Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Estimating Increased Transient Water Storage With Increases In Beaver Dam Activity, Konrad Hafen, Joseph M. Wheaton, Brett B. Roper, Philip Bailey, William W. Macfarlane, Bethany T. Neilson, Christopher J. Tennant

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Dam building by beaver (Castor spp.) slows water movement through montane valleys, increasing transient water storage and the diversity of residence times. In some cases, water storage created by beaver dam construction is correlated to changes in streamflow magnitude and timing. However, the total amount of additional surface and groundwater storage that beaver dams may create (and, thus, their maximum potential impact on streamflow) has not been contextualized in the water balance of larger river basins. We estimate the potential transient water storage increases that could be created at 5, 25, 50, and 100% of maximum modeled beaver dam capacity …

Water Whiplash In Mediterranean Regions Of The World, Citlalli Madrigal, Rama Bedri, Thomas Piechota, Wenzhao Li, Glenn Tootle, Hesham El-Askary

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The presence of weather and water whiplash in Mediterranean regions of the world is analyzed using historical streamflow records from 1926 to 2023, depending on the region. Streamflow from the United States (California), Italy, Australia, Chile, and South Africa is analyzed using publicly available databases. Water whiplash—or the rapid shift of wet and dry periods—are compared. Wet and dry periods are defined based on annual deviations from the historical record average, and whiplash occurs when there is an abrupt change that overcomes an accommodated deficit or surplus. Of all the stations, there are more dry years (56%) than wet years …

Comparing Past And Future Drought And Surplus Periods In The Colorado River Basin, Rama Bedri

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The Colorado River Basin is crucial to the Western United States, providing water for seven states and Mexico. Historical and future periods of drought and surplus are analyzed in 17 Colorado River stations. Unimpaired streamflow data are evaluated from the U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Reclamation, and Coupled Modeled Intercomparison Projection 5 from 1950-2099. Future projections are based on eight climate scenarios. Four climate models (HadGEM2-ES, CNRM-CM5, CanESM2, MI-ROC5) are observed at Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 emission scenarios. Furthermore, the ensemble water year means of the four models are analyzed. The durations of drought or surplus, magnitudes, …

Changes In Western U.S. Streamflow Extremes Under Climate Change, Rama Bedri

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

We are analyzing streamflow extremes in Western U.S. rivers due to climate change. Global warming causes natural disasters to reach extreme points and affects river volumes, snowfall, and precipitation amounts. We analyze the data for 17 stations in the Colorado River Basin, whose rivers provide Southern California’s drinking water supply. Disruptions in streamflow due to climate change affect the region’s water availability and make it difficult to predict future trends. We compared historical streamflow data to eight possible climate scenarios. The different scenarios are Warm Dry, Cool Wet, Average, and Other at emission levels of RCP 4.5 and 8.5. First, …

Future Climate Streamflow Estimation In The Donnelly River Catchment, Justin Hughes, Bill Wang

Natural resources commissioned reports

The Donnelly River is located in the south-west of Western Australia. An irrigation development has been proposed in the catchment that would extract water from the Donnelly River and store this in an off stream reservoir for irrigation use. Given the known issues related to non-stationarity and hydrological prediction, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) contracted CSIRO to review the hydrological model that was used to estimate future climate streamflow in the Donnelly River. This model was owned and operated by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER). The CSIRO review of the model, which also …

Donnelly River Model Review, Justin Hughes

Natural resources commissioned reports

The Donnelly River Model was prepared for the Department of Water and Environment Regulation (DWER) by an external consultant (Hydrology and Risk Consultants) in 2018. The purpose of this model was largely to evaluate the feasibility of a proposed irrigation development centred on diversions from the Middle Donnelly near Chappel's Bridge into a reservoir in the nearby Record Brook catchment. As a part of the model build and reporting process, the HARC (2018) report was reviewed by Ecological Australia (2018) against the model specifications. ECL concluded that the model was "fit for purpose", but made many recommendations. Since re­port release, …

Examining Transmission Loss Availability For Basin Aquifer Recharge From Perennial Streams In The Chuska Mountains On The Navajo Nation, Griffin Nuzzo

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Stream transmission losses due to infiltration from semiarid, perennial streams are important processes that can help water managers and users quantify aquifer recharge. Transmission losses are streamflow reductions that are due to infiltration through the streambed, evapotranspiration, and losses to the floodplain or streambanks (Shanafield, et.al, 2014). Transmission losses from infiltration will always be greater than the amount recharged bacause streamflow hat infiltrates into the streambed can take a variety of pathways other that recharge. This study considers transmission losses in Whiskey Creek, a perennial stream on the Navajo Nation in the Chuska Mountains. The objectives of this study are …

Potential For Managed Aquifer Recharge To Enhance Fish Habitat In A Regulated River, Robert W. Van Kirk, Bryce A. Contor, Christina N. Morrisett, Sarah E. Null, Ashly S. Loibman

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is typically used to enhance the agricultural water supply but may also be promising to maintain summer streamflows and temperatures for cold-water fish. An existing aquifer model, water temperature data, and analysis of water administration were used to assess potential benefits of MAR to cold-water fisheries in Idaho’s Snake River. This highly-regulated river supports irrigated agriculture worth US $10 billion and recreational trout fisheries worth $100 million. The assessment focused on the Henry’s Fork Snake River, which receives groundwater from recharge incidental to irrigation and from MAR operations 8 km from the river, addressing (1) the …

Incorporating Antecedent Soil Moisture Into Streamflow Forecasting, Abdoul Oubeidillah, Glenn Tootle, Thomas Piechota

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This study incorporates antecedent (preceding) soil moisture into forecasting streamflow volumes within the North Platte River Basin, Colorado/Wyoming (USA). The incorporation of antecedent soil moisture accounts for infiltration and can improve streamflow predictions. Current Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) forecasting methods are replicated, and a comparison is drawn between current NRCS forecasts and proposed forecasting methods using antecedent soil moisture. Current predictors used by the NRCS in regression-based streamflow forecasting include precipitation, streamflow persistence (previous season streamflow volume) and snow water equivalent (SWE) from SNOTEL (snow telemetry) sites. Proposed methods utilize antecedent soil moisture as a predictor variable in addition …

Slides: Moffat Collection System Project, Travis Bray

Innovations in Managing Western Water: New Approaches for Balancing Environmental, Social and Economic Outcomes (Martz Summer Conference, June 11-12)

Presenter: Travis Bray, Project Manager, Moffat Collection System Project, Denver Water

45 slides

Searching For Empirical Evidence Of Complex Hydrological Behavior In Urbanizing Basins, Tijana Jovanovic, Ridwan Siddique, Alfonso Mejia

International Conference on Hydroinformatics

Urban living accounts for approximately 50% of the worldwide population and this percentage will continue to rise in the decades to come. Urbanizing landscapes and their associated processes represent key aspects of coupled natural and human systems. Additionally, they can influence and cause impacts on regional broad-scale basin hydrology, stream and riparian ecosystems, and water quality. For this research, it is hypothesized that streamflow and water quality time series data for urbanizing basins may exhibit signs of complexity such as long range correlations, state transitions, and chaotic dynamics. To explore this hypothesis, we will use tools from statistical physics and …

A Tree-Ring Based Reconstruction Of Logan River Streamflow In Northern Utah, Eric B. Allen, Tammy M. Rittenour, R. Justin Derose, Matthew F. Bekker, Roger Kjelgren, Brendan M. Buckley

Wasatch Dendroclimatology Research

[1] We created six new tree-ring chronologies in northern Utah, which were used with preexisting chronologies from Utah and western Wyoming to reconstruct mean annual flow for the Logan River, the largest tributary of the regionally important Bear River. Two reconstruction models were developed, a “Local” model that incorporated two Rocky Mountain juniper chronologies located within the basin, and a “Regional” model that also included limber pine and pinyon pine chronologies from a larger area. The Local model explained 48.2% of the variability in the instrumental record and the juniper chronologies better captured streamflow variability than Douglas-fir collected within the …

Analytical Modeling Of Irrigation And Land Use Effects On Streamflow In Semi-Arid Conditions: Frenchman Creek, Nebraska, Jonathan P. Traylor

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With proliferation of various numerical models, water budget studies commonly resort to numerical modeling techniques. However, availability and uncertainty in input data limit advantages of this approach. Often, analytical models capture the major traits of the watersheds and can assimilate important data. We developed a model for baseflow-dominated watersheds and apply it to Frenchman Creek in southwestern Nebraska. Frenchman Creek has experienced large streamflow reductions since the 1950s. The cause of these reductions is a combination of irrigation, conservation terrace construction, and other land use changes. However, the influence of each factor has not been well quantified. The objective of …

Slides: Climate Change And The Death Of Stationarity: A New Era For Western Water?, Stephen T. Gray

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Steven T. Gray, Wyoming State Climatologist, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

48 slides

Relationships Between Pacific And Atlantic Ocean Sea Surface Temperatures And U.S. Streamflow Variability, Glenn A. Tootle, Thomas C. Piechota

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

An evaluation of Pacific and Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and continental U.S. streamflow was performed to identify coupled regions of SST and continental U.S. streamflow variability. Both SSTs and streamflow displayed temporal variability when applying the singular value decomposition (SVD) statistical method. Initially, an extended temporal evaluation was performed using the entire period of record (i.e., all years from 1951 to 2002). This was followed by an interdecadal-temporal evaluation for the Pacific (Atlantic) Ocean based on the phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)). Finally, an extended temporal evaluation was performed using detrended SST …

Coupled Oceanic-Atmospheric Variability And U.S. Streamflow, Glenn A. Tootle, Thomas C. Piechota, Ashok Singh

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

A study of the influence of interdecadal, decadal, and interannual oceanic-atmospheric influences on streamflow in the United States is presented. Unimpaired streamflow was identified for 639 stations in the United States for the period 1951–2002. The phases (cold/negative or warm/positive) of Pacific Ocean (El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)) and Atlantic Ocean (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)) oceanic-atmospheric influences were identified for the year prior to the streamflow year (i.e., long lead time). Statistical significance testing of streamflow, based on the interdecadal, decadal, and interannual oceanic-atmospheric phase (warm/positive or cold/negative), was performed by …

Agricultural Water Use Efficiency, Gordon Mccurry

Two Decades of Water Law and Policy Reform: A Retrospective and Agenda for the Future (Summer Conference, June 13-15)

3 pages (includes color illustrations).

Climate Variability And Western Water: What Can We Expect?, Roger S. Pulwarty

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

7 pages.

New York City’S Battles For Imported Water, J. Kevin Healy

New Sources of Water for Energy Development and Growth: Interbasin Transfers: A Short Course (Summer Conference, June 7-10)

16 pages (includes illustrations and maps).

Mathematical Modeling Of Stream Storage Potential, Hugh M. Jeffus

Technical Reports

Streamflow data from unregulated streams in Arkansas were processed through Moran’s Model for a dam. The process involved calculating a cumulative gamma distribution for each stream as the streamflow values were incremented in units of 0.1 cubic feet per second per square mile of drainage area. This gamma distribution was then used as input for Moran’s Model. The output from Moran's Model includes the probability of the reservoir having zero contents as the size of the reservoir is decreased. The logarithm of the probability of zero contents, 1n PO, versus reservoir size, K, is a straight line of the form …

An Evaluation Of Relationships Between Streamflow Patterns And Watershed Characteristics Through The Use Of Opset, L. Douglas James, William O. Thompson, Glendon Allen Ross, Earnest Y. Liou

KWRRI Research Reports

Selection among alternative flood control measures would be better informed if better information could be obtained on the marginal change in flood hazard associated with land use and other changes in the tributary watershed. Hydrologic modeling is the most promising approach to answering this question; however, the use of existing models is hampered by the absence of information correlating model parameters with physical characteristics of the watershed.

To deal with this situation, a method was developed for estimating the parameter values for the Stanford Watershed Model which best match recorded with simulated streamflows. Physical characteristics were measured for 17 rural …

Opset Program For Computerized Selection Of Watershed Parameter Values For The Stanford Watershed Model, Earnest Yuan-Shang Liou, L. Douglas James

KWRRI Research Reports

The advent of high-speed electronic computer made it possible to model complex hydrologic processes by mathematical expressions and thereby simulate streamflows from climatological data. The most widely used program is the Stanford Watershed Model, a digital parametric model of the land phase of the hydrologic cycle based on moisture accounting processes. It can be used to simulate annual or longer flow sequences at hourly time intervals. Due to its capability of simulating historical streamflows from recorded climatological data, it has a great potential in the planning and design of water resources systems. However, widespread use of the Stanford Watershed Model …

Quantitative Analysis Of Stream Flow Rate Extremes, Hugh M. Jeffus

Technical Reports

Stream discharge data for the State of Arkansas is analyzed for representative statistical parameters. The statistical distribution most applicable to stream discharge data in Arkansas is the Pearson type III skew frequency curve. The parameters of the Pearson type III curve for all available records in Arkansas are included as Appendix A. The parameters of the logarithmically normal frequency distribution are included as Appendix B for mean daily discharge, minimum daily discharge and instantaneous minimum daily discharge. The logarithmically normal frequency distribution may be used for the lower discharge rates in lieu of the Pearson type III distribution except where …