Simulating the hydrologic impacts of land cover and climate changes in a semi-arid watershed
Changes in climate and land cover are among the principal variables affecting watershed hydrology.
This paper uses a cell-based model to examine the hydrologic impacts of climate and land-cover changes in the
semi-arid Lower Virgin River (LVR) watershed located upstream of Lake Mead, Nevada, USA. The cell-based
model is developed by considering direct runoff based on the Soil Conservation Service - Curve Number (SCSCN)
method and surplus runoff based on the Thornthwaite water balance theory. After calibration and validation,
the model is used to predict LVR discharge under future climate and land-cover changes. The hydrologic
simulation results reveal climate change as the dominant factor and land-cover change as a secondary factor in
regulating future river discharge. The combined effects of climate and land-cover changes will slightly increase
river discharge in summer but substantially decrease discharge in winter. This impact on water resources deserves
attention in climate change adaptation planning.
This dataset is associated with the following publication:
Chen, H., S. Tong, H. Yang, and J. Yang. Simulating the hydrologic impacts of land cover and climate changes in a semi-arid watershed. Hydrological Sciences Journal. IAHS LIMITED, Oxford, UK, 60(10): 1739-1758, (2015).
Complete Metadata
| accessLevel | public |
|---|---|
| bureauCode |
[
"020:00"
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|
| contactPoint |
{
"fn": "Yingping Yang",
"hasEmail": "mailto:yang.jeff@epa.gov"
}
|
| description | Changes in climate and land cover are among the principal variables affecting watershed hydrology. This paper uses a cell-based model to examine the hydrologic impacts of climate and land-cover changes in the semi-arid Lower Virgin River (LVR) watershed located upstream of Lake Mead, Nevada, USA. The cell-based model is developed by considering direct runoff based on the Soil Conservation Service - Curve Number (SCSCN) method and surplus runoff based on the Thornthwaite water balance theory. After calibration and validation, the model is used to predict LVR discharge under future climate and land-cover changes. The hydrologic simulation results reveal climate change as the dominant factor and land-cover change as a secondary factor in regulating future river discharge. The combined effects of climate and land-cover changes will slightly increase river discharge in summer but substantially decrease discharge in winter. This impact on water resources deserves attention in climate change adaptation planning. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Chen, H., S. Tong, H. Yang, and J. Yang. Simulating the hydrologic impacts of land cover and climate changes in a semi-arid watershed. Hydrological Sciences Journal. IAHS LIMITED, Oxford, UK, 60(10): 1739-1758, (2015). |
| distribution |
[
{
"title": "Lake Mead_Colorado River_ Data.xlsx",
"mediaType": "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet",
"downloadURL": "https://pasteur.epa.gov/uploads/362/Lake%20Mead_Colorado%20River_%20Data.xlsx"
},
{
"title": "NCDC_Monthly Climate Data_LowerVStations.xls",
"mediaType": "application/vnd.ms-excel",
"downloadURL": "https://pasteur.epa.gov/uploads/362/NCDC_Monthly%20Climate%20Data_LowerVStations.xls"
}
]
|
| identifier | A-v6xk-362 |
| keyword |
[
"Regional adaptation case studies for sustainable water resources",
"land-cover change; climate change adaptation; hydrologic impacts; cell-based modeling"
]
|
| license | https://pasteur.epa.gov/license/sciencehub-license.html |
| modified | 2015-12-09 |
| programCode |
[
"020:000"
]
|
| publisher |
{
"name": "U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD)",
"subOrganizationOf": {
"name": "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency",
"subOrganizationOf": {
"name": "U.S. Government"
}
}
}
|
| references |
[
"http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02626667.2014.948445#preview"
]
|
| rights |
null
|
| title | Simulating the hydrologic impacts of land cover and climate changes in a semi-arid watershed |
