Shifts in historical streamflow extremes in the Colorado River Basin

The global phenomenon of climate change-induced shifts in precipitation leading to “wet regions getting wetter” and “dry regions getting drier” has been widely studied. However, the propagation of these changes in atmospheric moisture within stream channels is not a direct relationship due to differences in the timing of how changing precipitation patterns interact with various land surfaces. Streamflow is of particular interest in the Colorado River Basin (CRB) due to the region’s rapidly growing population, projected temperature increases that are expected to be higher than elsewhere in the contiguous United States, and subsequent climate-driven disturbances including drought, vegetation mortality, and wildfire, which makes the region more vulnerable to changes in hydrologic extremes. Here, we determine how streamflow extremes have shifted in the CRB using two statistical methods—the Mann-Kendall trend detection analysis and Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) theorem. We evaluate these changes in the context of key flow metrics that include high and low flow percentiles, maximum and minimum 7-day flows, and the center timing of streamflow using historical gage records representative of natural flows. Monthly results indicate declines of up to 41% for high and low flows during the June to July peak runoff season, while increases of up to 24% were observed earlier from March to April. Our results highlight a key threshold elevation and latitude of 2300 m and 39° North, respectively, where there is a distinct shift in the trend. The spatiotemporal patterns observed are indicative of changing snowmelt patterns as a primary cause of the shifts. Identification of how this change varies spatially has consequences for improved land management strategies, as specific regions most vulnerable to threats can be prioritized for mitigation or adaptation as the climate warms

Simulating Human Water Regulation: The Development of an Optimal Complexity, Climate-Adaptive Reservoir Management Model for an LSM

Abstract The widespread influence of reservoirs on global rivers makes representations of reservoir outflow and storage essential components of large-scale hydrology and climate simulations across the land surface and atmosphere. Yet, reservoirs have yet to be commonly integrated into earth system models. This deficiency influences model processes such as evaporation and runoff, which are critical for accurate simulations of the coupled climate system. This study describes the development of a generalized reservoir model capable of reproducing realistic reservoir behavior for future integration in a global land surface model (LSM). Equations of increasing complexity relating reservoir inflow, outflow, and storage were tested for 14 California reservoirs that span a range of spatial and climate regimes. Temperature was employed in model equations to modulate seasonal changes in reservoir management behavior and to allow for the evolution of management seasonality as future climate varies. Optimized parameter values for the best-performing model were generalized based on the ratio of winter inflow to storage capacity so a future LSM user can generate reservoirs in any grid location by specifying the given storage capacity. Model performance statistics show good agreement between observed and simulated reservoir storage and outflow for both calibration (mean normalized RMSE = 0.48; mean coefficient of determination = 0.53) and validation reservoirs (mean normalized RMSE = 0.15; mean coefficient of determination = 0.67). The low complexity of model equations that include climate-adaptive operation features combined with robust model performance show promise for simulations of reservoir impacts on hydrology and climate within an LSM

Simulating Human Water Regulation: The Development of an Optimal Complexity, Climate-Adaptive Reservoir Management Model for an LSM

Abstract The widespread influence of reservoirs on global rivers makes representations of reservoir outflow and storage essential components of large-scale hydrology and climate simulations across the land surface and atmosphere. Yet, reservoirs have yet to be commonly integrated into earth system models. This deficiency influences model processes such as evaporation and runoff, which are critical for accurate simulations of the coupled climate system. This study describes the development of a generalized reservoir model capable of reproducing realistic reservoir behavior for future integration in a global land surface model (LSM). Equations of increasing complexity relating reservoir inflow, outflow, and storage were tested for 14 California reservoirs that span a range of spatial and climate regimes. Temperature was employed in model equations to modulate seasonal changes in reservoir management behavior and to allow for the evolution of management seasonality as future climate varies. Optimized parameter values for the best-performing model were generalized based on the ratio of winter inflow to storage capacity so a future LSM user can generate reservoirs in any grid location by specifying the given storage capacity. Model performance statistics show good agreement between observed and simulated reservoir storage and outflow for both calibration (mean normalized RMSE = 0.48; mean coefficient of determination = 0.53) and validation reservoirs (mean normalized RMSE = 0.15; mean coefficient of determination = 0.67). The low complexity of model equations that include climate-adaptive operation features combined with robust model performance show promise for simulations of reservoir impacts on hydrology and climate within an LSM

The pantropical response of soil moisture to El Niño

The 2015–2016 El Niño event ranks as one of the most severe on record in terms of the magnitude and extent of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies generated in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Corresponding global impacts on the climate were expected to rival, or even surpass, those of the 1997–1998 severe El Niño event, which had SST anomalies that were similar in size. However, the 2015–2016 event failed to meet expectations for hydrologic change in many areas, including those expected to receive well above normal precipitation. To better understand how climate anomalies during an El Niño event impact soil moisture, we investigate changes in soil moisture in the humid tropics (between ±25∘) during the three most recent super El Niño events of 1982–1983, 1997–1998 and 2015–2016, using data from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). First, we use in situ soil moisture observations obtained from 16 sites across five continents to validate and bias-correct estimates from GLDAS (r2=0.54). Next, we apply a k-means cluster analysis to the soil moisture estimates during the El Niño mature phase, resulting in four groups of clustered data. The strongest and most consistent decreases in soil moisture occur in the Amazon basin and maritime southeastern Asia, while the most consistent increases occur over eastern Africa. In addition, we compare changes in soil moisture to both precipitation and evapotranspiration, which showed a lack of agreement in the direction of change between these variables and soil moisture most prominently in the southern Amazon basin, the Sahel and mainland southeastern Asia. Our results can be used to improve estimates of spatiotemporal differences in El Niño impacts on soil moisture in tropical hydrology and ecosystem models at multiple scales

Simulating Human Water Regulation: The Development of an Optimal Complexity, Climate-Adaptive Reservoir Management Model for an LSM

Abstract The widespread influence of reservoirs on global rivers makes representations of reservoir outflow and storage essential components of large-scale hydrology and climate simulations across the land surface and atmosphere. Yet, reservoirs have yet to be commonly integrated into earth system models. This deficiency influences model processes such as evaporation and runoff, which are critical for accurate simulations of the coupled climate system. This study describes the development of a generalized reservoir model capable of reproducing realistic reservoir behavior for future integration in a global land surface model (LSM). Equations of increasing complexity relating reservoir inflow, outflow, and storage were tested for 14 California reservoirs that span a range of spatial and climate regimes. Temperature was employed in model equations to modulate seasonal changes in reservoir management behavior and to allow for the evolution of management seasonality as future climate varies. Optimized parameter values for the best-performing model were generalized based on the ratio of winter inflow to storage capacity so a future LSM user can generate reservoirs in any grid location by specifying the given storage capacity. Model performance statistics show good agreement between observed and simulated reservoir storage and outflow for both calibration (mean normalized RMSE = 0.48; mean coefficient of determination = 0.53) and validation reservoirs (mean normalized RMSE = 0.15; mean coefficient of determination = 0.67). The low complexity of model equations that include climate-adaptive operation features combined with robust model performance show promise for simulations of reservoir impacts on hydrology and climate within an LSM