Highlight articles

A simple topography-driven and calibration-free runoff generation module

Supported by large-sample ecological observations, a novel, simple and topography-driven runoff generation module (HSC-MCT) was created. The HSC-MCT is calibration-free, and therefore it can be used to predict in ungauged basins, and has great potential to be generalized at the global scale. Also, it allows us to reproduce the variation of saturation areas, which has great potential to be used for broader hydrological, ecological, climatological, and biogeochemical studies.

Emergent stationarity in Yellow River sediment transport and the underlying shift of dominance: from streamflow to vegetation

Our study shows that there is declining coupling between sediment concentration and discharge from daily to annual scales for gauges across the Yellow River basin (YRB). Not only the coupling, but also the magnitude of sediment response to discharge variation decreases with long-term mean discharge. This emergent stationarity can be related to sediment retardation by vegetation, suggesting the shift of dominance from water to vegetation as mean annual discharge increases.

Quantifying new water fractions and transit time distributions using ensemble hydrograph separation: theory and benchmark tests

How long does it take for raindrops to become streamflow? Here I propose a new approach to this old problem. I show how we can use time series of isotope data to measure the average fraction of same-day rainfall appearing in streamflow, even if this fraction varies greatly from rainstorm to rainstorm. I show that we can quantify how this fraction changes from small rainstorms to big ones, and from high flows to low flows, and how it changes with the lag time between rainfall and streamflow.

Refining physical aspects of soil quality and soil health when exploring the effects of soil degradation and climate change on biomass production: an Italian case study

SOIL
DOI 10.5194/soil-5-1-2019
10 January 2019

This study is restricted to soil physical aspects of soil quality and health with the objective to define procedures with worldwide rather than only regional applicability, reflecting modern developments in soil physical research and focusing on important questions regarding possible effects of soil degradation and climate change.

Exploring the use of underground gravity monitoring to evaluate radar estimates of heavy rainfall

In this study, we explore the use of an underground superconducting gravimeter as a new source of in situ observations for the evaluation of radar-based precipitation estimates. The comparison of radar and gravity time series over 15 years shows that short-duration intense rainfall events cause a rapid decrease in the measured gravity. Rainfall amounts can be derived from this decrease. The gravimeter allows capture of rainfall at a much larger spatial scale than a traditional rain gauge.

ESM-SnowMIP: assessing snow models and quantifying snow-related climate feedbacks

This paper provides an overview of a coordinated international experiment to determine the strengths and weaknesses in how climate models treat snow. The models will be assessed at point locations using high-quality reference measurements and globally using satellite-derived datasets. How well climate models simulate snow-related processes is important because changing snow cover is an important part of the global climate system and provides an important freshwater resource for human use.

Global phosphorus recovery from wastewater for agricultural reuse

Phosphorus (P) is important to global food security. Thus it is concerning that natural P reserves are predicted to deplete within the century. Here we explore the potential of P recovery from wastewater (WW) at global scale. We identify high production and demand sites to determine optimal market prices and trade flows. We show that 20% of the agricultural demand can be met, yet only 4 % can be met economically. Nonetheless, this recovery stimulates circular economic development in WW treatment.

Spatial assessments of soil organic carbon for stakeholder decision-making – a case study from Kenya

SOIL
DOI 10.5194/soil-4-259-2018
7 November 2018

Land degradation impacts the health and livelihoods of about 1.5 billion people worldwide. The state of the environment and food security are strongly interlinked in tropical landscapes. This paper demonstrates the integration of soil organic carbon (SOC) and land health maps with socioeconomic datasets into an online, open-access platform called the Resilience Diagnostic and Decision Support Tool for Turkana County in Kenya.

Modelling the water balance of Lake Victoria (East Africa) – Part 1: Observational analysis

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and one of the two major sources of the Nile river. The water level of Lake Victoria is determined by its water balance, consisting of lake precipitation and evaporation, inflow from rivers and lake outflow, controlled by two hydropower dams. Here, we present a water balance model for Lake Victoria, which closely represents the observed lake levels. The model results highlight the sensitivity of the lake level to human operations at the dam.

Modelling the water balance of Lake Victoria (East Africa) – Part 2: Future projections

Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater lake in the world and one of the major sources of the Nile River, which is controlled by two hydropower dams. In this paper we estimate the potential consequences of climate change for future water level fluctuations of Lake Victoria. Our results reveal that the operating strategies at the dam are the main controlling factors of future lake levels and that regional climate simulations used in the projections encompass large uncertainties.

HS Hydrological Sciences Highlight articles

Highlight articles

A simple topography-driven and calibration-free runoff generation module

Emergent stationarity in Yellow River sediment transport and the underlying shift of dominance: from streamflow to vegetation

Quantifying new water fractions and transit time distributions using ensemble hydrograph separation: theory and benchmark tests

Refining physical aspects of soil quality and soil health when exploring the effects of soil degradation and climate change on biomass production: an Italian case study

Exploring the use of underground gravity monitoring to evaluate radar estimates of heavy rainfall

ESM-SnowMIP: assessing snow models and quantifying snow-related climate feedbacks

Global phosphorus recovery from wastewater for agricultural reuse

Spatial assessments of soil organic carbon for stakeholder decision-making – a case study from Kenya

Modelling the water balance of Lake Victoria (East Africa) – Part 1: Observational analysis

Modelling the water balance of Lake Victoria (East Africa) – Part 2: Future projections

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