Project Description
The objective of the research is to quantify the impacts of human activities on hydrological droughts which refer to a prolonged lack of surface and subsurface waters (streamflow, groundwater, etc). Droughts have been generally perceived as “natural” disasters. However, as human beings modify the environment substantially, active human roles are integrated into drought research. Human activities particularly influential to hydrological droughts include irrigation, reservoir operation, and water abstraction. Such influences occur differently in different regions, therefore region-specific studies are needed.
The study will be conducted over several regions in the conterminous US reflecting different types of human activities, climate, and topography. For each selected region, a paired-catchment approach will be adopted where two catchments with very similar natural conditions and dissimilar human impacts are compared. One is considered a benchmark site and the other a human-impact site. The selection of the pair will follow a flowchart established in the literature.
Drought occurrences and their characteristics will be identified using the threshold-level method. When the streamflow falls below the predefined threshold level, a drought commences, and when it rises above the threshold the drought ends. The duration, intensity, and water deficit of the drought is subsequently calculated.
Tasks and Responsibilites
First, geographic data processing. The student will select pairs of catchments following the flowchart and collect a range of geographic data using a geographic information system (GIS) software package. The datasets include land cover, elevation, National Hydrography Dataset, and other evidence of human activities. The student will deliver maps and charts of the catchment characteristics.
Second, drought diagnosis. The student will collect streamflow data for the selected catchments from the US Geological Survey and process for drought diagnosis. Drought diagnosis will be conducted using opensource software R packages, and the student will collect and prepare the streamflow data for the R packages and run them for each pair of catchments. The student will archive the output from the R packages so that I can analyze the drought characteristics and quantify human impacts.
Desired Qualifications
None