Journal of Hydro-environment Research最新文献

This numerical study of scour process tested the skills of computational fluid dynamics in modeling the unsteady flow field during the scour development stage by two-dimensional turbulent wall jets under a sluice gate. The modeling was found to well describe the experimentally observed flow patterns, that is, the main jet diverged to a returning jet and a tail jet. The model also correctly predicts the evolution of the scour depth and length. We examined the self-similarity of the profiles of scour bed and overlying velocities throughout the entire scour development and equilibrium stages. We found self-preserved profiles of velocities and scour beds using local jet parameters. Four growth curves were compared in describing the temporal evolution of scour depth. Finally, non-dimensional scaling of the equilibrium maximal scour depth was investigated. We used the theory of wall jet, and suggested that a modified jet Froude number can be used to predict the equilibrium scour depth, which accounts for the attenuation of the jet velocities along the apron.

Many modeled and observed data are in coarse resolution, which are required to be downscaled. This study develops a probabilistic method to downscale 3-hourly runoff to hourly resolution. Hourly data recorded at the Poldokhtar Stream gauge (Karkheh River basin, Iran) during flood events (2009–2019) are divided into two groups including calibration and validation. Statistical tests including Chi-Square and Kolmogorov–Smirnov test indicate that the Burr distribution is proper distribution functions for rising and falling limbs of the floods’ hydrograph in calibration (2009–2013). A conditional ascending/descending random sampling from the constructed distributions on rising/falling limb is applied to produce hourly runoff. The hourly-downscaled runoff is rescaled based on observation to adjust mean three-hourly data. To evaluate the efficiency of the developed method, statistical measures including root mean square error, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, and correlation are used to assess the performance of the downscaling method not only in calibration but also in validation (2014–2019). Results show that the hourly downscaled runoff is in close agreement with observations in both calibration and validation periods. In addition, cumulative distribution functions of the downscaled runoff closely follow the observed ones in rising and falling limb in two periods. Although the performance of many statistical downscaling methods decreases in extreme values, the developed model performs well at different quantiles (less and more frequent values). This developed method that can properly downscale other hydroclimatological variables at any time and location is useful to provide high-resolution inputs to drive other models. Furthermore, high-resolution data are required for valid and reliable analysis, risk assessment, and management plans.

EPANET is one of the most commonly used open-source programs in hydraulic modelling water distribution networks (WDNs), based on steady-state and extended period simulation approaches. These approaches effectively estimate flow capacity and average pressures in networks; however, EPANET is not yet fully effective in modelling incompressible unsteady flows in WDNs. In this study, the hydraulic solver capacity of EPANET 3 is extended with the Rigid Water Column Global Gradient Algorithm (RWC-GGA) to model incompressible unsteady flow hydraulics in WDNs. Moreover, we incorporated dynamically more accurate valve expressions than the existing ones in the default EPANET code and introduced a new global convergence algorithm, Convergence Tracking Control Method (CTCM), in the solver code. The RWC-GGA, CTCM, and valve expressions are tested and validated in three different WDNs varying from simple to sophisticated set-ups. The results show that incompressible unsteady flows can be modelled with RWC-CGA and dynamic valve representations. Finally, the convergence problem due to the valve motion and the pressure-dependent algorithm (PDA) is solved by the implemented global convergence algorithm, i.e. CTCM.

Experimental data and numerical predictions of steady and unsteady flow in a 4 m high, 86 mm internal diameter tube fishway were compared quantitatively, and reflected expected uncertainties characteristic of the experiments and flow hydraulics. We then measured the response of a neutrally-buoyant fluid sensor and the behaviour of live fish transported vertically within the tube fishway. Ten repeat tests using the sensor and tests with seventy individual live fish demonstrated transport with 100% reliability. No ill effects were observed over a post-test monitoring period for two species of Australian native fish (Australian bass (Percalates novemaculeata) and Silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus)) or as a function of size of the Silver perch that can be related to their passage through the fishway. There may have been temporary bruising of a few of the largest Silver perch tested. The largest Silver perch averaged 137 mm in length. The spatial distributions of the inert sensor and fish relative to the moving front during the transport process were quantified. Consequently, the volumes of water required during each operational cycle to ensure reliable delivery of fish over vertical distances less than 4 m were determined. The sensor measurements indicated negligible interactions with straight pipe walls but exposure to significant accelerations at sharp bends. Further experiments with live fish are required to quantify the possible adverse effects of alternative pipe transition designs on animals transported through them. Safe transport of fish up to a fish length/tube fishway delivery diameter ratio of 1.6 is demonstrated.

Shallow flows are common in natural and human-made environments. Even for simple rectangular shallow reservoirs, recent laboratory experiments show that the developing flow fields are particularly complex, involving large-scale turbulent structures. For specific combinations of reservoir size and hydraulic conditions, a meandering jet can be observed. While some aspects of this pseudo-2D flow pattern can be reproduced using a 2D numerical model, new 3D simulations, based on the unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations, show consistent advantages as presented herein. A Proper Orthogonal Decomposition was used to characterize the four most energetic modes of the meandering jet at the free surface level, allowing comparison against experimental data and 2D (depth-averaged) numerical results. Three different isotropic eddy viscosity models (RNG k-ε, k-ε, k-ω) were tested. The 3D models accurately predicted the frequency of the modes, whereas the amplitudes of the modes and associated energy were damped for the friction-dominant cases and augmented for non-frictional ones. The performance of the three turbulence models remained essentially similar, with slightly better predictions by RNG k-ε model in the case with the highest Reynolds number. Finally, the Q-criterion was used to identify vortices and study their dynamics, assisting on the identification of the differences between: i) the three-dimensional phenomenon (here reproduced), ii) its two-dimensional footprint in the free surface (experimental observations) and iii) the depth-averaged case (represented by 2D models).

The key features of the equilibrium scour depth $d_{\mathrm{se}}$, width $W_{\mathrm{se}}$, length $L_{\mathrm{se}}$ and the volume $V_{\mathrm{se}}$ with large abutment aspect ratios (i.e., abutment width $L_c$ divided by its length $L$) in floodplain are different compared to narrow abutments. Seven models with $L_c/L$ ranging from 0.125 (narrow abutment) to 4 (very wide abutment) were tested. The results show that the combined effect in terms of the abutment aspect ratio $L_c/L$ is a key parameter with wide abutments. Furthermore, the average equilibrium scour width observed was much larger than previous studies and extends up to 3.5 times the floodplain water depth. This implies the current guideline by FHWA (Federal Highway Administration), (2009) to provide a riprap countermeasure apron width for 2 times the floodplain water depth may be insufficient. The much wider scour formation is caused by the migration of the maximum scour location around wide abutments. The results show generally the scour hole dimensions for setback abutments in compound channel are less than that abutments in rectangular channel under the same flow conditions. To this end, empirical equations, which agree well with the data from the present and previous studies are proposed to predict these characteristics at the equilibrium state.

Due to the simultaneous impacts of economic development and climate change, the Lijiang River Basin in China—the largest karst tourist attraction in the world—has experienced dramatic water shortages during the dry season. As actual evapotranspiration (${\mathrm{ET}}_a$) plays a critical role in the water cycle, accurate estimation of ${\mathrm{ET}}_a$ and water stress are important for sustainable water resources management. In this paper, we mapped the distribution of daily ${\mathrm{ET}}_a$ using a modified Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) model in combination with Landsat 8 images and assessed water stress using the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) during the dry season in the Lijiang River Basin. In general, the daily ${\mathrm{ET}}_a$ simulated by the SSEBop model with aerodynamic resistance value of 110 s m⁻¹ was higher than that of satellite-based actual evapotranspiration products (i.e., MOD16A2 and Penman-Monteith-Leuning (PML)_V2 actual evapotranspiration products in this study). Aerodynamic resistance plays a critical role in the estimation of energy fluxes in the SSEBop model and should be readjusted and calibrated with available datasets to improve the model’s performance in estimating actual evapotranspiration for particular regions. Readjusted values between 20 and 35 s m⁻¹ of aerodynamic resistance produced reasonable agreement with satellite-based actual evapotranspiration products in the Lijiang River Basin. In addition, insufficient ground-level measurements of actual evapotranspiration might have increased the uncertainty of the SSEBop model’s performance. The achievement of higher accuracy in the estimation of actual evapotranspiration and water availability will require establishing local flux towers, particularly in forested areas, to collect evapotranspiration, temperature and other in situ data. For different land-cover classes, forest areas exhibited the highest actual evapotranspiration, whereas farmland and built-up areas had the lowest actual evapotranspiration values compared to the other land-cover classes. All land-cover classes, especially farmland areas, experienced severe water stress. Inadequate precipitation as a result of climate change, combined with high actual evapotranspiration will result in less water being available for the Lijiang River Basin. Additional water is required to compensate for evapotranspiration and support plant growth in the Lijiang River Basin during the growing season.

From 1950s to 1980s, various observational studies around the globe found a significant decrease in surface solar radiation (SSR), which reversed in late 1980s for most of the countries including India. SSR observations at 12 stations located across India revealed that a much stronger dimming has reappeared during the last decade (2006–2015) after a brightening during 1996–2005. In the present study, effects of renewed solar dimming on actual evapotranspiration and runoff were analyzed using a semi-distributed hydrological model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in 24 river basins (ranging from 1260 to 40000 km²) located in peninsular India. For these river basins, calibration (2003–2009) and validation (2010–2014) were performed using the observed daily discharge data, obtained from water resources information system (WRIS) of India, with a 3 year warm up period (2000–2002). The sequential uncertainty domain parameter fitting algorithm (SUFI-2) of SWAT-CUP (calibration and uncertainty program) was used with modified Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (MNS) as the objective function to calibrate 13 model parameters, which can potentially affect streamflow. In nearly all the river basins, the p- and r-factor of 95 percentage prediction uncertainty (PPU) were more than 0.7 and less than 1, respectively. At daily timescale, MNS values were more than 0.5 in most of the river basins, reaching up to 0.66 and 0.71 during calibration and validation periods, respectively. Calibrated model was used to analyze the water balance of these river basins and different sets of experiments (with observed SSR trends) were performed to find SSR impacts on it. The model was simulated with and without the observed declines in SSR trends. The average change in SSR (in terms of evaporation equivalent) was −267.93 ± 100.92 mm/day/year (−5.62 ± 2.12%) with maximum reaching up to −417.12 mm/day/year (−8.99%). Due to this SSR change, actual evaporation was reduced resulting in 18.97 ± 9.78 mm/day/year (4.13 ± 2.50%) change in percolation. The percolation changes were higher for river basins having areas covered by forests and cropland/woodland, and having loam and sandy-clay soils. The increase in runoff generated was 6.90 ± 3.42 mm/day/year (2.14 ± 1.58%) with a maximum of 15.25 mm/day/year (7.56%) whereas corresponding increase in streamflow was found to be 9.93 ± 5.27 mm/day/year(4.21 ± 2.38%) with a maximum of 26.71 mm/day/year (11.86 %). The study reveals that the recent observed SSR changes are significant enough to have resulted in increased streamflow in the monsoon dominated tropical river basins of India.

In the present study, scattering of surface gravity waves by multiple slotted vertical barriers arranged in a zig-zag manner is analyzed by employing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and validated with physical model tests. The porosity of the vertical slotted barrier is varied from 10% to 40%, and the number of slotted barriers varied from 1 to 6. The results from CFD correlate well with the laboratory measurements on the scattering coefficients for a wide range of input conditions giving a high level of confidence. For relatively short waves ($h/\lambda$ > 0.3, $h$- water depth and $\lambda$- wave length), slotted barriers up to 3 numbers and porosity from 20% to 30% are required to achieve wave transmission coefficient in the range of 0.2 to 0.3. For relatively long waves ($h/\lambda$ < 0.3), slotted barriers of 5 to 6 numbers and porosity in the range of 10% to 20% are needed to obtain wave transmission of 0.2 to 0.3. The results presented in this study can be used for a wide range of wave damping applications in the field of coastal engineering.

This study presents three different models, namely power-law rating curve, one-dimensional lateral distribution method (1D–LDM), and gated recurrent network (GRU) model that can be applied to evaluate water discharge from water surface elevation time-series in a river cross-section for a long time period. A river section at Vinh Tuy location on the Lo river basin (Vietnam) is used to demonstrate the models. Appropriate values of modelling parameters are carefully determined using (i) the daily observed discharge values collected in the period from 2012 to 2018 and (ii) five error estimates for quantitatively assessing the agreement between estimated and observed water discharges. The results showed that all three models reproduced very well the observed discharge values, with root mean square error and mean absolute error, as well as mean error of discharge, are only about 5.5% of the maximum value of discharge monitoring in the studied cross-section, while Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency and Pearson’s correlation coefficient are greater than 0.89. The models are then applied to evaluate discharge values in the studied cross-section for the period from 1972 to 2011, revealing that statistical indicators, i.e. mean value, standard derivation, and covariance of estimated water discharge, are consistent with those obtained from the observations. Among three investigated models, the GRU model was finally proved to be the best one, providing even better results than the 1D-LDM and power-law rating curve.