<p>The research was driven by a need to increase the knowledge base concerning wetland ecological responses, as well as to identify and evaluate the factors driving the functioning of the Franschhoek Trust Wetland. An ecohydrological study was undertaken in which vegetation cover, depth to groundwater, water and soil chemistry were monitored at 14 sites along three transects for a 12 month period. The parameters used include temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, chloride, bicarbonate, sulphate, total nitrogen, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and phosphorus. T-tests and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to analyze trends and to express the relationship between abiotic factors and vegetation.</p>

This thesis evaluates regional hydrology using output from the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM 4.1) and examines changes in the hydrological processes over the Churchill River Basin (CRB) by employing the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrology model. The CRCM evaluation has been performed by combining the atmospheric and the terrestrial water budget components of the hydrological cycle. The North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data are used where direct observations are not available. The outcome of the evaluation reveals the potential of the CRCM for use in long-term hydrological studies. The CRCM atmospheric moisture fluxes and storage tendencies show reasonable agreement with the NARR. The long-term moisture flux over the CRB was found to be generally divergent during summer. A systematic bias is observed in the CRCM precipitation and temperature. A quantile-based mapping of the cumulative distribution function is applied for precipitation adjustments. The temperature correction only involves shifting and scaling to adjust mean and variance. The results indicate that the techniques employed for correction are useful for hydrological studies. Bias-correction is also applied to the CRCM future climate. The CRCM bias-corrected data is then used for hydrological modeling of the CRB. The VIC-simulated streamflow exhibits acceptable agreement with observations. The VIC model's internal variables such as snow and soil moisture indicate that the model is capable of simulating internal process variables adequately. The VIC-simulated snow and soil moisture shows the potential of use as an alternative dataset for hydrological studies. Streamflow along with precipitation and temperature are analyzed for trends. No statistically significant trend is observed in the daily precipitation series. Results suggest that an increase in temperature may reduce accumulation of snow during fall and winter. The flow regime may be in transition from a snowmelt dominated regime to a rainfall dominated regime. Results from future climate simulations of the A2 emission scenario indicate a projected increase of streamflow, while the snow depth and duration exhibit a decrease. Soil moisture response to future climate warming shows an overall increase with a greater likelihood of occurrences of higher soil moisture.

Hydrology is a multi-disciplinary science, and therefore derives data from diverse sources, with the data often of a spatio-temporal nature. A recent trend has been to combine these data with GIS, due to the data’s geographic origin, and inherently requires an abstraction of reality in order to deal with the multitude of data that would otherwise result. Consequently, data models have been developed for this purpose, and these require a generalisation of processes and variables, while offering a simplified structure for their storage. The purpose of this study was to develop a data model for the storage and dissemination of hydrological variables and associated data used in hydrological modelling. Data would be of a spatial and temporal nature, and thus the design of the new data model needed to provide for this. A number of existing geographic data models were therefore reviewed, including the geodatabase model. This data model and the object-relational database model upon which it was built, were ascertained as being the most suitable for the study, and were therefore included in the design of the new data model. The related Arc Hydro data model was subsequently reviewed, since it offered an established means by which to model geographic features associated with surface hydrology. Following this, an investigation into time series storage methods was carried out, as it was important that the new data model be able to store large time series datasets in an efficient manner. Thus a number of methods were identified and evaluated as to their advantages and disadvantages. A new data model was thereby conceived, using the geodatabase as its foundation, and was developed in order to offer efficient storage of hydrological data. The data model developed was subsequently tested by populating it with data from the Quaternary Catchments database which supports the ACRU model. Finally, additional functionality was added to the data model, in the form of export options. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Water is characterised by both its quantity (availability) and its quality. Salinity, which is one of the major water quality parameters limiting use of a wide range of land and water resources, refers to the total dissolved solutes in water. It is influenced by a combination of several soil-water-salt-plant related processes. In order to develop optimum management schemes for environmental control through relevant hydrological modelling techniques, it is important to identify and understand these processes affecting salinity. Therefore, the various sources and processes controlling salt release and transport from the soil surface through the root zone to groundwater and streams as well as reservoirs are extensively reviewed in this project with subsequent exploration of some hydro salinity modelling approaches. The simulation of large and complex hydrological systems, such as these at a catchment scale, requires a flexible and efficient modelling tool to assist in the assessment of the impact of land and water use alternatives on the salt balance. The currently available catchment models offer varying degrees of suitability with respect to modelling hydrological problems, dependent on the model structure and the type of the approach used. The A CR U agrohydrological modelling system, with its physically-conceptually based characteristics as well as being a multi-purpose model that is able to operate both as a lumped and distributed model, was found to be suitable for hydro salinity modelling at a catchment scale through the incorporation of an appropriate hydro salinity module. The main aim of this project was to develop, validate and verify a hydro salinity module for the ACRU model. This module is developed in the object-oriented version of ACRU, viz. ACRU2000, and it inherits the basic structure and objects of the model. The module involves the interaction of the hydrological processes represented in ACRU and salinity related processes. Hence, it is designated as ACRUSalinity. In general, the module is developed through extensive review of ACRU and hydrosalinity models, followed by conceptualisation and design of objects in the module. It is then written in Java object-oriented programming language. The development of ACRUSalinity is based mainly on the interaction between three objects, viz. Components, Data and Processes. Component objects in ACRU2000 represent the physical features in the hydrological system being modelled. Data objects are mainly used to store data or information. The Process objects describe processes that can take place in a conceptual or real world hydrological system. The Process objects in ACRUSalinity are grouped into six packages that conduct: • the initial salt load determination in subsurface components and a reservoir • determination of wet atmospheric deposition and salt input from irrigation water • subsurface salt balance, salt generation and salt movement • surface flow salt balance and salt movement • reservoir salt budgeting and salt routing and • channel-reach salt balancing and, in the case of distributed hydro salinity modelling, salt transfer between sub-catchments. The second aim of the project was the validation and verification of the module. Code validation was undertaken through mass balance computations while verification of the module was through comparison of simulated streamflow salinity against observed values as recorded at gauging weir UIH005 which drains the Upper Mkomazi Catchment in KwaZuluNatal, South Africa. Results from a graphical and statistical analysis of observed and simulated values have shown that the simulated streamflow salinity values mimic the observed values remarkably well. As part of the module development and validation, sensitivity analysis of the major input parameters of ACRUSalinity was also conducted. This is then followed by a case study that demonstrates some potential applications of the module. In general, results from the module evaluation have indicated that ACRUSalinity can be used to provide a reasonable first order approximation in various hydrosalinity studies. Most of the major sources and controlling factors of salinity are accommodated in the ACRUSalinity module which was developed in this project. However, for a more accurate and a better performance of the module in diversified catchments, further research needs to be conducted to account for the impact of salt loading from certain sources and to derive the value of some input parameters to the new module. The research needs include incorporation in the module of the impact of salt loading from fertilizer applications as well as from urban and industrial effluents. Similarly, further research needs to be undertaken to facilitate the module's conducting salt routing at sub-daily time step and to account for the impact of bypass flows in heavy soils on the surface and subsurface salt balances. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

An unresolved problem in hydrology has been to establish relationships between catchment attributes and the flow characteristics of the stream. Such information is commonly sought to improve streamflow predictions, often in a process of extrapolating research results obtained from relatively few, but intensively studied catchments, to a broader region. This study has attempted to clarify terminology related to streamflow generation processes and mechanisms, and to investigate relevant physiographic and climatic characteristics which critically influence the hydrological responses of catchments. Fourteen catchments were selected for this study. They comprised both operational and research catchments. These catchments were selected to be representative of variations in climate, topography, vegetation and geology occurring throughout the Republic of South Africa (RSA). The selection of catchments was also restricted to areas less than 100 krrr', and to the higher rainfall regions of the country, where runoff is significant and any land use changes may lead to marked changes in evapotranspiration and streamflow. A catchment was also selected from an arid zone in the USA, to capture the flow characteristics that are typical of such areas. A frequently applied simulation model on RSA catchments is the ACRU model. While physical-conceptual in structure it contains some parameters which, while not determining total streamflow magnitudes, governs the time distribution of the streamflows generated. Two such parameters from the ACRU model selected were the coefficient of baseflow response (COFRU) and the quickflow response fraction of the catchment (QFRESPj. These parameters are not explicitly physically based, and therefore improved guidelines of initial parameter values are required. Relationships between catchment characteristics and these two parameters were sought to provide guidelines for effective parameterisation of these parameters in future studies. Trends between QFRESP and COFRU, and catchment physical and climatic attributes such as catchment area, average depth of the soil profile, maximum basin relief, MAP and profile plant available water were identified, and could prove useful to future users of the ACRU model and guide experimentation in estimating initial parameter values. However, only a single significant multiple regression model was obtained for the baseflow release fraction COFRU from a catchment using MAP, catchment area and profile plant available water. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

The Umzimvubu catchment on the eastern coastal escarpment of South Africa is sensitive to anthropogenic influences,with commercial and subsistence agriculture, irrigation, domestic and rural settlements and forestry compete for water use. An adequate supply of water to the region is seen as imperative in the light of the recent establishment of forest cultivation. In order to provide a sound assessment of the impacts of afforestation on the catchment, the subsurface hydrological processes of hillslopes on the Molteno sedimentary formations of the region must be clearly understood. Since the runoff hydrograph is, to a large degree, dependent on the subsurface processes, a number of models that simulate small catchment runoff have been developed. However, recent successful application of tracer techniques to hydrological modelling has shown that the subsurface processes are still not fully understood (Schultz, 1999), and whether or not the subsurface processes are modelled adequately is most often not verified, since there is a lack of relevant data. It is, therefore imperative that the subsurface component of these small catchment runoff models be improved. This can be achieved by first observing detailed subsurface water dynamics and assessing these against the catchment runoff response. In this dissertation, results from a detailed experiment that was initiated in a 1.5 km2 catchment in the northern East Cape Province are shown. Nests of automated tensiometers, groundwater level recorders and weather stations have been placed at critical points around the catchment, and these , together with soil hydraulic and physical characteristics are used to define and identify the dominant hillslope processes. Two crump weirs record runoff from these hillslopes. The results of this subsurface study highlight the dynamics of surface and subsurface water in the hillslope transects. It is evident that the subsurface processes are strongly influenced by the -bedrock topography as well as the soil characteristics, such as macropore flow and deep percolation. Using the monitored data and 2-D vadose zone modelling, the dominant hillslope processes have been defined and are used to aid in the selection of critical parameters to be used in estimating the catchment runoff. Results show that a clear understanding of the subsurface dynamics can lead to a realistic estimation of catchment scale runoff response. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.

South African water management areas could find themselves without enough water for its users due to new methods of performing water allocation as stipulated in the National Water Act of 1998. A water accounting system would address the need for accurate metering, monitoring and auditing of South Africa’s water resources to ensure that users are complying with their allocations. Such a system should be able to provide information such as comparisons between the simulated and observed flow of water at a point, comparisons between the amount of water allocated to a user and the actual water used by that user, and the source and destination of water at a point. This document contains a literature review, an explanation of the methods used to develop a prototype water accounting system and a discussion of the results from testing the system. A literature review was undertaken which covered topics in water resources planning, water resources operations, local legislation for water allocation and new technologies which could be applied to aid the management of water resources in South Africa. The results from the literature review indicated real time water accounting systems can give effect to water allocation rules. The water accounting system is comprised of two simulation models and a database. The models used for the study were the ACRU2000 model and the MIKE BASIN model. These models require data as well as a means to automate the transfer of data between the models and thus a database was developed. The database was developed in Microsoft Access and, in addition to the construction of a number of tables required to house the data, a database dashboard was made to control the functions of the database. An assessment of the ACRU2000 and MIKE BASIN models was performed in order to determine if they are suitable for use as water accounting tools. ACRU2000 was used for its process based, daily rainfall-runoff modelling capabilities. Due to the process based modelling capabilities of ACRU2000, forecasts of rainfall can be used as input to the simulations. Hot starting is the storing of internal model state variables at a particular time and the use of these variables in a different simulation to start the model up again. It was expected that, due to long simulation run times for ACRU2000, it would be beneficial to enable ACRU2000 to be hot started and an attempt to hot start ACRU2000 is presented. This would have allowed for significantly decreased simulation run times as the model can be warmed up for two years and thereafter hot started to run only for one day at a time. An assessment of the MIKE BASIN network allocation model to be used as a water accounting system was performed by attempting to meet the project objectives through building a fictional water supply network. The network is composed of a small catchment containing six runoff generating regions, a reservoir and ten water users. Three network allocation scenarios were constructed in order to fully test the rule sets and allocation capabilities currently available in the MIKE BASIN model. The study has shown that the tools and models used are capable of forming a rudimentary water accounting system. This is encouraging as it shows that there is the potential to improve the water resources management in South Africa using tools that already exist. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

Anthropogenically-induced climate change has the potential to have serious implications on aquatic ecosystems and may ultimately affect the supply and quality of freshwater lakes and rivers throughout the world. As a class of ecosystems, inland waters are vulnerable to climatic change and other pressures, due to their small size and their position in the landscape. There is therefore a need to assess the impact of projected climatic change on aquatic ecosystems. Owing to this need, ecological indicators have been developed as a method of quantifying, identifying, monitoring and managing the ecological integrity of aquatic environments. The aim of this research was to develop techniques in order to conceptualise the higher order impacts of projected climate change on environmentally related streamflows and water temperature in South Africa, and to simulate these using an appropriate hydrological model. For this dissertation the downscaled daily climate output from the ECHAM5/MPI-OM General Circulation Model (GCM) was used as an input into the daily time step conceptualphysical ACRU Agrohydrological Modelling System in order to simulate the impacts of projected climate change on selected eco-hydrological indicators at the Quinary Catchment spatial scale. In this research these indicators were grouped into two broad categories: 1. Ecological Flow Indicators and 2. Water Temperature Indicators. The results of this research took the form of maps and time series graphs. The ecological flow indicator results investigate the magnitude and duration of flow events and were analysed spatially for the 5 838 hydrologically interlinked and cascading Quinary Catchments constituting the southern Africa study region. The ECHAM5/MPI-OM GCM projects the magnitude and duration of both annual subcatchment runoff and accumulated streamflows to increase in the eastern parts of southern Africa for the intermediate future climate scenario (2046 - 2065), with this trend strengthening in the distant future climate scenario (2081 - 2100). The computationally intensive water temperature indicator results were analysed spatially at the scale of the Thukela Catchment. The Thukela catchment was selected as a case study area because of its diversity - in altitude, rainfall, soils and ecological regions, as well as in its population geography and levels of education and employment. This diversity presents a challenge to studies of impacts of projected climate change, including its potential impacts on water temperatures. The spatial analyses indicate that subcatchment runoff, accumulated streamflows and mixed maximum water temperature are all likely to increase under projected future climate conditions. A temporal investigation, in the form of time series analyses, focused on four water temperature indicators and was performed for 15 selected Quinary Catchments, located within the Thukela Catchment. These temporal analyses indicate that the absolute variability (i.e. standard deviation) of both individual subcatchment runoff and accumulated catchment streamflows, are projected to increase in the future, while the relative variability (i.e. coefficient of variation) is likely to remain much the same or even decrease slightly over time period. These temporal analyses also indicate that there is a noticeable difference in the mixed maximum water temperature within a single Quaternary Catchment due to hydrological flow routing, with an increase in water temperatures as the water cascades downstream from the upper Quinaries to the Quinaries at lower altitudes. The techniques developed and used in this research could aid decision makers involved in ecological and water management planning. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

A challenge in hydrological studies in the Canadian Prairie region is to find good-quality meteorological data because many basins are located in remote regions where few stations are available, and existing stations typically have short records and often contain a high number of missing data. The recently released North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data set appears to have potential for hydrological studies in data-scarce central Canada. The main objectives of this study are: (1) to evaluate and utilize NARR data for hydrologic modelling and statistical downscaling, (2) to develop methods for estimating missing precipitation data using NARR data, and (3) to investigate and correct NARR precipitation bias in the Canadian Prairie region. Prior to applying NARR for hydrological modelling, the NARR surface data were evaluated by comparison with observed meteorological data over the Canadian Prairie region. The comparison results indicated that NARR is a suitable alternative to observed surface meteorological data and thus useful for hydrological modelling. After evaluation of NARR surface climate data, the SLURP model was set up with input data from NARR and calibrated for several watersheds. The results indicated that the hydrological model can be reasonably calibrated using NARR data as input. The relatively good agreement between precipitation from NARR and observed station data suggests that NARR information may be used in the estimation of missing precipitation records at weather stations. Several traditional methods for estimating missing data were compared with three NARR-based estimation methods. The results show that NARR-based methods significantly improved the estimation of precipitation compared to the traditional methods. The existence of NARR bias is a critical issue that must be addressed prior to the use of the data. Using observed weather station data, a statistical interpolation technique (also known as Optimum Interpolation) was employed to correct gridded NARR precipitation for bias. The results suggest that the method significantly reduces NARR bias over the selected study area.

This thesis evaluates regional hydrology using output from the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM 4.1) and examines changes in the hydrological processes over the Churchill River Basin (CRB) by employing the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrology model. The CRCM evaluation has been performed by combining the atmospheric and the terrestrial water budget components of the hydrological cycle. The North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data are used where direct observations are not available. The outcome of the evaluation reveals the potential of the CRCM for use in long-term hydrological studies. The CRCM atmospheric moisture fluxes and storage tendencies show reasonable agreement with the NARR. The long-term moisture flux over the CRB was found to be generally divergent during summer. A systematic bias is observed in the CRCM precipitation and temperature. A quantile-based mapping of the cumulative distribution function is applied for precipitation adjustments. The temperature correction only involves shifting and scaling to adjust mean and variance. The results indicate that the techniques employed for correction are useful for hydrological studies. Bias-correction is also applied to the CRCM future climate. The CRCM bias-corrected data is then used for hydrological modeling of the CRB. The VIC-simulated streamflow exhibits acceptable agreement with observations. The VIC model's internal variables such as snow and soil moisture indicate that the model is capable of simulating internal process variables adequately. The VIC-simulated snow and soil moisture shows the potential of use as an alternative dataset for hydrological studies. Streamflow along with precipitation and temperature are analyzed for trends. No statistically significant trend is observed in the daily precipitation series. Results suggest that an increase in temperature may reduce accumulation of snow during fall and winter. The flow regime may be in transition from a snowmelt dominated regime to a rainfall dominated regime. Results from future climate simulations of the A2 emission scenario indicate a projected increase of streamflow, while the snow depth and duration exhibit a decrease. Soil moisture response to future climate warming shows an overall increase with a greater likelihood of occurrences of higher soil moisture.