The Sacramento soil moisture-accounting model has been used to simulate the discharges of a major catchment (Pra river basin) in southern Ghana. Through the simulation it was possible to assess the temporal variability of evapotranspiratio, base flow proportions and groundwater in storage, as well as the average groundwater recharge to the weathered aquifers. Groundwater recharge was estimated by considering the measured discharge of groundwater across the boundary of the basin over periods of equivalent storage, to be equal to the net recharge inside the catchment. The direct groundwater recharge rate over the basin of area 22,836 km2 amounted to an annual average of 50 mm. This represented 4 % of mean annual rainfall of 1300 mm, giving natural groundwater resources potential of 1.6 l s-1 km-2. For regional groundwater resources assessment, the results obtained could be applied to other river basins in southwest Ghana. and Použitím SAC-SMA modelu byly simulovány odtoky z povodí řeky Pra v jižní části Ghany. Tímto bylo možno odhadnout časové tměny evapotranspirace, podzemního odtoku a zásoby podzemní vody, i průměrné doplňování podzemní vody do zvětralé zóny hydrogeologických kolektorů. Doplňování podzemní vody bylo stanoveno s uvážením měřených odtoků podzemní vody přes hranice povodí tak, aby se v obdobích stejné zásoby rovnaly výslednému doplňování uvnitř infiltrační oblasti. Roční průměr přirozeného doplňování podzemní vody v povodí s plochou 22 836 km2 činilo 50 mm. To odpovídá 4 % ročního průměru srážky (1300 mm) a 1,61 s-1 km-2 specifického odtoku podzemní vody. Dosažené výsledky mohou být aplikovány na další povodí v jihozápadní Ghaně pro regionální odhad zásoby podzemní vody.
Real time prediction of return periods of flood events that might occur in the course of anticipated dangerous meteorological situations at a catchment could be useful as additional information for decision makers involved in flood warning. Such a method is proposed in the paper for the Torysa basin in the western part of East Slovakia for rainfall-induced floods. A conceptual rainfall-runoff model with a daily time step was adopted for modelling of the runoff. The study of the relationship between the modelled basin’s soil moisture index at the beginning of the annual maximum floods and the flood-causing precipitation totals showed no dependence between these two quantities. Based on that finding, several scenarios involving the independent joint occurrence of synthetic extreme precipitation and antecedent basin saturation indexes were constructed. Using event-based flood simulations, synthetic flood waves were generated for these scenarios with the rainfall-runoff model. The relationships between the return periods of the synthetic precipitation and the return periods of the simulated floods were analysed, and the effect of antecedent basin saturation index on the extremity of the floods was quantified. Critical values of the basin saturation index leading to floods with higher return periods than the return period of flood-causing precipitation were suggested. A simple method of implementing such critical values into real time flood risk warnings in a hydrological forecasting and warning system in the Torysa basin was outlined. and Predpovedanie N-ročnosti povodní v reálnom čase pri výskyte kritických meteorologických situácií na povodiach je dôležité ako dodatočná informácia z hľadiska rozhodovacieho procesu v protipovodňovom varovnom systéme a následných opatreniach na povodiach. Táto štúdia bola preto zameraná na posudzovanie vzájomného pôsobenia extrémnych príčinných tekutých zrážok a rôznych stavov predchádzajúceho nasýtenia na pilotnom povodí Torysy po Prešov. Pre modelovanie odtoku na povodí bol použitý koncepčný zrážkovo-odtokový model s denným krokom. Pri výbere počiatočných podmienok vzniku povodní sme posudzovali rôzne stavy nasýtenia povodia pred vznikom najväčších ročných povodní, ktoré sa vyskytli na uvedenom povodí v minulosti. Na základe kombinácií modelových extrémnych príčinných zrážok s rôznymi stavmi predchádzajúceho nasýtenia povodia sme hydrologickým modelovaním simulovali odtok z povodia. Analyzoval sa vzťah medzi dobou opakovania modelových zrážok a simulovaných povodní a následne sa kvantifikoval vplyv predchádzajúceho nasýtenia povodia na extremitu odtoku. Určili sa kritické hodnoty nasýtenia povodia, kedy doba opakovania povodní prevyšuje hodnotu doby opakovania príčinných zrážok. Záverom bola navrhnutá jednoduchá metóda implementácie týchto kritických hodnôt pri predpovedaní povodní v reálnom čase na povodí Torysy.
A large single-ring infiltrometer test was performed in order to characterize the saturated hydraulic conductivity
below an infiltration basin in the well field of Lyon (France). Two kinds of data are recorded during the experiment:
the volume of water infiltrated over time and the extension of the moisture stain around the ring. Then numerical
analysis was performed to determine the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil by calibration.
Considering an isotropic hydraulic conductivity, the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the alluvial deposits is estimated
at 3.8 10–6 m s–1. However, with this assumption, we are not able to represent accurately the extension of the moisture
stain around the ring. When anisotropy of hydraulic conductivity is introduced, experimental data and simulation results
are in good agreement, both for the volume of water infiltrated over time and the extension of the moisture stain.
The vertical saturated hydraulic conductivity in the anisotropic configuration is 4.75 times smaller than in the isotropic
configuration (8.0 10–7 m s–1), and the horizontal saturated hydraulic conductivity is 125 times higher than the vertical
saturated hydraulic conductivity (1.0 10–4 m s–1).
An estimation procedure for suspended sediment concentrations based on the intensity of backscattered sound of acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) is introduced in this paper. Based on detailed moving and fixed boat ADCP measurements with concurrent sediment sampling, we have successfully calibrated the estimation method for a reach of River Danube in Hungary, characterized by significant suspended sediment transport. The effect of measurement uncertainty and various data filtering on sediment load determination is also analyzed and quantified. Some of the physical model parameters describing the propagation of sound in water are estimated based on known empirical formulas, while other parameters are derived from measured. Regression analysis is used to obtain a relationship between the intensity of backscattered sound and sediment concentrations. The empirical relationship has been then used to estimate the suspended sediment concentrations from the ADCP data collected in fixed and moving boat measurement operation mode, along verticals and path-lines, respectively. We show that while some measurement uncertainty is inherent to the acoustic Doppler principle, it is further enhanced by the complexity of the near-bottom sediment-laden flow. This uncertainty has then a significant effect on the local sediment load estimation. In turn, reasonable smoothing of raw velocity and backscatter intensity data shows insignificant impact on cross-sectional sediment load estimation.
Tree transpiration plays a determining role in the water balance of forest stands and in seepage water yields from forested catchments, especially in arid and semiarid regions where climatic conditions are dry with severe water shortage, forestry development is limited by water availability. To clarify the response of water use to climatic conditions, sap flow was monitored by heat pulse velocity method from May to September, 2014, in a 40–year–old Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. plantation forest stands in the semiarid Loess Plateau region of Northwest China. We extrapolated the measurements of water use by individual plants to determine the area–averaged transpiration of the woodlands. The method used for the extrapolation assumes that the transpiration of a tree was proportional to its sapwood area. Stand transpiration was mainly controlled by photosynthetically active radiation and vapor pressure deficit, whereas soil moisture had more influence on monthly change in stand transpiration. The mean sap flow rates for individual P. tabulaeformis trees ranged from 9 to 54 L d−1. During the study period, the mean daily stand transpiration was 1.9 mm day–1 (maximum 2.9 and minimum 0.8 mm day–1) and total stand transpiration from May to September was 294.1 mm, representing 76% of the incoming precipitation over this period. Similar results were found when comparing transpiration estimated with sap flow measurements to the Penman–Monteith method (relative error: 16%), indicating that the scaling procedure can be used to provide reliable estimates of stand transpiration. These results suggested that P. tabulaeformis is highly effective at utilizing scarce water resources in semiarid environments.