Effects of Land-Use Changes and Ground-Water Withdrawals on Stream Base Flow, Pocono Creek Watershed, Monroe County, Pennsylvania

Author(s):  
Ronald A. Sloto
2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 2477-2501 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Mutiga ◽  
S. Zhongbo ◽  
T. Woldai

Abstract. Changes in land cover and land use can lead to significant impacts to hydrology by affecting the amount of runoff, soil moisture and groundwater recharge over a range of temporal and spatial scales. However, hydrologic effects of these changes are still an unknown at watershed scale. Moreover, predicting the effects of land cover/use and climate change on hydrological cycle has remained a major challenge. This is because of the complexity and uncertainty of future climate changes making it difficult to predict the consequences. It is against this backdrop that, for sustainable water resources management, assessment of the impacts of land cover/use change on hydrological regime at all scales becomes critical. During this study, we applied the SWAT model to assess the impacts of area hydrology between baseline and alternative scenario (upscaling of rainwater harvesting technologies). Specifically, our overall objective was to quantitatively evaluate the effects of land use changes on watershed hydrology in the upper Ewaso Ng'iro North basin in Kenya. This was achieved by estimating hydrological responses under historical land use scenarios obtained from the multi-temporal satellite imageries of 1987, 1995 and 2003. The model performance was found to be relatively good (Nash and Sutcliffe efficient of 70%). Stream flow analysis was carried out for different parts of the basin to understand its hydrological responses, especially, the behavior of base flow. The results show a decrease in base flow during 1987–2003 period with decreasing forest, bush and grass covers, which can be attributed to poor natural vegetation emanating mainly from overgrazing and deforestation for agricultural activities. In conclusion, the study clearly shows that, assessment of hydrologic effects of land use changes is critical for a sustainable water resources planning and management of the basin.


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 898-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Š. Janeček ◽  
F. de Bello ◽  
J. Horník ◽  
M. Bartoš ◽  
T. Černý ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Mohawesh ◽  
A. Taimeh ◽  
F. Ziadat

Abstract. Land degradation resulting from improper land use and management is a major cause of declined productivity in the arid environment. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of a sequence of land use changes, soil conservation measures, and the time since their implementation on the degradation of selected soil properties. The climate for the selected 105 km2 watershed varies from semi-arid sub-tropical to Mediterranean sub-humid. Land use changes were detected using aerial photographs acquired in 1953, 1978, and 2008. A total of 218 samples were collected from 40 sites in three different rainfall zones to represent different land use changes and different lengths of time since the construction of stone walls. Analyses of variance were used to test the differences between the sequences of land use changes (interchangeable sequences of forest, orchards, field crops, and range), the time since the implementation of soil conservation measures, and rainfall on the thickness of the A-horizon, soil organic carbon content, and texture. Soil organic carbon reacts actively with different combinations and sequences of land use changes. The time since stone walls were constructed showed significant impacts on soil organic carbon and the thickness of the surface horizon. The effects of changing the land use and whether the changes were associated with the construction of stone walls, varied according to the annual rainfall. The results help in understanding the effects of land use changes on land degradation processes and carbon sequestration potential and in formulating sound soil conservation plans.


2010 ◽  
Vol 143 (11) ◽  
pp. 2770-2778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattia Brambilla ◽  
Fabio Casale ◽  
Valentina Bergero ◽  
Giuseppe Bogliani ◽  
G. Matteo Crovetto ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
H. M. Paba Herath ◽  
K. W. G. Rekha Nianthi

The land use of the Belihuloya catchment area in Sri Lanka has been changing over a long period mainly due to the human activities. The study was aimed to find out the spatial and temporal changes of land use in the Belihuloya Mini Catchment area of 1956 to 2015, and obtain the local people's perception of the effects of land-use changes in Belihuloya. To study the people's perceptions of land use change, a questionnaire survey was conducted among randomly selected 180 households. Aerial data of 1956 and satellite data of 2015 were used to analyze the land use changes. The vegetation cover maps of 1956 and 2015, demonstrated the drastic changes of land use in Belihuloya. More than 50% of the respondents in the study area perceived that the land use has been changing due to the construction activities, forest fires, illegal loggings, pine and tea cultivation and the expansion of built-up areas. The deforestation has badly effected on water resources in the Belihuloya. The reforestation programs, including community-based reforestation programs can be introduced to minimize the impacts. It is necessary to implement existing legal frameworks with supports of different stakeholders to conserve the Belihuloya.


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