Distributed Hydrologic Modeling in Northwest Mexico Reveals the Links between Runoff Mechanisms and Evapotranspiration

A distributed hydrologicmodel is used to evaluate how runoff mechanisms—including infiltration excess (R I), saturation excess (R S), and groundwater exfiltration (R G)—influence the generation of streamflow and evapotranspiration (ET) in amountainous region under the influence of the North American...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of hydrometeorology 2012-06, Vol.13 (3), p.785-807
Main Authors: Robles-Morua, Agustín, Vivoni, Enrique R., Mayer, Alex S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Evapotranspiration
Groundwater
Hydrological modeling
Precipitation
Rain
Soil mechanics
Soil water
Stormwater
Stream flow
Surface runoff
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Summary:A distributed hydrologicmodel is used to evaluate how runoff mechanisms—including infiltration excess (R I), saturation excess (R S), and groundwater exfiltration (R G)—influence the generation of streamflow and evapotranspiration (ET) in amountainous region under the influence of the North American monsoon (NAM). The study site, the upper Sonora River basin (~9350 km²) in Mexico, is characterized by a wide range of terrain, soil, and ecosystem conditions obtained from best available data sources. Three meteorological scenarios are compared to explore the impact of spatial and temporal variations of meteorological characteristics on land surface processes and to identify the value of North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) forcing products in the NAM region. The following scenarios are considered for a 1-yr period: 1) a sparse network of ground-based stations, 2) raw forcing products from NLDAS, and 3) NLDAS products adjusted using available station data. These scenarios are discussed in light of spatial distributions of precipitation, streamflow, and runoff mechanisms during annual, seasonal, and monthly periods. This study identified that the mode of runoff generation impacts seasonal relations between ET and soilmoisture in the water-limited region. In addition, ET rates at annual and seasonal scales were related to the runoff mechanism proportions, with an increase in ET whenR Swas dominant and a decrease in ET whenR Iwas more important. The partitioning of runoff mechanisms also helps explain the monthly progression of runoff ratios in these seasonally wet hydrologic systems. Understanding the complex interplay between seasonal responses of runoff mechanisms and evapotranspiration can yield information that is of interest to hydrologists and water managers.
ISSN:1525-755X
1525-7541
DOI:10.1175/JHM-D-11-0112.1