Water Balance Studies Research Articles

A unified Craig-Gordon isotope model of stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope fractionation during fresh or saltwater evaporation

Evaporation of water from the oceans and terrestrial environment governs the global water cycle and climate. Heavy isotope (2H,18O,17O) enrichment during evaporation led to the development of the well-known Craig-Gordon (C-G) model for quantifying evaporation. Several variables control the H and O isotopic composition of evaporating water including; the isotopic composition of the water, temperature, relative humidity, ambient vapor isotopic composition, diffusion and/or mixing at the water-air interface, and the thermodynamic activity (salinity) of water. Previous C-G modeling efforts considered these controlling variables separately; here we propose a newly unified C-G analytical model that allows for simultaneous quantification of all controlling variables in the evaporation of fresh and saline waters. Our unified model accurately predicted the results of laboratory water evaporation experiments conducted under a variety of molecular diffusion and turbulent diffusion conditions. We demonstrate the general applicability of the model by successfully predicting historical O and H isotope data for fresh and saltwater evaporation obtained from the scientific literature. The unified C-G model allows for improved estimates environmental parameters controlling the H and O isotope fractionation during water evaporation under natural conditions and can be used to better inform modeling efforts in regional and large-scale water balance studies.

English

Under conditions of high pressure on water resources, it is essential to quantify the water balance. There are tools to perform the water balance, but unfortunately, they are expensive and  hardly accessible in developing countries. The objective of this study was to quantify the water balance using a low-cost lysimeter (LCL). Rainfall was measured using rain gauge. Soil water content (SWC) and infiltration were measured in the LCL, which was out in the open. The site of study was a place in La Malinche volcano (Mexico). Evaporation was calculated using the water balance equation. In order to evaluate the LCL efficiency, measurements were registered for two years (2015-2016). The distribution of the rainfall data was assessed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (K-S). The Mann-Whitney test (M-W) was used to compare rainfall, SWC and infiltration for the two years. HYDRUS-1D software was used to simulate soil water storage (SWS) in the LCL. The efficiency of HYDRUS-1D was evaluated with Nash-Sutcliffe test (N-S). The total annual rainfall was 992.1 mm for 2015 and 1025.1 mm for 2016. The K-S test showed that rainfall data had exponential distribution in both years. The M-W test evidenced that rainfall, SWC and infiltration were not significantly different (p>0.05) for the two years. Rainwater infiltration was 6.4% for 2015 and 5.9% for 2016. Most of the rainfall was evaporated, reaching percentages around 94%. N-S test showed that there was a good simulation of the LCL by HYDRUS-1D software. The water balance indicated that currently, La Malinche recharge area is insufficient to compensate the water consumption of Puebla and Tlaxcala. The use of low cost lysimeter would be of great help in expanding basin-scale water balance studies.  Key words: La Malinche volcano, low-cost lysimeter, water balance, HYDRUS-1D. &nbsp

Adjustment of measurement errors to reconcile precipitation distribution in the high‐altitude Indus basin

Precipitation in the high‐altitude Indus basin governs its renewable water resources affecting water, energy and food securities. However, reliable estimates of precipitation climatology and associated hydrological implications are seriously constrained by the quality of observed data. As such, quantitative and spatio‐temporal distributions of precipitation estimated by previous studies in the study area are highly contrasting and uncertain. Generally, scarcity and biased distribution of observed data at the higher altitudes and measurement errors in precipitation observations are the primary causes of such uncertainties. In this study, we integrated precipitation data of 307 observatories with the net snow accumulations estimated through mass balance studies at 21 major glacier zones. Precipitation observations are adjusted for measurement errors using the guidelines and standard methods developed under the WMO's international precipitation measurement intercomparisons, while net snow accumulations are adjusted for ablation losses using standard ablation gradients. The results showed more significant increases in precipitation of individual stations located at higher altitudes during winter months, which are consistent with previous studies. Spatial interpolation of unadjusted precipitation observations and net snow accumulations at monthly scale indicated significant improvements in the quantitative and spatio‐temporal distribution of precipitation over the unadjusted case and previous studies. Adjustment of river flows revealed only a marginal contribution of net glacier mass balance to river flows. The adjusted precipitation estimates are more consistent with the corresponding adjusted river flows. The study recognized that the higher river flows than the corresponding precipitation estimates by the previous studies are mainly due to underestimated precipitation. The results can be useful for water balance studies and bias correction of gridded precipitation products for the study area.

Isotopic Characterization of Precipitation, Inflow, and Outflow of Lake Toba as a First Assessment of Lake Water Balance Study

Isotopic characterization of all identified hydrological units in Lake Toba such as precipitation, inflows, outflows, and lake water, as a first assessment of lake water balance study, has been conducted. The isotopic characterization was done through the interpretation of the relationship of d D and d 18 O values of collected samples from various water sources and their variations as a function of time and space. Rain water samples were collected from four rain collectors that were installed in the study area in a monthly sampling for a period of 12 months in 2014. Several samples from various water sources i.e ., inflow streams, outflows, springs, and lake water, were also collected 2-3 times during this sampling period. From monthly sampling of rain water, local meteoric water line ( LMWL ) and the equation of elevations versus d D values have been constructed. Due to the slightly higher temperature in the study area compared with the average temperature on the other parts of the world, the slope of the constructed LMWL is slightly less than the slope of global meteoric water line. Based on the equation of elevations versus d D values, the elevations of four springs around study area have been identified. From the linear relationship of d D and d 18 O values of collected samples from inflow streams, it was found that most of the samples have experienced evaporation process before entering the lake. Due to mixing with other surface water and longer transit time, the d D and d 18 O values of those samples from streams in the Sumatran side are more enriched than those samples from streams in the Samosir side. It was also found that lake water has experienced significant evaporation as indicated by the d D and d 18 O values that were more enriched than any other samples. The d D and d 18 O of Asahan River samples, the only output of Lake Toba, were found to be very close to the d D and d 18 O of the lake. This is because almost all water that flowed in Asahan River originated from the lake. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}

Determination of Lateral Hydraulic Connection of the Regional Aquifers in the Western Desert-Iraq using Hydrochemical and Hydrogeological data

In this study, lateral groundwater inflow was examined, according to the phenomena of groundwater mixing, groundwater flow and groundwater chemistry. The study region is composed of different aquifer systems; including karst-fracture media (Rattga-Jeed carbonates aquifer), fissure�porous media (Mullusi, Mullusi-Ubaid, Hartha-Rutba, and Digma-Tayarat aquifers) and porous media (Permo-carboniferous clastics rocks of Ga�ra aquifer).The aquifers are vertically super-imposed or of lateral contacts make open hydraulic connection between aquifers system. There is a severe shortage of water resources in the region because of rare precipitation and strong evapotranspiration. These conditions have hampered eco-environmental improvement. The aquifers should be considered as important water reserves for industrial use in mineral exploration and exploitation, as well agricultural purposes. The monitoring of groundwater quality network consist chemical variables (major ions concentration) and groundwater levels in sixty four water wells. The study describes the phenomena of lateral groundwater inflow (hydraulic connection) among aquifers systems using hydrogeologic phenomena compiled with the application of hydrochemical characterization on Piper Trilinear Plot. The results are supported and also benefit in studying the rational development of groundwater resources, which will significantly interpret the difference between supply and demand of groundwater, where the lateral groundwater recharge is a key factor in water balance studies, especially in semi-arid areas. Four mixing phenomena detected by Piper Trilinear Plot proved the existence of four trends of lateral groundwater flow interconnections within the hydrogeologic system. Accordingly, Al-Hamad complex hydrogeologic system can be classified into four subsystems, Mullusi-Ga�ra and Digma-Tayarat subsystem, Mullusi-Jeed and Rattga-Jeed subsystem, Mullusi-Rutba and Muhaywir-Ubaid subsystem, Mullusi and Mullusi-Ubaid subsystem.

A Forest Evapotranspiration Paradox Investigated Using Lysimeter Data

Core Ideas There is disagreement in the sign of reported forest impacts on evapotranspiration. Independent lysimeter data show higher evaporation over forest. Lysimeter data show a strong effect of tree age and height on average evapotranspiration. In spite of the large number of studies on the role of forests in affecting local and global water and energy cycles, conflicting reports on even the sign of the change in evapotranspiration over forest compared with non‐forest land cover can be found depending on the type of data used. Whereas studies based on closure of the water balance suggest higher evapotranspiration over forests, studies based on turbulent exchange and/or energy balance closure suggest generally higher latent heat flux over non‐forest sites. In this study, this forest evapotranspiration paradox was investigated using data from four long‐term lysimeter stations in western Europe with contrasting land cover conditions. The results were consistent with evapotranspiration estimates from catchment‐scale water balance studies rather than with eddy covariance estimates. They were also found to be largely consistent with a model previously proposed to predict forest cover effects on evapotranspiration. The results of this study suggest that eddy covariance data should be treated with care when used to assess long‐term average water balance impacts of land use.

Estimation of evapotranspiration using Bowen ratio method

Evapotranspiration (ET) or water loss to the atmosphere is one of the most significant parts of the hydrologic cycle, and its estimation is subjected to uncertainties. Therefore, Calculation of the ET is an integral part of agricultural water management in local, regional and global water balance studies. In this study Bowen ratio method is used for measuring, deriving, and estimating input parameters for the estimation of ET for the whole cropping season for tea canopy, one month data is presented here. Results depicted the maximum and minimum estimated ET as 7.44 mmday-1 and 0.12 mmday-1 respectively. The overall estimated ET for the whole month was 3.423633 mmday-1. The estimated ET will be compared and calibrated against direct ET estimation method (i.e. eddy covariance) for the whole cropping season and further predictions will be provided about the implementation of this method for other crops as well.

Evaluation of the SWAT model for water balance study of a mountainous snowfed river basin of Nepal

In this study, a semi-distributed hydrologic model Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has been employed for the Karnali River basin, Nepal to test its applicability for hydrological simulation. Further, model was evaluated to carry out the water balance study of the basin and to determine the snowmelt contribution in the river flow. Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) was also used to compare the snowmelt runoff simulated from the SWAT model. The statistical results show that performance of the SWAT model in the Karnali River basin is quite good (p-factor = 0.88 and 0.88, for daily calibration and validation, respectively; r-factor = 0.76 and 0.71, for daily calibration and validation, respectively). Baseflow alpha factor (ALPHA_BF) was found most sensitive parameter for the flow simulation. The study revealed that the average annual runoff volume available at the basin outlet is about 47.16 billion cubic metre out of which about 12% of runoff volume is contributed by the snowmelt runoff. About 25% of annual precipitation seems to be lost as evapotranspiration. The results revealed that both the models, SWAT and SRM, can be efficiently applied in the mountainous river basins of Nepal for planning and management of water resources.

Initial assessment of recharge areas for large karst springs: a case study from the central Zagros Mountains, Iran

Sousan Spring emerges from the Keyno Anticline, Zagros Mountains (Iran), and the mean annual discharge is ~24 m3/s. Geological and hydrochemical evaluations suggest that the spring recharge is from the limestone Ilam-Sarvak Formation (Cretaceous) but the Mafaroon Fault, a major thrust feature, influences the regional groundwater flow path by juxtaposing other strata. Geological, geochemical, stable isotope and water balance studies were employed to interpret this behavior. Using the isotope data, the sources and elevations of the recharge area were found. Temporal variations of the isotopic data were compared with variations of electrical conductivity (EC). Unexpectedly, high EC was associated with a relative increase of discharge and depletion of δ18O. Several hypotheses were investigated and approximate water balance studies employed for validation. It was found that an elongated catchment on the Keyno Anticline plus a lesser catchment on a pair of parallel anticlines recharge the aquifer. While the long groundwater flow path along the Keyno Anticline plus guidance by Mafaroon Fault and the adjacent Garou shaly strata lead to increased EC in the Sousan Spring at the end of the dry season, a flow pulse from two adjoining anticlines (Mahalbakh and Shirgoon) arrives at the same time to increase the discharge and deplete the δ18O signal. Apparently the spring did not experience true base flow conditions during the recorded hydrological year. Although the spring response to specific precipitation events was similar to typical karst aquifers, standard interpretation of recession curves and related coefficients will not be practical at Sousan.

Understanding saturated hydraulic conductivity under seasonal changes in climate and land use

The goal of this study was to understand better the co-play of intrinsic soil properties and extrinsic factors of climate and management in the estimation of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) in intensively managed landscapes. For this purpose, a physically-based, modeling framework was developed using hydro-pedotransfer functions (PTFs) and watershed models integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) modules. The integrated models were then used to develop Ksat maps for the Clear Creek, Iowa watershed and the state of Iowa. Four types of saturated hydraulic conductivity were considered, namely the baseline (Kb), the bare (Kbr), the effective with no-rain (Ke-nr) and the effective (Ke) in order to evaluate how management and seasonality affect Ksat spatiotemporal variability. Kb is dictated by soil texture and bulk density, whereas Kbr, Ke-nr, and Ke are driven by extrinsic factors, which vary on an event to seasonal time scale, such as vegetation cover, land use, management practices, and precipitation. Two seasons were selected to demonstrate Ksat dynamics in the Clear Creek watershed, IA and the state of Iowa; specifically, the months of October and April that corresponded to the before harvesting and before planting conditions, respectively.Statistical analysis of the Clear Creek data showed that intrinsic soil properties incorporated in Kb do not reflect the degree of soil surface disturbance due to tillage and raindrop impact. Additionally, vegetation cover affected the infiltration rate. It was found that the use of Kb instead of Ke in water balance studies can lead to an overestimation of the amount of water infiltrated in agricultural watersheds by a factor of two. Therefore, we suggest herein that Ke is both the most dynamic and representative saturated hydraulic conductivity for intensively managed landscapes because it accounts for the contributions of land cover and management, local hydropedology and climate condition, which all affect the soil porosity and structure and hence, Ksat.

Rainfall, evapotranspiration and rainfall deficit trend in Alor Setar, Malaysia

Rainfall and potential evapotranspiration are important variables in water balance study. Rainfall data were obtained from Malaysian Meteorological Department while estimates of potential evapotranspiration were calculated using Penman-Monteith method. Trend analysis of monthly and annual rainfall, potential evapotranspiration and rainfall deficit are essential to manage irrigation system in agricultural systems. This is because changes in trend of these parameters may affect the water cycle and ecosystem. Annual and monthly values of these variables were analysed from 1980-2009. Results indicated increasing trends of 16.2 mm yr-1 and 3.01 mm yr-1 for both annual rainfall and potential evapotranspiration, respectively. Consequently, these trends resulted in annual rainfall deficit of 1.69 mm per year.

Lake ice and temperature trends for Ontario and Manitoba: 2001 to 2014

AbstractLakes are a prominent geographic feature in northern landscapes and play an important role in understanding regional climate systems. In order to better model changes within climate systems, it is important to study lake ice processes. Although the availability of records for lake ice through ground measurements has declined in recent years, the increased use of remote sensing provides an alternative to this. Using a preclassified snow and ice remote sensing product with a 500‐m resolution, based on images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS/MOD10A1), and the use of measured and reanalysis temperature data, this study evaluated lake ice phenology dates in connection to recent trends in temperature and 0 °C isotherms within Ontario and Manitoba between 2001 and 2014. Temperature trends indicated both regional warming and cooling, with significant cooling observed in Southern Ontario (p < .05) and significant warming in Southern Manitoba (p < .1) during the fall. Spatial analysis of the trends in the lake ice data showed significant clustering of significant trends in ice on dates (p < .01). When analysing the trends in ice phenology in connection to the trends in temperature, it was found that 70% of lakes experienced a change in the ice on date with the expected change in temperature and 85% of lakes for ice off date. When shifting ice on and ice off dates are investigated in relation to 0 °C isotherms, it was seen that 80% of ice on dates and 100% of ice off dates shifted in sync with the isotherm dates. This demonstrates that the ice phenology of lakes in Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, is responding to short‐term variability in temperature. The MODIS product could be used to investigate ice phenology on a large scale and contribute towards expanding existing records of ice phenology. Establishing long‐term ice records could be a valuable asset for other research ranging from water balance studies to the response of lake biota under changing climate.

Area-averaged evapotranspiration over a heterogeneous land surface: aggregation of multi-point EC flux measurements with a high-resolution land-cover map and footprint analysis

Abstract. The determination of area-averaged evapotranspiration (ET) at the satellite pixel scale/model grid scale over a heterogeneous land surface plays a significant role in developing and improving the parameterization schemes of the remote sensing based ET estimation models and general hydro-meteorological models. The Heihe Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research (HiWATER) flux matrix provided a unique opportunity to build an aggregation scheme for area-averaged fluxes. On the basis of the HiWATER flux matrix dataset and high-resolution land-cover map, this study focused on estimating the area-averaged ET over a heterogeneous landscape with footprint analysis and multivariate regression. The procedure is as follows. Firstly, quality control and uncertainty estimation for the data of the flux matrix, including 17 eddy-covariance (EC) sites and four groups of large-aperture scintillometers (LASs), were carefully done. Secondly, the representativeness of each EC site was quantitatively evaluated; footprint analysis was also performed for each LAS path. Thirdly, based on the high-resolution land-cover map derived from aircraft remote sensing, a flux aggregation method was established combining footprint analysis and multiple-linear regression. Then, the area-averaged sensible heat fluxes obtained from the EC flux matrix were validated by the LAS measurements. Finally, the area-averaged ET of the kernel experimental area of HiWATER was estimated. Compared with the formerly used and rather simple approaches, such as the arithmetic average and area-weighted methods, the present scheme is not only with a much better database, but also has a solid grounding in physics and mathematics in the integration of area-averaged fluxes over a heterogeneous surface. Results from this study, both instantaneous and daily ET at the satellite pixel scale, can be used for the validation of relevant remote sensing models and land surface process models. Furthermore, this work will be extended to the water balance study of the whole Heihe River basin.

Myths and methodologies: Making sense of exercise mass and water balance.

What is the topic of this review? There is a need to revisit the basic principles of exercise mass and water balance, the use of common equations and the practice of interpreting outcomes. What advances does it highlight? We propose use of the following equation as a way of simplifying exercise mass and water balance calculations in conditions where food is not consumed and waste is not excreted: ∆body mass-0.20g/kcal-1 =∆body water. The relative efficacy of exercise drinking behaviours can be judged using the following equation: percentage dehydration=[(∆body mass-0.20gkcal-1 )/starting body mass]×100. Changes in body mass occur because of flux in liquids, solids and gases. This knowledge is crucial for understanding metabolism, health and human water needs. In exercise science, corrections to observed changes in body mass to estimate water balance are inconsistently applied and often misinterpreted, particularly after prolonged exercise. Although acute body mass losses in response to exercise can represent a close surrogate for body water losses, the discordance between mass and water balance equivalence becomes increasingly inaccurate as more and more energy is expended. The purpose of this paper is briefly to clarify the roles that respiratory water loss, gas exchange and metabolic water production play in the correction of body mass changes for fluid balance determinations during prolonged exercise. Computations do not include waters of association with glycogen because any movement of water among body water compartments contributes nothing to water or mass flux from the body. Estimates of sweat loss from changes in body mass should adjust for non-sweat losses when possible. We propose use of the following equation as a way of simplifying the study of exercise mass and water balance: ∆body mass-0.20gkcal-1 =∆body water. This equation directly controls for the influence of energy expenditure on body mass balance and the approximate offsetting equivalence of respiratory water loss and metabolic water production on body water balance. The relative efficacy of exercise drinking behaviours can be judged using the following equation: percentage dehydration=[(∆body mass-0.20gkcal-1 )/starting body mass]×100.

Adjusted Daily Rainfall and Snowfall Data for Canada

ABSTRACTThis article documents how Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Adjusted Daily Rainfall and Snowfall (AdjDlyRS) dataset was developed. The adjustments include (i) conversion of ruler measurements of snowfall to its water equivalent using a previously developed snow water equivalent (SWE) ratio map for Canada; (ii) corrections for gauge-related issues including undercatch and evaporation caused by wind effects and gauge-specific wetting loss, as well as for trace precipitation amounts, using previously developed procedures for Canada. Various data flags (e.g., accumulation flags) were also treated. This dataset contains all Canadian stations reporting daily rainfall and snowfall for which we have metadata to implement the adjustments. The length of the data record varies from one station to another, starting as early as 1840. The results show that the original unadjusted total precipitation data in Environment and Climate Change Canada’s digital archive underestimate the total precipitation in northeastern Canada by more than 25% and by about 10–15% in most of southern Canada. Such large underestimates make the original data unsuitable for water availability and/or balance studies or for numerical model validation, among many other applications. The use of the assumed 10:1 SWE ratio for the archived total precipitation data is the primary cause of the underestimate, which is most severe in northeastern Canada. The trace correction adds 5–20% to precipitation values in northern Canada but less than 5% in southern Canada. The gauge-related corrections do not show an organized spatial pattern but add 5–10% to the precipitation at 312 stations. Long runs (≥3 months) of miscoded missing values were also identified and corrected.The latest version of the AdjDlyRS dataset is available from the Canadian Open Data Portal; currently it is version 2016, which contains 3346 stations and covers the period from station inception to February 2016. This dataset is suitable for producing gridded precipitation datasets, as well as other applications.

Estimation of reference evapotranspiration for Parbhani district

Estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ET o ) is essential for planning the irrigation water use in arid and semiarid region. Estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ET o ) is an important part of agricultural water management in local and regional water balance studies. At the field scale, estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ET o ) is important in irrigation planning and scheduling and is an integral part of field management decision support tools. This study focuses on estimating the reference evapotranspiration (ET o ) using 32 years meteorological data by CROPWAT software. The FAO-56 Penman-Monteith method has been recommended as the standard method for estimating reference evapotranspiration (ET o ) was used.

Fitting rainfall interception models to forest ecosystems of Mexico

Models that accurately predict forest interception are essential both for water balance studies and for assessing watershed responses to changes in land use and the long-term climate variability. This paper compares the performance of four rainfall interception models—the sparse Gash (1995), Rutter et al. (1975), Liu (1997) and two new models (NvMxa and NvMxb)—using data from four spatially extensive, structurally diverse forest ecosystems in Mexico. Ninety-eight case studies measuring interception in tropical dry (25), arid/semi-arid (29), temperate (26), and tropical montane cloud forests (18) were compiled and analyzed. Coefficients derived from raw data or published statistical relationships were used as model input to evaluate multi-storm forest interception at the case study scale. On average empirical data showed that, tropical montane cloud, temperate, arid/semi-arid and tropical dry forests intercepted 14%, 18%, 22% and 26% of total precipitation, respectively. The models performed well in predicting interception, with mean deviations between measured and modeled interception as a function of total precipitation (ME) generally <5.8% and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency E estimators >0.66. Model fitting precision was dependent on the forest ecosystem. Arid/semi-arid forests exhibited the smallest, while tropical montane cloud forest displayed the largest ME deviations. Improved agreement between measured and modeled data requires modification of in-storm evaporation rate in the Liu; the canopy storage in the sparse Gash model; and the throughfall coefficient in the Rutter and the NvMx models. This research concludes on recommending the wide application of rainfall interception models with some caution as they provide mixed results. The extensive forest interception data source, the fitting and testing of four models, the introduction of a new model, and the availability of coefficient values for all four forest ecosystems are an important source of information and a benchmark for future investigations in this area of hydrology.

Theoretical study of soil water balance and process of soil moisture evaporation

Nearly a half of all grain production in the Russian Federation is grown in dry regions. But crop production efficiency there depends on amount of moisture, available to plants. However deficit of soil moisture is caused not only by a lack of an atmospheric precipitation, but also inefficient water saving: losses reach 70 percent. With respect thereto it is important to reveal the factors influencing intensity of soil moisture evaporation and to develop methods of decrease in unproductive moisture losses due to evaporation. The authors researched soil water balance theoretically and determined the functional dependences of moisture loss on evaporation. Intensity of moisture evaporation depends on physicomechanical characteristics of the soil, a consistence of its surface and weather conditions. To decrease losses of moisture for evaporation it is necessary, first, to improve quality of crumbling of the soil and therefore to reduce the evaporating surface of the soil. Secondly - to create the protective mulching layer which will allow to enhance albedo of the soil and to reduce its temperature that together will reduce unproductive evaporative water losses and will increase its inflow in case of condensation from air vapors. The most widespread types of soil cultivation are considered: disk plowing and stubble mulch plowing. Agricultural background «no tillage» was chosen as a control. Subsoil mulching tillage has an essential advantage in a storage of soil moisture. So, storage of soil moisture after a disking and in control (without tillage) decreased respectively by 24.9 and 19.8 mm while at the mulching tillage this indicator revised down by only 15.6 mm. The mulching layer has lower heat conductivity that provides decrease in unproductive evaporative water losses.

On the non-stationarity of hydrological response in anthropogenically unaffected catchments: an Australian perspective

Abstract. Increases in greenhouse gas concentrations are expected to impact the terrestrial hydrologic cycle through changes in radiative forcings and plant physiological and structural responses. Here, we investigate the nature and frequency of non-stationary hydrological response as evidenced through water balance studies over 166 anthropogenically unaffected catchments in Australia. Non-stationarity of hydrologic response is investigated through analysis of long-term trend in annual runoff ratio (1984–2005). Results indicate that a significant trend (p &lt; 0.01) in runoff ratio is evident in 20 catchments located in three main ecoregions of the continent. Runoff ratio decreased across the catchments with non-stationary hydrologic response with the exception of one catchment in northern Australia. Annual runoff ratio sensitivity to annual fractional vegetation cover was similar to or greater than sensitivity to annual precipitation in most of the catchments with non-stationary hydrologic response indicating vegetation impacts on streamflow. We use precipitation–productivity relationships as the first-order control for ecohydrologic catchment classification. A total of 12 out of 20 catchments present a positive precipitation–productivity relationship possibly enhanced by CO2 fertilization effect. In the remaining catchments, biogeochemical and edaphic factors may be impacting productivity. Results suggest vegetation dynamics should be considered in exploring causes of non-stationary hydrologic response.

Soil Water and Nitrogen Balance Study of Maize Using CERES Maize Model in DSSAT

Soil Water and Nitrogen Balance Study of Maize Using CERES Maize Model in DSSAT