Integrating mesoscale catchment experiments with modelling: the potential for sustainable water reso

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Integrating mesoscalecatchment experimentswith
modellingthe potential for sustainable water
resources management
HELP

• byEnda OConnell1, Jaime Amezaga1, James
  Bathurst1, Chris Kilsby1, Geoff Parkin1, Paul
  Quinn1, Paul Younger1,Steve Anderton2, and Mick
  Riley3
• 1. Water Resource Systems Research
  Laboratory,Department of Civil
  Engineering,University of Newcastle upon Tyne
  NE1 7RU
• 2. Department of Engineering, University of
  Durham
• 3. School of Earth Sciences, University of
  Birmingham

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CHASM Catchment Hydrology And Sustainable
Management

• A major UK initiative in catchment research

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CHASM

• CHASM is a framework for a long-term programme of
  catchment research which presently involves UK
  universities, research institutes, and end-user
  organizations it is planned to extend it
  internationally
• CHASM will be implemented through a series of
  research projects to be funded from various
  sources (UK research councils, EC etc.)
• The first major project to be funded is NICHE
  (National Infrastructure for Catchment Hydrology
  Experiments). Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF)
  funding of 4M has been approved for catchment
  instrumentation

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Key Issues

• The vast majority of catchment experiments have
  been conducted at the small scale (lt10 km2) only
  limited aspects of hydrological understanding can
  be transferred to larger scales (the scale issue)
• The range and intensity of anthropogenic
  influences within catchments is increasing and
  impacts are not fully understood, particularly in
  relation to ecological diversity and
  biogeochemical cycling
• A better understanding is needed of how
  catchments are likely to behave under future
  climatic conditions
• Sustainable management plans for catchments need
  to be underpinned by good scientific
  understanding, particularly of the influences of
  abstractions on the hydrological and ecological
  regimes of catchments

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Key Elements of CHASM

• A new focus on mesoscale (100 km2) catchment
  research to bridge the CHASM (!!) between the
  typical scale of past experimental catchment
  research (10 km2) and the catchment scales which
  are the focus of sustainable management issues
• A major assault on the scaling issue, with new
  scaling theories to be developed and tested using
  multiscale experiments
• a set of n mesoscale nested catchment experiments
  which (a) sample heterogeneity in
  rainfall/topography/soils/ vegetation/geology
  comprehensively, and
  (b) cover a range of
  anthropogenic impacts
• A scientific platform for new developments in
  hydroecological research
• An integrated monitoring and modelling approach
  in which modelling is used from the outset to
  design the catchment experiments and to steer
  field campaignss

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CHASM Objectives

• 1. To understand and model catchment response as
  a function of landscape heterogeneity and scale
• 2. To understand the impacts of internal
  anthropogenic activities on catchment response
• 3. To understand the impacts of climate change on
  catchment response
• 4. To use the understanding gained under 1, 2 and
  3 to underpin sustainable catchment management

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Science for Sustainable Management
Meteorology
Physics
Catchment Experiments
Scaling Theories for Hydrological Flow and
Transport
Geology
Applied Maths and Statistics
Ecology and Biogeo-chemistry
Multiscale Catchment Models of Flow and Transport
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Planning for Sustainable Management
Land-use Change
Climate Change
Catchment Experiments
Multiscale Catchment Models of Flow and Transport
Point source pollution
Management Models
Non-point source pollution
Abstractions
Sustainable Management Plans
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NICHE Project Structure
NICHE National Infrastructure for Catchment
Hydrology Experiments
NICHE-LOCAR LOwland CAtchment Research 3
catchments
NICHE-CHASM Catchment Hydrology And Sustainable
Management 4 catchments
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NICHE-CHASM Partner Organisations

• Uni. Of Newcastle
• Uni. Of Aberdeen
• Uni. Of Dundee
• Uni. Of Durham
• Uni. Of Lancaster
• Uni. Of Leeds
• Uni. Of Ulster
• Institute of Hydrology
• Institute of Freshwater Ecology

Prof PE OConnell (co-ordinator) Dr C
Soulsby Prof A Werrity Prof T Burt Prof K
Beven Prof M Kirkby Prof DN Wilcock Prof JS
Wallace Prof AD Pickering
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NICHE-LOCAR Partner Organisations

• Imperial College
• Uni. Of Birmingham
• Uni. Of Exeter
• Institute of Hydrology
• Institute of Freshwater Ecology

Prof HS Wheater (co-ordinator) Prof GE
Petts Prof DE Walling Prof JS Wallace Prof J
Hilton
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NICHE Catchments
Feshie
Oona
Eden
Tern
Upper Severn
Pang/Lambourn
Frome
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NICHE-CHASM Catchments
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Key Elements ofGeneric Experimental Design

• Landscape classification
• Adaptive, staged approach to instrumentation of
  catchments
• permanent instrumentation
• staged instrumentation
• mobile instrumentation
• Multi-scale approach with nested structure
• Understand and resolve heterogeneity (Integrated
  Monitoring and Modelling)
• Reclassification of the landscape and repetition
  of the cycle

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Experimental Design
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Landscape Classification
topography
soils
geology
land use
?
classifications
hydrological geomorphological
ecological
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Mobile Instrumentation

• Rapid surveys (prior to installation of staged
  instrumentation, and for landscape
  classification)
• Lightweight all-terrain vehicle (Green
  Machine), with
• drilling rig
• differential GPS
• surface geophysics

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Staged Instrumentation

• 1 Raingauge
• 2 Nested multi-level piezometers
• 3 Soil moisture probes
• Tensiometers
• Gypsum blocks
• suction lysimeters
• 4 Interception gauges
• Sap flow meters

1
4
3
2
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Permanent Instrumentation

• River gauging stations with nested structure
• Observation boreholes and river-aquifer
  experiments
• Hydrometeorological stations and raingauges
• Hillslope instrumentation (runoff troughs,
  lysimeters)
• Suspended sediment and water quality monitors
• Ecological monitors (e.g. fish tracking)

Mesoscale (100 km2) Miniscale (10
km2) Microscale (1 km2)
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End-User Participation

• Catchment Management Committees (CMCs) have been
  set up to create a partnership of NICHE
  participants and end-user organizations (e.g.
  Environmental Agencies, Water Companies,
  Conservation Bodies, Government Departments etc.)
• The CMCs will
• identify key anthropogenic issues to be
  investigated
• harmonize expenditure on instrumentation to meet
  both research and operational needs
• co-ordinate research projects and monitor their
  progress

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National Forum for Catchment Hydrological Research

• Provide wider access to NICHE infrastructure
• Promote involvement in CHASM initiative
• Discuss research strategy and priorities
• Develop thematic funding initiatives
• First meeting at BHS National Symposium in
  September 2000
• Ecological and geomorphological forums to be
  convened in subsequent years

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International Context

• The UNESCO International Hydrological Programme
  (IHP) has identified Experimental Hydrology as a
  high priority activity for the 6th phase of IHP
  (2002-2007)
• The NICHE catchments may be potential candidates
  for inclusion in the proposed UNESCO Hydrology,
  Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) programme
• It is planned to expand the network of CHASM
  catchments through international collaboration
  with scientists interested in participating in
  the CHASM initiative. Those interested should
  contact the CHASM co-ordinator, Enda OConnell
  (P.E.OConnell_at_ncl.ac.uk).

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Sustainable Water ResourcesManagement (SWRM)

• Need to connect with socio-economic dimensions of
  SWRM
• Sustainability is concept through which
  hydrologists can engage with policy makers
  meeting the needs of the current generation
  without foreclosing on the options available to
  future generations

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Different Perspectiveson Sustainability

• Physical, ecological, social and economic
  perspectives how to reconcile in context of
  SWRM? Need to achieve a
• Multi-criteria analysis technical solution but
  difficult to articulate the ways in which policy
  makers think and act e.g. when water resource
  systems are under stress or undergoing change

Sociotechnical Perspective
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Sociotechnical Perspective

• Need methods and concepts for sociotechnical
  research
• How to deal with the human/social factor? HELP!

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Sociotechnical Perspective

• Shaping one common reality

Planning forSustainable Management
Land-use Change
Climate Change
Multiscale Catchment Models of Flow and Transport
Catchment Experiments
Point source pollution
Management Models
Non-point source pollution
Abstractions
Sustainable Management Plans
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Problem Structuring Methods(PSMs)

• Can deal with ill-structured situations involving
  human actors with multiple perspectives
• Soft-system approaches require human skills and
  expertise which technical experts find difficulty
  in relating to
• May help to arrive at consensus among different
  actors and stakeholders in different settings as
  to what SWRM really means, and how it might be
  achieved in the future