DOCSLIB.ORG

River Hydrology, Morphology, and Dynamics in an Intensively Managed, Transient Landscape

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
River Hydrology, Morphology, and Dynamics in an Intensively Managed, Transient Landscape Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 5-2019 River Hydrology, Morphology, and Dynamics in an Intensively Managed, Transient Landscape Sara Ann Kelly Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons Recommended Citation Kelly, Sara Ann, "River Hydrology, Morphology, and Dynamics in an Intensively Managed, Transient Landscape" (2019). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 7479. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7479 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RIVER HYDROLOGY, MORPHOLOGY, AND DYNAMICS IN AN INTENSIVELY MANAGED, TRANSIENT LANDSCAPE by Sara Ann Kelly A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Watershed Science Approved: __________________________ __________________________ Patrick Belmont, Ph.D. Peter Wilcock, Ph.D. Major Professor Committee Member __________________________ __________________________ Efi Foufoula-Geogiou, Ph.D. Joseph Wheaton, Ph.D. Committee Member Committee Member __________________________ __________________________ Jiming Jin, Ph.D. Richard S. Inouye, Ph.D. Committee Member Vice Provost for Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2019 ii Copyright © Sara Ann Kelly 2019 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT River Hydrology, Morphology, and Dynamics in an Intensively Managed, Transient Landscape by Sara Ann Kelly, Doctor of Philosophy Utah State University, 2019 Major Professor: Dr. Patrick Belmont Department: Watershed Sciences Rivers sculpt Earth’s surface, and carry with them eroded and dissolved materials from the landscape. Deconvolving the fraction of material carried by rivers that is natural versus those that are caused by humans remains a challenging task for river science and management. Many rivers in the US and globally are impaired for excessive amounts of sediment, which limits the ecological integrity, recreation potential, and municipal, agricultural, and industrial water use. To inform water quality policy and management strategies, advances are needed to better understand factors influencing delivery of water and sediment to rivers, and the response of rivers to changes in those factors . Here, I study the Minnesota River Basin (MRB), where geologic history, land use, and recent streamflow increases have created rapidly adjusting and exceedingly muddy rivers. I answer three overarching questions: 1) have agricultural drainage practices contributed to streamflow increases in the upper Midwest?, 2) which flood events accomplish the most erosion in incising tributaries of the MRB?, and 3) where does most of the sediment come iv from and get transported to in the lower Minnesota River? Chapter 2 demonstrates that drainage practices are partly responsible for increasing streamflows in three intensively agricultural basins. Chapter 3 demonstrates that increased runoff in tributary basins has accelerated erosion of near-channel sources, such as bluffs. Further, I demonstrate that the 1.2 year return period floods cause the most erosion. Chapter 4 examines the downstream impacts of excessive sediment loading on the morphodynamics of the mainstem Minnesota River. I demonstrate that portions of the mainstem Minnesota River receiving excessive loading of coarse sediment from tributaries build broad alternate bars that create cross stream hydraulics favorable for meander migration and channel widening. Portions of the Minnesota River lacking significant bedload exhibit narrow bars that are less effective at driving meander migration and channel widening. The combined results suggest that agricultural drainage is increasing runoff, creating more erosive rivers, and recruiting material more readily from near-channel sources. These results support the notion that retention of agricultural drainage water would be an effective sediment reduction strategy. (242 pages) v PUBLIC ABSTRACT River Hydrology, Morphology, and Dynamics in an Intensively Managed, Transient Landscape Sara Ann Kelly Rivers create beautiful patterns and provide drinking water to millions. However an alarming number of rivers in the US and globally are threatened by excess sediment and nutrients. Agricultural rivers draining erodible soils are particularly vulnerable. Rivers of southern Minnesota provide a unique opportunity to study water and sediment dynamics in a naturally vulnerable system. Sediment reduction strategies are needed to ensure biological integrity and adequate water quality. Here, I address the questions: 1) have climate, land use practices, or both affected streamflows in Midwest agricultural rivers?, 2) which streamflows set the rate of river bluff erosion?, and 3) how do sediment supply and transport influence the form and behavior of the lower Minnesota River? Chapter 2 demonstrates, in three agricultural basins, that artificial drainage practices have decreased soil moisture, contributing to increases in streamflow. Chapter 3 quantifies river bluff erosion and identifies erosion by streamflows as the dominant erosion process. Erosion by common floods accomplishes the most cumulative bluff erosion. Bluff erosion contributes sediment to the Minnesota River. Chapter 4 shows how this coarse sediment influences the form and behavior of the Minnesota River. Therefore if flows were reduced, bluff erosion would slow, and the supply sediment to the Minnesota would slow, leading to less streambank erosion. Since streamflows have been increased by agricultural drainage practices, water retention solutions are needed to reduce high flows. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First I would like to thank my major advisor, Dr. Patrick Belmont for believing that a 22 year old would one day finish her PhD. Patrick was always my biggest fan and mentor during this journey; I still tell myself, “you got this Kelly!” Thanks to Patrick, I had several amazing opportunities during my PhD including traveling to Ireland to attend a scientific meeting and prepare for teaching. Patrick rarely said no to extracurricular workshops and conference presentations, where he encouraged and supported me to give oral talks to further my presentation skills. Thank you for the opportunity to practice. I would also like to thank my committee members and collaborators Efi Foufoula- Georgiou, Peter Wilcock, Joe Wheaton, Jiming Jin, Karen Gran, and Phil Larson. Efi and Karen, thank you for being strong female role models for me to look up to. Peter, thank you for always making yourself available to meet with me. Many, many thanks for the use of your secret office during my final weeks of writing. I would also like to thank the many undergraduate and graduate students who helped with fieldwork over the years, including: Shayler Levine, Jay Hemmis, Michael Souffront, Keeling Schaffrath, Adam Fisher, Bruce Call, Angus Vaughan, Devon Libby, and Zachary Hilgendorf. I would also like to thank post-doctoral fellows Karthik Kumarasamy and Brendan Murphy for appreciated insight and assistance over the years. Zeinab Takbiri co-authored chapter 2 with me and was a pleasure to work with. Finally I would like to thank my family. Mom and Jen, I know it wasn’t easy living with me while I worked on my PhD. Thanks for always being supportive. Mike and Dad, while I don’t see you often I know you’re always there for me. Corey, thank you for your support and friendship. vii The material in chapter 2 is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. EAR-1209402) under the Water Sustainability and Climate Program (WSC): REACH (REsilience under Accelerated CHange), and by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. 1147384. This research was supported by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, Utah State University, and approved as journal paper number 8938. The authors would like to thank Jon Czuba at Indiana University, and Karthik Kumarasamy, Eden Furtak-Cole, and Mitchell Donovan at Utah State University for their input. Thank you to Alexander Bryan at the Northeast Climate Science Center for generously providing evapotranspiration data from Bryan et al. 2015. Funding for AmeriFlux data resources was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The material in chapter 3 is based upon work supported by the Geological Society of America Graduate Student Research Grant, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (grant no. 1147384), the NSF Water Sustainability and Climate (WSC) – Category 2 grant (EAR- 1209445 ). Authors thank Peter Wilcock, Jack Schmidt, Joe Wheaton, and Jiming Jin, as well as current and former members of the Belmont Hydrology and Fine Sediment Laboratory for discussions. Two anonymous reviewers provided useful feedback. We thank Brendan Murphy for writing a Matlab script for point cloud rotation (Appendix B). Additional gratitude is extended to Se Jong Cho, St. Anthony Falls Research Laboratory; Stephanie Day, North Dakota State University; Karen Gran, University of Minnesota, Duluth; Philip Larson, Ben Von Korff, and many Geography Department undergraduate and graduate students, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Andy Wickert University of Minnesota, Minneapolis;
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Estimation of the Base Flow Recession Constant Under Human Interference Brian F
    WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, VOL. 49, 7366–7379, doi:10.1002/wrcr.20532, 2013 Estimation of the base flow recession constant under human interference Brian F. Thomas,1 Richard M. Vogel,2 Charles N. Kroll,3 and James S. Famiglietti1,4,5 Received 28 January 2013; revised 27 August 2013; accepted 13 September 2013; published 15 November 2013. [1] The base flow recession constant, Kb, is used to characterize the interaction of groundwater and surface water systems. Estimation of Kb is critical in many studies including rainfall-runoff modeling, estimation of low flow statistics at ungaged locations, and base flow separation methods. The performance of several estimators of Kb are compared, including several new approaches which account for the impact of human withdrawals. A traditional semilog estimation approach adapted to incorporate the influence of human withdrawals was preferred over other derivative-based estimators. Human withdrawals are shown to have a significant impact on the estimation of base flow recessions, even when withdrawals are relatively small. Regional regression models are developed to relate seasonal estimates of Kb to physical, climatic, and anthropogenic characteristics of stream-aquifer systems. Among the factors considered for explaining the behavior of Kb, both drainage density and human withdrawals have significant and similar explanatory power. We document the importance of incorporating human withdrawals into models of the base flow recession response of a watershed and the systemic downward bias associated with estimates of Kb obtained without consideration of human withdrawals. Citation: Thomas, B. F., R. M. Vogel, C. N. Kroll, and J. S. Famiglietti (2013), Estimation of the base flow recession constant under human interference, Water Resour.
    [Show full text]
  • “Major World Deltas: a Perspective from Space
    “MAJOR WORLD DELTAS: A PERSPECTIVE FROM SPACE” James M. Coleman Oscar K. Huh Coastal Studies Institute Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………4 Major River Systems and their Subsystem Components……………………..4 Drainage Basin………………………………………………………..7 Alluvial Valley………………………………………………………15 Receiving Basin……………………………………………………..15 Delta Plain…………………………………………………………...22 Deltaic Process-Form Variability: A Brief Summary……………………….29 The Drainage Basin and The Discharge Regime…………………....29 Nearshore Marine Energy Climate And Discharge Effectiveness…..29 River-Mouth Process-Form Variability……………………………..36 DELTA DESCRIPTIONS…………………………………………………………..37 Amu Darya River System………………………………………………...…45 Baram River System………………………………………………………...49 Burdekin River System……………………………………………………...53 Chao Phraya River System……………………………………….…………57 Colville River System………………………………………………….……62 Danube River System…………………………………………………….…66 Dneiper River System………………………………………………….……74 Ebro River System……………………………………………………..……77 Fly River System………………………………………………………...…..79 Ganges-Brahmaputra River System…………………………………………83 Girjalva River System…………………………………………………….…91 Krishna-Godavari River System…………………………………………… 94 Huang He River System………………………………………………..……99 Indus River System…………………………………………………………105 Irrawaddy River System……………………………………………………113 Klang River System……………………………………………………...…117 Lena River System……………………………………………………….…121 MacKenzie River System………………………………………………..…126 Magdelena River System……………………………………………..….…130
    [Show full text]
  • A Look at the Links Between Drainage Density and Flood Statistics
    Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 13, 1019–1029, 2009 www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/13/1019/2009/ Hydrology and © Author(s) 2009. This work is distributed under Earth System the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Sciences A look at the links between drainage density and flood statistics B. Pallard1, A. Castellarin2, and A. Montanari2 1International Center for Agricultural Science and Natural resource Management Studies, Montpellier Supagro, Montpellier, France 2Faculty of Engineering, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy Received: 28 August 2008 – Published in Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss.: 22 October 2008 Revised: 16 June 2009 – Accepted: 16 June 2009 – Published: 7 July 2009 Abstract. We investigate the links between the drainage den- Woodyer and Brookfield, 1966). Dd is also higher in highly sity of a river basin and selected flood statistics, namely, branched drainage basins with a relatively rapid hydrologic mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation and coef- response (Melton, 1957). ficient of skewness of annual maximum series of peak flows. The drainage density exertes on flood peaks significant The investigation is carried out through a three-stage anal- controls which can be broadly divided between direct and ysis. First, a numerical simulation is performed by using a indirect effects (Merz and Bloschl¨ , 2008; Bloschl¨ , 2008). spatially distributed hydrological model in order to highlight Among the most significant direct effects there is the con- how flood statistics change with varying drainage density. trol associated with the length of the stream network and Second, a conceptual hydrological model is used in order hillslope paths. Because flow velocity is higher in the river to analytically derive the dependence of flood statistics on network, Dd significantly affects the concentration time and drainage density.
    [Show full text]
  • Hydrologic-Land Use Interactions in a Florida River Basin
    HYDROLOGIC-LAND USE I^TTERACTIONS IN A FI.ORIDA RIVER BASIN By PHILIP BRUCE BEDIENT A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL RILFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1975 DEDICATED TO MY WIFE CINDY WHO WOKK-ED UNSELFISHLY FOR FOUR YEARS SO THAT I COULD COMPLETE m EDUCATION ACKNOI-JLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the members of my graduate comraittee for their encouragement and advice throughout the research effort. I would espe- cially like to thank Dr. W.C. Ruber for his undivided attention and assistance from the early conception of the research to the final days of writing and review. I would also like to thank Dr. J. P. Heaiiey and Dr. H.T. Odum for many hours of enlightening discussions and lectures. The primary influence for the overall research has come from these three pro- fessors, and I am deeply grateful for their guidance throughout the past five years. Special thanks are due to several of my co-workers vjho provided support and encouragement when it V7as needed. Without Mr. Steve Gatewood's cartographic and drafting ability, much of the research would have been incomplete. Mr. Jerry Bowden contributed many hours of tedious effort so that input data and computer outputs were available on time, I am grateful to them both for their hard work and good friendship. I would like to thank the research group at the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District for funding the Kissimraee Project, and for providing such able assistance in data collection and analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationship Between Drainage Density and Soil Erosion Rate: a Study of Five Watersheds in Ardebil Province, Iran
    River Basin Management VIII 129 The relationship between drainage density and soil erosion rate: a study of five watersheds in Ardebil Province, Iran A. Moeini1, N. K. Zarandi1, E. Pazira1 & Y. Badiollahi2 1Department of Watershed Management, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran 2University College of Nabie Akram (UCNA), Iran Abstract Drainage density is one of the parameters that can be considered as an indicator of erosion rate. This study analysed the relationship between drainage density and soil erosion in five watersheds in Iran. The drainage density was measured using satellite images, aerial photos, and topographic maps by Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies. MPSIAC model was employed in a GIS environment to create soil erosion maps using data from meteorological stations, soil surveys, topographic maps, satellite images and results of other relevant studies. Then the correlation between drainage density and erosion rate was measured. The mean soil loss rate in the study areas were 1 to 6.43 t.h-1.y-1 and drainage density values varied 1.44 to 5.43 Km Km-1.The results indicate that the relationship between these two factors improved when the types of sheet erosion, mechanical erosion and mass erosion was ignored because these types of erosion were not mainly influenced by the power of runoff. There was a high correlation between drainage density and erosion in most of the watersheds. Finally a significant relationship was seen between drainage density and erosion in all watersheds. Based on the results obtained, the present method for distinguishing soil erosion was effective and can be used for operational erosion monitoring in other watersheds with the same climate characteristics in Iran.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 11: Rosgen Geomorphic Channel Design
    United States Department of Part 654 Stream Restoration Design Agriculture National Engineering Handbook Natural Resources Conservation Service Chapter 11 Rosgen Geomorphic Channel Design Chapter 11 Rosgen Geomorphic Channel Design Part 654 National Engineering Handbook Issued August 2007 Cover photo: Stream restoration project, South Fork of the Mitchell River, NC, three months after project completion. The Rosgen natural stream design process uses a detailed 40-step approach. Advisory Note Techniques and approaches contained in this handbook are not all-inclusive, nor universally applicable. Designing stream restorations requires appropriate training and experience, especially to identify conditions where various approaches, tools, and techniques are most applicable, as well as their limitations for design. Note also that prod- uct names are included only to show type and availability and do not constitute endorsement for their specific use. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). To file a com- plaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washing- ton, DC 20250–9410, or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or (202) 720–6382 (TDD).
    [Show full text]
  • Spatial and Temporal Variability in Baseflow in the Mattole River Headwaters, California, USA
    Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., doi:10.5194/hess-2016-300, 2016 Manuscript under review for journal Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Published: 12 July 2016 c Author(s) 2016. CC-BY 3.0 License. Spatial and Temporal Variability in Baseflow in the Mattole River Headwaters, California, USA Nathan Queener1, Andrew P. Stubblefield2 5 1Mattole Salmon Group, Petrolia, CA, 95558 USA 2Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources, Humboldt State University, Arcata CA, 95521 USA Correspondence to: Nathan Queener ([email protected]) 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 10 features that control baseflows remains limited. Repeated synoptic measurements of streamflow in small streams (basin area <6 km2) in coastal Northern California were used to characterize variability in baseflow and correlations of streamflow with basin characteristics. A continuous streamgage was used as an index gage to calculate exceedance flows and to compare tributary flows measured on multiple dates. At 72-96% exceedance flows tributary yields ranged from 0.23 to 0.00 mm day- 1. Unit-area yields varied widely, and this variation increased as flows declined at most sites. In nested basins, downstream 15 declines in both discharge and unit-area yield were common. Basins with greater summer flow and a slower baseflow 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.
    [Show full text]
  • Basin Characteristics, River Morphology, and Process in the Chure-Terai Landscape: a Case Study of the Bakraha River, East Nepal
    The Geographical Journal of Nepal Vol. 13: 107-142, 2020 Doi: http://doi.org/10.3126/gjn.v13i0.28155 Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Basin characteristics, river morphology, and process in the Chure-Terai landscape: A case study of the Bakraha river, East Nepal Motilal Ghimire Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan University Email: [email protected] Received: 20 December 2019; Accepted: 15 January 2020; Published: March 2020 Abstract The study aims to illustrate the basin characteristics, river morphology and river processes in the Chure- terai Landscape. The basin and morphological variables used in the study were derived from the satellite imageries available on Google earth, digital elevation models, and relevant maps. The cross-section survey and hydrometric data, incorporated in the study were obtained from the secondary sources, reports, and documents. The Bakraha River basin is underlain by the rocks of the Siwalik group in the south. The rocks are highly deformed and fractured and have the steep and variable slope and are subject to strong seismic shaking. The network of drainage is dense, with the predominance of colluvial streams that receive sediments from slope failure and erosion. The steep profile of the river demonstrates the ability to transport a huge sediment load during a high flood. The climatic regime and daily annual extreme rainfall between 100-300mm can initiate shallow landslides to large and deep-seated landslides. Landslides very large, small to shallow types are quite numerous, which indicates terrain highly susceptible to slope failure and erosion. The forest cover is above 84% but largely has been degraded and interspersed by agricultural patches and settlements with population dependent on agriculture and livestock.
    [Show full text]
  • Recharge Rates and Aquifer Hydraulic Characteristics for Selected Drainage Basins in Middle and East Tennessee
    Water-Resources Investigations Report 90-4015 RECHARGE RATES AND AQUIFER HYDRAULIC CHARACTERISTICS FOR SELECTED DRAINAGE BASINS IN MIDDLE AND EAST TENNESSEE Prepared by the U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY in cooperation with the TENNESSEE STATE PLANNING OFFICE and the TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT RECHARGE RATES AND AQUIFER HYDRAULIC CHARACTERISTICS FOR SELECTED DRAINAGE BASINS IN MIDDLE AND EAST TENNESSEE By Anne B. Hoos U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 90-4015 Prepared in cooperation with the TENNESSEE STATE PLANNING OFFICE and the TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT Nashville, Tennessee 1990 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LU JAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director For additional information write to: Copies of this repoti can bepurchasedfiom: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Books and Open-File Reports Section A-413 Federal Building Federal Center, Building 810 U.S. Courthouse Box 25425 Nashville, Tennessee37203 Denver, Colorado 80225 CONTENTS Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Purpose and scope 2 Acknowledgment 6 Geohydrologic characteristics of major aquifers 6 Selection and classification of drainage basins 7 Recharge rates 7 Procedure 7 Results 10 Aquifer hydraulic characteristics 11 Storage coefficient 19 Procedure 19 Results 20 Diffusivity and drainage density 22 Procedure 22 Results 23 Transmissivity 25 Procedure 25 Results 26 Summary 32 References cited 34 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Map showing location of the study area 3 2. Map showing location of drainage area boundaries and streamflow-gaging stations for study basins and major aquifers in the study area 4 3-5. Graphs showing: 3. Annual mean streamflow for Lick Creek at Mohawk, Tenn.
    [Show full text]
  • An Investigation of the Influences of Bedrock Lithology and Vegetation on Low‐Order Stream Frequency in the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico
    An Investigation of the Influences of Bedrock Lithology and Vegetation on Low‐Order Stream Frequency in the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico Master of Environmental Studies Lauren Stachowiak 5/1/2012 Readers Dr. Frederick Scatena Dr. Edward Doheny Acknowledgements A lot of time and energy and thought go into completing a master’s thesis, and not all of it comes from the graduate student. For this reason, I would like to thank several people in this section for offering their invaluable expertise and advice. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the high level of dedication and commitment my two advisors, Dr. Frederick Scatena and Dr. Edward Doheny, have given me throughout the completion of my project. I definitely would have been lost without their help. Secondly, I would like to give thanks to Dr. Dana Tomlin, whose vast knowledge of GIS and willingness to help with any matter of questions I threw at him were crucial to the completion of my model and the results I achieved. I would also like to thank Miguel Leon for all the data he readily provided and for his open-door policy for solving small details that inevitably caused me trouble. 1 Table of Contents Item Page Number List of Figures, Tables, and Equations 3 Abstract 4 Introduction 5 Study Area 6 Methods 7 Data Layer Reprojection 7 Stream Network Generation 9 Generating Watershed Boundaries 13 Calculating Drainage Density 16 Isolating Streams by Environmental Subclass 19 Results 21 Bedrock Lithology Data 21 Vegetation Data 23 Combined Parameter Data 25 Elevation Data 26 Mean Annual Rainfall (MAR) 27 Discussion 29 Geology vs.
    [Show full text]
  • Links Among Drainage Density, Frequency and Flooding in Nanoi River Basin, Assam
    International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Science Society and Culture(IJIRSSC) Vol: 2, Issue:1, (June Issue), 2016 ISSN: (P) 2395-4345, (O) 2455-2909 © IJIRSSC Links among Drainage Density, Frequency and Flooding in Nanoi River Basin, Assam Dr. Niranjan Bhattacharjee Assistant Professor, Dept. of Geography, Pandu College, Guwahati-12, Assam Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT : Rivers and their allied fluvial landforms are among the most universal features of earth’s surface [1] with expanded nature. Drainage basin is a unique feature to understand the geomorphic process and form. Rivers have been unpredictable unit causing geomorphological changes in land and hydrological regimes. A drainage basin being the best unit for hydro-physical studies among many [2][3]), bears a great significance in today’s hydro-environmental investigation of channel network and drainage morphology along with flood events and their relationship with land, water and man [3]. Hydro-geomorphic processes play key roles in creating, modifying, or destroying aquatic habitat and act as ecological disturbances that shape ecosystem characteristics. Drainage density, stream frequency, basin morphology are the chief factors to the genesis of fluvial problems like drought, flood and the size of the area affected, and the frequency of occurrence. Geographic variations of climate, physiography (geology and topography), and vegetation impart a strong regional character to river systems. Therefore, a detail investigation is required to know such types of hydro-geomorphic characteristics and its impact on flood. Quantitative applications in drainage basin are the most important tools which increasingly used in evaluation of river morphometry and hydraulic characteristics to improve the quantitative and qualitative research study of a river basin.
    [Show full text]
  • A Look at the Links Between Drainage Density and Flood Statistics
    Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 5, 2899–2926, 2008 Hydrology and www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/5/2899/2008/ Earth System © Author(s) 2008. This work is distributed under Sciences the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Discussions Papers published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions are under open-access review for the journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences A look at the links between drainage density and flood statistics B. Pallard1, A. Castellarin2, and A. Montanari2 1International Center for Agricultural Science and Natural resource Management Studies, Montpellier Supagro, Montpellier, France 2Faculty of Engineering, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy Received: 28 August 2008 – Accepted: 2 September 2008 – Published: 22 October 2008 Correspondence to: A. Montanari ([email protected]) Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 2899 Abstract We investigate the links between the drainage density of a river basin and selected flood statistics, namely the mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation and co- efficient of skewness of annual maximum series of peak flows. The investigation is 5 carried out through a three-stage analysis. First, a numerical simulation is performed by using a spatially distributed hydrological model in order to highlight how flood statis- tics change with varying drainage density. Second, a conceptual hydrological model is used in order to analytically derive the dependence of flood statistics on drainage den- sity. Third, the dependence between flood statistics and drainage density is analysed 10 for 44 watersheds located in northern Italy. The three-level analysis seems to suggest that a critical value of the drainage density exists for which a minimum is attained in both the coefficient of variation and the absolute value of the skewness coefficient.
    [Show full text]