Critical Zone Hydrology Group

Linkages between streamflow, climate & catchment characteristics: A global analysis

Supervisors and collaborators:

• L.A. Bruijnzeel - VU University
• J. Schellekens - VU University
• R.A.M. de Jeu - VU University

Duration: 2008-2012
Funding: Deltares, The Netherlands

Research questions

• Can remotely sensed data (e.g., soil moisture and NDVI) be used to improve estimates of peak flows or annual and seasonal water yields?
• How does catchment size influence the relationship between forests and peak flows or annual and seasonal water yields?
• In what way do different physiographic characteristics (related to climate, geology, soil, and land use/cover) influence metrics of hydrological behaviour (e.g., runoff coefficient, seasonal flow regime, and baseflow recession rate)?
• Can large hydrological data-sets be used to constrain modelled streamflow estimates in ungauged basins?

Publications

• Beck, H.E. (2013) Linkages between streamflow, climate & catchment characteristics: A global analysis, PhD thesis, VU University Amsterdam, 122 p.
• Beck HE, Van Dijk AIJM, Miralles DG, De Jeu RAM, Bruijnzeel LA, McVicar TR, Schellekens, J. (2013). Global patterns in baseflow index and recession based on streamflow observations from 3394 catchments. Water Resources Research, 49, 2013. DOI: 10.1002/2013WR013918.
• Beck HE, Bruijnzeel LA, Van Dijk AIJM, Scatena FN, Schellekens J. (2013). The impact of forest regeneration on streamflow in 12 mesoscale humid tropical catchments. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 2613-2635, 2013. DOI: 10.5194/hess-17-2613-2013.
• Beck, H., McVicar TR, Van Dijk AIJM, Schellekens J, De Jeu RAM, Bruijnzeel LA. (2011). Global evaluation of four AVHRR-NDVI data sets: Intercomparison and assessment against Landsat imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment 115, 2547-2563. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse2011.05.012.
• Beck, H.E., De Jeu, R.A.M., Schellekens, J., Van Dijk, A.I.J.M. & Bruijnzeel, L.A. (2009). Improving Curve-Number based storm runoff estimates using soil moisture proxies. IEEE 2, 250-259.

Links

• Global Streamflow Characteristics Dataset