Assessing the Effects of Historical Land Cover Changes on Runoff and Low Flows Using Remote Sensing and Hydrological Modeling
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 14, Issue 6
Abstract
In some parts of the world, watersheds are experiencing changes in land cover that affect their hydrological regime. This paper presents a methodology to assess the potential hydrological response of the Chaudière River watershed (Québec) to historical land cover changes. The objectives of this study are: (1) to determine acceptable and plausible land cover scenarios for the past based on spatial scenario intercomparison and land cover evolution analyses; and (2) to assess the influence of land cover changes on the hydrological regime of the watershed. Historical land cover changes were assessed from seven optical satellite images using an object-oriented approach. Each scenario was entered into GIBSI, an integrated modeling system. Hydrological simulations showed strong correlations between land cover changes and water discharge at the outlet of the watershed. Results demonstrated a homogeneous effect of land cover on annual runoff. Simulated annual and seasonal low flows were also strongly correlated to agricultural and forested land cover changes. Globally, results corroborate that land cover constitutes a governing factor of watershed hydrology in the Chaudière River watershed.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by a grant from the Climate Change Action Fund (Natural Resources Canada, Grant No. NRCA946, A.N. Rousseau, principal investigator), and by OURANOS (Consortium on Regional Climatology and Adaptation to Climate Change). The writers wish to thank their colleagues at INRS-ETE, namely Mohamed Slim Garbouj (intern from École Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Tunisia), Yves Gauthier (research assistant), Martine Grenier (Ph.D. candidate), Jean-François Dolbec (M.Sc. student), and Florence Guillot (undergraduate intern from l’École Nationale Supérieure de Géologie de Nancy, France) for their valuable contributions.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 14 • Issue 6 • June 2009
Pages: 575 - 587
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 28, 2008
Accepted: Sep 5, 2008
Published online: Feb 13, 2009
Published in print: Jun 2009
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