Runoff generation and sediment transport: Do saturated zones play a role in tropical watersheds?
1. Runoff generation and
sediment transport:
Do saturated zones play a role in
tropical watersheds?
CHRISTIAN DAVID GUZMÁN
PHD CANDIDATE, CORNELL UNIVERSITY
FOOD SYSTEMS AND POVERTY REDUCTION IGER FELLOW
NSF/USAID RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FELLOW
26 NOVEMBER 2014
2. Motivation
Soil and water conservation is a multi-actor
unresolved solution
Heavy sediment loads reveals symptoms
Sustainability requires a focus on processes in
the Andean climate, specifically:
1. Main underlying flow patterns
2. Sediment concentration patterns and
variability
2
CALI, COLOMBIA
4. Rainfall intensity has to
exceed the soil’s infiltration
rate for Hortonian flow
4
10
8
6
4
2
0
Median infiltration rate
Rainfall intensity curve
Minimum infiltration rate
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00
Infiltration capacity,
Rainfall Intensity (cm/hr)
Probability of Exceedance
Bayabil et al., 2010
Mecanism:
-Hortonian
(Horton, 1933)
-Dunnean
(Dunne and Black, 1970,
Kirkby, 1969
Freeze, 1972
Dunne et al., 1975)
MAYBAR, ETHIOPIA
5. 5
Sediment concentration data
exhibit variable but particular
underlying patterns
Installation of terraces
Cw = Acac
Pce• Rd 0.4
Weirs
Terraces
C = a• Q n
Guzman et al., 2013; Steenhuis et al., 2014 ANJENI, ETHIOPIA
6. Runoff generation and sediment
transport dependent on storage
capacity
Hillslope
Degraded
Saturated
infiltration
interflow
overland flow
(Cappus, 1960,
Kirkby, 1969; Freeze, 1972;
Dunne and Black, 1979; Beven, 2000; Buytaert et al., 2007;
Collick et al., 2009; Steenhuis et al., 2013; Tilahun et al., 2014)
ANDIT TID, ETHIOPIA
7. Objectives
Short term: detect runoff and sediment
transport patterns in Aguaclara watershed
network
Mid term: build supporting evidence for a
well defined runoff mechanism hypothesis
Long term: study hydrological and
geomorphological patterns in the Andes for
conservation adjustment
7
COLOMBIA
8. Objectives
How do spatial and temporal
COLOMBIA
patterns reveal which dynamics are
present?
8
Upper
Middle
Lower
R² = 0.6235
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
25-Jun
15-Jul
4-Aug
24-Aug
13-Sep
Sediment Concentration (g L-1)
Mean daily sediment
concentration
DEBRE MAWI, ETHIOPIA D.C. Dagnew, 2013
9. Questions
1. Which runoff generation mechanism is
dominantly present in a representative
watershed?
2. Which areas of the site might be sediment
source areas?
3. Is there a correlation between soil loss and
nutrient loss?
4. Which hydrological and pedological dynamics
can be adjusted for improved runoff and
sediment transport estimation?
9
CALI, COLOMBIA
10. AGUACLARA, COLOMBIA
Methods 10
The Nature Conservancy
Fondo Agua por La Vida y La Sostenibilidad, Asobolo, Asocaña, Cenicaña
Rio Bolo
Micro-cuenca
La Vega
11. Methods
1. Characterization of flow patterns and sediment
and nutrient export
Rainfall intensity vs infiltration capacity (Double ring
infiltrometer, Constant head permeameter)
Monitoring hydrological balance
Monitoring sediments and water
2. Spatial and temporal changes in the micro
watershed
Soil surface changes
Water table depths
11
AGUACLARA, COLOMBIA
DEBRE MAWI, ETHIOPIA
12. Methods
3. Soil nutrient status and relation to soil
loss patterns (0-15 cm)
Macronutrients (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus)
Exchangeable Cations
pH, organic matter
4. Comparison of patterns
PED, TOPMODEL
InVEST, RIOS
SWAT
12
AGUACLARA, COLOMBIA
13. Analysis: Broad scale
1. Conceptualization of hydrology
Flow reservoir transfer
(Thornthwaite-Mather, 1955)
Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency
Conceptualization of sediment transport
Stratification of data (cumulative
effective precipitation; Lui et al., 2008)
Non-parametric statics, ej. Kruskal-
Wallis, Wilcoxon Rank Sum
13
AGUACLARA, COLOMBIA
15. Analysis: Localized scale
2. Generate localized patterns of soil
loss on hillslope and land use areas
Upslope vs downslope, etc.
Grazing vs forests, etc.
3. Compare nutrient status and
change patterns with soil depth
changes
Coefficient of determination, R2
Correlation coefficient, Pearson r
15
AGUACLARA, COLOMBIA
16. 16
Analysis: Coupling scales
Midslope-2
25-Jul 4-Aug 14-Aug 24-Aug 3-Sep
-0.20
-0.70
-1.20
-1.70
-2.20
-2.70
-3.20
16
9
Water table depth below
surface (m)
Downslope w/o Gully
Midslope-1
Midslope-2
Upslope
8
1
Midslope-1
Upslope
Weir Downslope
1. Conceptualization of
hydrology
2. Generate localized
patterns of soil loss on
hillslope and land use
areas
DEBRE MAWI, ETHIOPIA
17. Analysis: Critical concepts
4. Comparison of pattern
representation with modeling
NSE , RMSE, GLUE
17
AGUACLARA, COLOMBIA
18. Expected outcomes
1. Preliminary integration of runoff concepts
2. Identify areas or land uses that generate
runoff and sediment
3.Identify the simple or complex relationship
between soil loss and nutrient changes
4. Evaluation of model performance*
18
Horton, 1933; Dunne and Black, 1979 AGUACLARA, COLOMBIA
19. Future work
Study ecosystem services in greater
detail
Develop modeling alternatives
Replicate study
19
AGUACLARA, COLOMBIA
Natural resource and water preservation are important for the functioning of the environment, public consumption and socio-economic development
Heavy sediment loads illustrate land use changes and strong rain patterns
Sustainability requires a focus on understanding hydrological and soil system processes in the Andean climate, specifically:
1. Main underlying flow patterns
2. Sediment concentration patterns and variability
Hydrological balance and erosion dependent on soil supporting throughflow in humid climate
Según esta teoría, la escorrentía se formara cuando los compartimientos del suelo estén saturados de agua.
Se ha visto evidencia de esto y resultados en Etiopia, El Caribe, Honduras, y Ecuador
Corto plazo: investigación de transportes de sedimentos y nutrientes para complementar los estudios en Aguaclara y mi conocimientos de los procesos en Etiopia antes de cumplir mi doctorado
Mediano: formar la base de una hipótesis robusto para formar un proyecto mas largo sobre la gestión de cuencas y proyectos de conservación
Largo: estudiar los patrones de erosión e hidrología en los Andes para mejorar el conocimiento y modelos para la gestión de recursos hídricos
Approach is centered on understanding concurrent environmental changes by monitoring spatial and temporal patterns
¿Cuál es el mecanismo principal que genera escorrentía, exceso de infiltración (mecanismo hortoniano) o exceso de saturación (mecanismo dunneano)?
2. ¿Existe un patrón sencillo de transporte de sedimentos y nutrientes disueltos (linealmente correlacionados sedimentos con caudal y con precipitación), o hay aumentos/disminuciones de los mismos a lo largo de la temporada?
3. ¿Cuáles son las áreas probables en las laderas, dentro de la cuenca, a ser fuentes de sedimentos y cuáles son las características físicas e hidrológicas preponderantes de estas áreas?
4. ¿Se está perdiendo suelo en áreas en que el suelo tiene mayor contenido de nutrientes, es decir coincide la variabilidad espacial de nutrientes con la variabilidad de perdida de suelos?
5. ¿Cuáles procesos hídricos y edáficos requieren de mayor y mejor información para mejorar modelos hidrológicos y de erosión (USLE, SWAT, RIOS, PED, etc.) a escala detallada?
1. Integration of runoff concepts, Hortonian and Dunnean (infiltration excess and saturation excess)
2. Identify areas or land uses that generate runoff and sediment
3.Identify the simple or complex relationship between soil loss and nutrient changes
4. Evaluation of model performance*
Seguir investigando en Colombia con CIAT y Cenicaña: trazadores de procesos ambientales, gases de efecto invernadero
Plantear proyecto para estudiar patrones hidrográficos y edáficos
Formar un base de datos para la ampliación de modelos como SWAT y para el desarrollo para otros modelos
Ampliar detalle y preguntas (cambio climático)
Replica del estudio