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Tracing Water from River to Aquifer
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Combining Deep Learning Methods with Process-based Models
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Widest-ever view of US lakes sees shifts in colors
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Revealing Complexity of Groundwater Flow with Hydrogeophysics
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Satellites Detect Groundwater Recharge for San Joaquin Valley
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Issue Information

  •  26 August 2021
Open access

Using Complex Probability Amplitudes to Simulate Solute Transport in Composite Porous Media

Nicholas B. Engdahl,
  •  17 August 2021

Key Points

  • Approaches for solving upscaled water resources problems using quantum-like tools are explored using solute transport as an example

  • Advective-dispersive transport in porous media is represented using probability amplitude functions instead of probability distributions

  • Functions with identical probability densities may have different amplitudes, which embed a sub-continuum heterogeneity into the problem

full access

Modeling and Experimental Study of the Effect of Pore Water Velocity on the Spectral Induced Polarization Signature in Porous Media

K. Tsukanov, I. Assa, N. Schwartz,
  •  17 August 2021

Key Points

  • Polarization and time constant decrease with pore water velocity

  • The decrease in polarization is attributed to the deformation of the electrical double layer

  • Accounting for ion advection flux in the electrical double layer results in a decrease in the time constant

full access

Incorporating Fish Tolerance to Supersaturated Total Dissolved Gas for Generating Flood Pulse Discharge Patterns Based on a Simulation‐Optimization Approach

Hang Wan, Qian Tan, Ran Li, Yanpeng Cai, Xiaomei Shen, Zhifeng Yang, Xia Shen,
  •  16 August 2021

Key Points

  • Flood pulse discharge patterns can minimize the residence time of supersaturated total dissolved gas (STDG) on cross sections

  • Dynamic multi-objective STDG management model considering fish safety assessment is developed to support generating flood pulse discharge patterns

  • The developed model can balance the contradiction between hydropower development and environmental protection

full access

Global Flash Drought Monitoring Using Surface Soil Moisture

Vinit Sehgal, Nandita Gaur, Binayak P. Mohanty,
  •  13 August 2021

Key Points

  • A new method for near-real-time global flash drought monitoring with Soil Moisture Active Passive observations and footprint-scale drydown parameters

  • Flash drought mechanism is evaluated using soil moisture state (stress) and rate of soil moisture drydown (intensification)

  • Global index shows high skill in forecasting vegetation health with 0–2 weeks lead

full access

Effects of Transition to Water‐Efficient Solutions on Existing Centralized Sewer Systems—An Integrated Biophysical Modeling Approach

Roni Penn, Max Maurer,
  •  9 August 2021

Key Points

  • A systematic approach for evaluating effects of transition to water-efficient solutions on sewers is presented

  • Transition to water-efficient solutions affects sulphide and sediment accumulation in pipes

  • Reduced flows and increased chemical oxygen demand and temperatures affect these accumulations

full access

A Hydrologic Functional Approach for Improving Large‐Sample Hydrology Performance in Poorly Gauged Regions

Joseph Janssen, Ali A. Ameli,
  •  9 August 2021

Key Points

  • Inclusion of interactive functional indices, developed independent of streamflow data, improves performance of hierarchical clustering

  • Functional indices improve regression and random forests accuracy in extrapolating the predictions of shape-based streamflow signatures

  • Climatic information could sufficiently explain (dis)similarity in magnitude-based, but not in shape-based, streamflow signatures

full access

Assessing Different Plant‐Centric Water Stress Metrics for Irrigation Efficacy Using Soil‐Plant‐Atmosphere‐Continuum Simulation

Jingwen Zhang, Kaiyu Guan, Bin Peng, Ming Pan, Wang Zhou, Robert F. Grant, Trenton E. Franz, Daran R. Rudnick, Derek M. Heeren, Andrew Suyker, Yi Yang, Genghong Wu,
  •  8 August 2021

Key Points

  • We conducted a systematic study to interpret six plant water stress (PWS) metrics and to assess their efficacy for guiding irrigation

  • Canopy water potential and stomatal conductance are the most effective PWS metrics to characterize co-regulation of soil moisture and vapor pressure deficit

  • The plant-centric irrigation schemes could save irrigation water use compared with soil-moisture-only metrics

full access

Sigmoid Generalized Complementary Equation for Evaporation Over Wet Surfaces: A Nonlinear Modification of the Priestley‐Taylor Equation

Songjun Han, Fuqiang Tian, Wei Wang, Liming Wang,
  •  7 August 2021

Key Points

  • Sigmoid generalized complementary (SGC) equation is applied to wet surfaces

  • Wet surface SGC equation outperforms the linear Priestley-Taylor (PT) equation because it considers the varying PT coefficient

  • Complementary principle can be extended to consider varying aerodynamic conditions over wet surfaces

full access

Multi‐Sensor Fusion for Transient‐Based Pipeline Leak Localization in the Dempster‐Shafer Evidence Framework

Jingrong Lin, Xun Wang, Mohamed S. Ghidaoui,
  •  7 August 2021

Key Points

  • Experimental studies show that multiple sensors enhance the feature of leak in transient wave signals

  • A Dempster-Shafer evidential framework is proposed to represent the signature of leak in a transient signal

  • A multi-sensor fusion strategy is proposed to localize pipeline leaks in noisy water supply environments

more >
Open access

Simulating Core Floods in Heterogeneous Sandstone and Carbonate Rocks

Nele Wenck, Samuel J. Jackson, Sojwal Manoorkar, Ann Muggeridge, Samuel Krevor,
  •  2 September 2021

Key Points

  • Integrating numerical modelling and experimental observations is essential to characterising small-scale heterogeneity for subsurface flow

  • Capillary heterogeneity characterisation in carbonates was only successful when key features were resolved in X-ray imagery

  • Isotropic capillary heterogeneity in carbonates results in a non-monotonic rate-dependant relative permeability

full access

Soil moisture responses to rainfall: Implications for runoff generation

Nitin K. Singh, Ryan E. Emanuel, Brian L. McGlynn, Chelcy F. Miniat,
  •  1 September 2021

Key Points

  • No consistent patterns in soil moisture responses among landscape positions laterally along hillslopes

  • Dominant controls on soil moisture responses to storms varied with individual response metrics and during storms

  • Storm depth, mean intensity, and antecedent conditions mediated the soil moisture-runoff relationships in space and time

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Suspended sediment concentration profile in a Typha latifolia canopy

Yuan Xu, Heidi Nepf,
  •  1 September 2021

Key Points

  • Profiles of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) were measured in a model canopy of Typha latifolia

  • The vertical turbulent diffusivity depends on plant-generated turbulence and morphology

  • A model to predict vertical diffusivity was developed, validated, and used to simulate the SSC with a random displacement model

Open access

Complex high‐ and low‐flow networks differ in their spatial correlation characteristics, drivers, and changes

Manuela I. Brunner, Eric Gilleland,
  •  1 September 2021

Key Points

  • We propose and use a tail dependence measure to map and compare complex networks of high and low flows in Central Europe at a seasonal scale

  • Low flows are related more strongly and over longer distances than high flows and relationships are strong in spring and weak in summer

  • Seasonal flow correlation is shaped by spatial dependence in drivers with varying importance of precipitation, evapotranspiration, and snowmelt

full access

Impacts of Pore Network‐Scale Wettability Heterogeneity on Immiscible Fluid Displacement: A Micromodel Study

Chun Chang, Timothy J. Kneafsey, Tetsu K. Tokunaga, Jiamin Wan, Seiji Nakagawa,
  •  1 September 2021

Key Points

  • Fingering flow of hexane-ethylene glycol was investigated in mixed-wet micromodels with bimodal contact angle distributions at 47° and 145°

  • Mixed-wettability diminishes displacement efficiency when contact angles vary beyond 90°, and at low capillary numbers

  • We proposed a new set of capillary numbers to characterize the displacement and fingering flow in strong mixed-wet systems

full access

Parsing Weather Variability and Wildfire Effects on the Post‐fire Changes in Extreme Daily Stream flows : A Quantile‐Based Statistical Approach and its Application

Mussie T. Beyene, Scott G. Leibowitz, Michael J. Pennino,
  •  31 August 2021

Key Points

  • Evaluating the impact of watershed burning on the streamflow regime can be problematic due to the confounding effect of postfire weather influences

  • A quantile based analytical framework is presented for assessing fire effect on low & peak flow magnitudes, while accounting for weather influences

  • This analytical framework can be useful for characterizing fire effect on low & peak flows in burned watersheds without overlapping disturbances

full access

Incorporating Uncertainty into Multiscale Parameter Regionalisation to Evaluate the Performance of Nationally Consistent Parameter Fields for a Hydrological Model

Rosanna A. Lane, Jim E. Freer, Gemma Coxon, Thorsten Wagener,
  •  31 August 2021

Key Points

  • By including uncertainties in multiscale parameter regionalisation (MPR), we generate and evaluate ensembles of national model parameter fields

  • Regionalised parameter fields result in more consistent performance and hydrographs with smaller uncertainty bounds than Monte-Carlo constrained parameters

  • The method of incorporating uncertainties, transfer functions and selection of catchment attributes can be applied in future regionalisation studies

full access

Hydraulic model calibration using CryoSat‐2 observations in the Zambezi catchment

Cécile M. M. Kittel, Simbidzayi Hatchard, Jeffrey C. Neal, Karina Nielsen, Paul D. Bates, Peter Bauer-Gottwein,
  •  31 August 2021

Key Points

  • We use satellite altimetry observations from CryoSat-2 and a steady-state solver to calibrate hydraulic model parameters

  • We develop an outlier filtering method for CryoSat-2 observations in ungauged catchments based on rainfall-runoff model simulations

  • We integrate the altimetry observations in an efficient global calibration approach at low cost compared to a 1D hydrodynamic model

full access

Sediment routing and anthropogenic impact in the Huanghe River catchment, China: an investigation using Nd isotopes of river sediments

Yulong Guo, Chao Li, Chenyu Wang, Juan Xu, Chenyang Jin, Shouye Yang,
  •  30 August 2021

Key Points

  • Trace elements and Sr–Nd isotopes are used to ascertain sediment provenance for modern Huanghe River in China

  • Four major source terranes are recognized and discriminated based on their unique Nd isotopic compositions

  • The heterogeneity of Nd isotopes in the river sediments reveals the sediment routing regime under anthropogenic activity

full access

On the Impact of Rainfall Spatial Variability, Geomorphology, and Climatology on Flash Floods

Manabendra Saharia, Pierre-Emmanuel Kirstetter, Humberto Vergara, Jonathan J. Gourley, Isabelle Emmanuel, Hervé Andrieu,
  •  30 August 2021

Key Points

  • The impact of rainfall spatial variability, physiography and climatology on flood severity is empirically investigated for the first time

  • Severity increases with basin slope and accumulated precipitation, and decreases with rainfall dispersion w.r.t. the flow path

  • Basin physiography dampens the effect of lower rainfall intensities, while higher rainfall overwhelms other factors

more >
full access

A new model for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated porous media

Yechezkel Mualem,
free access

Evaluating the use of “goodness‐of‐fit” Measures in hydrologic and hydroclimatic model validation

David R. Legates, Gregory J. McCabe,
full access

Electromagnetic determination of soil water content: Measurements in coaxial transmission lines

G. C. Topp, J. L. Davis, A. P. Annan,
free access

Response of mean annual evapotranspiration to vegetation changes at catchment scale

L. Zhang, W. R. Dawes, G. R. Walker,
full access

Validity of Cubic Law for fluid flow in a deformable rock fracture

P. A. Witherspoon, J. S. Y. Wang, K. Iwai, J. E. Gale,
full access

Effective and efficient global optimization for conceptual rainfall‐runoff models

Qingyun Duan, Soroosh Sorooshian, Vijai Gupta,
full access

Techniques of trend analysis for monthly water quality data

Robert M. Hirsch, James R. Slack, Richard A. Smith,
Open access

The Millennium Drought in southeast Australia (2001–2009): Natural and human causes and implications for water resources, ecosystems, economy, and society

Albert I. J. M. van Dijk, Hylke E. Beck, Russell S. Crosbie, Richard A. M. de Jeu, Yi Y. Liu, Geoff M. Podger, Bertrand Timbal, Neil R. Viney,

Key Points

  • Drivers and impacts of Australia's record drought were analyzed
  • Impacts accumulated and propagated through the water cycle at different rates
  • Future droughts may not be managed better than past ones.

full access

Developing joint probability distributions of soil water retention characteristics

Robert F. Carsel, Rudolph S. Parrish,
free access

Accuracy of scaled GRACE terrestrial water storage estimates

F. W. Landerer, S. C. Swenson,

Key Points

  • We present gridded gain factors and error maps for GRACE
  • Measurement and leakage errors are taken into account
  • The new method does not require the use of spherical harmonics by the users

more >
free access

Water management: Current and future challenges and research directions

William J. Cosgrove, Daniel P. Loucks,
free access

Methods and technologies to improve efficiency of water use

Robert G. Evans, E. John Sadler,
free access

A multiresolution index of valley bottom flatness for mapping depositional areas

John C. Gallant, Trevor I. Dowling,
Open access

The Millennium Drought in southeast Australia (2001–2009): Natural and human causes and implications for water resources, ecosystems, economy, and society

Albert I. J. M. van Dijk, Hylke E. Beck, Russell S. Crosbie, Richard A. M. de Jeu, Yi Y. Liu, Geoff M. Podger, Bertrand Timbal, Neil R. Viney,

Key Points

  • Drivers and impacts of Australia's record drought were analyzed
  • Impacts accumulated and propagated through the water cycle at different rates
  • Future droughts may not be managed better than past ones.

Open access

Satellite Remote Sensing for Water Resources Management: Potential for Supporting Sustainable Development in Data‐Poor Regions

J. Sheffield, E. F. Wood, M. Pan, H. Beck, G. Coccia, A. Serrat-Capdevila, K. Verbist,

Key Points

  • Satellite remote sensing is being incorporated into water resources management but is generally underutilized
  • New and proposed missions have the potential to transform water resources management for sustainable development, especially in data-poor regions
  • Ongoing challenges of accuracy, sampling, and continuity and capacity development need to be addressed, as well as new challenges of information volume and diversity

free access

The science and practice of river restoration

Ellen Wohl, Stuart N. Lane, Andrew C. Wilcox,

Key Points

  • River restoration is a prominent area of applied water-resources science
  • restoration includes connectivity, physical-biotic interactions, and history
  • effective restoration requires collaboration among scientists and practitioners

free access

The twenty‐first century Colorado River hot drought and implications for the future

Bradley Udall, Jonathan Overpeck,

Key Points

  • Record Colorado River flow reductions averaged 19.3% per year during 2000–2014. One-third or more of the decline was likely due to warming
  • Unabated greenhouse gas emissions will lead to continued substantial warming, translating to twenty-first century flow reductions of 35% or more
  • More precipitation can reduce the flow loss, but lack of increase to date and large megadrought threat, reinforce risk of large flow loss

Plain Language Summary

Between 2000 and 2014, annual Colorado River flows averaged 19% below the 1906–1999 average, the worst 15-year drought on record. Approximately one-third of the flow loss is due to high temperatures now common in the basin, a result of human caused climate change. Previous comparable droughts were caused by a lack of precipitation, not high temperatures. As temperatures increase in the 21st century due to continued human emissions of greenhouse gasses, additional temperature-induced flow losses will occur. These losses may exceed 20% at mid-century and 35% at end-century. Additional precipitation may reduce these temperature-induced losses somewhat, but to date no precipitation increases have been noted and climate models do not agree that such increases will occur. These results suggest that future climate change impacts on the Colorado River will be greater than currently assumed. Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will lead to lower future temperatures and hence less flow loss.

Open access

Quantifying renewable groundwater stress with GRACE

Alexandra S. Richey, Brian F. Thomas, Min-Hui Lo, John T. Reager, James S. Famiglietti, Katalyn Voss, Sean Swenson, Matthew Rodell,

Key Points:

  • Renewable groundwater stress is quantified in the world's largest aquifers
  • Characteristic stress regimes are defined to determine the severity of stress
  • Overstressed aquifers are mainly in rangeland biomes with some croplands

Open access

Optimizing multiple dam removals under multiple objectives: Linking tributary habitat and the Lake Erie ecosystem

Pearl Q. Zheng, Benjamin F. Hobbs, Joseph F. Koonce,
Open access

A Transdisciplinary Review of Deep Learning Research and Its Relevance for Water Resources Scientists

Chaopeng Shen,

Key Points

  • Deep learning (DL) is transforming many scientific disciplines, but its adoption in hydrology is gradual
  • DL can help tackle interdisciplinarity, data deluge, unrecognized linkages, and long-standing challenges such as scaling and equifinality
  • The new field of AI neuroscience opens up many opportunities for scientists to use DL as an exploratory tool for scientific advancement

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