Author : Kimberly C. Cloud
Publisher : ProQuest
ISBN 13 : 9780549183938
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (839 download)
Book Synopsis Changes and Trends in Streamflow During Floods and Droughts in the Urbanizing Christina River Basin by : Kimberly C. Cloud
Download or read book Changes and Trends in Streamflow During Floods and Droughts in the Urbanizing Christina River Basin written by Kimberly C. Cloud and published by ProQuest. This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Christina River Basin is a vital resource to nearly half a million people in three different states that is undergoing rapid growth. The goal of this study is to quantify the changes in land use and population and identify the potential impacts on streamflow in the region. Land use and population data from four different time frames dating back to 1970 are analyzed using a GIS to measure the rate of increase in urbanization and population. Streamflow data from the USGS and precipitation data from the NCDC were examined to look for trends that reflect the impact of urbanization on the Basin. Several variables, including runoff coefficient, maximum instantaneous peak flow and minimum 7-day low flow, the highest 10 discharge and lowest 10 discharge events were all reviewed by water year. The results show that agriculture and forest land use in the Christina River Basin is being converted to residential and other urban land uses at a rate of approximately 5% every ten years. This is causing the impervious cover of the region to increase by 2-3% in the same time frame. At the current rate, impervious cover across the Basin will exceed the threshold of what a watershed can handle without significant impairment in quality and habitat within the next 15 to 20 years. Population is also increasing approximately 10-15% every ten years across the entire Basin and is reflective of the urban sprawl as residents spread out from the most urbanized areas. Seven stream gages were paired with nearby precipitation gages to measure trends in streamflow for the seven discharge areas. The analysis reflects that peak instantaneous discharges are increasing and minimum 7-day low flows (baseflow) are decreasing. The highest 10 discharge events (floods) and lowest 10 streamflow events (droughts) are getting worse over time. Precipitation has not changed significantly over time and the changes do not closely correspond with changes in streamflow, leading to the conclusion that floods and droughts are getting more severe due to urbanization.