Application of an improved distributed hydrological model based on the soil–gravel structure in the Niyang River basin, Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
<p>Runoff formation and hydrologic regulation mechanisms in mountainous cold regions are the basis for investigating the response patterns of hydrological processes under climate change. Because of plate movements and climatic effects, the surface soils of bare lands and grasslands on the Qing...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/27/2681/2023/hess-27-2681-2023.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797776267916869632 |
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| author | P. Wang P. Wang P. Wang Z. Zhou J. Liu C. Xu C. Xu K. Wang Y. Liu J. Li Y. Li Y. Jia H. Wang |
| author_facet | P. Wang P. Wang P. Wang Z. Zhou J. Liu C. Xu C. Xu K. Wang Y. Liu J. Li Y. Li Y. Jia H. Wang |
| author_sort | P. Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Runoff formation and hydrologic regulation mechanisms in mountainous cold regions are the basis for investigating the response patterns of
hydrological processes under climate change. Because of plate movements and climatic effects, the surface soils of bare lands and grasslands on the
Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) are thin, and the soil below the surface contains abundant gravel. This characteristic geological structure, combined
with snow and frozen soil, affects the water cycle in this region. To investigate the influence of the underlying surface structure on water–heat
transport and water circulation processes on the QTP, a comprehensive study was performed combining water–heat transfer field experiments, and a
water and energy transfer process model for the QTP (WEP-QTP) was developed based on the original water and energy transfer process model in
cold regions (WEP-COR). The Niyang River basin, located on the QTP, was selected as the study area to evaluate the consistency between theoretical
hypotheses, observations, and modeling results. The model divided the uniform soil profile into a dualistic soil–gravel structure. When no phase
change was present in the ground, two infiltration models based on the dualistic soil–gravel structure were developed; these used the Richards
equation to model a non-heavy rain scenario and the multilayer Green–Ampt model for a heavy rain scenario. During the freeze–thaw period, a
water–heat coupling model based on the snow–soil–gravel layer structure was constructed. By considering gravel, the improved model corrected the
overestimation of the moisture content below the surface soil predicted by the original model and reduced the moisture content relative error (RE)
from 33.74 % to <span class="inline-formula">−</span>12.11 %. The addition of the snow layer not only reduced the temperature fluctuation of the surface soil, but also
revised the overestimation of the freeze–thaw speed predicted by the original model with the help of the gravel. The temperature root-mean-square
error was reduced from 1.16 to 0.86 <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup>C</span>. In the fully thawed period, the dualistic soil–gravel structure improved the regulation
effect of groundwater on flow, thus stabilizing the flow process. The maximum RE at the flow peak and trough decreased by 88.2 % and 21.3 %,
respectively. In the freeze–thaw period, by considering the effect of the snow–soil–gravel layer structure, the freezing and thawing processes of
WEP-QTP lagged behind<span id="page2682"/> those of WEP-COR by approximately 1 month. The groundwater simulated by WEP-QTP had more time to recharge the river, which better
represented the observed “tailing” process from September onwards. The flow simulated by the WEP-QTP model was more accurate and closer to the
actual measurements, with Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency <span class="inline-formula">></span> 0.75 and <span class="inline-formula">|RE|</span> <span class="inline-formula"><</span> 10 %. The improved model reflects the effects of
the typical QTP environment on water–heat transport and water cycling and can thus be used for hydrological simulation on the QTP.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:47:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-827c91382c1c4cfd9272f16c868cc09e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:47:17Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-827c91382c1c4cfd9272f16c868cc09e2023-07-21T04:32:01ZengCopernicus PublicationsHydrology and Earth System Sciences1027-56061607-79382023-07-01272681270110.5194/hess-27-2681-2023Application of an improved distributed hydrological model based on the soil–gravel structure in the Niyang River basin, Qinghai–Tibet PlateauP. Wang0P. Wang1P. Wang2Z. Zhou3J. Liu4C. Xu5C. Xu6K. Wang7Y. Liu8J. Li9Y. Li10Y. Jia11H. Wang12State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, ChinaInstitute of Science and Technology, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing 100038, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaDepartment of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayState Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaChina Power Construction Group Guiyang Engineering Corporation Limited, Guiyang 550081, ChinaBureau of South to North Water Transfer of Planning, Designing and Management, Ministry of Water Resources, Beijing 100038, ChinaDepartment of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, Tibet Agriculture and Animal Husbandry College, Nyingchi 860000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China<p>Runoff formation and hydrologic regulation mechanisms in mountainous cold regions are the basis for investigating the response patterns of hydrological processes under climate change. Because of plate movements and climatic effects, the surface soils of bare lands and grasslands on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) are thin, and the soil below the surface contains abundant gravel. This characteristic geological structure, combined with snow and frozen soil, affects the water cycle in this region. To investigate the influence of the underlying surface structure on water–heat transport and water circulation processes on the QTP, a comprehensive study was performed combining water–heat transfer field experiments, and a water and energy transfer process model for the QTP (WEP-QTP) was developed based on the original water and energy transfer process model in cold regions (WEP-COR). The Niyang River basin, located on the QTP, was selected as the study area to evaluate the consistency between theoretical hypotheses, observations, and modeling results. The model divided the uniform soil profile into a dualistic soil–gravel structure. When no phase change was present in the ground, two infiltration models based on the dualistic soil–gravel structure were developed; these used the Richards equation to model a non-heavy rain scenario and the multilayer Green–Ampt model for a heavy rain scenario. During the freeze–thaw period, a water–heat coupling model based on the snow–soil–gravel layer structure was constructed. By considering gravel, the improved model corrected the overestimation of the moisture content below the surface soil predicted by the original model and reduced the moisture content relative error (RE) from 33.74 % to <span class="inline-formula">−</span>12.11 %. The addition of the snow layer not only reduced the temperature fluctuation of the surface soil, but also revised the overestimation of the freeze–thaw speed predicted by the original model with the help of the gravel. The temperature root-mean-square error was reduced from 1.16 to 0.86 <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup>C</span>. In the fully thawed period, the dualistic soil–gravel structure improved the regulation effect of groundwater on flow, thus stabilizing the flow process. The maximum RE at the flow peak and trough decreased by 88.2 % and 21.3 %, respectively. In the freeze–thaw period, by considering the effect of the snow–soil–gravel layer structure, the freezing and thawing processes of WEP-QTP lagged behind<span id="page2682"/> those of WEP-COR by approximately 1 month. The groundwater simulated by WEP-QTP had more time to recharge the river, which better represented the observed “tailing” process from September onwards. The flow simulated by the WEP-QTP model was more accurate and closer to the actual measurements, with Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency <span class="inline-formula">></span> 0.75 and <span class="inline-formula">|RE|</span> <span class="inline-formula"><</span> 10 %. The improved model reflects the effects of the typical QTP environment on water–heat transport and water cycling and can thus be used for hydrological simulation on the QTP.</p>https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/27/2681/2023/hess-27-2681-2023.pdf |
| spellingShingle | P. Wang P. Wang P. Wang Z. Zhou J. Liu C. Xu C. Xu K. Wang Y. Liu J. Li Y. Li Y. Jia H. Wang Application of an improved distributed hydrological model based on the soil–gravel structure in the Niyang River basin, Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
| title | Application of an improved distributed hydrological model based on the soil–gravel structure in the Niyang River basin, Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
| title_full | Application of an improved distributed hydrological model based on the soil–gravel structure in the Niyang River basin, Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Application of an improved distributed hydrological model based on the soil–gravel structure in the Niyang River basin, Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Application of an improved distributed hydrological model based on the soil–gravel structure in the Niyang River basin, Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
| title_short | Application of an improved distributed hydrological model based on the soil–gravel structure in the Niyang River basin, Qinghai–Tibet Plateau |
| title_sort | application of an improved distributed hydrological model based on the soil gravel structure in the niyang river basin qinghai tibet plateau |
| url | https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/27/2681/2023/hess-27-2681-2023.pdf |
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