Use of unit‐source watersheds for hydrologic investigations in the semiarid Southwest

Kincaid, David R.; Osborn, Herbert B.; Gardner, J. L.

doi:10.1029/wr002i003p00381

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 3 publications

(1 reference statement)

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“…They detected a 415% increase in the mesquite (i.e., shrub) and a 15% decrease in grass cover from 1973 to 1986. Kincaid et al [1966] noted that lower intensities of precipitation are required to produce runoff in the shrub‐covered subwatersheds of the WGEW than in the grass‐covered subwatersheds but in either cover type, runoff was far more dominated by rainfall characteristics. If mesquite behaves more like the common desert shrubs on the WGEW in terms of its partitioning of precipitation into runoff, this would imply an increase in runoff as vegetation changes from grass to mesquite.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Event to multidecadal persistence in rainfall and runoff in southeast Arizona

Goodrich

Unkrich

Keefer

et al. 2008

Water Resources Research

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[1] Spatial and temporal rainfall variability over watersheds directly impacts the hydrologic response over virtually all watershed scales. Changes in the precipitation regime over decades due to some combination of inherent local variability and climate change may contribute to changes in vegetation, water supply, and, over longer timescales, landscape evolution. Daily, seasonal, and annual precipitation volumes and intensities from the dense network of rain gauges on the Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW) in southeast Arizona are evaluated for multidecadal trends in amount and intensity over a range of watershed scales (1.5 ha to 149 km 2 ) using observations from 1956 to 2006. Rainfall and runoff volume and rate variability are compared over the same spatial scales over a 40 year period . The major findings of this study are that spatial variability of cumulative precipitation decreases exponentially with time, and, on average, became spatially uniform after 20 years of precipitation accumulation. The spatial variability of high-intensity, runoff-producing precipitation also decreased exponentially, but the variability was still well above the measurement error after 51 years. There were no significant temporal trends in basin scale precipitation. A long-term decrease in runoff from 1966 to 1998 from ephemeral tributaries like the WGEW may be a critical factor in decreasing summer flows in the larger San Pedro due to changes in higher-intensity, runoff-producing rainfall.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Event to multidecadal persistence in rainfall and runoff in southeast Arizona

Goodrich

Unkrich

Keefer

et al. 2008

Water Resources Research

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“…Early research focused on describing hydrograph characteristics and the relationship between rainfall and runoff at a range of scales. For the small watersheds, Kincaid et al [1966] found that the decrease in runoff per unit area was valid from the plot to small watershed scale and that runoff was more dependent on rainfall characteristics than grass or shrub cover. Osborn and Lane [1969] quantified relationships between rainfall and runoff characteristics, finding that runoff rates and amounts were correlated with rainfall intensity and depth but that the amount of antecedent rainfall accounted for only 8% of the variation in observed runoff.…”

Section: Examples Of Data Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term runoff database, Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona, United States

Stone

Nichols

Goodrich

et al. 2008

Water Resources Research

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Runoff measurement at the semiarid Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed began in the middle 1950s with five critical depth flumes. Since that time, the measurement network has evolved to include measurement structures on 11 large watersheds (2.27–149 km2), 8 medium watersheds (0.35–1.60 km2), and 11 small watersheds (0.0018–0.59 km2). The ephemeral nature of runoff, high‐flow velocities, and high‐sediment concentrations in the flow led to the development of the Walnut Gulch supercritical flume used on the large watersheds and the Smith supercritical flume used on the small watersheds. The period of record considered good to excellent ranges from 26 to 47 years. In 1999, the original analog recording systems were augmented with digital recorders. Runoff occurs at Walnut Gulch primarily as a result of convective thunderstorms during the months of July through September. Runoff volume and flow duration are correlated with drainage area as a result of the limited areal extent of runoff producing rainfall and transmission losses or infiltration of the flood wave into the channel alluvium. Runoff records including hydrographs and summary data are available in several formats via a Web interface at http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/dap/.

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“…Without having an exact replica from one paired sub-watershed to the next, the direct comparison from one to another is full of potential error due to even the slightest differences in size, elevation, soil type, geology, vegetation, rainfall, topography, geomorphology and so on. However, the influence of land management on water supplies has been successfully documented using the paired-watershed approach and, hence, contributes to our understanding of the hydrologic cycle and the effects of management on it (Kincaid et al, 1966;Hornbeck, 1973;Bosch and Hewlett, 1982;Beschta et al, 2000;Ziemer and Ryan, 2000;Huang et al, 2003;Veum et al, 2009). Another limitation of the study is the lack of long-term monitoring (Wilm, 1949), especially in the case of wintertime rainfall, which is typically lower intensity, produces less runoff, and, due to its less erratic patterns, is presumably less sensitive to changes in infiltration (Kennedy et al, 2013).…”

Section: Limitations To Our Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrologic Response of Streams Restored with Check Dams in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

et al. 2015

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In this study, hydrological processes are evaluated to determine impacts of stream restoration in the West Turkey Creek, Chiricahua Mountains, southeast Arizona, during a summer-monsoon season (June-October of 2013). A paired-watershed approach was used to analyze the effectiveness of check dams to mitigate high flows and impact long-term maintenance of hydrologic function. One watershed had been extensively altered by the installation of numerous small check dams over the past 30 years, and the other was untreated (control). We modified and installed a new stream-gauging mechanism developed for remote areas, to compare the water balance and calculate rainfall-runoff ratios. Results show that even 30 years after installation, most of the check dams were still functional. The watershed treated with check dams has a lower runoff response to precipitation compared with the untreated, most notably in measurements of peak flow. Concerns that downstream flows would be reduced in the treated watershed, due to storage of water behind upstream check dams, were not realized; instead, flow volumes were actually higher overall in the treated stream, even though peak flows were dampened. We surmise that check dams are a useful management tool for reducing flow velocities associated with erosion and degradation and posit they can increase baseflow in aridlands.

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Use of unit‐source watersheds for hydrologic investigations in the semiarid Southwest

Cited by 21 publications

References 3 publications

Event to multidecadal persistence in rainfall and runoff in southeast Arizona

Event to multidecadal persistence in rainfall and runoff in southeast Arizona

Long‐term runoff database, Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona, United States

Hydrologic Response of Streams Restored with Check Dams in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

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