Evapotranspiration Impact on Diurnal Discharges in a Small Catchment
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 22, Issue 8
Abstract
This paper describes a new application of the Fourier series for a detailed simulation of runoff in a small catchment in dry periods, when the streamflow is significantly impacted by evapotranspiration, particularly during daytime hours. The catchment was considered as a dynamic system, in which evapotranspiration has an impact on the day–night fluctuation of discharges. Measurements of these discharges were accomplished by a high-resolution water-level sensor attached to a V-notch. In parallel, the free water evaporation and also the soil moisture content have been measured nearby. The paper describes three runoff recession episodes in dry periods. Using short time step measurements and calculations, it was not difficult to analyze the diurnal streamflow fluctuations as harmonic waves. An application of the finite Fourier series model (FSM) to a quasi-periodic hydrologic data series clearly shows how the actual evapotranspiration influences surface runoff from small catchments. The method was verified by direct numerical evaluation of the convolution integral. The Fourier transformation works better if the number of discharge points () is large. The method allows computing the missing discharges in order to bridge accidental data gaps. The automatic measurement of free water evaporation multiplied by the measured soil water content compared semiquantitatively with the Fourier transformation function derived backward from the discharge hydrograph. Hence, this measurement can, to some extent, substitute the actual evapotranspiration on the catchment scale. The observation has been carried out with a time delay of the stream discharges behind the water evaporation, caused by the unsaturated zone processes and the hydraulic resistance to water flow, both in the saturated zone and in the streambed.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported within Czech Technological Agency Project TA02020402 Water Regime Optimisation to Mitigate Impacts on Hydrological Extremes. We express our gratitude for this financial support.
References
Balek, J. (2006). “Small basins as a continuous source of information. [Malá povodí jako trvalý zdroj informací].” J. Hydrol. Hydromech., 54(2), 96–105 (in Czech).
Banasik, K., and Hejduk, L. (2012). “Long-term changes in runoff from a small agricultural catchment.” Soil Water Res., 7(2), 64–72.
Bares, D., Mozny, M., and Stalmacher, J. (2006). “Automation of evaporation measurements in the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. [Bioklimatológia a voda v krajine. Strečno].” ⟨http://www.cbks.cz/sbornikStrecno06/prispevky/PosterI._clanky/P1-16.pdf⟩ (May 15, 2015).
Beven, K. (2010). “Do we need research results from small basins for the further development of hydrological models?” Proc., Status and Perspectives of Hydrology in Small Basins, IAHS Publication, 279–285.
Bond, B. J., Jones, J. A., Moore, G., Phillips, N., Post, D., and McDonnell, J. J. (2002). “The zone of vegetation influence on baseflow revealed by diel patterns of streamflow and vegetation water use in a headwater basin.” Hydrol. Processes, 16(8), 1671–1677.
Boronina, A., Golubev, S., and Balderer, W. (2005). “Estimation of actual evapo-transpiration from an alluvial aquifer of the Kouris catchment (Cyprus) using continuous streamflow records.” Hydrol. Processes, 19(20), 4055–4068.
Brown, E. A., Zhang, L., McMahon, A. T., Western, W. A., and Vertessy, A. R. (2004). “A review of paired catchment studies for determining changes in water yield resulting from alterations in vegetation.” J. Hydrol., 310(1), 28–61.
Brutsaert, W. (1982). Evaporation into the atmosphere: Theory, history and applications, D. Reidel, ed., Dordrecht, Netherlands.
Brutsaert, W., and Nieber, J. L. (1977). “Regionalized drought flow hydrographs from a mature glaciated plateau.” Water Resour. Res., 13(3), 637–643.
Burt, T. P. (1979). “Diurnal variations in stream discharge and throughflow during a period of low flow.” J. Hydrol., 41(3–4), 291–301.
Deutscher, J., and Kupec, P. (2014). “Monitoring and validating the temporal dynamics of interday streamflow from two upland head micro-watersheds with different vegetative conditions during dry periods of growing season on the Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic.” Environ. Monitor. Assess., 186(6), 3837–3846.
Dvorakova, S., Kovar, P., and Zeman, J. (2012). “Implementation of conceptual linear storage model of runoff with diurnal fluctuation of discharges in rainless periods.” J. Hydrol. Hydromech., 60(4), 217–226.
Dvorakova, S., Kovar, P., and Zeman, J. (2014). “Impact of evapotranspiration on discharge in small catchments.” J. Hydrol. Hydromech., 62(4), 285–292.
Dvorakova, S., and Zeman, J. (2010). “Analysis of fluctuation in the stream water level during the dry season in forested areas.” Sci. Agric. Bohemica, 41(4), 218–224.
Fenicia, F., Savenije, H. H. G., Matgen, P., and Pfister, L. (2006). “Is the groundwater reservoir linear? Learning from data in hydrological modelling.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 10(1), 139–150.
Gangopadhyaya, M., Harbeck, G. E., Jr., Nordenson, T. J., Omar, M. H., and Uryvaev, V. A. (1966). “Measurement and estimation of evaporation and evapotranspiration.”, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva.
Hardy, G. H., and Rogosinski, W. W. (1971). Fourier series, (Fourierovy rady), SNTL/ALFA, Syndics of the Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Kirchner, J. W. (2006). “Getting the right answers for the right reasons: Linking measurements, analyses and models to advance the science of hydrology.” Water Res. Resear., 42(3), W03S04.
Kirchner, J. W. (2009). “Catchments as simple dynamical systems: Catchment characterization, rainfall-runoff modeling, and doing hydrology backward.” Water Res. Resear., 45(2), W02429.
Kovar, P., and Bacinova, H. (2015). “Impact of evapotranspiration on diurnal discharge fluctuation determined by the Fourier series model in dry periods.” Soil Water Res., 10(4), 210–217.
Kovar, P., Dvorakova, S., Peskova, J., Zeman, J., Dolezal, F., and Suva, M. (2014). “Application of harmonic analysis for evapotranspiration of riparian vegetation in dry periods.” Proc., Conf. on Hydrology of Small Catchments, Vol. 2, 230–257.
Kraijenhoff van de Leur, D. A., Schulze, F. E., and O’Donnell, T. O. (1966). Recent trends in hydrograph synthesis, TNO, The Hague, Netherlands.
Langhammer, J., and Vilimek, V. (2008). “Landscape changes as a factor affecting the course and consequences of extreme floods in the Otava river basin in Czech Republic.” Environ. Monit. Assess., 144(1–3), 53–66.
Loheide, S. P., Butler, J. R. J., and Gorelick, S. M. (2005). “Estimation of groundwater consumption by phreatophytes using diurnal water table fluctuations: A saturated-unsaturated flow assessment.” Water Res. Resear., 41(7), W07030.
Nash, J. E., and Sutcliffe, J. V. (1970). “River flow forecasting through conceptual models.” J. Hydrol. 10(3), 282–290.
O’Donnell, T. O. (1960). “Instantaneous unit hydrograph derivation by harmonic analysis. Ashbrook Catchment, Wallingford.”, Wallingford Research Station, Imperial College, London.
Romano, N., and Santini, A. (2002). “Water retention and storage: Field.” Methods of soil analysis, J. H. Dane and G. C. Topp, eds., American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, 721–738.
Rupp, D. E., and Selker, J. S. (2006). “On the use of the Boussinesq equation for interpreting recession hydrographs from sloping aquifers.” Water Res. Resear., 42, W12421.
Schindler, U., Durner, W., von Unold, G., Mueller, L., and Wieland, R. (2010). “The evaporation method: Extending the measurement range of soil hydraulic properties using the air-entry pressure of the ceramic cup.” J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci., 173(4), 563–572.
Szilagyi, J., Gribovszki, Z., and Kalicz, P. (2007). “Estimation of catchment-scale evapotranspiration from baseflow recession data: Numerical model and practical application results.” J. Hydrol., 336(1), 206–217.
Winsemius, H. C., Savenije, H. H. G., Gerrits, A. M. J., Zapreeva, E. A., and Kless, R. (2006). “Comparison of two model approaches in the Zambezi river basin with regard to model reliability and identifiability.” Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 10(3), 339–352.
WMO (World Meteorological Organization). (1992). Simulated real-time intercomparison of hydrological models, Geneva.
Zhang, L., Dawes, W. R., and Walker, G. R. (2001). “Response of mean annual evapotranspiration to vegetation changes at catchment scale.” Water Res. Resear., 37(3), 7001–7708.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 16, 2016
Accepted: Mar 9, 2017
Published online: Jun 12, 2017
Published in print: Aug 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Nov 12, 2017
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.