Unsaturated Storage Research Articles

Exploring the Signal Filtering Properties of Idealized Watersheds Using Spectral Analysis

Watersheds act as low-pass filters, damping and attenuating climatic signals as water moves through the surface and subsurface. This is a well observed phenomenon; however, the ways in which watershed properties control the nature of this filtering are less well documented, especially with respect to groundwater surface water interactions. Here, we use a physically based groundwater surface water model to simulate idealized hillslope ensembles with varying watershed properties (hillslope slope, hydraulic conductivity, and precipitation magnitude) to quantitively explore the impact of watershed configuration on temporal filtering in both the surface and subsurface. To limit the complexities of this system an idealized titled-v domain is used. Multi-decadal simulations (95 years) are run, and then power spectral densities and transfer functions are used to quantify the temporal dynamics and damping of each simulation. Overall, we show that the degree of filtering and the degree of signal transformation is controlled by the total time spent in the subsurface and the degree of groundwater surface water exchanges. The ratio of precipitation to hydraulic conductivity controls the partitioning between infiltration and runoff. Greater infiltration results in less filtering in the subsurface and more filtering in streamflow. For a given precipitation conductivity ratio, deeper water table depths lead to greater streamflow filtering for periods less than 5 years. For time periods greater than 5 years the streamflow filtering is most strongly related to hydraulic conductivity which controls the baseflow dynamics. The majority of the input signal is filtered in the subsurface for short periods less than one year. For longer time scales, hydraulic conductivity is found to be the primary control of filtering and power shift taking place in the subsurface with larger conductivities correlated to less filtering and less of a signal transformation. Deeper water table depths lead to more signal transformation in saturated storage but are not correlated to filtering in unsaturated storage. This is likely due to counteracting effects of higher conductivity (which decreases filtering) and deeper water table depths (which increase filtering).

Identification of genes associated with the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acid and oil accumulation in herbaceous peony \u2018Hangshao\u2019 (Paeonia lactiflora \u2018Hangshao\u2019) seeds based on transcriptome analysis

BackgroundPaeonia lactiflora ‘Hangshao’ is widely cultivated in China as a traditional Chinese medicine ‘Radix Paeoniae Alba’. Due to the abundant unsaturated fatty acids in its seed, it can also be regarded as a new oilseed plant. However, the process of the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids in it has remained unknown. Therefore, transcriptome analysis is helpful to better understand the underlying molecular mechanisms.ResultsFive main fatty acids were detected, including stearic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, and their absolute contents first increased and then decreased during seed development. A total of 150,156 unigenes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing. There were 15,005 unigenes annotated in the seven functional databases, including NR, NT, GO, KOG, KEGG, Swiss-Prot and InterPro. Based on the KEGG database, 1766 unigenes were annotated in the lipid metabolism. There were 4635, 12,304, and 18,291 DEGs in Group I (60 vs 30 DAF), Group II (90 vs 60 DAF) and Group III (90 vs 30 DAF), respectively. A total of 1480 DEGs were detected in the intersection of the three groups. In 14 KEGG pathways of lipid metabolism, 503 DEGs were found, belonging to 111 enzymes. We screened out 123 DEGs involved in fatty acid biosynthesis (39 DEGs), fatty acid elongation (33 DEGs), biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acid (24 DEGs), TAG assembly (17 DEGs) and lipid storage (10 DEGs). Furthermore, qRT-PCR was used to analyze the expression patterns of 16 genes, including BBCP, BC, MCAT, KASIII, KASII, FATA, FATB, KCR, SAD, FAD2, FAD3, FAD7, GPAT, DGAT, OLE and CLO, most of which showed the highest expression at 45 DAF, except for DGAT, OLE and CLO, which showed the highest expression at 75 DAF.ConclusionsWe predicted that MCAT, KASIII, FATA, SAD, FAD2, FAD3, DGAT and OLE were the key genes in the unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and oil accumulation in herbaceous peony seed. This study provides the first comprehensive genomic resources characterizing herbaceous peony seed gene expression at the transcriptional level. These data lay the foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of fatty acid biosynthesis and oil accumulation for herbaceous peony.

Towards the representation of groundwater in the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator

AbstractGroundwater is an important component of the hydrological cycle with significant interactions with soil hydrological processes. Recent studies have demonstrated that incorporating groundwater hydrology in land surface models (LSMs) considerably improves the prediction of the partitioning of water components (e.g., runoff and evapotranspiration) at the land surface. However, the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), an LSM developed in the United Kingdom, does not yet have an explicit representation of groundwater. We propose an implementation of a simplified groundwater flow boundary parameterization (JULES‐GFB), which replaces the original free drainage assumption in the default model (JULES‐FD). We tested the two approaches under a controlled environment for various soil types using two synthetic experiments: (1) single‐column and (2) tilted‐V catchment, using a three‐dimensional (3‐D) hydrological model (ParFlow) as a benchmark for JULES’ performance. In addition, we applied our new JULES‐GFB model to a regional domain in the UK, where groundwater is the key element for runoff generation. In the single‐column infiltration experiment, JULES‐GFB showed improved soil moisture dynamics in comparison with JULES‐FD, for almost all soil types (except coarse soils) under a variety of initial water table depths. In the tilted‐V catchment experiment, JULES‐GFB successfully represented the dynamics and the magnitude of saturated and unsaturated storage against the benchmark. The lateral water flow produced by JULES‐GFB was about 50% of what was produced by the benchmark, while JULES‐FD completely ignores this process. In the regional domain application, the Kling‐Gupta efficiency (KGE) for the total runoff simulation showed an average improvement from 0.25 for JULES‐FD to 0.75 for JULES‐GFB. The mean bias of actual evapotranspiration relative to the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM) product was improved from −0.22 to −0.01 mm day−1. Our new JULES‐GFB implementation provides an opportunity to better understand the interactions between the subsurface and land surface processes that are dominated by groundwater hydrology.

What Triggers Streamflow for Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams in Low‐Gradient Catchments in Mediterranean Climates

AbstractIntermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) account for over 50% of the world's river network and are expected to increase with climate change and the increasing pressure on water resources. One significant challenge to better manage IRES is unraveling the threshold behavior of streamflow generation, by understanding what controls the triggers of streamflow. This study aimed to understand the influence of groundwater depth, soil hydraulic properties, and rainfall on streamflow generation in IRES, through analyzing the spatiotemporal development of active areas (where flow generation processes are occurring) and determining the dominant flow generation mechanisms. In a concept‐development approach, we used fully Integrated Surface‐Subsurface Hydrological Models to investigate streamflow generation for a range of characteristics representative of IRES in low‐gradient catchments with Mediterranean climates. The results showed that soil type exerts the greatest overall influence on streamflow generation and is the main factor determining the spatiotemporal development of active areas by a given flow generation mechanism and threshold contributing processes. The identified dominant mechanism for each soil demonstrated the effect of the initial groundwater head and rainfall scenarios on the timing and processes that trigger streamflow onset. These results reaffirm the importance of unsaturated storage dynamics to explain thresholds and pathways of flow and suggest that knowledge of the development of active areas and prediction of the dominant flow generation mechanisms is critical to understand streamflow generation in IRES. Future research should identify the influence of catchment morphology, geologic constraints, and aquifer heterogeneity and anisotropy on streamflow generation in IRES.

Exploiting soil moisture, precipitation and streamflow observations to evaluate soil moisture/runoff coupling in land surface models.

Accurate partitioning of precipitation into infiltration and runoff is a fundamental objective of land surface models tasked with characterizing the surface water and energy balance. Temporal variability in this partitioning is due, in part, to changes in pre-storm soil moisture, which determine soil infiltration capacity and unsaturated storage. Utilizing the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive Level-4 soil moisture product in combination with streamflow and precipitation observations, we demonstrate that land surface models (LSMs) generally underestimate the strength of the positive rank correlation between pre-storm soil moisture and event runoff coefficients (i.e., the fraction of rainfall accumulation depth converted into stormflow runoff during a storm event). Underestimation is largest for LSMs employing an infiltration-excess approach for stormflow runoff generation. More accurate coupling strength is found in LSMs that explicitly represent sub-surface stormflow or saturation-excess runoff generation processes.

Quantification of the seasonal hillslope water storage that does not drive streamflow

AbstractThe relationship between seasonal catchment water storage and discharge is typically nonunique due to water storage that is not directly hydraulically connected to streams. Hydraulically disconnected water volumes are often ecologically and hydrologically important but cannot be explicitly estimated using current storage–discharge techniques. Here, we propose that discharge is explicitly sensitive to changes in only some fraction of seasonally dynamic storage that we call “direct storage,” whereas the remaining storage (“indirect storage”) varies without directly influencing discharge. We use a coupled mass balance and storage–discharge function approach to partition seasonally dynamic storage between these 2 pools in the Northern California Coast Ranges. We find that indirect storage constitutes the vast majority of dynamic catchment storage, even at the wettest times of the year. Indirect storage exhibits lower variability over the course of the wet season (and in successive winter periods) than does direct storage. Predicted indirect storage volumes and dynamics match field observations. Comparison of 2 neighbouring field sites reveals that indirect storage volumes can occur as unsaturated storage held under tension in soils and weathered bedrock and as near‐surface saturated storage that remains on hillslopes (and is eventually evapotranspired). Indirect storage volumes (including moisture in the weathered bedrock) may support plant transpiration, and our method indicates that this important water source could be quantified from precipitation and stream discharge records.

Impacts of thickening unsaturated zone on groundwater recharge in the North China Plain

Summary Unsustainable groundwater development shown by rapid groundwater depletion in the North China Plain (NCP) underscores the need to quantify spatiotemporal variability in groundwater recharge for improved management of the resource. The objective of this study was to assess spatiotemporal variability in recharge in response to thickening of the unsaturated zone in the NCP. Recharge was estimated by linking a soil water balance (SWB) model, on the basis of monthly meteorological data, irrigation applications, and soil moisture monitoring data (1993–2008), to the water table using a deep unsaturated zone flow model. The dynamic bottom boundary (water table) position was provided by the saturated zone flow component, which simulates regional pumping. The model results clearly indicate the effects of unsaturated zone thickening on both temporal distribution and magnitude of recharge: smoothing temporal variability in recharge, and increasing unsaturated storage and lag time between percolation and recharge. The thickening unsaturated zone can result in average recharge reduction of up to ∼70% in loam soils with water table declines ⩾30 m. Declining groundwater levels with irrigation sourced by groundwater converts percolation to unsaturated zone storage, averaging 14 mm equivalent water depth per year in mostly loam soil over the study period, accounting for ∼30% of the saturated groundwater storage depletion. This study demonstrates that, in thickening unsaturated zones, modeling approaches that directly equate deep drainage with recharge will overestimate the amount and underestimate the time lag between percolation and recharge, emphasizing the importance of more realistic simulation of the continuity of unsaturated and saturated storage to provide more reliable estimates of spatiotemporal variability in recharge.

Hydrological hysteresis and its value for assessing process consistency in catchment conceptual models

Abstract. While most hydrological models reproduce the general flow dynamics, they frequently fail to adequately mimic system-internal processes. In particular, the relationship between storage and discharge, which often follows annual hysteretic patterns in shallow hard-rock aquifers, is rarely considered in modelling studies. One main reason is that catchment storage is difficult to measure, and another one is that objective functions are usually based on individual variables time series (e.g. the discharge). This reduces the ability of classical procedures to assess the relevance of the conceptual hypotheses associated with models. We analysed the annual hysteric patterns observed between stream flow and water storage both in the saturated and unsaturated zones of the hillslope and the riparian zone of a headwater catchment in French Brittany (Environmental Research Observatory ERO AgrHys (ORE AgrHys)). The saturated-zone storage was estimated using distributed shallow groundwater levels and the unsaturated-zone storage using several moisture profiles. All hysteretic loops were characterized by a hysteresis index. Four conceptual models, previously calibrated and evaluated for the same catchment, were assessed with respect to their ability to reproduce the hysteretic patterns. The observed relationship between stream flow and saturated, and unsaturated storages led us to identify four hydrological periods and emphasized a clearly distinct behaviour between riparian and hillslope groundwaters. Although all the tested models were able to produce an annual hysteresis loop between discharge and both saturated and unsaturated storage, the integration of a riparian component led to overall improved hysteretic signatures, even if some misrepresentation remained. Such a system-like approach is likely to improve model selection.

Surface water and groundwater interactions in an extensively mined watershed, upper Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, USA

AbstractStreams crossing underground coal mines may lose flow, whereas abandoned mine drainage (AMD) restores flow downstream. During 2005–2012, discharge from the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel, the largest AMD source in the upper Schuylkill River Basin, had near‐neutral pH and elevated concentrations of iron, manganese and sulphate. Discharge from the tunnel responded rapidly to recharge but exhibited a prolonged recession compared with nearby streams, consistent with rapid infiltration of surface water and slow release of groundwater from the mine complex. Dissolved iron was attenuated downstream by oxidation and precipitation, whereas dissolved CO2degassed and pH increased. During high flow conditions, the AMD and downstream waters exhibited decreased pH, iron and sulphate with increased acidity that were modelled by mixing net‐alkaline AMD with recharge or run‐off having low ionic strength and low pH. Attenuation of dissolved iron within the river was least effective during high flow conditions because of decreased transport time coupled with inhibitory effects of low pH on oxidation kinetics.A numerical model of groundwater flow was calibrated by using groundwater levels in the Pine Knot Mine and discharge data for the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel and West Branch Schuylkill River during a snowmelt event in January 2012. Although the calibrated model indicated substantial recharge to the mine complex took place away from streams, simulation of rapid changes in mine pool level and tunnel discharge during a high flow event in May 2012 required a source of direct recharge to the Pine Knot Mine. Such recharge produced small changes in mine pool level and rapid changes in tunnel flow rate because of extensive unsaturated storage capacity and high transmissivity within the mine complex. Thus, elimination of stream leakage could have a small effect on the annual discharge from the tunnel, but a large effect on peak discharge and associated water quality downstream. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Aquifer response to surface water transience in disconnected streams

Existing analytical solutions to determine aquifer response to a change in stream stage are inappropriate where an unsaturated zone exists beneath the stream, as in the case of disconnected stream‐aquifer systems. A better understanding of the relationship between aquifer response and transient stream stage in disconnected systems is therefore required, as this would also aid in the field determination of the status of connection between the stream and aquifer. We use a numerical model to examine transient stream stage and the corresponding water table response. Beneath disconnected streams, the magnitude of head change in the water table level is a balance between the cumulative infiltration during a flow event and the rate at which the water can disperse laterally. Increases in wave duration, stream width, and streambed permeability result in greater infiltrated water volume and therefore a higher peak response at the water table. Conversely, higher aquifer transmissivity and aquifer hydraulic conductivity allow the water to move laterally away from the stream faster, resulting in a smaller head change below the stream. Lower unsaturated storage results in a greater and faster aquifer response because the unsaturated zone can fill more quickly. Under some combinations of parameters, the magnitude of the disconnected head response is more than seven times greater than the change in stream stage driving streambed infiltration; an effect which can never occur beneath a connected stream. The results of this sensitivity analysis are compared to field data from a river in eastern Australia to determine periods of disconnection. Where the change in aquifer head is greater than the change in stream stage, disconnection between the stream and aquifer can be determined.

Soil-water dynamics and unsaturated storage during snowmelt following wildfire

Abstract. Many forested watersheds with a substantial fraction of precipitation delivered as snow have the potential for landscape disturbance by wildfire. Little is known about the immediate effects of wildfire on snowmelt and near-surface hydrologic responses, including soil-water storage. Montane systems at the rain-snow transition have soil-water dynamics that are further complicated during the snowmelt period by strong aspect controls on snowmelt and soil thawing. Here we present data from field measurements of snow hydrology and subsurface hydrologic and temperature responses during the first winter and spring after the September 2010 Fourmile Canyon Fire in Colorado, USA. Our observations of soil-water content and soil temperature show sharp contrasts in hydrologic and thermal conditions between north- and south-facing slopes. South-facing burned soils were ∼1–2 °C warmer on average than north-facing burned soils and ∼1.5 °C warmer than south-facing unburned soils, which affected soil thawing during the snowmelt period. Soil-water dynamics also differed by aspect: in response to soil thawing, soil-water content increased approximately one month earlier on south-facing burned slopes than on north-facing burned slopes. While aspect and wildfire affect soil-water dynamics during snowmelt, soil-water storage at the end of the snowmelt period reached the value at field capacity for each plot, suggesting that post-snowmelt unsaturated storage was not substantially influenced by aspect in wildfire-affected areas. Our data and analysis indicate that the amount of snowmelt-driven groundwater recharge may be larger in wildfire-impacted areas, especially on south-facing slopes, because of earlier soil thaw and longer durations of soil-water contents above field capacity in those areas.

Water storage in a till catchment. I: Distributed modelling and relationship to runoff

AbstractAlthough water storage is an important variable to understand the hydrological functioning of a catchment, it is challenging to estimate the total water storage in a catchment. Catchment water storage can be estimated on the basis of water balance, but this approach is prone to errors in the different water balance terms. Here, an approach is presented to estimate the daily dynamics of catchment‐wide soil water and groundwater storage on the basis of groundwater‐level observations, soil properties and an assumption of hydrological equilibrium above the water table. This approach was applied to a 6300‐m2 till catchment in Southwest Sweden. The predicted mean catchment water storage between April 1991 and June 1992 was 210 mm and ranged from 190 to 260 mm. The estimated water storage followed runoff rates closely especially during recession periods. On average, 79% of the water storage was held in the unsaturated zone, and the remaining 21% was groundwater, but this proportion varied strongly with runoff and total storage. During dry conditions, unsaturated storage accounted for at maximum 95% of the water storage; during wet conditions, this number dropped to 40%. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluating catchment‐scale hydrological modeling by means of terrestrial gravity observations

In a previous study (Hasan et al., 2006) we applied time series analysis and distributed hydrological modeling techniques to investigate the effect of hydrological processes on observed terrestrial gravity residuals. In this study we apply terrestrial gravity observations (measured in one location) to constrain simple hydrological models in a catchment around the gravimeter. A superconducting gravimeter observes with high frequency (1 Hz) the temporal variations in the gravity field with high accuracy (sub nm s−2 for hourly variation) near Moxa, Germany since 1999. Hourly gravity residuals are derived by filtering and reducing for Earth tides, polar motion, barometric pressure variations, and instrumental drift. These gravity residuals show significant response to hydrological processes (precipitation, evaporation, surface and subsurface flow) in the catchment surrounding the observatory. We can thus consider the observed gravity change as an integrator of catchment‐scale hydrological response (similar in nature as discharge measurements), and therefore use it to constrain catchment‐scale hydrologic models. We test a set of simple water balance models against measured discharge, and employ observed gravity residuals to evaluate model parameters. Results indicate that a lumped water balance model for unsaturated storage and fluxes, coupled with a semidistributed hydraulic groundwater model for saturated storage and fluxes, successfully reproduces both gravity and discharge dynamics.

A low‐dimensional physically based model of hydrologic control of shallow landsliding on complex hillslopes

AbstractHillslopes have complex three‐dimensional shapes that are characterized by their plan shape, profile curvature of surface and bedrock, and soil depth. To investigate the stability of complex hillslopes (with different slope curvatures and plan shapes), we combine the hillslope‐storage Boussinesq (HSB) model with the infinite slope stability method. The HSB model is based on the continuity and Darcy equations expressed in terms of storage along the hillslope. Solutions of the HSB equation account explicitly for plan shape by introducing the hillslope width function and for profile curvature through the bedrock slope angle and the hillslope soil depth function. The presented model is composed of three parts: a topography model conceptualizing three‐dimensional soil mantled landscapes, a dynamic hydrology model for shallow subsurface flow and water table depth (HSB model) and an infinite slope stability method based on the Mohr–Coulomb failure law. The resulting hillslope‐storage Boussinesq stability model (HSB‐SM) is able to simulate rain‐induced shallow landsliding on hillslopes with non‐constant bedrock slope and non‐parallel plan shape. We apply the model to nine characteristic hillslope types with three different profile curvatures (concave, straight, convex) and three different plan shapes (convergent, parallel, divergent). In the presented model, the unsaturated storage has been calculated based on the unit head gradient assumption. To relax this assumption and to investigate the effect of neglecting the variations of unsaturated storage on the assessment of slope stability in the transient case, we also combine a coupled model of saturated and unsaturated storage and the infinite slope stability method. The results show that the variations of the unsaturated zone storage do not play a critical role in hillslope stability. Therefore, it can be concluded that the presented dynamic slope stability model (HSB‐SM) can be used safely for slope stability analysis on complex hillslopes. Our results show that after a certain period of rainfall the convergent hillslopes with concave and straight profiles become unstable more quickly than others, whilst divergent convex hillslopes remain stable (even after intense rainfall). In addition, the relation between subsurface flow and hillslope stability has been investigated. Our analyses show that the minimum safety factor (FS) occurs when the rate of subsurface flow is a maximum. In fact, by increasing the subsurface flow, stability decreases for all hillslope shapes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The utility of gravity and water-level monitoring at alluvial aquifer wells in southern Arizona

Coincident monitoring of gravity and water levels at 39 wells in southern Arizona indicate that water-level change might not be a reliable indicator of aquifer-storage change for alluvial aquifer systems. One reason is that water levels in wells that are screened across single or multiple aquifers might not represent the hydraulic head and storage change in a local unconfined aquifer. Gravity estimates of aquifer-storage change can be approximated as a one-dimensional feature except near some withdrawal wells and recharge sources. The aquifer storage coefficient is estimated by the linear regression slope of storage change (estimated using gravity methods) and water-level change. Nonaquifer storage change that does not percolate to the aquifer can be significant, greater than [Formula: see text], when water is held in the root zone during brief periods following extreme rates of precipitation. Monitor-ing of storage change using gravity methods at wells also can improve understanding of local hydrogeologic conditions. In the study area, confined aquifer conditions are likely at three wells where large water-level variations were accompanied by little gravity change. Unconfined conditions were indicated at 15 wells where significant water-level and gravity change were positively linearly correlated. Good positive linear correlations resulted in extremely large specific-yield values, greater than 0.35, at seven wells where it is likely that significant ephemeral streamflow infiltration resulted in unsaturated storage change. Poor or negative linear correlations indicate the occurrence of confined, multiple, or perched aquifers. Monitoring of a multiple compressible aquifer system at one well resulted in negative correlation of rising water levels and subsidence-corrected gravity change, which suggests that water-level trends at the well are not a good indicatior of overall storage change.

Soil moisture storage and hillslope stability

Abstract. Recently, we presented a steady-state analytical hillslope stability model to study rain-induced shallow landslides. This model is based on kinematic wave dynamics of saturated subsurface storage and the infinite slope stability assumption. Here we apply the model to investigate the effect of neglecting the unsaturated storage on the assessment of slope stability in the steady-state hydrology. For that purpose we extend the hydrological model to compute the soil pore pressure distribution over the entire flow domain. We also apply this model for hillslopes with non-constant soil depth to compare the stability of different hillslopes and to find the critical slip surface in hillslopes with different geometric characteristics. In order to do this, we incorporate more complex approaches to compute slope stability (Janbu's non-circular method and Bishop's simplified method) in the steady-state analytical hillslope stability model. We compare the safety factor (FS) derived from the infinite slope stability method and the more complex approach for two cases: with and without the soil moisture profile in the unsaturated zone. We apply this extended hillslope stability model to nine characteristic hillslope types with three different profile curvatures (concave, straight, convex) and three different plan shapes (convergent, parallel, divergent). Overall, we find that unsaturated zone storage does not play a critical role in determining the factor of safety for shallow and deep landslides. As a result, the effect of the unsaturated zone storage on slope stability can be neglected in the steady-state hydrology and one can assume the same bulk specific weight below and above the water table. We find that steep slopes with concave profile and convergent plan shape have the least stability. We also demonstrate that in hillslopes with non-constant soil depth (possible deep landslides), the ones with convex profiles and convergent plan shapes have slip surfaces with the minimum safety factor near the outlet region. In general, when plan shape changes from divergent to convergent, stability decreases for all length profiles. Finally, we show that the applied slope stability methods and steady-state hydrology model based on the relative saturated storage can be used safely to investigate the relation between hillslope geometry and hillslope stability.

Low‐dimensional modeling of hillslope subsurface flow: Relationship between rainfall, recharge, and unsaturated storage dynamics

We present a coupling between the one‐dimensional Richards equation for vertical unsaturated flow and the one‐dimensional hillslope‐storage Boussinesq equation (HSB) for lateral saturated flow along complex hillslopes. Here the capillary fringe is included in the flow domain as an integral part of the Boussinesq aquifer. The coupling allows quantitative investigation of the role of unsaturated storage in the relationship between rainfall and recharge. The coupled model (HSB coupled) is compared to the original HSB model (HSB original) and a three‐dimensional Richards equation (RE) based model (taken to be the benchmark) on a set of seven synthetic hillslopes, ranging from convergent to divergent. Using HSB original, the water tables are overestimated and the outflow rates are generally underestimated, and there is no delay between rainfall and recharge. The coupled model, however, shows a remarkably good match with the RE model in terms of outflow rates, and the delay between rainfall and recharge is captured well. We also see a clear improvement in the match to the water tables, even though the values are still overestimated for some hillslope shapes, in particular the convergent slopes. We show that for the hillslope configurations and scenarios examined in this paper it is possible to reproduce hydrographs and water table dynamics with a good degree of accuracy using a low‐dimensional hydrological model.

Impact of storage coefficient on numerical modelling of trench drainage

The present paper deals with the numerical modelling of trench drainage in variably saturated porous media. In particular, the effect of the unsaturated storage coefficient form on the rate of transient seepage into the trench is investigated. Several numerical analyses are performed for two different soil types. The numerical results derived using a pressure head-dependent storage coefficient, are compared to those derived using constant storage coefficients. It is shown that simplifying assumptions using constant storage coefficients may predict too fast drainage rates.

Simulating interactions between saturated and unsaturated storage in a conceptual runoff model

AbstractThere is an increasing demand for modelling the fluxes of chemical constituents at the catchment scale. Conceptual runoff models provide a basis for such modelling tasks provided that they capture the essential hydrological processes. However, most conceptual models do not fully address interactions between unsaturated and saturated storage. This can lead to unrealistic simulations for watersheds with shallow groundwater, where a large part of the soil volume can contribute to both the unsaturated and the saturated storage, depending on groundwater levels. Adding a small amount of water to the saturated storage will cause a significant amount of water stored in the unsaturated zone to change its status to ‘saturated’. The maximum volume of the unsaturated storage also decreases with rising groundwater levels, i.e. increasing saturated storage. In this study, a new model concept was proposed in which special emphasis was put on the interaction between saturated and unsaturated storage. The total storage was divided into two compartments, representing saturated and unsaturated storage, with a boundary moving up and down in response to the water budget of the compartments. Groundwater dynamics show a distinct pattern along the hillslope studied. Groundwater levels in an area close to the stream had dynamics similar to runoff, whereas levels further upslope responded to rainfall with a delay. To represent these differences in the model, the hillslope was subdivided into a riparian and an upslope reservoir. The performance of the new model was compared with that of simpler model variants without spatial differentiation and with or without the new formulation allowing for interactions between unsaturated and saturated storage. The new model approach provided the best results for simulating both runoff and groundwater dynamics. The subdivision of the hillslope accounted for most of the performance increase. To test the model structure further, 18O concentrations in the stream were simulated and compared with measured values. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The long-term inflow analysis of multipurpose reservoirs by the SEAMOD

The SEAMOD(SEAsonal MODel) is presented to analyze long-term inflow after construction of multipurpose reservoirs in this study. The SEAMOD configuration comprises of three storages; surface storage, unsaturated soil storage, and saturated soil storage. These storages are linked by five processes; surface runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration, deep percolation, and groundwater flow. The main data for SEAMOD are precipitation, pan evaporation, and historical inflow data necessary for comparing with the simulated inflow data. The SEAMOD is applied to Andong, Hapcheon, Namgang, and Daecheong reservoirs in South Korea. And, the application of SEAMOD is divided into two parts; model calibration and model verification. In the process of a model calibration, seven parameters, two for surface runoff, two for infiltration, and one for each of the rest of the processes, are estimated by using the Rosenbrock Algorithm. In the process of a model verification, the SEAMOD is proved to be suitable and efficient by comparing historical hydrographs with verified hydrographs and by the results of objective functions. And, the MRAM(Multiple Regression Analysis Model), one of statistical models, is applied to compare with the SEAMOD. The results of SEAMOD are slightly better than those of MRAM in this study Therefore, it is possible to predict the inflow in the multipurpose reservoirs and can apply the SEAMOD to the ungaged watersheds which have hydrologic characteristics of homogeneity.