Impacts of Land Use Changes on Hydrological Processes and Modelling

A special issue of Hydrology (ISSN 2306-5338). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrological and Hydrodynamic Processes and Modelling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 14259

Special Issue Editor

Institute for Hydrology and Water Management (HyWa), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
Interests: hydrological modeling; real-time runoff forecasting; integrated water management; climate change impacts on the water resources; monitoring and modeling of sediment transport; flood risk assessment and management
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Dear Colleagues,

At a global scale, deforestation and transformation of land into agricultural use is a major factor, as well as the urbanization transforming arable land into densely populated areas, associated with surface sealing of large domains. In some countries in Europe, the forested area has been increasing for decades, mainly in headwaters. A general trend can also be identified in the fast decrease of wetlands and the losses of flood plains accompanied by channelization of the drainage network.

Changes in land surface properties ultimately modify the energy and water exchange of the soil–vegetation–atmosphere system. Through all these human interventions, hydrological processes, such as different storage capacities and, thus, their flow intensities, are modified. This includes infiltration capacity, surface runoff and erosive processes, soilwater and groundwater storage and plant uptake, as well as water storage in wetlands. As a consequence, water fluxes change in quantity and quality.

Numerous studies have been executed to study these changes, mostly at the plot scale, though sometimes also at the regional scale. Usual approaches to derive hydrological parameters of distributed models are based on empirical data, local measurements, and mostly runoff data from a few gauging stations. This implies that the estimated parameters refer to averages over larger domains. Additionally, in the calibration procedure, they balance each other leading to manifold, equivalent parameter sets. As a result, the model describes the recent hydrological system well, but under changing conditions, such as land use changes, the model requires updating.

In fact, in most of our basins, permanent changes take place in land use. Sometimes, this process is slow, and thus, the land use changes are not obviously reflected in the runoff pattern. The change in land use is masked by natural hydrological variability. We use the set of observations and fit the model in a split sample test via a stable set of parameters. Model performance is satisfactory and the model can be used for water management. If the land use changes are quick and intensify, the model is difficult to calibrate and adjusting modules are introduced to somehow handle the transition period. 

Techniques for evaluating the hydrological impacts of land use changes in basins include hydrological modeling, multivariate statistics, and paired catchments. Hydrological modeling has made substantial progress in achieving a higher spatial resolution, not only in finer grid applications but also with respect to vertical resolution. The benefits are in the detailed consideration of topographic and land cover data and, subsequently, in a more realistic estimation of hydrological model parameters. Still, the hydrograph is the main source of information to adjust the models.

Hydrological models either serve improved water management and/or contribute to a deeper understanding of the hydrological processes. The main task of this call is to collect a series of papers that relate the estimation of hydrological parameters specifically to the “state” of the catchment, including physical data, biological information, and land use patterns. Papers are preferred that link parameter estimation in a physically based approach with catchment features. It is also interesting to learn which additional information, in addition to runoff data, has been proven to be useful in supporting transient hydrological modeling and calibration. Some important questions include:

  • Reasonable and improved modeling of flow paths of water as well as the physically based estimation of model parameters would be essential in assessing (modeling) impacts of land use changes;
  • How we can improve the calibration procedure utilizing quite different spatial information sources additionally to runoff data;
  • How we can handle spatiotemporal heterogeneity of several layers of parameters in the modeling approach;
  • What the basic requirements are for a reasonable model structure to link land use with representative hydrological parameter layers.

Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Nachtnebel
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Hydrological modeling of land use changes
  • Identification of hydrological changes
  • Estimation of hydrological parameters
  • Spatial information and improved model calibration
  • Prediction of land use impacts
  • Risk and land use changes

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 13899 KiB  
Article
A Model-Based Tool for Assessing the Impact of Land Use Change Scenarios on Flood Risk in Small-Scale River Systems—Part 2: Scenario-Based Flood Characteristics for the Planned State of Land Use
by Frauke Kachholz, Jannik Schilling and Jens Tränckner
Hydrology 2021, 8(3), 130; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/hydrology8030130 - 01 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2629
Abstract
Land use changes can significantly influence the water balance, and thus especially the development of flood-triggering runoff peaks. Hence, it is advisable to assess possible changes already at the level of municipal planning. Since many different actors are usually involved in spatial planning, [...] Read more.
Land use changes can significantly influence the water balance, and thus especially the development of flood-triggering runoff peaks. Hence, it is advisable to assess possible changes already at the level of municipal planning. Since many different actors are usually involved in spatial planning, it is useful to provide a shared platform where stakeholders can access the same information to analyze and evaluate flood hazards. Therefore, a GIS routine for the prediction of soil sealing induced runoff peaks and resulting potential flooding in the watercourse was developed, which is embedded in a GIS based decision support system (GIS-DSS). The so-called storm water routine (SWR) is founded on preprocessed flood characteristics, calculated by means of hydrological/hydraulic models (described in part 1). The potential impact of land use change is assessed purely in GIS as flow difference which is routed through the river system. To validate this simplified method, a process model was set up with an exemplary land use change and its results were compared with the GIS-based results. For 16 of the 18 rainfall scenarios tested, the SWR provided very good to good agreement with the detailed model. For short and highly dynamic rain events the SWR approach is less reliable. Several supplements like the integration of LID are conceivable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Land Use Changes on Hydrological Processes and Modelling)
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26 pages, 7220 KiB  
Article
A Model-Based Tool for Assessing the Impact of Land Use Change Scenarios on Flood Risk in Small-Scale River Systems—Part 1: Pre-Processing of Scenario Based Flood Characteristics for the Current State of Land Use
by Frauke Kachholz and Jens Tränckner
Hydrology 2021, 8(3), 102; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/hydrology8030102 - 08 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2557
Abstract
Land use changes influence the water balance and often increase surface runoff. The resulting impacts on river flow, water level, and flood should be identified beforehand in the phase of spatial planning. In two consecutive papers, we develop a model-based decision support system [...] Read more.
Land use changes influence the water balance and often increase surface runoff. The resulting impacts on river flow, water level, and flood should be identified beforehand in the phase of spatial planning. In two consecutive papers, we develop a model-based decision support system for quantifying the hydrological and stream hydraulic impacts of land use changes. Part 1 presents the semi-automatic set-up of physically based hydrological and hydraulic models on the basis of geodata analysis for the current state. Appropriate hydrological model parameters for ungauged catchments are derived by a transfer from a calibrated model. In the regarded lowland river basins, parameters of surface and groundwater inflow turned out to be particularly important. While the calibration delivers very good to good model results for flow (Evol =2.4%, R = 0.84, NSE = 0.84), the model performance is good to satisfactory (Evol = −9.6%, R = 0.88, NSE = 0.59) in a different river system parametrized with the transfer procedure. After transferring the concept to a larger area with various small rivers, the current state is analyzed by running simulations based on statistical rainfall scenarios. Results include watercourse section-specific capacities and excess volumes in case of flooding. The developed approach can relatively quickly generate physically reliable and spatially high-resolution results. Part 2 builds on the data generated in part 1 and presents the subsequent approach to assess hydrologic/hydrodynamic impacts of potential land use changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Land Use Changes on Hydrological Processes and Modelling)
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21 pages, 1851 KiB  
Article
Development of a Decision Support System for Sustainable Environmental Management and Stakeholder Engagement
by Angelos Alamanos, Alec Rolston and George Papaioannou
Hydrology 2021, 8(1), 40; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/hydrology8010040 - 04 Mar 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5291
Abstract
Undertaking integrated and sustainable water resources management (ISWRM) and providing socially acceptable solutions with scientifically solid bases is a dynamic and challenging process. Two basic pillars–umbrellas can be identified in the literature: stakeholder engagement and analysis; and integrated monitoring–modelling in the form of [...] Read more.
Undertaking integrated and sustainable water resources management (ISWRM) and providing socially acceptable solutions with scientifically solid bases is a dynamic and challenging process. Two basic pillars–umbrellas can be identified in the literature: stakeholder engagement and analysis; and integrated monitoring–modelling in the form of a decision support system (DSS) that can assess, evaluate and rank the management options. This study presents a framework that can be used as a good-practice example of successful stakeholder engagement (public engagement and collaboration with local communities towards shared visions) and an integrated DSS for ISWRM (including characterisation at catchment and local scales, programmes of measures and their evaluation): the Framework for Integrated Land and Landscape Management (FILLM), developed by an Irish multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder platform, the Water Forum. The fundamental theoretical principles and practical aspects of the FILLM are analysed. A step-by-step guide is proposed for its application, bridging the above pillars, using examples, reviewing methods and software, and analysing challenges and trends. It can help both socio-economic and environmental scientists (modellers) understand each other’s roles and find reviews of useful tools and methods for their work. This work can be a reference point for future ISWRM and environment management and can contribute to holistic education on such topics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Land Use Changes on Hydrological Processes and Modelling)
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23 pages, 3700 KiB  
Article
Hydrological Response of Natural Mediterranean Watersheds to Forest Fires
by Konstantinos X. Soulis, Konstantina Amalia Generali, Christina Papadaki, Christos Theodoropoulos and Emmanouil Psomiadis
Hydrology 2021, 8(1), 15; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/hydrology8010015 - 22 Jan 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2838
Abstract
Fires are common in forested Mediterranean-climate watersheds. Forest fires cause abrupt land use/cover (LULC) changes affecting soil properties and hydrological processes within and across watersheds. A major forest fire in Attica, Greece, that affected the Lykorrema stream experimental watershed provided the opportunity for [...] Read more.
Fires are common in forested Mediterranean-climate watersheds. Forest fires cause abrupt land use/cover (LULC) changes affecting soil properties and hydrological processes within and across watersheds. A major forest fire in Attica, Greece, that affected the Lykorrema stream experimental watershed provided the opportunity for an in-depth study of the impact of forest fires on the hydrological balance of natural Mediterranean watersheds. To this end, detailed hydrometeorological data recorded for five years before and for five years after the fire incidence were utilized. SWAT model was also used to consider the potential influence of meteorological conditions temporal variability on the results of the analysis. Specifically, SWAT model was parameterized calibrated and validated for the pre-fire and the post-fire conditions using the corresponding detailed hydrometeorological data for the respective periods. Then the two versions of the model were applied for the entire period providing comprehensive time series for all the flows and storages in the studied watershed. In this way, the post-fire LULC and soil properties changes were the only influencing factors driving the alterations in the hydrological balance allowing an impartial comparison. The obtained results highlighted the considerable impact of forest fires on the watersheds’ hydrological functioning. Specifically, the maximum direct runoff depths and the maximum flow rates were substantially higher in the post-fire conditions. In contrast, actual evapotranspiration was reduced, when the effect of fire was considered. The obtained results indicate that the altered post-fire LULC and soil properties are major drivers of the watershed’s hydrological balance changes. SWAT model performed sufficiently well for both the pre- and post-fire conditions and provided a deeper insight into the impact of forest fires on the hydrological functioning of natural Mediterranean watersheds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Land Use Changes on Hydrological Processes and Modelling)
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