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.
The paper demonstrates that the wind stress curl as an external vorticity source plays an important role in shaping large scale shallow lake circulations. The analysis of purpose-oriented simultaneous wind and current measurements data from the Hungarian part of Lake Neusiedl reasonably fits well the internal boundary layer development theory over the lake surface. A 2-D vorticity formulation of wind-induced flows is used to demonstrate mathematically the IBL-related large scale circulation generation mechanism well reflected in the measured data. Further validation of the findings is carried out by means of simple 2-D numerical flow modelling, in which details on the flow pattern besides the measurement sites could be also revealed. Wind-induced lake circulations linked to IBL development shows a novelty to be implemented in up-to-date numerical flow models.
Mean annual recharge in the Danube-Tisza sand plateau region of Hungary over the 2000-2008 period was estimated at a 1-km spatial resolution as the difference of mean annual precipitation (P) and evapotranspiration (ET). The ET rates were derived from linear transformations of the MODIS daytime land surface temperature (Ts) values with the help of ancillary atmospheric data (air temperature, humidity, and sunshine duration). The groundwater under the sand plateau receives about 75 ± 50 mm of recharge annually (the plus/minus value is the associated error, resulting from an assumed 5% error in both the P and ET values), which is about 14 ± 9 % of the regional mean annual P value of 550 mm. The largest continuous region with elevated recharge rates (about 180 ± 50 mm a-1 or 30 ± 8 % of P) occur in the south-western part of the plateau due to more abundant precipitation (around 580 mm a-1), while recharge is the smallest (about 40 ± 40 mm a-1 or 7 ± 7 % of P) under forested areas. Typically, lakes, wetlands, river valleys, and certain afforested areas in the north-central part of the region act as discharge areas for groundwater. and Priemerný ročný úhrn doplňovania podzemných vôd plošiny zloženej z pieskov medzi riekami Dunaj a Tisa s rozlíšením 1 km, pre roky 2000-2008 bol určený ako rozdiel medzi priemerným ročným úhrnom zrážok (P) a evapotranspiráciou (ET). ET bolo určené z lineárnej transformácie teploty povrchu počas dňa (Ts) získanej systémom MODIS pomocou údajov o vlastnostiach atmosféry (teplota vzduchu, vlhkosť vzduchu a trvanie slnečného svitu). Podzemná voda pod pieskovým masívom dostáva ročne asi 75 ± 50 mm vody (znamienka plus/mínus znamenajú chybu, vyplývajúcu z predpokladanej 5% chyby hodnôt P a ET), ktorá je asi 14 ± 9 % regionálnej priemernej ročnej hodnoty P, ktorá je 550 mm. Najväčšia spojitá oblasť so zvýšeným doplňovaním podzemnej vody (približne 180 ± 50 mm za rok alebo 30 ± 8 % P) sa nachádza v juhozápadnej časti plató a je dôsledkom vyššieho ročného úhrnu zrážok (okolo 580 mm), doplňovanie je nižšie v zalesnených oblastiach (okolo 40 ± 40 mm, alebo 7 ± 7 % P). Jazerá, mokrade, rieky a niektoré zalesnené oblasti v strednej a severnej časti tejto oblasti drénujú podzemné vody.