Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 1:45 PM
578

A conceptual-empirical framework for intermittent river research

Scott Larned1, Dave Arscott1, Jani Diettrich1, David Rupp2, and Jochen Schmidt1. (1) National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 8602, Christchurch, New Zealand, (2) DHI, Portland, OR

Intermittent rivers comprise a substantial proportion of the global river network. In the next century, intermittence will increase in regions that experience drying trends as a result of climate change and water abstraction. Naturally-intermittent rivers are being degraded or eliminated rapidly. In view of these changes, major improvements in intermittent river management are needed, and these will require a pragmatic and productive research approach. In this presentation, we propose a research framework with the following attributes: 1) empirical models that predict current, past and future flow state (wet versus dry) and flow magnitude down the lengths of intermittent river channels; 2) hydrologic variables derived from the empirical models that describe the site-specific, longitudinal and temporal properties of intermittence; 3) relationships between the hydrologic variables and ecological responses. These relationships could greatly improve our knowledge about of the ecological roles of flow intermittence, and help us predict the effects of changes in intermittence. The strengths and weaknesses of the intermittent river research framework described above will be discussed using examples from a long-term research program in New Zealand.


Web Page: intermittent hydrology ecology

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