Projection of Sediment Loading from Pearl River Basin, Mississippi into Gulf of Mexico under a Future Climate with Afforestation
Sediment load in rivers is recognized as both a carrier and a potential source of contaminants. Sediment deposition significantly changes river flow and morphology, thereby affecting stream hydrology and aquatic life. We projected sediment load from the Pearl River basin (PRB), Mississippi into the...
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Climate |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/11/5/108 |
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| author | Ying Ouyang Yanbo Huang Prem B. Parajuli Yongshan Wan Johnny M. Grace Peter V. Caldwell Carl Trettin |
| author_facet | Ying Ouyang Yanbo Huang Prem B. Parajuli Yongshan Wan Johnny M. Grace Peter V. Caldwell Carl Trettin |
| author_sort | Ying Ouyang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sediment load in rivers is recognized as both a carrier and a potential source of contaminants. Sediment deposition significantly changes river flow and morphology, thereby affecting stream hydrology and aquatic life. We projected sediment load from the Pearl River basin (PRB), Mississippi into the northern Gulf of Mexico under a future climate with afforestation using the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool)-based HAWQS (Hydrologic and Water Quality System) model. Three simulation scenarios were developed in this study: (1) the past scenario for estimating the 40-year sediment load from 1981 to 2020; (2) the future scenario for projecting the 40-year sediment load from 2025 to 2064, and (3) the future afforestation scenario that was the same as the future scenario, except for converting the rangeland located in the middle section of the Pearl River watershed of the PRB into the mixed forest land cover. Simulations showed a 16% decrease in sediment load for the future scenario in comparison to the past scenario due to the decrease in future surface runoff. Over both the past and future 40 years, the monthly maximum and minimum sediment loads occurred, respectively, in April and August; whereas the seasonal sediment load followed the order: spring > winter > summer > fall. Among the four seasons, winter and spring accounted for about 86% of sediment load for both scenarios. Under the future 40-year climate conditions, a 10% reduction in annual average sediment load with afforestation was observed in comparison to without afforestation. This study provides new insights into how a future climate with afforestation would affect sediment load into the northern Gulf of Mexico. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:49:31Z |
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| id | doaj.art-3ba91b6b8f7a424b9468d008652a8827 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2225-1154 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:49:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Climate |
| spelling | doaj.art-3ba91b6b8f7a424b9468d008652a88272023-11-18T00:57:37ZengMDPI AGClimate2225-11542023-05-0111510810.3390/cli11050108Projection of Sediment Loading from Pearl River Basin, Mississippi into Gulf of Mexico under a Future Climate with AfforestationYing Ouyang0Yanbo Huang1Prem B. Parajuli2Yongshan Wan3Johnny M. Grace4Peter V. Caldwell5Carl Trettin6USDA Forest Service, Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research, Southern Research Station, 775 Stone Blvd., Thompson Hall, Room 309, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USAGenetics and Sustainable Agriculture Research Unit, Crop Science Research Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 810 Highway 12 East, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USADepartment of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USACenter for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, US EPA, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561, USAUSDA Forest Service, Center for Forest Watershed Research, Southern Research Station, 1740 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Perry-Paige Bldg., Suite 303 North, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USAUSDA Forest Service, Center for Integrated Forest Science, Southern Research Station, 3160 Coweeta Lab Road, Otto, NC 28763, USAUSDA Forest Service enter for Forest Watershed Research, 3734 Hwy 402, Cordesville, SC 29434, USASediment load in rivers is recognized as both a carrier and a potential source of contaminants. Sediment deposition significantly changes river flow and morphology, thereby affecting stream hydrology and aquatic life. We projected sediment load from the Pearl River basin (PRB), Mississippi into the northern Gulf of Mexico under a future climate with afforestation using the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool)-based HAWQS (Hydrologic and Water Quality System) model. Three simulation scenarios were developed in this study: (1) the past scenario for estimating the 40-year sediment load from 1981 to 2020; (2) the future scenario for projecting the 40-year sediment load from 2025 to 2064, and (3) the future afforestation scenario that was the same as the future scenario, except for converting the rangeland located in the middle section of the Pearl River watershed of the PRB into the mixed forest land cover. Simulations showed a 16% decrease in sediment load for the future scenario in comparison to the past scenario due to the decrease in future surface runoff. Over both the past and future 40 years, the monthly maximum and minimum sediment loads occurred, respectively, in April and August; whereas the seasonal sediment load followed the order: spring > winter > summer > fall. Among the four seasons, winter and spring accounted for about 86% of sediment load for both scenarios. Under the future 40-year climate conditions, a 10% reduction in annual average sediment load with afforestation was observed in comparison to without afforestation. This study provides new insights into how a future climate with afforestation would affect sediment load into the northern Gulf of Mexico.https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/11/5/108afforestationclimate changeHAWQS modelGulf of Mexicosediment load |
| spellingShingle | Ying Ouyang Yanbo Huang Prem B. Parajuli Yongshan Wan Johnny M. Grace Peter V. Caldwell Carl Trettin Projection of Sediment Loading from Pearl River Basin, Mississippi into Gulf of Mexico under a Future Climate with Afforestation Climate afforestation climate change HAWQS model Gulf of Mexico sediment load |
| title | Projection of Sediment Loading from Pearl River Basin, Mississippi into Gulf of Mexico under a Future Climate with Afforestation |
| title_full | Projection of Sediment Loading from Pearl River Basin, Mississippi into Gulf of Mexico under a Future Climate with Afforestation |
| title_fullStr | Projection of Sediment Loading from Pearl River Basin, Mississippi into Gulf of Mexico under a Future Climate with Afforestation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Projection of Sediment Loading from Pearl River Basin, Mississippi into Gulf of Mexico under a Future Climate with Afforestation |
| title_short | Projection of Sediment Loading from Pearl River Basin, Mississippi into Gulf of Mexico under a Future Climate with Afforestation |
| title_sort | projection of sediment loading from pearl river basin mississippi into gulf of mexico under a future climate with afforestation |
| topic | afforestation climate change HAWQS model Gulf of Mexico sediment load |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/11/5/108 |
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