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Estimation of baseflow residence times in watersheds from the runoff hydrograph recession: method and application in the Neversink watershed, Catskill Mountains, New York
Author(s) -
Vitvar Tomas,
Burns Douglas A.,
Lawrence Gregory B.,
McDonnell Jeffrey J.,
Wolock David M.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.5027
Subject(s) - baseflow , hydrograph , surface runoff , hydrology (agriculture) , watershed , residence time (fluid dynamics) , streamflow , environmental science , geology , drainage basin , geography , geotechnical engineering , ecology , cartography , machine learning , computer science , biology
A method for estimation of mean baseflow residence time in watersheds from hydrograph runoff recession characteristics was developed. Runoff recession characteristics were computed for the period 1993–96 in the 2 km 2 Winnisook watershed, Catskill Mountains, southeastern New York, and were used to derive mean values of subsurface hydraulic conductivity and the storage coefficient. These values were then used to estimate the mean baseflow residence time from an expression of the soil contact time, based on watershed soil and topographic characteristics. For comparison, mean baseflow residence times were calculated for the same period of time through the traditional convolution integral approach, which relates rainfall δ 18 O to δ 18 O values in streamflow. Our computed mean baseflow residence time was 9 months by both methods. These results indicate that baseflow residence time can be calculated accurately using recession analysis, and the method is less expensive than using environmental and/or artificial tracers. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.