Effects of DEM Resolution on Surface Depression Properties and Hydrologic Connectivity
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 9
Abstract
Surface digital elevation model (DEM) resolution receives increasing attention because of its importance in topographic analysis (e.g., quantification of surface depressions) and hydrologic modeling. Varied and even contrary conclusions have been obtained concerning the effects of DEM grid size on surface depression properties. Land surfaces are featured with a number of microtopography-controlled, localized areas, and their connections may significantly alter hydrologic and geomorphologic processes. Few efforts have been made to examine the effects of DEM resolution on surface depression properties and hydrologic connectivity. This study aimed to evaluate such resolution effects by two dimensionless parameters: the DEM representation scale (the ratio of DEM grid size to correlation length, representing horizontal resolution) and the surface roughness scale (the ratio of random roughness to correlation length, representing vertical topographic variability). A puddle delineation program was utilized to quantify depression properties for a variety of topographic surfaces characterized by different DEM resolutions, including small-scale surfaces with random roughness, field plots, and watershed surfaces. In particular, a puddle-to-puddle (P2P) conceptual model was used for hydrologic connectivity analysis. It was found that puddle properties depended on both dimensionless and . The significantly influenced the calculations of structural and functional hydrologic connectivity. Using DEMs with a coarser resolution or higher tended to overestimate hydrologic connectivity and simplified hydrograph for a surface with numerous small-scale depressions. The DEM resolution or dimensionless had significant influences on the development of functional hydrologic connectivity, especially at the early stage of the rainfall-runoff process.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EAR-0907588.
References
Abedini, M. J., Dickinson, W. T., and Rudra, R. P. (2006). “On depressional storages: The effects of DEM spatial resolution.” J. Hydrol., 318(1–4), 138–150.
Allmaras, R. R., Burwell, R. E., Larson, W. E., and Hotl, R. F. (1966). “Total porosity and random roughness of the interrow zone as influenced by tillage.”, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC, 1–22.
Antoine, M., Javaux, M., and Bielders, C. (2009). “What indicators can capture runoff-relevant connectivity properties of the micro-topography at the plot scale?” Adv. Water Resour., 32(8), 1297–1310.
Appels, W. M., Bogaart, P. W., and van der Zee, S. E. A. T. M. (2011). “Influence of spatial variations of microtopography and infiltration on surface runoff and field scale hydrological connectivity.” Adv. Water Resour., 34(2), 303–313.
Blöschl, G. (1999). “Scaling issues in snow hydrology.” Hydrol. Process., 13(14), 2149–2175.
Bracken, L. J., and Croke, J. (2007). “The concept of hydrological connectivity and its contribution to understanding runoff-dominated geomorphic systems.” Hydrol. Process., 21(13), 1749–1763.
Brierley, G., Fryirs, K., and Jain, V. (2006). “Landscape connectivity: The geographic basis of geomorphic applications.” Area, 38(2), 165–174.
Bruneau, P., and Gascuel-Odoux, C. (1990). “A morphological assessment of soil microtopography using a digital elevation model on one square metre plots.” Catena, 17(4–5), 315–325.
Carvajal, F., Aguilar, M. A., Agüera, F., Aguilar, F. J., and Giráldez, J. V. (2006). “Maximum depression storage and surface drainage network in uneven agricultural landforms.” Biosyst. Eng., 95(2), 281–293.
Chu, X., Yang, J., Chi, Y., and Zhang, J. (2013). “Dynamic puddle delineation and modeling of puddle-to-puddle filling-spilling-merging-splitting overland flow processes.” Water Resour. Res. (in press).
Chu, X., Zhang, J., Chi, Y., and Yang, J. (2010). “An improved method for watershed delineation and computation of surface depression storage.” Watershed Management 2010: Innovations in Watershed Management Under Land Use and Climate Change, Proc., 2010 Watershed Management Conf., K. W. Potter and D. K. Frevert, eds., ASCE, Reston, VA, 1113–1122.
Darboux, F., Davy, P., and Gascuel-Odoux, C. (2002a). “Effect of depression storage capacity on overland flow generation for rough horizontal surfaces: water transfer distance and scaling.” Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 27(2), 177–191.
Darboux, F., Gascuel-Odoux, C., and Davy, P. (2002b). “Effects of surface water storage by soil roughness on overland-flow generation.” Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 27(3), 223–233.
Darboux, F., and Huang, C. (2003). “An instantaneous profile laser scanner to measure soil surface microtopography.” Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 67(1), 92–99.
Dutta, D., and Herath, S. (2001). “Effect of DEM accuracy in flood inundation simulation using distributed hydrological models.” Seisan Kenkyu, 53(11), 602–605.
Hayashi, M., van der Kamp, G., and Schmidt, R. (2003). “Focused infiltration of snowmelt water in partially frozen soil under small depressions.” J. Hydrol., 270(3–4), 214–229.
Huang, C., and Bradford, J. M. (1990). “Depressional storage for Markov-Gaussian surfaces.” Water Resour. Res., 26(9), 2235–2242.
Kamphorst, E. C., et al. (2000). “Predicting depressional storage from soil surface roughness.” Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 64(5), 1749–1758.
Kuo, W., et al. (1999). “Effect of grid size on runoff and soil moisture for a variable-source-area hydrology model.” Water Resour. Res., 35(11), 3419–3428.
Moglen, G. E., and Hartman, G. L. (2001). “Resolution effects on hydrologic modeling parameters and peak discharge.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 6(6), 490–497.
Molnár, D. K., and Julien, P. Y. (2000). “Grid-size effects on surface runoff modeling.” J. Hydrol. Eng., 5(1), 8–16.
Moore, I. D., and Larson, C. L. (1979). “Estimating micro-relief surface storage from point data.” T. ASAE, 22(5), 1073–1077.
O’Callaghan, J. F., and Mark, D. M. (1984). “The extraction of drainage networks from digital elevation data.” Comput. Vis. Graph. Image Process., 28(3), 323–344.
Onstad, C. A. (1984). “Depressional storage on tilled soil surfaces.” T. ASABE, 27(3), 729–732.
Pringle, C. (2003). “What is hydrologic connectivity and why is it ecologically important?” Hydrol. Process., 17(13), 2685–2689.
Sneddon, J., and Chapman, T. G. (1989). “Measurement and analysis of depression storage on a hillslope.” Hydrol. Process., 3(1), 1–13.
Tetzlaff, D., Soulsby, C., Bacon, P. J., Youngson, A. F., Gibbins, C., and Malcolm, I. A. (2007). “Connectivity between landscapes and riverscapes-a unifying theme in integrating hydrology and ecology in catchment science?” Hydrol. Process., 21(10), 1385–1389.
Thompson, J. A., Bell, J. C., and Butler, C. A. (2001). “Digital elevation model resolution: Effects on terrain attribute and quantitative soil-landscape modeling.” Geoderma, 100(1–2), 67–89.
Ullah, W., and Dickinson, W. T. (1979). “Quantitative description of depression storage using a digital surface model II. Characteristics of surface depressions.” J. Hydrol., 42(1–2), 77–90.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 9 • September 2013
Pages: 1157 - 1169
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 30, 2011
Accepted: Oct 22, 2012
Published ahead of production: Oct 23, 2012
Published online: Oct 24, 2012
Discussion open until: Mar 24, 2013
Published in print: Sep 1, 2013
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.