A physically based FVM watershed model fully coupling surface and subsurface water flows

A sophisticated modeling approach for simulating-coupled surface and subsurface flows in a watershed is presented. The watershed model developed is a spatially distributed physically based model of composite dimension, consisting of 3-D variably saturated groundwater flow submodel, 2-D overland flow submodel and 1-D river flow submodel. The 3-D subsurface flow is represented by the complete Richards equation, while the 2-D and 1-D surface flows by the diffusive approximations of their complete dynamic equations. For piecewise integration of these equations, the finite volume method (FVM) is employed assuming unknown variables such as the water depth and the pressure head to be volume-averaged state ones. Problem plane geometry is meshed with the unstructured cells of triangular shape which conforms to external as well as internal irregular boundaries such as those between 1-D and 2-D flows. A cell size controlling scheme, referred to as quasi-adaptive meshing scheme, is introduced to keep the local discretization errors caused by topographic elevation gradient even over the entire-meshed geometry. Performance of the model is tested through its practical application to a rugged intermountain watershed. Tuning the values of the three key parameters ensures successful calibration of the model. Once the model is so calibrated, it could reproduce satisfactory runoff response to any rainfall event. Expansion and shrinkage of the contributing area importantly affecting the direct runoff, caused by the vicissitude of rainfall during its total duration, are well reproduced, like what the commonly accepted runoff theory argues. It is thus concluded that the model developed could serve as a powerful watershed simulator usable for investigating and assessing the hydrological aspect of a watershed.     

Numerical modeling based on a finite element method for simulation of flow in furrow irrigation

In this study, a zero-inertia finite element model (ZIFEM) is developed and applied for simulating all phases of furrow irrigation based on Saint–Venant equations. The complexity and nonlinear behavior of the Saint–Venant equations are the major difficulty in developing a finite element model to simulate furrow irrigation. Therefore, through the Galerkin FEM approach, the model assesses the free surface flow on a variable cell length at each time step and determines the suitable element length for each individual cell and the model solves the equations by using an iterative method. Along with the free surface flow phase, the infiltration phase is estimated by the Kostiakov–Lewis equation. The ZIFEM model is verified using seven experimental data sets collected from the literature and observed data from the farm consisting of two free drainage furrows with a length of 72 m, a top width of 0.8 m, a depth of 0.25 m and a slope of 0.2%. The model accuracy is studied to simulate advance and recession trajectories and runoff by calculating the root-mean-square error (RMSE), relative error and percentage error. It is observed that in all irrigation events, the proposed model reasonably agreed with field measurements. An evaluation of the RMSE shows that in 81.25% irrigation events the ZIFEM is more accurate than the WinSRFR model. In overall, the results of the model suggest that the ZIFEM can be introduced as a potential numerical tool for analyzing and evaluating furrow irrigation.     

A grid-based rainfall-runoff model for flood simulation including paddy fields

A grid-based, KIneMatic wave STOrm Runoff Model (KIMSTORM) is described. The model adopts the single flow-path algorithm and routes the water balance during the storm period. Manning’s roughness coefficient adjustment function of the paddy cell was applied to simulate the flood mitigation effect of the paddy fields for the grid-based, distributed rainfall-runoff modeling. The model was tested in 2296 km² dam watershed in South Korea using six typhoon storm events occurring between 2000 and 2007 with 500 m spatial resolution, and the results were tested through the automatic model evaluation functions in the model. The average values of the Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency (ME), the volume conservation index (VCI), the relative error of peak runoff rate (EQ_p), and the absolute error of peak runoff (ET_p) were 0.974, 1.016, 0.019, and 0.45 h for calibrated storm events and 0.975, 0.951, 0.029, and 0.50 h for verified storm events, respectively. In the simulation of the flood mitigation effect of the paddy fields, the average values of the percentage changes for peak runoff, total runoff volume, and time to peak runoff were only −1.95, −0.93, and 0.19%, respectively.     

A distributed hydro-environmental watershed model with three-zoned cell profiling

A cell-based distributed watershed model is developed which enables us to simulate the hydrological and hydraulic aspects of the watershed in a refined fashion. With three-zoned cell profiling, the model is composed of three sub-models; tank model for a surface water zone, soil moisture model for a surface soil zone, and unconfined shallow groundwater flow model for a subsurface zone. Inclusion of the soil moisture sub-model modified to reroute the infiltration, routed from the tank sub-model, into the return flow and the groundwater recharge features the model. The groundwater flow sub-model, numerically approximated by use of the finite volume method and the implicit time-marching scheme, considers a network of on-farm drainage canals as internal boundaries, which is an essential need for modeling the watershed including farmlands. Cascade-linking of the three sub-models in a cell and assembling of all the cells over the entire watershed domain provides the global equations system to be solved. Applicability of the model is demonstrated with its practical application to a real watershed in that paddy and upland crop fields take great part of the land-use practice. It is then indicated in a quantified manner that rice farming significantly contribute as a major groundwater recharger in an irrigation period to fostering and conservation of regional water resources. Along with appropriately profiling a cell, the model is so versatile and tough that it can be applied without difficulty to a watershed of diverse terrains and land-uses and the computations can stably be carried out. It is thus concluded that the model presently developed could be a powerful “watershed simulator” to investigate and assess the time-varying hydro-environmental properties of a watershed while separating and integrating the hydrological and hydraulic components of particular importance.     

Nitrogen and phosphorus runoff modeling in a flat low-lying paddy cultivated area

Chiyoda basin is located in Saga Prefecture in Kyushu Island, Japan, and lies next to the tidal compartment of the Chikugo River to which the excess water in the basin is drained away. Chiyoda basin has a total area of about 1,100 ha and is a typical flat and low-lying paddy-cultivated area. The main environmental issue in this basin is total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) load management because TN and TP, which loaded from farmlands, degrade surface water as a result of anthropogenic eutrophication. This paper presents a mathematical model of TN and TP runoff during an irrigation period in Chiyoda basin in order to elucidate the pollutant fluxes that accompany water transportation in paddy fields and drainage canals, and to evaluate pollutant removal from the study area to the Chikugo River. First, the water flow and the algorithm of gate operation were simulated by a continuous tank model and the accuracy of the model was then evaluated by comparing the simulated water levels with observed ones during an irrigation period. The observed and simulated water levels were in good agreement, indicating that the proposed model is applicable for drainage and water supply analyses in flat, low-lying paddy-cultivated areas. Second, the TN and TP runoff during an irrigation period was simulated based on the TN and TP loads that were determined by observed data in paddy fields. For TN runoff, the simulated results and observed data were in good agreement whereas for TP runoff, the simulated results were higher than the observed data. However, if the settled TP within the paddy tank was calculated as 6%, then the simulated results and the observed data were in good agreement. We concluded that TN runoff from paddy field to the drainage canal system was not affected much by the sediment related process. The present study could provide farmers and managers with a useful tool for controlling the water distribution in an irrigation period, and the TN and TP loads in the downstream area as well as the Chikugo River.     

Quantification of the effect of rice paddy area changes on recharging groundwater

This study quantifies the effects of paddy irrigation water on groundwater recharge. A numerical model of groundwater flow was conducted using MODFLOW in a 600 ha study site in an alluvial plain along the Chikugo River, located in southwestern Japan. To specify the surface boundary condition, data on the land use condition stored in the GIS database were transferred into a numerical model of groundwater flow. The simulated results were consistent with the observed yearly changes of groundwater level. Thus, it was appropriate to use the model to simulate the effects of paddy irrigation on groundwater. To quantify these effects, the groundwater level was simulated during the irrigation period when all farmlands in the study site were ponded. In this situation, the groundwater level was 0.5 to 1.0 m higher, the ground water storage 20% larger, and the return flow of the groundwater to the river 50% larger than in the present land use condition.     

A hydro-environmental watershed model improved in canal-aquifer water exchange process

Long-term simulation using the distributed hydro-environmental watershed model is efficacious for assessing irrigation impacts on hydrological cycle in detail and for implementing watershed management successfully. In this article, the previously developed hydro-environmental watershed model (HEWM-1) is improved in the water exchange process caused by surface water-groundwater interaction via drainage canals and/or underdrains. The time-varying stream flow in canals is described by the complete one-dimensional shallow water equations in a newly introduced submodel, the open channel flow submodel. This submodel coordinates with the other submodels: the tank, soil moisture and groundwater flow submodels which are interlinked in a cascade manner. The improved model (HEWM-2) is applied to an agricultural watershed covering an area from an alluvial fan onto a nearly level alluvial plain, to be validated. The simulation by HEWM-2 is informative for identifying whether any drainage canal is gaining or losing water in relation to groundwater level. It could thus provide useful information for conserving a complex network of drainage canals which also functions as a passage for aquatic animals like fishes.     

Modeling of water and nitrogen balance in the ponded water of rice fields

A water and nitrogen balance model for the surface ponded water compartment of rice fields was developed. The model estimates the daily ponded water depth and the daily losses and the uses of NH₄–N and NO₃–N in their transformation processes. The model was applied with data obtained from two rice fields during 2005 at Thessaloniki plain in northern Greece. Significant amounts of applied irrigation water were lost with the surface runoff and deep percolation to groundwater. The gaseous losses of nitrogen (volatilization and denitrification) and nitrogen uptake by algae were the main processes of nitrogen reduction in the ponded water of rice fields. The study showed that the system of a rice field is a natural system where an important amount of influent nitrogen applied by irrigation water can be reduced. These processes decrease the possibilities of water resources contamination.     

Development of a user friendly water balance model for paddy

A water balance model for paddy is developed primarily based on the principle of conservation of mass of soil–water within the root zone. The water balance for paddy is different from that of field crops because paddy requires standing water in the field during most of its growth period. This model requires soil, crop and meteorological data as inputs. This user friendly model was developed using computer programmes C and Visual Basic (VB) 6.0. It simulates various water balance components such as evapotranspiration, deep percolation, surface runoff and depth of irrigation water and ponding depth in the field on a daily basis. For estimation of deep percolation loss, physically based saturated and unsaturated flow processes are incorporated into the model to consider ponding (if there is standing water in the field), saturation (if moisture content of soil is in between field capacity and saturation) and depletion (if moisture content of soil is below field capacity) phases of paddy field. This article presents development of a user friendly water balance model for paddy and also its validation using published data.     

Analysis of water balance by surface–groundwater interaction using the SWAT model for the Han River basin,South Korea

The water balance and groundwater dynamics due to surface–groundwater interactions for watershed health assessment were investigated for the Han River basin (34,148 km²) of South Korea using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The model was established considering 4 multipurpose dams and 3 multifunction weirs. The SWAT was spatially calibrated and validated using daily observed inflows for the dam (2005–2014) and weir (2012–2014) as well as evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and groundwater level data (2009–2013). The simulation results revealed the impact of surface–groundwater exchange fluxes on the water balance and baseflow by evaluating the vertical water budget and horizontal water transfer. Evapotranspiration in the surface and return flows from the shallow aquifer for the dry season was estimated to be 29 and 10% higher than for the wet season, respectively. Percolation’s role was also significant, providing approximately 24% of the annual groundwater recharge to shallow aquifers in the rainy season. On average, the February to August period (A) was characterized by a net flux of infiltration into the groundwater. For the September to January period (B), the proportion of groundwater flow into the river of the basin was nearly balanced by a slight increase in surface water infiltration. During period A of average surface water infiltration into the groundwater, the net groundwater recharge was positive and up to 20% of the infiltration during this period resulted from groundwater recharge. These results showed that groundwater recharge is strongly affected by the surface water and groundwater interactions.     

A comparative study on grid-based storm runoff prediction using Thiessen and spatially distributed rainfall

The simulated streamflow from Thiessen average rainfall (T) and spatially distributed rainfall (R) may be significantly different from each other. To identify the hydrologic effects quantitatively, the grid-based kinematic wave storm runoff model was adopted. The model predicts temporal and spatial variations of surface and subsurface flow at each cell by calculating the water balance, and routes the streamflow to the outlet. The model was tested at the Yeoncheondam watershed (1,875 km²), one third of which belongs to North Korea. The watershed is elongated to north and south directions crossing the border. Four rain gauges cover the watershed within the territory of South Korea, while no records from North Korea are given. The simulated results showed the large differences in runoff volume and peak flow rates between T and R when rain moves in a north to south direction. The simulated results of east-to-west-direction storms showed little difference in the hydrographs. The hydrograph was strongly affected by the spatial variations of the rainfall moving along the stream of the watershed.     

A regional hydrologic–economic evaluation to devise environmentally sustainable rice farming systems in southern Murray Darling Basin, Australia

Waterlogging and salinity problems in major rice growing areas demand policies aimed at better management of land and water resources. This process can be facilitated through regional scale spatially distributed hydrologic–economic models that capture and integrate point scale processes at paddock, farm and irrigation area levels. The study develops an integrated hydrologic–economic framework that integrates hydrologic and economic responses for social and common pool optimum management in the Coleambally Irrigation Area, Australia. The results of hydrological-economic model indicate that the economic units with heavier soils and shallow watertables with minimum groundwater out flows are the best economic locations for growing rice as the total crop water requirements are minimised. Social and common pool optimum scenarios indicates, after accounting for externalities and groundwater dynamics, the optimal net returns could be achieved in about 15 years. There was not much difference between social and common pool optimum, however, common pool optimum show decline in net revenue after 23 years because of shallow watertable rise within 2 m of the surface. The current rice growing policies are mainly based on the clay content of soils and rice water use limits. This work has highlighted the importance of incorporating groundwater dynamics in deciding environmental policies for growing rice.     

Estimation of pollutant loads in an estuarine reservoir considering pollution source characteristics and seasonal variation

The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program is an integrated process of watershed assessment and management to address surface water quality impairment. The management of organic contaminants and nutrients is a primary concern in conserving surface water bodies. Watershed-scale pollutant loads simulation can assist stakeholders and watershed planners in making decisions on immediate and long-term land use schemes to improve water quality. However, the behavior of contaminants in a watershed needs to be characterized prior to such model applications. The objectives of this study were to characterize point and nonpoint pollutants runoff at a watershed scale and to develop a Pollutant Load Calculation Model (PLCM), which facilitates the estimation of pollutant delivery to a watershed outlet. The developed model was applied for the six sub-watersheds of the Saemangeum estuarine watershed in Korea, where a large tidal reclamation project has been underway. Two years stream flow and water quality data were used for the model calibration, while 1 year data were utilized for the model validation. The model calibration resulted in the R ² values of 0.58, 0.53, and 0.35 for BOD, TN, and TP, respectively. Overall performance for the validation period was similar with that for the calibration period although the R ² values were slightly decreased. The PLCM tends to substantially under or overestimate delivery pollutants loads during the summer rainy seasons when most rainfall events occur. This is probably because once-a-month-measured water quality data, which might not represent appropriately monthly water quality, particularly, for rainy seasons, were used for the loads calculation. Thus, more frequently monitored water quality data should be used for the delivery loads estimation at least for a rainy season in order to improve the PLCM performance. Nevertheless, the developed model took the pollutant reduction process into account, which is not allowed with the conventional unit loading method, and furthermore temporal variations of pollutant loads based on stream flows were also incorporated into the pollutant loads estimation. The developed PLCM can be a useful tool to assess pollutants delivery loads at a watershed scale and thus assist decision makers in developing watershed pollution management schemes.     

Application of system dynamics approach for time varying water balance in aerobic paddy fields

Increasing water scarcity has necessitated the development of irrigated rice systems that require less water than the traditional flooded rice. The cultivation of aerobic rice is an effort to save water in response to growing worldwide water scarcity with the pressure to reduce water use and increase water productivity. An accurate estimation of different water balance components at the aerobic rice fields is essential to achieve effective use of limited water supplies. Some field water balance components, such as percolation, capillary rise and evapotranspiration, can not be easily measured; therefore a soil water balance model is required to develop and to test water management strategies. This paper presents results of a study to quantify time varying water balance under a critical soil water tension based irrigation criteria for the cultivation of non-ponded “aerobic rice” fields along the lower parts of the Yellow River. Based on the analysis and integration of existing field information on the hydrologic processes in an aerobic rice field, this paper outlines the general components of the water balance using a conceptual model approach. The time varying water balance is then analyzed using the feedback relations among the hydrologic processes in a commercial dynamic modeling environment, Vensim. The model simulates various water balance components such as actual evapotranspiration, deep percolation, surface runoff, and capillary rise in the aerobic rice field on a daily basis. The model parameters are validated with the observed experimental field data from the Huibei Irrigation Experiment Station, Kaifeng, China. The validated model is used to analyze irrigation application soil water tension trigger under wet, dry and average climate conditions using daily time steps. The scenario analysis show that to conserve scarce water resources during the average climate years the irrigation scheduling criteria can be set as −30 kPa average root zone soil water tension; whereas it can be set at −70 kPa during the dry years, however, the associated yields may reduce. Compared with the flooded lowland rice and other upland crops, with these two alternatives irrigation event triggers, aerobic rice cultivation can lead to significant water savings.     

Runoff simulation considering the effects of hydraulic structures on agricultural water uses

For the efficient management of water resources in the target basin, this study proposed a method to improve the reliability of a long-term hydrological simulation model by applying to the model agricultural water more approximate to actual water uses (than planned water demands) through their adjustment based on the effects of small-scale hydraulic structures. To verify agricultural water uses estimated using the proposed method, they were applied to a basin management model. And then, simulated runoff at main station points was compared with measured runoff. As a result, there occurred errors with large differences from measured data, mainly, at station points where their dependency on river water was high. To verify simulated return rate, return rate for a test zone was estimated, and then compared with the simulated return rate. Correlations between annual rainfall and runoff errors were analyzed. As a result, it was found that those errors were enlarged in dry years. Long-term runoff simulation analysis showed that simulated runoff came to be negative when a farming season began. This could be significantly improved using water uses adjusted to consider the effects of small-scale hydraulic structures. Also, correlation analysis quantitatively confirmed that simulated runoff after adjustment was more correlated with measured runoff than before adjustment. Finally, fitness tests for runoff simulations before and after adjustment were carried out through a residual analysis to analyze residual normality and independence. As a result, the fitness of runoff simulation after adjustment was significantly improved.     

Analysis of water balance in the Tedori river alluvial fan areas of Japan: focused on quantitative analysis of groundwater recharge from river and ground surface, especially paddy fields

Water balance in the Tedori River alluvial fan areas was analyzed for all components of the hydrological cycle based on exchange of the channel/soil surface and aquifer horizon fractions with river water. The results were summarized on an annual basis, as well as for the irrigation and non-irrigation periods. The study area received 6.28 mm/day of precipitation and had an outflow of 2.32 mm/day as direct runoff, resulting in 3.96 mm/day of water being supplied to the soil surface. The channel/soil horizon fraction received this 3.96 mm/day, as well as 9.12 mm/day intake water from the head works. Conversely, 2.74 and 2.85 mm/day were lost by evapotranspiration and percolation, respectively. Thus, surface runoff of 7.49 mm/day flowed from the study area to the Sea of Japan or drainage canals near the river mouth. In the aquifer horizon fraction, 2.85 mm/day of water was supplied from the channel/soil horizon fraction and 2.15 mm/day was supplied from the Tedori River, while 1.73 mm/day was extracted by groundwater. Thus, 3.27 mm/day of groundwater flowed out to the Sea of Japan or into downstream drainage canals. An outline of the water balance of the irrigation and non-irrigation period is also shown. Because various hydrological components are closely related to each other, planning and management of water resources for individual goals are not adequate, but require the integrated aspect of water balance for sustainable water use.     

Assessing the impact of climate change on the land hydrology in Taiwan

The gradually increased temperature resulting from the enhanced greenhouse effects has been found to be an important factor of changes to the global climate which in turn might significantly affect the Earth's hydrological cycles. The possible outcomes of warming climate are changes of precipitation, surface runoff, evapotranspiration, and frequency of extreme weather events, such as floods and droughts. However, such changes at the global scale may not reflect the variations on a regional scale, and more so at the local scale. In this study, a physically based water balance model was applied to study the impact of climate change on the land hydrology, focusing on trends of surface runoff, evapotranspiration, and infiltration in Taiwan. Model forcing of composite temperatures and precipitations were generated by a weather generation model in association with nine climate change scenarios, including outputs of equilibrium experiments and special reports on emissions scenarios, from the IPCC. Although discrepancies among different climate change scenarios are significant, the trend of more extreme precipitations and surface runoffs were observed in most scenarios' runs. The increase of evapotranspiration in both wet and dry seasons is persistent among different scenarios throughout the island due to the projected consistently higher temperature. Although the trends of infiltration for wet and dry seasons are opposite in curtain scenarios, a decreased yearly infiltration was found in most cases as the result of increased precipitation intensity and more evapotranspiration. Timely adaption measures for water resources managements and natural hazard mitigations are required to face these changes of land hydrology components under changing climate.     

Structure of thermal convection development based on inhomogeneous water surface cooling

The generation and development of thermal convection based on inhomogeneous water surface cooling were examined by hydraulic and numerical experiments to examine the characteristics of thermal convection in a closed water body with aquatic plants. A visualization experiment revealed the structural characteristics of a whirlpool when thermal convection was generated quantitatively by using PIV analysis. Then, a water temperature measurement experiment demonstrated that a steady cold water mass generated based on the heat flux transport from the water surface increases. This explained each of the three stages in the convection development process. Moreover, aquatic plants, which grow thickly on the water surface, cause not only vertical but also horizontal flows based on the density difference with the water surface that is not covered by plants, and thus change the development process of the convection cell.     

Seasonal fluctuation of groundwater in an evergreen forest, central Cambodia: experiments and two-dimensional numerical analysis

This study of a water cycle was conducted in an evergreen forest located in the Mekong River Basin in central Cambodia. At the observation site, we measured the dynamics of the spatial distribution of groundwater levels. The groundwater movement was analyzed two-dimensionally using boundary conditions and parameters that had been observed in the field. The climate in the research area is dominated by two seasons, which occur annually: a rainy and a dry season. The groundwater levels are generally high during the rainy season and low during the dry season. Groundwater levels were measured along a stream, which flowed through the study site. The streambed was visible at the head of the stream in January. At the next downriver well point, the streambed appeared in March. Finally, it became visible at all well points in April, meaning that surface runoff had disappeared temporarily and instead flowed underground during the ensuing dry period. Groundwater levels of the studied lateral flow perpendicular to the stream that seeped and infiltrated into the stream were 1.2–2.5 m deep (in April), which was the lowest level recorded for the year. During that period, the depth of the groundwater of the studied lateral flow fell by as much as 56 mm per month. In addition, the lateral flow groundwater infiltrated into groundwater of the stream during that period. The groundwater level fluctuation was estimated based on a two-dimensional analysis of lateral flow perpendicular to the stream using a numerical simulation model with soil physical parameters and observed boundary conditions. The observations of ground water fluctuations were well reproduced. Deep seepage of groundwater was estimated using a uniform boundary condition that allowed efflux through the bottom, estimated as being approximately 30 mm per year. The simulated deep seepage rate was considered plausible considering other hydrological components such as soil water storage fluctuation.     

A refined hydro-environmental watershed model with field-plot-scale resolution

A distributed hydro-environmental model is developed that achieves detailed analysis of the movement of water at a field-plot-scale resolution in a mesoscale watershed including lowland areas where, especially for agricultures, it is an essential need to get rid of redundant groundwater by drainage facilities such as rivers, canals and/or underdrains. For this, the problem geometry is meshed with unstructured cells of triangular shape. Profile of a column cell is zoned into two: surface zone and groundwater zone in which water movement is represented by combined tank and soil moisture sub-models, and well-defined two-dimensional unconfined shallow groundwater flow sub-model, respectively. The top-two sub-models serve to evaluate evapotranspiration, infiltration, soil water content, lateral surface water flow, and vertical percolation. The vertical percolation so evaluated is given as longitudinal recharge to the bottom sub-model for computing groundwater flow. Surface water–groundwater interactions through beds and stream-banks of perennial and ephemeral canals are considered by treating the canal courses as internal boundaries in the groundwater flow model. The finite volume method (FVM) that allows of unstructured mesh and produces conservative solutions is employed for groundwater flow computation. The model developed is applied to an actual watershed which includes a low-lying paddy area to quantify the hydrological impact of land-use management practices over a period of 29 years in which the farmland consolidation project was implemented and part of the paddy fields were converted to upland crop fields and housing lands. From the results obtained, it is concluded that the model presently developed lends itself to water—as well as land-use management practices.