Estimation of Groundwater Recharge Using Water Table Fluctuation Method in Bamako and Surrounding Areas, Mali

Bamako’s geographic and demographic expansion is sure to increase the need for water, and the slow development of the water supply network seems unable to meet this need. The knowledge of the approximate quantity of water reaching the groundwater is crucial, given the high dependence of this city and its surrounding area on groundwater. The aim of this study is to estimate the average groundwater recharge on a monthly scale, based on measurements taken over a 24-month period by using Water Table Fluctuation (WTF). The monthly recharge values obtained from the 15 piezometers in the study area by using WTF method vary from 1.04 to 38.81 mm with an average value of 9.74 mm. As part of the precipitations, these values represent respectively 1.29%, 48.52% and 12.17% of monthly average precipitation. It appears in this study that despite the piezometers belonging to the same climatic zone, the recharge rate can be different because of many factors such as the thickness of the aquifers, the soil and geology type, the local land cover and land use activities.

Several significant hydrographic characteristics and their formation mechanism in the South China Sea during the spring and summer of 1998

dOn the basis of the CTD data obtained by the two cruises before and after summer monsoon burst (25th May, 1998), several significant hydrographic characteristics, their variation and formation mechanism in the South China Sea (SCS) are analyzed. The results show that the Kuroshio water intrudes into the SCS in the form of loop current, and its main part is limited to the east of 118degreesE near the Luzon Strait. Then it continuously extends westwards under the influence of the large-scale circulation, and has a distinct impact on the area north of 16degreesN. There are two high temperature and low salinity regions: west off Luzon and east off Vietnam respectively. One region west off Luzon strengthens obviously after summer monsoon burst, the other east off Vietnam shows a tendency of weakening in the north and strengthening in the south. The formation of these two high temperature and low salinity regions is related to the anti-cyclonic eddies existing in this area, besides, it is also related to the high temperature feature west of Luzon, the influx of Sulu Sea water and the influence of the large-scale air circulation. There is a cold region below the depth of 50 m in the south of Zhongsha Islands, and it strengthens after monsoon burst. The formation of cold water is related to the upwelling there.

Analysis of Runoff in Ungauged Mountain Watersheds in Sichuan,China using Kinematic-wave-based GIUH Model

Floods are one of the most common natural hazards occurring all around the world.However,the knowledge of the origins of a food and its possible magnitude in a given region remains unclear yet.This lack of understanding is particularly acute in mountainous regions with large degrees in Sichuan Province,China,where runoff is seldom measured.The nature of streamflow in a region is related to the time and spatial distribution of rainfall quantity and watershed geomorphology.The geomorphologic characteristics are the channel network and surrounding landscape which transform the rainfall input into an output hydrograph at the outlet of the watershed.With the given geomorphologic properties of the watershed,theoretically the hydrological response function can be determined hydraulically without using any recorded data of past rainfall or runoff events.In this study,a kinematic-wave-based geomorphologic instantaneous unit hydrograph (KW-GIUH) model was adopted and verified to estimate runoff in ungauged areas.Two mountain watersheds,the Yingjing River watershed and Tianquan River watershed in Sichuan were selected as study sites.The geomorphologic factors of the two watersheds were obtained by using a digital elevation model (DEM) based on the topographic database obtained from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission of US's NASA.The tests of the model on the two watersheds were performed both at gauged and ungauged sites.Comparison between the simulated and observed hydrographs for a number of rainstorms at the gauged sites indicated the potential of the KW-GIUH model as a useful tool for runoff analysis in these regions.Moreover,to simulate possible concentrated rainstorms that could result in serious flooding in these areas,synthetic rainfall hyetographs were adopted as input to the KW-GIUH model to obtain the flow hydrographs at two ungauged sites for different return period conditions.Hydroeconomic analysis can be performed in the future to select the optimum design return period for determining the flood control work.

Improved PSO algorithm based on chaos theory and its application to design flood hydrograph

The deficiencies of basic particle swarm optimization （bPSO） are its ubiquitous prematurity and its inability to seek the global optimal solution when optimizing complex high-dimensional functions. To overcome such deficiencies, the chaos-PSO （COSPSO） algorithm was established by introducing the chaos optimization mechanism and a global particle stagnation-disturbance strategy into bPSO. In the improved algorithm, chaotic movement was adopted for the particles＇ initial movement trajectories to replace the former stochastic movement, and the chaos factor was used to guide the particles＇ path. When the global particles were stagnant, the disturbance strategy was used to keep the particles in motion. Five benchmark optimizations were introduced to test COSPSO, and they proved that COSPSO can remarkably improve efficiency in optimizing complex functions. Finally, a case study of COSPSO in calculating design flood hydrographs demonstrated the applicability of the improved algorithm.

The winter western boundary current of the South China Sea:physical structure and volume transport in December 1998

The unique survey in December 1998 mapped the entire western boundary area of the South China Sea（SCS）,which reveals the three-dimensional structure and huge volume transport of the swift and narrow winter western boundary current of the SCS（SCSwwbc） in full scale. The current is found to flow all the way from the shelf edge off Hong Kong to the Sunda Shelf with a width around 100 km and a vertical scale of about 400 m. It appears to be the strongest off the Indo-China Peninsula, where its volume transport reached over 20×10~6 m^3/s. The current is weaker upstream in the northern SCS to the west of Hong Kong. A Kuroshio loop or detached eddy intruded through the Luzon Strait is observed farther east where the SCSwwbc no more exists. The results suggest that during the survey the SCSwwbc was fed primarily by the interior recirculation of the SCS rather than by the＂branching＂ of the Kuroshio from the Luzon Strait as indicated by surface drifters, which is likely a near-surface phenomenon and only contributes a minor part to the total transport of the SCSwwbc. Several topics related to the SCSwwbc are also discussed.

A Dam Break Analysis Using HEC-RAS

This paper firstly described the dam break in the aspects of theories and models. Break parameters prediction, the understanding of dam break mechanics, peak outflow prediction were shown as the essential for the dam break analysis, and eventually determined the loss of the damages. Secondly, as an application example, Foster Joseph Sayers Dam break was further modeled and analyzed using USACE Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) model based on available geometry data. The results show that dam break is a complicated and comprehensive process involving lots of principles. Combination of mechanics and case studies, reflection of predominant mechanisms of headcut erosion, more specific categorization of dam, prudent investigation and inference of dam break process are needed in developing a satisfactory dam break simulation model. Foster Joseph Sayers Dam break due to piping elongates the time period of high water surface level, which increases the duration of risk. However, the dam break does not increase the downstream maximum water surface elevation (Max. W.S. Elev) significantly at previous design Probable Maximum Flood (PMF). Dam break has a greater impact on the downstream location where is closer to the dam in accordance with the comparison of the hydrographs at different downstream locations. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the changes of dam break parameters had no much influence on the downstream Max. W.S. Elev.

Advances in Studying Oceanic Circulation from Hydrographic Data with Applications in the South China Sea

Methods for studying oceanic circulation from hydrographic data are reviewed in the context of their applications in the South China Sea. These methods can be classified into three types according to their different dynamics as follows: (1) descriptive methods, (2) diagnostic methods without surface and bottom forcing, and (3) diagnostic methods with the above boundary forcing. The paper discusses the progress made in the above methods together with the advancement of study in the South China Sea circulation.

Calibration of HEC-RAS Model on Prediction of Flood for Lower Tapi River, India

Channel roughness is a sensitive parameter in development of hydraulic model for flood forecasting and flood inundation mapping. The requirement of multiple channel roughness coefficient Mannnig’s ‘n’ values along the river has been spelled out through simulation of floods, using HEC-RAS, for years 1998 and 2003, supported with the photographs of river reaches collected during the field visit of the lower Tapi River. The calibrated model, in terms of channel roughness, has been used to simulate the flood for year 2006 in the river. The performance of the calibrated HEC-RAS based model has been accessed by capturing the flood peaks of observed and simulated floods;and computation of root mean squared error (RMSE) for the intermediated gauging stations on the lower Tapi River.

Flash flood hazard mapping: A pilot case study in Xiapu River Basin, China

Flash flood hazard mapping is a supporting component of non-structural measures for flash flood prevention. Pilot case studies are necessary to develop more practicable methods for the technical support systems of flash flood hazard mapping. In this study, the headwater catchment of the Xiapu River Basin in central China was selected as a pilot study area for flash flood hazard mapping. A conceptual distributed hydrological model was developed for flood calculation based on the framework of the Xinanjiang model, which is widely used in humid and semi-humid regions in China. The developed model employs the geomorphological unit hydrograph method, which is extremely valuable when simulating the overland flow process in ungauged catchments, as compared with the original Xinanjiang model. The model was tested in the pilot study area, and the results agree with the measured data on the whole. After calibration and validation, the model is shown to be a useful tool for flash flood calculation. A practicable method for flash flood hazard mapping using the calculated peak discharge and digital elevation model data was presented, and three levels of flood hazards were classified. The resulting flash flood hazard maps indicate that the method successfully predicts the spatial distribution of flash flood hazards, and it can meet the current requirements in China.

APPROACH OF DETERMINISTIC GEOMORPH OLOGIC INSTANTANEOUS UNIT HYDROGRAPH TO HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES' SIMULATION IN KARST AREA

In order to analyze the condition of s pecial landform and regularity of sp ecial hydrological movement in karst area,the method of Geomorphologic Instantaneous Unit Hydrograph(GIUH)has been used to divide the river net-works into three grades in the research area and the karst hydrologic processes were simulated with Nash insta ntaneous u-nit hydrograph(NIUH).The combination of the GIUH and NIUH fully considers the moving path of wa ter particles in drainage and the regional composition of runoff at the end of the drainage,resulting in a rational combinatio n of probabili-ty of GIUH and NIUH and geomorphologic parameters which could reflect the complexity of the landform structur e of karst drainage.The results showed t hat the combined method of GIUH and NI UH has clear physical concept and acc ept-able precision,which can be widely a pplied on hydrological studies of karst area.

Hotspots of seabirds and marine mammals between New Zealand and the Ross Gyre:importance of hydrographic features

This article is part of our long-term study on the quantitative at-sea distribution of the marine "upper trophic levels"—seabirds and marine mammals—in polar ecosystems, aiming at quantifying the factors influencing their distribution as well as detecting possible spatial and temporal changes, with special attention to hydrography and to global climate changes. During an expedition of icebreaking RV Polarstern in February 2010, along the North–South transect between New Zealand and the Ross Gyre, off the Ross Sea, 3200 seabirds belonging to 22 identified pelagic species were recorded during 338 half-hour transect counts. Four major hotspots were identified. These were in Sub-tropical Water off New Zealand(up to 300 birds per count), and at the main Southern Ocean fronts: the Sub-Antarctic Front(up to 240 per count), the Antarctic Front(up to 150 per count) and the Polar Front(up to 200 per count), representing the vast majority of recorded seabirds. The most numerous species in the three frontal zones were: prions—mainly slender-billed Pachyptila belcheri—and Salvin’s albatross Thalassarche [cauta]salvini. The eight more abundant species represented 2650 birds, i.e. more than 80% of the total. A random forest clustering method identified four groups of seabird species occupying similar oceanographic niches.

Spectrum Characteristics and Transfer Function of the Hydrograph of the Deep Aqueous System

The fluctuation of most of the hydrograph in the deep aqueous system records the fluid pulsation in lithosphere and variation of the earth's crust. Many observations have verified that groundwater is an ideal information carrier of the crust. In this paper, the series of input (precipitation, air pressure, Earth tide etc.) and output (water level, artesian flow) of the deep aqueous system are studied by using the spectrum analysis and system theory. The application concepts of transfer function and the spectral structure of the hydrograph enrich the knowledge of the deep aqueous system. Two typical spectral structures of the hydrograph of the deep aqueous system are obtained by comparing with many water-bearing systems of the Jizhong depression. One is from well Ma-17 and the other is from the well Xinze-5. Finally, the physical models of forming the spectrum of the hydrograph are constructed on the basis of the spectrum research on the deep aqueous system.

Estimation of Small Reservoir Sedimentation in Semi-Arid Southern Zimbabwe

Small surface reservoirs play an important role of providing ready and convenient source of water for various uses in semi-arid areas which are characterized by erratic and low rainfall. Lack of current data on reservoir capacity loss due to sedimentation is one of the challenges to the sustainable management of surface reservoirs. The study investigated the capacity loss due to sedimentation from 2000-2012, and estimated the trap efficiency of the Mutangi reservoir which is located in semi-arid Chivi, Southern of Zimbabwe. Hydrographic surveys, grab sampling and water depth-capacity methods were used to determine the capacity of the dam as of 2012. To compute capacity loss from 2000 to 2012, the 2000 and 2012 dam capacities were compared whilst the trap efficiency of the reservoir was determined using a set of empirical models that relates trap efficiency to the capacity-watershed area ratio and capacity-inflow ratio. The results show that Mutangi reservoir has a trap efficiency of 95% - 98% (av = 96.4%) and has lost 37% of its capacity due to sedimentation in 12 years (2000 and 2012). Rates of sedimentation were 8539 t·yr-1, 9110?t·yr-1 and 8265 t·yr-1 for the hydrographic survey, grab sampling and water depth-capacity method respectively, and the little difference in these figures demonstrates that any method can be used to determine sedimentation rates. The area specific sediment yield (ASY) ranged from 14 - 15.5 t·ha-1·yr-1 (av = 14.956 t·ha-1·yr-1). At the current rate of sedimentation the projected dead level of the reservoir will be lost to sedimentation in 8 years while the useful life of the reservoir is estimated to be 30 years. Capacity loss due to sedimentation is further complicating the already strained water scarcity situation in semi-arid areas and management decisions should be made based on the current sedimentation rates estimated by different methods. These results imply that management practices that reduce erosion, hence sedimentation in these small reservoirs should be practiced in order to prolong their lifespan.

Application of Hydrological Model to Simulate Rainfall-Runoff into An Khe Reservoir in the Ba River Basin, Vietnam

The BR （Ba River） basin is one of 9 main river basins in Vietnam. In the past 20 years, natural hazards such as flood andinundation have been complex and increased dramatically in both frequency and intensity in the BR basin. Recently, there have beenapproximately 198 large and small operating reservoirs which lead to increase natural hazards in the river basin. An Khe reservoir,one of big reservoirs in the upstream of the Ba river, impacts significantly on flooding in the downstream. This paper useshydrological model to simulate the flows as a basic for the safety operation of An Khe reservoir in order to prevent the downstreamfloods. The results indicate the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient higher than 0.8 is stable and reliable parameter.

Evaluation of Neotectonic Signature Using Morphometric Indicators: Case Study in Nefza, North-West of Tunisia

Neotectonic activity can be deduced from stream network patterns and as an outcome of its evolution. The objective of this study is to investigate the use of the stream network morphology and morphometric methods to assess neotectonic signatures in Nefza region situated in North-West of Tunisia. For this aim, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), hydrographic layers extracted from Nefza topographic map (1/25,000), lithology and tectonic lineament parameters extracted from the geologic map (1/50,000) were used. The objective of this paper is to map structural and lithological discontinuities of the study area, by the morphostructural analysis of the topography extracted of DEM as well as the drainage anomalies. This work allowed the characterization of discontinuities of lithologic and structural origin. The previously conducted studies in the study area, confirm that is crossed by lineaments at several directions E-W, N-S, NE-SW and NW-SE. Based on the results obtained from this study regarding the correlation between tectonic and hydrographic network, we can highlight a regional rejuvenation tendency of the most mapped lineaments.

Development of a Cell-based Model to Derive Direct Runoff Hydrographs for Ungauged Mountainous Basins

A model to derive direct runoff hydrograph for an ungauged basin using the physical properties of the basin is presented. The basin is divided into grid cells and canal elements. Overland flow is generated from each grid cell of the basin by application of continuous effective rainfall of I mm/hr to the basin, The flow generated is routed through downstream grid cells and the canal elements using the kinematic wave approach. The travel time for direct runoff from each grid cell to the basin outlet is calculated and the S-curve is derived for the basin. The S-curve is used to derive the unit hydrograph of a given duration for the basin. The model, referred as Cell-basin model was applied to the Upper Kotmale Basin in Sri Lanka and the model predictions of direct runoff hydrographs for rainfall events agreed with the observations to a reasonable accuracy. Comparison of the unit hydrographs obtained from the model and from the conventional Snyder＇s synthetic unit hydrograph using regionalized parameters assuming the basin as an ungauged basin, with the unit hydrograph derived from the observations showed that the model predicted unit hydrograph was more suitable than that obtained by Snyder＇s method for Sri Lankan up country basins. Thus, the present model is a useful tool to obtain direct runoff hydrograph for ungauged basins.

Experimental Study on the Dam-Break Hydrographs at the Gate Location

When studying the dam-break flow phenomenon,the basic hydrodynamic features of the dam-break flow at the gate location should be verified primarily.In this study,laboratory experiments were performed in a rectangular and horizontal flume with the same initial water head setting on the dry and wet downstream bed conditions.Water surface elevation was extracted through image analysis and validated by comparing with the data measured using a wave gauge.Temporal variation of the water surface elevation at the gate location,quantified in terms of high-speed video recorded images,can be divided into three stages,the sharp decreasing stage,the relatively steady stage,and the gradually decreasing stage.Applicability of several classic analytical solutions of the dam-break problem at the gate location was validated using present experimental data.Ritter's solution is effective for the dry bed condition while Stoker's solution could be applied to the wet bed case,and both are only applicable during the steady stage.Lin' solution reproduces the gate-site hydrographs well during both the relatively steady and the gradually decreasing stages,especially for the condition under which the down-upstream water depth ratio is smaller than 0.138.

Physical modeling into outflow hydrographs and breach characteristics of homogeneous earthfill dams failure due to overtopping

The main objective of the present study is to introduce new empirical equations for the determination of breach geometrical dimensions and peak outflow discharge(Q_(p)).Therefore,a historic failure database of 109 embankments was collected and examined.The most important factors that affect the breach evolution,including grading size,hydraulic,and outflow characteristics are also studied.Some of the parameters used for the determination of Q_(p) and average breach width(Bave)have a significant effect on the erosion process,but they are less reflected in the technical literature.To study the behavior of noncohesive soils during overtopping,15 physical tests were performed at the laboratory,and the effects of interfering parameters were investigated.The experimental output hydrograph was used to simulate the hydrographs resulting from the failure of real dams,and recent artificial intelligence techniques along with linear and nonlinear regression models were employed.The area-time analysis of the laboratory hydrographs shows that the soil particle size and the characteristics of reservoir-basin significantly affect the rate of breach formation and outflow discharge.New relationships are introduced,based on the breach characteristics,by a combination of historical and experimental data,as well as case studies conducted on the hypothetical failure of 10 operational dams.The mathematical model is also used to simulate the process of breach evaluation.Based on statistical indices,comparison of the results,and sensitivity analysis,the developed equations can better express the susceptibility of materials to erosion and their application can minimize downstream vulnerabilities.

Contraction and warming of Antarctic Bottom Water in the Amundsen Sea

Antarctic Bottom Water(AABW)plays an important role in the meridional overturning circulation and contributes significantly to global heat transport and sea level rise(SLR).Based on the Global Ocean(1/12)°Physical Reanalysis(GLORYS12V1)products and conductivity-temperature-depth instrument data from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment hydrographic program,we analyzed the trends in the thickness,volume,temperature,salinity,and neutral density of the AABW in the Amundsen Sea from 1993 to 2017.Over the past 25 years,the volume has decreased by 3.45×10^(12) m^(3)/a,thinning at a rate of 5 m/a.In the vertical direction,the contraction of the AABW is compensated by the volume expansion of the Circumpolar Deep Water.As the volume of AABW decreases,the temperature of the AABW increases by about 0.002℃/a.This warming is equivalent to a heat flux of 0.27 W/m^(2).A local SLR is produced due to thermal expansion of 0.35 mm/a.During the study period,the neutral density decreased by 0.0003 kg/(m^(3)·a)due to warming.In the horizontal direction,the volume of AABW flowing from the Ross Sea into the Amundsen Sea gradually decreases and the temperature of the AABW increases continuously.The horizontal transport loss of the AABW volume is 4.07×10^(14) m^(3) and the horizontal heat transport results in a 0.03℃ increase in the temperature of the AABW.

Eddy formation and surface flow field in the Luzon Strait area during the summer of 2009

The formation of mesoscale eddies and the structure of the surface flow field in the Luzon Strait area were examined using in-situ CTD data, Argo float data, and multi-satellite remote sensing data collected from May to August 2009. The results show that vigorous water exchange between Kuroshio water and South China Sea （SCS） water began to emerge over the 200 m water column throughout the strait. Based on an objective definition of surface currents, float A69 tracked an anti-cyclonic eddy southwest of Taiwan Island under a Lagrangian current measurement. The salinity inside the anti-cyclonic eddy was higher than in typical SCS water but lower than in Kuroshio mainstream water, indicating that this eddy was induced by Kuroshio frontal intrusion through the Luzun Strait and into the SCS. From hydrographic data, we propose that continuous horizontal diffusion with high-salinity characteristics in the subsurface layer could extend to 119°E or even further west. The high-temperature filament, large positive sea level anomaly and clockwise geostrophic current all confirmed the existence of this warm eddy in May and June. A strongly negative wind stress curl maintained the eddy until it died. The surface flow field during July and August was rather complicated. Float A83 described an east-west orientated shuttle run in the 20°N section that was not reported by previous studies. At the same time, float A80 indicated a Kuroshio bend into the north-central region of Luzon Strait but it did not cross 120.5°E. The water mass rejoining the Kuroshio mainstream from the southern tip of Taiwan Island was less saline, indicating an entrainment of water from SCS by the Kuroshio bend.