Quantifying suspended sediment flux in a mixed-land-use urbanizing watershed using a nested-scale study design

Zeiger, Sean J.; Hubbart, Jason A.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.10.096

Cited by 32 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…However, the greatest differences in the water balance components were in the amount of total stream flow that was the base flow as shown in Figure 5. For example, the SWAT model simulated BFI's ranged from 11% to 48% while the observed BFI was 25% for the study catchment [36]. BFI was overestimated when the MAP methods overestimated the annual total precipitation (GPI_2, LPI_2, PRISM, and NEXRAD).…”

Section: Calibrated Model Performancementioning

confidence: 91%

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An Assessment of Mean Areal Precipitation Methods on Simulated Stream Flow: A SWAT Model Performance Assessment

Zeiger

Hubbart

2017

Water

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Accurate mean areal precipitation (MAP) estimates are essential input forcings for hydrologic models. However, the selection of the most accurate method to estimate MAP can be daunting because there are numerous methods to choose from (e.g., proximate gauge, direct weighted average, surface-fitting, and remotely sensed methods). Multiple methods (n = 19) were used to estimate MAP with precipitation data from 11 distributed monitoring sites, and 4 remotely sensed data sets. Each method was validated against the hydrologic model simulated stream flow using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). SWAT was validated using a split-site method and the observed stream flow data from five nested-scale gauging sites in a mixed-land-use watershed of the central USA. Cross-validation results showed the error associated with surface-fitting and remotely sensed methods ranging from −4.5% to −5.1%, and −9.8% to −14.7%, respectively. Split-site validation results showed the percent bias (PBIAS) values that ranged from −4.5% to −160%. Second order polynomial functions especially overestimated precipitation and subsequent stream flow simulations (PBIAS = −160) in the headwaters. The results indicated that using an inverse-distance weighted, linear polynomial interpolation or multiquadric function method to estimate MAP may improve SWAT model simulations. Collectively, the results highlight the importance of spatially distributed observed hydroclimate data for precipitation and subsequent steam flow estimations. The MAP methods demonstrated in the current work can be used to reduce hydrologic model uncertainty caused by watershed physiographic differences.

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Section: Calibrated Model Performancementioning

confidence: 91%

“…The stage was measured at each Hinkson Creek gauging site using Sutron Accubar ® constant flow bubblers with an accuracy of 0.02% at 0-7.6 m to 0.05% at 7.6-15.4 m [35][36][37][38]. Precipitation and stage data were stored on Campbell Scientific CR-1000 data loggers.…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Assessment of Mean Areal Precipitation Methods on Simulated Stream Flow: A SWAT Model Performance Assessment

Zeiger

Hubbart

2017

Water

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“…These differences are especially marked in catchments with variable erosion rates due to mixed land use (e.g. urban, agriculture, grassland and woodland) or a heterogeneous topography and lithology (Zeiger and Hubbart, 2016). Furthermore, a single point in the river is often characterized by a changing sediment regime over multiple timescales caused by variations in the sediment and/or water supply over time resulting in a sediment deficit or surplus.…”

Section: Conclusion: Spatiotemporal Complexity Of Ss Transportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suspended sediment transport dynamics in rivers: Multi-scale drivers of temporal variation

Vercruysse

Grabowski

Rickson

2017

Earth-Science Reviews

328

181

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Suspended sediment is a natural part of river systems and plays an essential role in structuring the landscape, creating ecological habitats and transporting nutrients. It is also a common management problem, where alterations to sediment quantity and quality negatively impact ecological communities, increase flood hazard and shorten the lifespan of infrastructure. To address these challenges and develop appropriate sustainable management strategies, we need a thorough understanding of sediment sources, pathways and transport dynamics and the drivers that underlie spatial and temporal variability in suspended sediment transport in rivers. However, research to date has not sufficiently addressed the temporal complexity of sediment transport processes, which is limiting our ability to disentangle the hydro-meteorological, catchment, channel and anthropogenic drivers of suspended sediment transport in rivers. This review critically evaluates previously published work on suspended sediment dynamics to demonstrate how the interpretation of sediment sources and pathways is influenced by the temporal scale and methodology of the study. To do this, the review (i) summarizes the main drivers of temporal variation in suspended sediment transport in rivers; (ii) critically reviews the common empirical approaches used to analyze and quantify sediment sources and loads, and their capacity to account for temporal variations; (iii) applies these findings to recent case studies to illustrate how method and timescale affect the interpretation of suspended sediment transport dynamics; and finally (iv) synthesizes the findings of the review into a set of guidelines for a multi-timescale approach to sediment regime characterization. By recognizing a priori that study design and temporal scale have an impact on the interpretation of SS dynamics and employing methods that address these issues, future research will be better able to identify the drivers of suspended sediment transport in rivers, improve sediment transport modelling, and propose effective, sustainable solutions to sediment management problems.

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“…The variability of hydrologic conditions during the study period afforded the opportunity to investigate stream physiochemical regime under a wide range of environmental conditions [43]. For additional information regarding constituent transport and streamflow dynamics in HCW during the study period, please see Zeiger and Hubbart [24] and Kellner and Hubbart [46], respectively.…”

Section: Hydroclimate During Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The nested-scale experimental watershed study design has been demonstrated an effective approach for quantitatively characterizing hydrologic and water quality perturbations in mixed-land-use watersheds [4,[22][23][24]. Nested watershed study designs partition a series of sub-basins inside a larger watershed to study environmental variables.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing Understanding of the Surface Water Quality Regime of Contemporary Mixed-Land-Use Watersheds: An Application of the Experimental Watershed Method

Kellner

Hubbart

2017

Hydrology

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A representative watershed was instrumented with five gauging sites (n = 5), partitioning the catchment into five nested-scale sub-watersheds. Four physiochemical variables were monitored: water temperature, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), and dissolved oxygen (DO). Data were collected four days per week from October 2010-May 2014 at each gauging site. Statistical analyses indicated significant differences (p < 0.05) between nearly every monitoring site pairing for each physiochemical variable. The water temperature regime displayed a threshold/step-change condition, with an upshifted and more variable regime attributable to the impacts of urban land uses. TDS, pH, and DO displayed similar spatiotemporal trends, with increasing median concentrations from site #1 (agriculture) to #3 (mixed-use urban) and decreasing median concentrations from site #3 to #5 (suburban). Decreasing concentrations and increasing streamflow volume with stream distance, suggest the contribution of dilution processes to the physiochemical regime of the creek below urban site #3. DO concentrations exceeded water quality standards on an average of 31% of observation days. Results showed seasonal trends for each physiochemical parameter, with higher TDS, pH, and DO during the cold season (November-April) relative to the warm season (May-October). Multivariate modeling results emphasize the importance of the pH/DO relationship in these systems, and demonstrate the potential utility of a simple two factor model (water temperature and pH) in accurately predicting DO. Collectively, results highlight the interacting influences of natural (autotrophic photosynthesis, organic detritus loading) and anthropogenic (road salt application) factors on the physiochemical regime of mixed-land-use watersheds.

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Quantifying suspended sediment flux in a mixed-land-use urbanizing watershed using a nested-scale study design

Cited by 32 publications

References 32 publications

An Assessment of Mean Areal Precipitation Methods on Simulated Stream Flow: A SWAT Model Performance Assessment

An Assessment of Mean Areal Precipitation Methods on Simulated Stream Flow: A SWAT Model Performance Assessment

Suspended sediment transport dynamics in rivers: Multi-scale drivers of temporal variation

Advancing Understanding of the Surface Water Quality Regime of Contemporary Mixed-Land-Use Watersheds: An Application of the Experimental Watershed Method

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