...the majority of researchers developing web apps receive little formal training or technical guidance on how to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of their web-based decision support tools. ......we share the following 10 simple rules, which highlight take-home messages, including lessons learned and practical tips, of our experience as burgeoning web app developers. Examples of web apps range from interactive maps depicting disease transmission (e.g., 9), marine health (e.g., 10,11), natural hazards (e.g., 12,13), and pest infestations (e.g., 14,15) to bioinformatics resource collections (e.g., 16), to omics data analysis platforms (e.g., 17), and to citation visualization tools (e.g., 18), among others. Briefly, ShellCast users can sign up to create an account and receive a text message and/or email notification (Fig 1F) at the start of each day that will alert them of imminent rainfall events over the next 1 to 3 days, the occurrence of which can result in restrictions to their shellfish harvesting operations.
Naturally occurring stable water isotope tracers provide useful information for hydrologic model development and calibration. Existing models include varied approaches concerning unsaturated zone ...percolation mixing (preferential versus matrix flow) and evapotranspiration (ET) partitioning. We assess the impact of unsaturated zone simplifying assumptions when simulating the Shale Hills Watershed, a small (7.9 ha), temperate, forested watershed near Petersburg, Pennsylvania, USA, with a relatively simple model. We found that different model structures/assumptions and parameterizations of unsaturated zone percolation had substantial impacts on the agreement between simulated and observed unsaturated‐zone water isotopic signatures. We show that unsaturated zone percolation mixing primarily affects the unsaturated zone δ18O and δ2H during winter and spring and that percolation was best represented as a combination of both preferential and matrix flow. We evaluate the importance and implications related to the partitioning of ET into evaporation and transpiration and demonstrated that incorporation of a plant growth model for ET partitioning substantially improved reproduction of observed hydrologic isotopic patterns of the unsaturated zone during the spring season. We show that unsaturated zone percolation mixing and ET partitioning approaches do not substantially influence stream δ18O and δ2H and conclude that observed streamflow isotopic data is not always a strong predictor of model performance with respect to intrawatershed processes.
This study assessed the combined effects of increased urbanization and climate change on streamflow in the Yadkin-Pee Dee watershed (North Carolina, USA) and focused on the conversion from forest to ...urban land use, the primary land use transition occurring in the watershed. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool to simulate future (2050–2070) streamflow and baseflow for four combined climate and land use scenarios across the Yadkin-Pee Dee River watershed and three subwatersheds. The combined scenarios pair land use change and climate change scenarios together. Compared to the baseline, projected streamflow increased in three out of four combined scenarios and decreased in one combined scenario. Baseflow decreased in all combined scenarios, but decreases were largest in subwatersheds that lost the most forest. The effects of land use change and climate change were additive, amplifying the increases in runoff and decreases in baseflow. Streamflow was influenced more strongly by climate change than land use change. However, for baseflow the reverse was true; land use change tended to drive baseflow more than climate change. Land use change was also a stronger driver than climate in the most urban subwatershed. In the most extreme land use and climate projection the volume of the 1-day, 100 year flood nearly doubled at the watershed outlet. Our results underscore the importance of forests as hydrologic regulators buffering streamflow and baseflow from hydrologic extremes. Additionally, our results suggest that land managers and policy makers need to consider the implications of forest loss on streamflow and baseflow when planning for future urbanization and climate change adaptation options.
Display omitted
•Land use (LU) models for the Southeast U.S. show rapid urbanization and forest loss.•Streamflow was simulated using combinations of LU and climate models (2050–2070).•Forests can buffer streamflow during hydrologic extremes, if they are large enough.•Effects of urbanization and climate change were additive, amplifying change in flow.•Risk of increased floods and drought must be considered in watershed planning.
Despite ongoing management efforts, phosphorus (P) loading from agricultural landscapes continues to impair water quality. Wastewater treatment research has enhanced our knowledge of microbial ...mechanisms influencing P cycling, especially regarding microbes known as polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) that store P as polyphosphate (polyP) under oxic conditions and release P under anoxic conditions. However, there is limited application of PAO research to reduce agricultural P loading and improve water quality. Herein, we conducted a meta-analysis to identify articles in Web of Science on polyP and its use by PAOs across five disciplines (i.e., wastewater treatment, terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and agriculture). We also summarized research that provides preliminary support for PAO-mediated P cycling in natural habitats. Terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and agriculture disciplines had fewer polyP and PAO articles compared to wastewater treatment, with agriculture consistently having the least. Most meta-analysis articles did not overlap disciplines. We found preliminary support for PAOs in natural habitats and identified several knowledge gaps and research opportunities. There is an urgent need for interdisciplinary research linking PAOs, polyP, and oxygen availability with existing knowledge of P forms and cycling mechanisms in natural and agricultural environments to improve agricultural P management strategies and achieve water quality goals.
The oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate (δ18OP) in soils and surface water bodies has been used to trace terrestrial P inputs into aquatic ecosystems. However, enhanced biological activity in ...vegetated riparian buffer strips (VBSs) may lead to an alteration of δ18OP values. The objective of this study was to assess whether enhanced biological cycling of P in VBS soils can be identified using δ18OP values. For this purpose, we sampled temperate grassland soils at various depths along a VBS to grassland transect. Here, we combined sequential P soil extracts with an analysis of δ18OP values. Soil P pool concentrations tended to decrease significantly along the transect from the VBS to the grassland soils; the strength of this relationship varied with P extract, sample depth, and inorganic or organic bonding form. For the δ18OP values of the 1 M HCl‐extractable P we observed a significant negative trend along the VBS to grassland transect, indicating a tendency for accelerated rates of biological cycling of P within the VBS soil profile compared with the upslope soils. We conclude that oxygen isotope‐based assessments of P source contributions to freshwater bodies should consider the enhanced biological turnover of P in VBS soils.
Core Ideas
Vegetated riparian buffer strips accelerate biological P cycling.
Phosphate oxygen isotope values decreased along a vegetated riparian buffer strip to grassland transect.
Biogeochemical P cycling varies with soil depth and distance from a stream.
Cycling‐related changes in isotope values complicate stream P source identification.
This study sought to develop models for predicting near-term (1–3 day) fecal contamination events in coastal shellfish growing waters. Using Random Forest regression, we (1) developed fecal coliform ...(FC) concentration models for shellfish growing areas using watershed characteristics and antecedent hydrologic and meteorologic observations as predictors, (2) tested the change in model performance associated when forecasted, as opposed to measured, rainfall variables were used as predictors, and (3) evaluated model predictor importance in relation to shellfish sanitation management criteria. Models were trained to 10 years of coastal FC measurements (n = 1285) for 5 major shellfish management areas along the Florida (USA) coast. Model performance varied between the 5 management areas with R2 ranging from 0.36 to 0.72. Antecedent precipitation variables were among the most important predictors in the day-of forecast models in all management areas. When forecasted rainfall was included in the models, wind components became increasingly important.
•1–3 day fecal coliform forecast models were trained with regulatory shellfish data.•5 variations of Random Forest models for 5 management areas were evaluated.•Predictive performance ranged from R2 of 0.36 to 0.72.•Using forecasted rainfall as a predictor did not improve model performance.•Variable importance differed between models, implying varied prediction mechanisms.
A hydrologist's guide to open science Hall, Caitlyn A; Saia, Sheila M; Popp, Andrea L ...
Hydrology and earth system sciences,
02/2022, Letnik:
26, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Open, accessible, reusable, and reproducible hydrologic research can have a significant positive impact on the scientific community and broader
society. While more individuals and organizations ...within the hydrology community are embracing open science practices, technical (e.g., limited coding experience), resource (e.g., open access fees), and social (e.g., fear of weaknesses being exposed or ideas being scooped) challenges remain. Furthermore, there are a growing number of constantly evolving open science tools, resources, and initiatives that can be overwhelming. These challenges and the ever-evolving nature of the open science landscape may seem insurmountable for hydrologists interested in pursuing open science. Therefore, we propose the general “Open Hydrology Principles” to guide individual and community progress toward open science for research and education and the “Open Hydrology Practical Guide” to improve the accessibility of currently available tools and approaches. We aim to inform and empower hydrologists as they transition to open, accessible, reusable, and reproducible research. We discuss the benefits as well as common open science challenges and how hydrologists can overcome them. The Open Hydrology Principles and Open Hydrology Practical Guide reflect our knowledge of the current state of open hydrology; we recognize that recommendations and suggestions will evolve and expand with emerging open science infrastructures, workflows, and research experiences. Therefore, we encourage hydrologists all over the globe to join in and help advance open science by contributing to the living version of this document and by sharing open hydrology resources in the community-supported repository (https://open-hydrology.github.io, last access: 1 February 2022).
Soil erosion is exacerbated by unsustainable land-use activities and poor management practices, undermining reservoir storage capacity. To this effect, appropriate estimation of sediment would help ...to adopt sustainable land-use activities and best management practices that lead to efficient reservoir operations. This paper aims to investigate the spatial variability of sediment yield, amount of sediment delivery into the reservoir, and reservoir sedimentation in the Koga Reservoir using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Sediment yield and the amount entered into the reservoir were also estimated using a rating curve, providing an alternative approach to spatially referenced SWAT generated suspended sediment load. SWAT was calibrated from 1991 to 2000 and validated from 2002 to 2007 using monthly observations. Model performance indicators showed acceptable values using Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) correlation coefficient (R2), and percent bias (PBIAS) for flow (NSE = 0.75, R2 = 0.78, and PBIAS = 11.83%). There was also good agreement between measured and simulated sediment yields, with NSE, R2, and PBIAS validation values of 0.80, 0.79, and 6.4%, respectively. The measured rating curve and SWAT predictions showed comparable mean annual sediment values of 62,610.08 ton/yr and 58,012.87 ton/yr, respectively. This study provides an implication for the extent of management interventions required to meet sediment load targets to a receiving reservoir, providing a better understanding of catchment processes and responses to anthropogenic and natural stressors in mixed land use temperate climate catchments. Findings would benefit policymakers towards land and water management decisions and serve as a prototype for other catchments where management interventions may be implemented. Specifically, validating SWAT for the Koga Reservoir is a first step to support policymakers, who are faced with implementing land and water management decisions.
Shifts in streamflow, due to future climate and land use change, may pose risks to nearby human communities. Projecting the spatial distribution and impacts of these risks requires consideration of ...biophysical and socioeconomic factors. Models like the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) can project spatial distributions of hydrologic risk due to shifting biophysical factors like climate and land use, but cannot account for socioeconomic factors influencing a community’s capacity to adapt to future streamflow changes. To address this limitation, we used a risk matrix to classify subbasins in a large river basin in the southeastern USA based on (1) percent increase in SWAT simulated 10-year and extreme high flows due to climate and land use change between baseline (1982–2002) and projected (2050–2070) periods and (2) degree of community vulnerability according to a Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). We compared spatial distributions of high-risk subbasins based on SWAT results, SVI results, and the integration of SWAT and SVI results using a risk matrix. Large increases in simulated 10-year and extreme high flows occurred in middle and lower parts of the river basin, and socially vulnerable communities were distributed throughout. We identified 16, 7, and 14 unique high-risk subbasins using SWAT results, SVI results, and SWAT and SVI results, respectively. By using a risk matrix, we identified subbasins with vulnerable communities that are projected to experience future increases in streamflow due to climate and land use change. These results serve as a starting point for subsequent climate change adaptation planning.
Legacy phosphorus concentrations resulting from historic additions of phosphorus (P) to the landscape may impede rapid remediation of P pollution and achievement of water quality management goals. ...Herein, we hypothesized that the capacity of stream biofilms to assimilate new polyphosphate (polyP) will vary as a function of stream legacy phosphorus. To test this hypothesis, we deployed a series of
in situ
enrichment experiments at five sites of varying land cover in central Pennsylvania, United States. Incremental P-loading was delivered using vials fitted with porous lids, that contained agar enriched with six levels of P (as Dissolved inorganic phosphorus, dissolved inorganic P) loading with rates ranging from 0 to 1,540 µg PO
4
−3
/day; these loading rates mimicked natural stream P loadings. Substrata were incubated at stream sites for a relatively short incubation period (12 days), to measure uptake rates; after which, biofilms growing on the lids were removed and their tissue content was analyzed for biomass (as chlorophyll) and various forms of particulate phosphorus. Polyphosphate (polyP) accumulated by stream biofilms at all sites closely tracked the release of dissolved inorganic P from experimental enrichment assays. Comparatively, biofilms accumulated relatively small amounts of Particulate inorganic phosphorus and other forms of organic P that we assume constitute a third group of P-rich biochemicals (e.g., DNA, RNA, lipids, proteins). Viewed at the watershed scale, land use appeared to affect P accumulation, where sites dominated by forest cover had a higher capacity for P storage, while sites dominated by agriculture did not; this underscores the importance of polyP storage as an indicator of legacy P pollution.
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