Revegetation projects in wetlands are challenging due to questions surrounding where to obtain plant materials and how hydrologic conditions, which are often unpredictable at restoration sites, may impact restoration success. We used a two-pronged approach to inform decisions on seed sourcing. Our study species, Schoenoplectus maritimus (alkali bulrush), is a widely distributed wetland plant. First, we investigated how genetic diversity was partitioned within and among populations of S. maritimus. We found five weakly differentiated populations and one distinct population. We found high levels of genetic diversity with the majority (92%) of diversity found within rather than among sites (8%). Also, the proportion of viable seed produced was surprisingly high within stands (mean = 0.64 ± 0.02) given the supposed prevalence of asexual reproduction in the species. Second, we conducted two studies to look at the influence of hydrology, population of origin, and genetic diversity of seeds on the productivity of S. maritimus. In a field survey we measured environmental variables and productivity within established S. maritimus stands. In a greenhouse experiment we determined how source population identity and the genetic diversity of seeds impacted emergence and productivity under different hydrologic conditions. We found that stands of S. maritimus differed in proportion of time with water present, mean water level, and soil conditions. Productivity also differed, with 3-fold differences in stem density and biomass among sites. In the greenhouse experiment, we found that water treatment impacted all productivity measures; source population impacted seedling emergence and biomass allocation; and, number of source populations impacted sensitivity to drought. Advice for future restoration projects includes (1) limiting translocation of seeds among populations to conserve historic lineages, (2) when it is necessary to translocate seeds, collect seeds from many parent plants within populations that are in close geographic proximity to the restoration site, and (3) water level management is extremely important at all life stages of S. maritimus and should be an important consideration in wetland restoration and management in this water-limited region.

In the Basin and Range Province, the geologic regime of the Pilot Valley, linear trending block faults have isolated many valleys both topographically and hydrologically. Discharge from these arid, closed basins occurs only as evaporation. Minerals dissolved in discharging fluid are precipitated at the valley floor as the liquid evaporates. The resulting salt flats and high density brines are known as playas. The Pilot Valley Playa surface was sampled concurrently with the recording of a Thematic Mapper remotely sensed image to define the surface conditions that correspond to image data. An association was found between the band 7 (infrared wavelength radiation) image data and the measured depth to water; and between the visible wavelength data and the evaporite mineral deposits on the playa. The specific gravity of the shallow subsurface brine was found to increase as the liquid brine surface approached the elevation of the valley floor. By using the observed relationships, three remotely sensed images were interpreted with respect to temporal changes in the areal extent of playa evaporite deposits and water depth between 1984 and 1988. The visible wavelength data indicated that the areal extent of the evaporite deposits diminished during the study period. The water level at the playa margins was interpreted to have dropped, and at the playa center to have remained stable. These interpretations suggest that a decrease in the extent of evaporite deposition is related to a drop in the water level around the playa margins. The interpreted changes of the playa surface are used to draw the following conclusions about the hydrology of the Pilot Valley. The distinct variation in depth to water around the playa margin suggests that these areas are influenced by the discharge from the surrounding ranges. The relatively stable water depth in the central playa and the associated thicker evaporite deposits suggest that the subsurface brine acts here as a buffer to discharge variations. If the temporal changes of the playa margins do result from discharge variation, the discharge zone at the base of the Silver Island Range is wider than that of the adjacent, higher elevation Pilot Range.

Microphytic crust influences on selected physical and hydrologic soil properties were examined at one location in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. Designed experiments were conducted in a sandy loam soil where microphytic crusts were present without the concomitant development of confounding physical or chemical soil conditions. Three treatments were used for all experiments: control, chemically killed (microphytes killed but left in place), and scalped (microphytic crusts mechanically removed). A portable wind tunnel was used to deter-nine if microphytic crusts contribute to soil stability and reduce the erosive effect of wind. Significantly lower threshold friction velocity and greater wind-entrained material were recorded in the scalped treatment than in the control or chemically killed treatments. These results are evidence that microphytic crusts significantly contribute to reducing the erosive force of wind at this site. A dripper system was used in situ to determine if microphytic crusts influence effective saturated hydraulic conductivity. There were no significant differences among treatments. This result is evidence that microphytic crusts have a minimal influence, if any, on effective saturated hydraulic conductivity at this site. Rainfall simulation was used to determine if microphytic crusts influence hydrologic properties of time to ponding, time to runoff, and infiltration capacity. Rainfall was simulated for 90 minutes after runoff began. Simulated rainfall also was used to determine if microphytic crusts influence interrill erosion. Time to ponding and time to runoff were significantly shorter in the control and chemically killed treatments than in the scalped treatment. However, infiltration capacity was not significantly different among treatments during any five-minute period within the 90 minutes that runoff occurred. Microphytic crusts apparently reduce initial entry of water into the soil profile; however, once infiltration has begun, they do not inhibit or enhance infiltration capacity at this site. Interrill erosion was nearly constant from the control treatment throughout simulated rainfall events. Significantly greater interrill erosion occurred in the chemically killed treatment compared to control and scalped treatments. Interrill erosion in the scalped treatment was significantly greater than in the control treatment after 30 minutes and through 90 minutes. These results are evidence that microphytic crusts, when composed of living, undisturbed microphytes, resist the erosive effect of rainfall and contribute to the soil stability of this site.

Streamflow from two drainages of the Davis County Experimental Watershed, Utah, was evaluated with respect to changes in distribution and volume following trenching of one of the drainages in 1964. Fifteen percent of the Halfway Creek drainage was trenched according to established U.S. Forest Service methods. Twelve years of records before trenching and four years of records after trenching were analyzed. Analysis of the annual streamflow, the low streamflow period, and the spring streamflow period indicated no significant change in either volume or distribution of streamflow as a result of trenching. This conclusion was further substantiated by supplemental data of precipitation, soil moisture, snowpack water equivalent, and vegetation.

Reliability and accuracy of the forcing data plays a vital role in the Hydrological Streamflow Prediction. Reliability of the forcing data leads to accurate predictions and ultimately reduction of uncertainty. Currently, Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models are developing ensemble forecasts for various temporal and spatial scales. However, it is proven that the raw products of the NWP models may be biased at the basin scale; unlike model grid scale, depending on the size of the catchment. Due to the large space-time variability of precipitation, bias-correcting the ensemble forecasts has proven to be a challenging task. In recent years, Ensemble Pre-Processing (EPP), a statistical approach, has proven to be helpful in reduction of bias and generation of reliable forecast. The procedure is based on the bivariate probability distribution between observation and single-value precipitation forecasts. In the current work, we have applied and evaluated a Bayesian approach, based on the Copula density functions, to develop an ensemble precipitation forecasts from the conditional distribution of the single-value precipitation. Copula functions are the multivariate joint distribution of univariate marginal distributions and are capable of modeling the joint distribution of two variables with any level of correlation and dependency. The advantage of using Copulas, amongst others, includes its capability of modeling the joint distribution independent of the type of marginal distribution. In the present study, we have evaluated the capability of copula-based functions in EPP and comparison is made against an existing and commonly used procedure for same i.e. meta-Gaussian distribution. Monthly precipitation forecast from Climate Forecast System (CFS) and gridded observation from Parameter-elevation Relationships on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) have been utilized to create ensemble pre-processed precipitation over three sub-basins in the western USA at 0.5-degree spatial resolution. The comparison has been made using both deterministic and probabilistic frameworks of evaluation. Across all the sub-basins and evaluation techniques, copula-based technique shows more reliability and robustness as compared to the meta-Gaussian approach.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第18555号 / 工博第3916号 / 新制||工||1602(附属図書館) / 31455 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科社会基盤工学専攻 / (主査)教授 立川 康人, 教授 戸田 圭一, 准教授 KIM Sunmin / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

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