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Estimating the Natural Flow Regime of Rivers With Long‐Standing Development: The Northern Branch of the Rio Grande

Blythe, Todd L. ; Schmidt, John C.

Water resources research, 2018-02, Vol.54 (2), p.1212-1236 [Periódico revisado por pares]

Washington: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

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  • Título:
    Estimating the Natural Flow Regime of Rivers With Long‐Standing Development: The Northern Branch of the Rio Grande
  • Autor: Blythe, Todd L. ; Schmidt, John C.
  • Assuntos: 20th century ; Data processing ; Discharge measurement ; Duration ; Ecosystems ; Environmental changes ; environmental flow ; Gaging ; Hydrologic data ; Methods ; Natural flow ; Rehabilitation ; Resolution ; Rio Grande ; Rivers ; Stream discharge ; Stream flow ; Streamflow data ; Temporal resolution ; Water resources ; Water resources planning ; Water runoff ; Watersheds
  • É parte de: Water resources research, 2018-02, Vol.54 (2), p.1212-1236
  • Descrição: An estimate of a river's natural flow regime is useful for water resource planning and ecosystem rehabilitation by providing insight into the predisturbance form and function of a river. The natural flow regime of most rivers has been perturbed by development during the 20th century and in some cases, before stream gaging began. The temporal resolution of natural flows estimated using traditional methods is typically not sufficient to evaluate cues that drive native ecosystem function. Additionally, these traditional methods are watershed specific and require large amounts of data to produce accurate results. We present a mass balance method that estimates natural flows at daily time step resolution for the northern branch of the Rio Grande, upstream from the Rio Conchos, that relies only on easily obtained streamflow data. Using an analytical change point method, we identified periods of the measured flow regime during the 20th century for comparison with the estimated natural flows. Our results highlight the significant deviation from natural conditions that occurred during the 20th century. The total annual flow of the northern branch is 95% lower than it would be in the absence of human use. The current 2 year flood has decreased by more than 60%, is shorter in duration, and peaks later in the year. When compared to unregulated flows estimated using traditional mass balance accounting methods, our approach provides similar results. Key Points A river's daily natural flow regime can be estimated without quantifying consumptive losses if there are enough gaging stations The flow regime of the northern branch of the Rio Grande is significantly altered in magnitude, timing, and variability The method by which natural streamflow is estimated can have significant effects on environmental flow recommendations
  • Editor: Washington: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
  • Idioma: Inglês
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  • Realização: ABCD-USP USP   Logos de Redes Sociais: Freepik

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