environment accompanied by an evaluation of their parameters is considered.

Modeling parameters of the flood control facilities adapted to climate change

The article analyzes the results of modeling the regulation of flood flow in a river basin by the flood control facility on a side tributary of the river under conditions of climatic changes. The use of geographic information system for assessing the impact of the flood control facilities on the environment when justifying their parameters is considered. The need to create anti-flood hydro systems on side tributaries exists because the water capacity of existing and projected hydro systems may not be enough to transform the flood in conditions of economic and climatic changes. The problem arises of determining the required water capacity of the flood control facility and its location considering environmental requirements.

Comparison of daily flows simulated for the year 2060 on the Kaczawa River for various scenarios of climate change by simple time series analysis

In this paper a time series analysis for daily flow simulations according three climate change scenario for Kaczawa River a left side tributary of the Odra River in south-west Poland is presented. The flow sequences were simulated using the hydrological model MIKE SHE and the spatial SWGEN meteorological data generator. Meteorological data for the hydrological model were generated based on data from 24 meteorological stations and 35-year daily data from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management of the National Research Institute (IMGW). Data were generated for future climate condition for 2060 according GISS Model E, HadCM3, and GFDL R15 scenarios as well for the present conditions. The year 2000 was used as a reference year. The results obtained on the basis of a simple time series analysis point to small changes in flows for current and simulated conditions for 2060 for the Kaczawa River.

The simulation model for a flood management by flood control facilities

The rapid spread of storm floods over large areas requires flood management throughout the river basin by the creation an innovative system of flood control facilities of various functional purposes distributed in the area. The central part of the system is the hydro system with hydro power plant. In addition, the flood control facilities on the side tributaries with self-regulating reservoir are included in the system. To assess the effect of controlling extreme water discharges by flood control facilities, it is necessary to develop special mathematical models reflecting the specifics of their operation. Unified mathematical models of the operation modes of a hydro complex with hydroelectric power station and flood control facility are created. They are implemented in a computer program that provides the ability to determine the main parameters and operating characteristics of hydro systems when performing multivariate calculations in a wide range of initial data. This makes possible specifying the parameters and operation modes of each hydro system with the current economic and environmental requirements, to assess the energy-economic and environmental consequences in the operation of the system of flood control facilities distributed in the area. The article analyses the results of the extreme water discharge’s regulation by the hydro system on the main river and flood control facilities on the side tributaries, considering environmental requirements.

Simulation of the minimum annual river flows based on the RCP climatic scenario, time horizon up to 2060-2080 and the Kaczawa River

In this paper a new simulations of minimum daily flow for Kaczawa River a left side tributary of the Odra River in south-west Poland are presented. Generated data were made based on very long series of 35 years of observed data and 24 sites of meteorological stations for south-west Poland gathered from the the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management National Research Institute (IMGW). For the data generation the spatial weather generator SWGEN producing the multisite daily time series was applied. Data were generated for the present (the year 2000 are used as a background) as well for future climate condition for 2060 and 2080 according Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) scenarios. The flow simulation in the river catchment is made using MIKE SHE hydrological model. Simulations are done for 2060 and 2080. The large number of new simulated series determined by the lead time, two climate change scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP6.0), and number of generated years (1000 for each case) is equal to 5000 for a single station. Finally, Lognormal Pdf function for the minimum flow is presented as well probability of exceedance of minimum values.

NEW FINDINGS ON RIVER NETWORK ORGANIZATION: LAW OF EIGENAREA AND RELATIONSHIPS AMONG HORTONIAN SCALING RATIOS

Horton’s laws have long served as fundamental principles for fractal organization of a drainage basin. Scaling ratios of stream number, length, area, and side tributary have been proposed but the definitions of these basic variables are inconsistent. The concept of eigenarea can be utilized to resolve this issue. Here, we investigated the relationships among Hortonian scaling ratios using the concept of eigenarea. We found that the eigenarea ratio, likewise other scaling ratios, is invariant within a stream network, the law of eigenarea. We analytically revealed that the eigenarea ratio is equivalent to the stream length ratio. Our examination implies that Horton’s original two ratios of stream number and length can represent most Hortonian scaling ratios except Tokunaga ratio.

Impoundments affect fish reproduction regardless of reproductive strategy

AbstractMajor changes to local river habitats, after impoundment, are expected to restrict the reproductive activity of fishes with migratory strategies, although the changes are not expected to have relevant effects on fishes with other strategies. The reproductive activity of fishes with different reproductive strategies was evaluated along a longitudinal gradient before, and after, the formation of a reservoir on the Tocantins River (Tocantins State, Brazil). Samples were collected at six sites distributed along 80‐km stretch of the reservoir (R1 to R6 in the upstream–downstream direction) before and after the impoundment. The highest mean values of the reproductive activity index (RAI), considering all species in the river phase, were recorded for the intermediate segments (R4). The reproductive activity was classified as intense at the two sites located further upstream (R2 and R1). The highest mean RAI value after impoundment was observed for the site further upstream (R1). The reproductive activity was classified as intense, however, at every site, except for R6. Regardless of the reproductive strategy, mean RAI values were higher in this phase at site R1, particularly for long‐distance migratory species (LDM). The most lacustrine area (R6) was only relevant for the group of species with parental care. For non‐long‐distance migratory species, without parental care, the reproductive activity was intense at every site, except for R6. Overall, after the impoundment, the fish species tended to seek more lotic environments to spawn, including the riverine zone of the reservoir and side tributaries, regardless of the reproductive strategy. The results of this study provide evidence that impoundments affect the reproduction of the fish, independent of the reproductive strategy, although the intensity of the effect is different for each group.

Functional and spatial tansformations and contemporary role of educational garden on the example of school garden in Sobieszyn

An important task for present and future generations is the protection of the national cultural resources. The most attractive architectural objects of historic value include palaces, manors, castles and monasteries. Less attention is paid to educational areas, which apart from the main educational and didactic goal (positive influence on the young person’s mind, shaping his personality, social integration) have a great influence on his health, the quality of his life and the shape of his environment. The example of this is the park next to the school complex in Sobieszyn, located in Lublin Voivodeship, Ułęż County. The school complex with its surrounding park established at the end of the 19th century was given by a will of the Count Kajetan Kanty Kicki, Gozdawa coat of arms, a philantropist and a contemporary owner of Sobieszyn. Localisation of the school, far away from the centre of the village, on the slope of one of the right side tributaries of the Wieprz River – Świnka, makes it an extraordinary place, emphasising the nature values that surround it. Nowadays, the building is still a school- Kajetan Kicki Agriculture School in Sobieszyn.