Download or read book Wildfire Effects on Net Precipitation Streamflow Regime and Rainfall runoff Events in Northern Rocky Mountain Watersheds written by Christopher Hart Stanley Williams and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent decades, severe wildfire in western North America has increased in frequency as a result of a warming climate and historical fire suppression, impacting an increasing amount of forested area. Reduced forest canopy interception and storage combined with soil water repellency and altered soil structure after wildfire can lead to greater runoff responses than in unburned forests. This has led to a proliferation of post-wildfire hydrological studies, mostly at the plot and hillslope scales, and mainly located in heavily impacted regions of the USA (e.g. Colorado, New Mexico, California). However, the more northern Rocky Mountain regions have also been subjected to warming and increased risk of wildfire. The eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains provide a disproportionate amount of vital surface water supplies to the Prairie Provinces largely owing to high overwinter snow accumulation. Much less is known about post-wildfire hydrology and runoff response in these more northern, snow-dominated mountain regions. This study examined impacts from the 2003 Lost Creek wildfire on net precipitation, flow regimes, and storm rainfall-runoff events in Rocky Mountain watersheds in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada. Net precipitation was studied in subalpine forest stands while flow regimes and storms were studied at the watershed scale. Four subalpine forest stands (two burned and two unburned reference) were used to measure rainfall interception and snow accumulation (SWE); net precipitation was derived from these measurements for the study period (2005-2014). Mean net precipitation was 274 mm (51%) greater in burned than in unburned reference forest stands. Greater mean snow accumulation (SWE) and net rainfall, respectively, constituted 152 and 122 mm of this total. Studies focused on post-wildfire flow regimes at varying time intervals (annual, monthly, weekly) were conducted during the 2nd to 11th years (2005-2014) after the wildfire. Streamflow and precipitation were measured in three burned and two unburned reference watersheds in a replicated post-hoc study design to enable comparisons. Flow regime studies highlighted greater magnitude and earlier timing of snowmelt runoff in wildfire-affected watersheds - April and May water yields were 100-200% and 40-50% higher, respectively, and half-flow dates arrived approximately 7-10 days earlier in burned compared to reference watersheds. The effects of wildfire on storm runoff during the snow-free season (late June to late September) was more ambiguous but flow responses in burned watersheds were proportionally greater, in general, than those in reference watersheds. However, post-wildfire storm runoff was surprisingly muted compared to that from other wildfire-affected regions and multiple regression analysis suggested fire accounted for
Download or read book Estimating Postfire Water Production in the Pacific Northwest written by Donald F. Potts and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two hydrologic models were adapted to estimate postfire changer in water yield in Pacific Northwest watersheds. The WRENSS version of the simulation model PROSPER is used for hydrologic regimes dominated by rainfall: it calculates water available for streamflow onthe basis of seasonal precipitation and leaf area index. The WRENSS version of the simulation model WATBAL is used for hydrologic regimes dominated by snowfall; it calculates water available for streamflow based on seasonal precipitation, energy aspect and cover density. The PROSPER and WATBAL models estimate large postfire increases in water available for streamflow only for fires that have removed more than 50 percent of the leaf area are cover density, respectively. Guidelines for selecting appropriate models, and tables and figures for calculating postfire water yield are presented. This simulation approach should be useful for estimating long-term effects of fire on water production within the framework of land management planning.
Download or read book Effect of Heavy Late fall Precipitation on Runoff from a Chaparral Watershed written by Paul A. Ingebo and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 2 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unseasonally high runoff resulted from extremely heavy late-fall precipitation in 1965 on an Arizona watershed. Streamflow during and following the rains was significantly regulated by the ability of the watershed to store and release water from its regolith.
Download or read book Watershed Modeling for Fire Management Planning in the Northern Rocky Mountains written by Donald F. Potts and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Early Effects of Forest Fire on Streamflow Characteristics written by H. W. Berndt and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hydrologic Effects of a Changing Forest Landscape written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2008-12-19 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of all the outputs of forests, water may be the most important. Streamflow from forests provides two-thirds of the nation's clean water supply. Removing forest cover accelerates the rate that precipitation becomes streamflow; therefore, in some areas, cutting trees causes a temporary increase in the volume of water flowing downstream. This effect has spurred political pressure to cut trees to increase water supply, especially in western states where population is rising. However, cutting trees for water gains is not sustainable: increases in flow rate and volume are typically short-lived, and the practice can ultimately degrade water quality and increase vulnerability to flooding. Forest hydrology, the study of how water flows through forests, can help illuminate the connections between forests and water, but it must advance if it is to deal with today's complexities, including climate change, wildfires, and changing patterns of development and ownership. This book identifies actions that scientists, forest and water managers, and citizens can take to help sustain water resources from forests.
Download or read book Cascading Effects of Fire Exclusion in Rocky Mountain Ecosystems written by Robert E. Keane and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The health of many Rocky Mountain ecosystems is in decline because of the policy of excluding fire in the management of these ecosystems. Fire exclusion has actually made it more difficult to fight fires, and this poses greater risks to the people who fight fires and for those who live in and around Rocky Mountain forests and rangelands. This paper discusses the extent of fire exclusion in the Rocky Mountains, then details the diverse and cascading effects of suppressing fires in the Rocky Mountain landscape by spatial scale, characteristic, and vegetation type. Also discussed are the varied effects of fire exclusion on some important, keystone ecosystems and human concerns.
Download or read book Effects of Fire on Water written by Arthur R. Tiedemann and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Effect of Heavy Late Fall Precipitation on Runoff From a Chaparral Watershed written by Paul A. Ingebo and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hydrologic Effects from Urbanization of Forested Watersheds in the Northeast written by Howard William Lull and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urbanization of forest areas tends to reduce interception, reduce infiltration and increase overland flow, reduce soil-moisture storage, reduce evapotranspiration, increase runoff, increase peak flows, and reduce water quality. annual maximum peak flows, annual hydrologic responses, and annual runoff were found (from actural streamflow records) to increase with progressive urbanization. the percentage of summer rainfall that appeared as runoff and the hydrologic responses were greater for partially urbanized watersheds than for mostly forested ones.
Download or read book Effects of Thinning and a Wildfire on Sediment Production Rates Channel Morphology and Water Quality in the Upper South Platte River Watershed written by Zamir Libohova and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Watershed Management in the Rocky Mountain Subalpine Zone written by Charles F. Leaf and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Wildfire Effects on the Ecohydrology of a Sierra Nevada Watershed written by Gabrielle Boisrame Boisrame and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mountain watersheds of the Sierra Nevada supply the majority of California's water, but this supply has always been highly variable. The 2012-2016 drought in California has demonstrated that this water supply is also highly vulnerable to increasing temperatures and/or reduced precipitation. Not only did the 2012-2016 drought reduce water supply for human use, but it also led to unprecedented forest mortality and fire damage. Unfortunately, the fire suppression strategy that was nearly uniformly applied to mountain forests during the 20th century may have exacerbated the effects of drought by increasing vegetation density and thus increasing evapotranspiration and precipitation interception. Could restoring fire regimes to their pre-European settlement condition increase water yield from these forested catchments? Such a policy would also have the potential to restore the ecological function of landscapes and reduce the risk of catastrophic fires (such as the 2013 Rim Fire) by reducing fuel loads. This dissertation studies the hydrological and landscape-level ecological effects of restoring a frequent, mixed severity fire regime to the Illilouette Creek Basin in Yosemite National Park. A combination of field measurements, historical data analysis, remote sensing, and modeling approaches are employed to strengthen the argument by providing multiple lines of evidence. There is limited data available for Illilouette Creek Basin during much of the four decades in which the new fire regime became established, inhibiting direct evaluation of the fire regime's effects. Nevertheless, a variety of different metrics and analyses indicate a number of important changes that can be attributed to the restored fire regime: increased landscape diversity (including reduced forest cover), increased soil moisture and streamflow (both according to measurements and hydrological modeling), and decreased drought stress (both according to observations and from hydrological modeling).
Download or read book Water Climate Change and Forests written by Michael J. Furniss and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Water from forested watersheds provides irreplaceable habitat for aquatic and riparian species and supports our homes, farms, industries, and energy production. Yet population pressures, land uses, and rapid climate change combine to seriously threaten these waters and the resilience of watersheds in most places. Forest land managers are expected to anticipate and respond to these threats and steward forested watersheds to ensure the sustained protection and provision of water and the services it provides. Contents of this report: (1) Intro.; (2) Background: Forests and Water; Climate Change: Hydrologic Responses and Ecosystem Services; (3) Moving Forward: Think; Collaborate; Act; (4) Closing; (5) Examples of Watershed Stewardship. Illus.
Download or read book Trends in Precipitation and Streamflow and Changes in Stream Morphology in the Fountain Creek Watershed Colorado 1939 99 written by Robert W. Stogner and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Climate Change and Rocky Mountain Ecosystems written by Jessica Halofsky and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-07-19 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the result of a team of approximately 100 scientists and resource managers who worked together for two years to understand the effects of climatic variability and change on water resources, fisheries, forest vegetation, non-forest vegetation, wildlife, recreation, cultural resources and ecosystem services. Adaptation options, both strategic and tactical, were developed for each resource area. This information is now being applied in the northern rocky Mountains to ensure long-term sustainability in resource conditions. The volume chapters provide a technical assessment of the effects of climatic variability and change on natural and cultural resources, based on best available science, including new analyses obtained through modeling and synthesis of existing data. Each chapter also contains a summary of adaptation strategies (general) and tactics (on-the-ground actions) that have been developed by science-management teams.
Download or read book Debris flow Potential Following Wildfire in the Upper Santa Fe Municipal Watershed New Mexico written by Manuel K. Lopez and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the southwestern Rocky Mountains, moderate to severe forest fires can increase the likelihood of debris-flow events by consuming rainfall intercepting canopy, generating ash, and forming water-repellant soils resulting in decreased infiltration and increased runoff and erosion. Debris flows, a destructive form of mass wasting, create significant hazards for people, and cause severe damage to watersheds and water resources. Although there is no way to know the exact location and severity of wildfire, or intensity and duration of a subsequent precipitation event before it happens, probabilities of debris-flow occurrence and volume can be estimated using empirical models. This study addresses two fundamental questions in debris-flow hazard assessment: where might debris flows occur and how big might they be. We generated a series of geographic information system produced maps and accompanying data that estimated the probability and volume of post-fire debris flows for the upper Santa Fe Municipal Watershed given a 2-, 5- and 10-year, 30-minute rainfall events following moderate to high severity wildfire. We hypothesized debris-flow potential would correlate with increasing fire severity and rainfall precipitation given slopes greater that 30%. Burn severity simulation given low fuel moistures and windy conditions seasonally common to the region indicated generally moderate severity fire throughout the watershed. Sub-basins with prior forest treatments yielded the lowest burn severities as well as the lowest debris-flow probabilities and estimated sediment volumes for each model storm. Results and implications from this work can help inform city planners and forest managers, and give them an opportunity to prepare and mitigate potential negative effects associated with wildland fire and subsequent debris flows.
