Analysis of low flows and selected methods for estimating low-flow characteristics at partial-record and ungaged stream sites in western Washington

Curran, Christopher A.; Eng, Ken; Konrad, Christopher P.

doi:10.3133/sir20125078

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(28 reference statements)

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“…Hydrologic theory generally holds that smaller, steeper basins with high drainage density will have a flashier hydrograph and faster recession (Curran et al 2012). Although some studies have found positive correlations between basin slope or flow 15 path gradient and baseflow (Sánchez-Murillo et al 2014, Tetzlaff et al 2009), these correlations appear to be a result of drastic differences in lithology, with steeper basins having greater water-holding capacity due to different rock or soil types than flatter basins.…”

Section: Basin Characteristics and Baseflows 20mentioning

confidence: 82%

Spatial and Temporal Variability in Baseflow in the Mattole River Headwaters, California, USA

Queener¹,

Stubblefield

2016

Preprint

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Abstract.Increases in human population, water use, and climate change have the potential to increase water stress and scarcity particularly in ecosystems with pronounced seasonality in precipitation, yet our understanding of the landscape features that control baseflows remains limited. Repeated synoptic measurements of streamflow in small streams (basin area 10 . Unit-area yields varied widely, and this variation increased as flows declined at most sites. In nested basins, downstream declines in both discharge and unit-area yield were common. Basins with greater summer flow and a slower baseflow 15 recession had steeper slopes, higher elevations, less flat ground and narrower valleys, more dissected and strongly convergent topography, and more precipitation. The difference in water yield among basins was much greater than the difference in precipitation, likely resulting from varying basin water inputs, storage capacity, and routing. The positive correlation between basin steepness and flow is attributable to the thickness of the weathered bedrock layer in water storage, and more rapid bedrock weathering in steeper basins with higher rates of uplift resulting in greater basin storage capacity. 20Results show that basins in a small geographic area (<85 km 2 ) and with fairly similar geology, vegetation, and topography may generate widely differing baseflow. Streams with naturally low baseflows are particularly susceptible to water diversion. Low-gradient streams essential for coho salmon rearing may be particularly susceptible to climate change or water diversions that reduce streamflow. 25

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Section: Basin Characteristics and Baseflows 20mentioning

confidence: 82%

Spatial and Temporal Variability in Baseflow in the Mattole River Headwaters, California, USA

Queener¹,

Stubblefield

2016

Preprint

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“…For example, the variable infiltration capacity model applied to the Pacific Northwest in the United States had an median at‐site Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency of −4.39 for annual 7‐day low flows in 55 river primarily as a result of at‐site bias rather than stochastic error (Wenger et al, ). Groundwater discharge, in particular, can be very localized in river networks (Konrad, ), which complicates the following: (a) the parameterization of process‐based models, (b) the identification of basin characteristics that account for low‐flow variation in statistical models, and (c) the assignment of ungauged sites to regions or index stations in large, heterogeneous landscapes (Curran et al, ; Dodangeh, Soltani, Sarhadi, & Shiau, ; Ehsanzadeh & Adamowski, ; Laaha & Blӧschl, ; Nicolle et al, ; Yuan, ). Bias in time‐series modelling related to baseflow can be indicated by a single streamflow measurement at ungauged sites, providing an efficient means to improve the spatial resolution of low flows in region process models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Annual and seasonal minimum streamflows are important benchmarks for managing in‐stream and out‐stream water uses in river basins (Kakouei, Kiesel, Kail, Pusch, & Jähnig, ; Olden et al, ; Petts, ; Richter, Baumgartner, Wigington, & Braun, ). Gross differentiation of streams with low (or no) baseflow from those with high baseflow remains a key problem for regional low‐flow estimation using either statistical or process models (Curran, Eng, & Konrad, ; Eng, Kiang, Chen, Carlisle, & Granato, ; Laaha et al, ; Laaha & Blӧschl, ; Wenger, Luce, Hamlet, Isaak, & Neville, ). Although regional models can reliably estimate flood magnitudes and mean streamflow, they typically have large relative errors for low flows (Castiglioni, Castellarin, & Montanari, ; Demirel, Booij, & Hoekstra, ; Laaha, Skøien, & Blӧschl, ; Nicolle et al, ; Pfannerstill, Guse, & Fohrer, ; Salinas et al, ; Staudinger, Stahl, Seibert, Clark, & Tallaksen, ; Tian, Booij, & Xu, ; Wenger et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating minimum streamflow from measurements at ungauged sites in regions with streamflow‐gauging networks

Konrad

Rumsey

2019

Hydrological Processes

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Estimation of low flows in rivers continues to be a vexing problem despite advances in statistical and process‐based hydrological models. We develop a method to estimate minimum streamflow at seasonal to annual timescales from measured streamflow based on regional similarity in the deviations of daily streamflow from minimum streamflow for a period of interest. The method is applied to 1,019 gauged sites in the Western United States for June to December 2015. The gauges were clustered into six regions with distinct timing and magnitude of low flows. A gamma distribution was fit each day to the deviations in specific discharge (daily streamflow divided by drainage area) from minimum specific discharge for gauges in each region. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test identified days when the gamma distribution was adequate to represent the distribution of deviations in a region. The performance of the gamma distribution was evaluated at gauges by comparing daily estimates of minimum streamflow with estimates from area‐based regression relations for minimum streamflow. Each region had at least 8 days during the period when streamflow measurements would provide better estimates than the regional regression equation, but the number of such days varied by region depending on aridity and homogeneity of streamflow within the region. Synoptic streamflow measurements at ungauged sites have value for estimating minimum streamflow and improving the spatial resolution of hydrological model in regions with streamflow‐gauging networks.

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“…Several researchers (e.g., Hisdal et al 2004;Jowett and Biggs 2006;Bradford and Heinonen 2008;Thomas et al 2019) have highlighted increased stress on aquatic, riparian, and hyporheic ecosystems during low flow due to decreased water availability and habitat quality. During these intervals, low flows help maintain longitudinal connectivity in the stream (Curran et al 2012). Changes in flow and groundwater levels due to precipitation and seasonal factors have ecological impacts on stream communities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low Flow Trends in Texas Stream Segments Serving Unique Hydrologic Functions

2023

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In recognition of the unique hydrologic functions they serve, certain stream segments in Texas have been designated as ecologically significant. In this study, we evaluated low flow trends in seven hydrologically unique stream segments spanning three climatic divisions in Texas from 1970 to 2019. Despite increasing mean annual temperatures, there are no trends in low flows or other hydrologic variables in the East Fork of the San Jacinto River in the Upper Coast climatic division, likely due to local moisture surplus effects from the Gulf of Mexico. In the Edwards Plateau climatic division, annual low flows and annual baseflows are decreasing in the South Fork of the Guadalupe River, the Sabinal River and the Frio River. While increasing mean annual temperatures appear to have a role in the drying of all three of these stream segments, increasing annual potential evapotranspiration may be an additional driver in the Sabinal and Frio Rivers. Analysis of the Standardized Streamflow Index indicates that all seven stream segments experienced their worst streamflow droughts in the 2010s. As such, the watersheds draining to the gages on these stream segments have minimal anthropogenic impacts, suggesting the influence of climate on the observed stream drying.

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Analysis of low flows and selected methods for estimating low-flow characteristics at partial-record and ungaged stream sites in western Washington

Abstract: Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). Elevation, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum.

Cited by 9 publications

References 18 publications

Spatial and Temporal Variability in Baseflow in the Mattole River Headwaters, California, USA

Spatial and Temporal Variability in Baseflow in the Mattole River Headwaters, California, USA

Estimating minimum streamflow from measurements at ungauged sites in regions with streamflow‐gauging networks

Low Flow Trends in Texas Stream Segments Serving Unique Hydrologic Functions

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