Journal of The American Water Resources Association最新文献

{"title":"The Invisible Infrastructure: Ensuring U.S. Federal Water Data Integrity and Continuity for a Non-Stationary Future","authors":"Glenn E. Moglen,&nbsp;Julianne J. Miller,&nbsp;Shirley E. Clark","doi":"10.1111/1752-1688.70147","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70147","url":null,"abstract":"<p>U.S. federal hydrologic datasets and modeling frameworks constitute a foundational public utility, essential for engineering resilient infrastructure in an era of non-stationarity, to maintain public safety and national security. However, recent institutional restructuring and funding shifts have created an unprecedented threat to this “invisible infrastructure.” This commentary examines the consequences of the declining U.S. Geological Survey National Streamgage Network, the administrative delays surrounding the rollout of NOAA Atlas 15, and the destabilization of integrated U.S. federal modeling centers like the National Center for Atmospheric Research. These are examples, but not the complete extent, of U.S. federal data loss and their resultant consequences. These U.S. federal resources fill a unique niche of high-rigor and perpetual observation that neither the commercial sector nor academia can replicate, and serve as a model that other national governments, especially in Europe, are emulating. Drawing on recent analyses of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Atlas 15 pilot data, we demonstrate that data erosion can lead to “policy blindness” at a time of large-scale investment in infrastructure upgrades and both compromised public safety and national security. To ensure a resilient future, the engineering profession requires unhindered access to timely, transparent, curated data that only the U.S. federal government can reliably provide.</p>","PeriodicalId":17234,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The American Water Resources Association","volume":"62 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1752-1688.70147","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148848828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Need for Long-Term Monitoring When Assessing Sediment Production of the Black Vermillion River in Northeast Kansas","authors":"Michael E. McNair","doi":"10.1111/1752-1688.70148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70148","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Tuttle Creek Reservoir provides flood control, water supply, wildlife habitat, and recreation for approximately 40% of Kansas residents and has lost 50% of its capacity to sedimentation since 1960. A 2012 study that focused on sediment contributed by the Black Vermillion River (BVR), monitored 18 study banks and 18 cross sections within three BVR subwatersheds (Main Stem [MS], North Fork [NF], and Irish Creek [IC]) between 2007 and 2010. A subsequent study in 2017 estimated future BVR sediment production using the 2012 data. In 2021, this study resurveyed 14 cross sections and 7 study banks at seven of nine study reaches of the 2012 study. It was hypothesized that average annual erosion rates for the entire study period (2007–2021) would differ from previous studies due to a high number (14) of bankfull flows between 2007 and 2010 and channel stabilization since 2010. Between 2007 and 2021, the average annual study bank retreat rate (0.19 m) and increase in top-of-bank cross-sectional area (0.69 m²) of all study reaches were less than between 2007 and 2021 (0.38 m and 1.84 m², respectively). Geomorphic change varied significantly between the three subwatersheds from 2007 to 2021, with some reaches having decreased erosion rates, some having increased, and some experiencing deposition. These differing patterns of change highlight the need for long-term monitoring of individual river channels to better understand channel succession and estimate sediment production.</p>","PeriodicalId":17234,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The American Water Resources Association","volume":"62 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1752-1688.70148","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148848829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of Submersible Pressure Transducers for Streamflow Monitoring in Small Streams","authors":"Maxwel Schwid,&nbsp;Kyle Blasch,&nbsp;Jennifer Fair,&nbsp;Brandon Overstreet,&nbsp;Laura Hempel,&nbsp;Michael Allen","doi":"10.1111/1752-1688.70146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70146","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Compact streamgages requiring minimal infrastructure and equipped with submersible pressure transducers (PTs) are increasingly used to monitor small streams, yet disparate implementations obscure their accuracy under real-world conditions. This study isolated instrumentation-derived uncertainty in stage monitoring by co-locating various combinations of commercial vented and unvented PTs with seven U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reference streamgages on small streams. Multi-year PT stage records from compact streamgages, collected and corrected following USGS protocols, were compared to concurrent reference observations. Vented PTs demonstrated an average measurement uncertainty of ±0.005 m and mean absolute percent error (MAPE) of ±0.2%. Unvented PTs exhibited higher uncertainty, averaging ±0.009 m and ±0.4% MAPE. Although both sensor types had stage errors up to ±0.3 m, 95% of vented PT and unvented PT observations were within 0.01 and 0.02 m of reference stage, respectively. Analysis of additional unvented PTs revealed stage errors of up to ±1.2% when using barometric sensors within 15 km of the in-water sensor. Propagation of stage error to discharge using reference rating models resulted in cumulative discharge MAPEs of ±4.5% for vented and ±5.5% for unvented PTs. These findings highlight PTs as practical alternatives to reference instrumentation when deployed with standardized procedures, potentially expanding access to reliable streamflow data.</p>","PeriodicalId":17234,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The American Water Resources Association","volume":"62 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1752-1688.70146","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148783826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trying To Be “At the Table” Instead of “On the Menu”: Irrigation Company Perspectives on Managing Water","authors":"Bailey Holdaway,&nbsp;Courtney Flint","doi":"10.1111/1752-1688.70144","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70144","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Irrigation companies are important water actors in the state of Utah where over 80% of water is used for agriculture and the drying of the Great Salt Lake is a growing concern. These companies are the on-the-ground water managers that deliver water to shareholders. We seek to understand companies' perceptions, risks, and decisions of these companies given the context of a drying climate with uncertain water supply. Additionally, we seek to understand irrigation company governance perspectives. This is especially relevant given 25-year-old literature pointing to a lack of governance participation by irrigation companies. In a mixed-methods approach, interviews and online surveys were conducted with irrigation company representatives from the Utah portion of the Great Salt Lake Basin. We conclude that irrigation companies in the basin are working to prioritize multiple elements of water management and often seek to address perceived future risks. However, there are barriers to these efforts such as funding availability, interactions and relationships, and declining water supplies. Additionally, in terms of water governance, many irrigation companies do not feel they have a seat at the table nor are represented by those who do, which exacerbates management and policy challenges. This study points to a need for more integrated water governance that includes irrigation companies for more holistic water management that recognizes their practices, priorities, risks, and challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":17234,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The American Water Resources Association","volume":"62 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1752-1688.70144","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Scalable Approach for Identification of Reach-Scale Hydraulic Processes to Support Flood Prediction Models","authors":"Rebecca M. Diehl,&nbsp;David Baude,&nbsp;Kristen L. Underwood,&nbsp;Julianne E. Scamardo,&nbsp;Kehinde Ojasanya,&nbsp;Beverley C. Wemple","doi":"10.1111/1752-1688.70145","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70145","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Simplification of channel routing models results in errors in streamflow predictions and uncertain flood forecasts. Conceptual frameworks have been proposed to prescribe a heterogeneous routing scheme that incorporates greater complexity where necessary, but their implementation is constrained by the need for hydraulic data that is not widely available. To address this limitation, we use reach-scale classifications to identify the least complex routing configuration appropriate for each reach. Focusing on seven reach types that differ in topographic characteristics hypothesized to influence routing behavior, we demonstrate that dimensionless scaling parameters, which are indicative of the appropriate flood wave approximation, are distinct among reach types. These results suggest that topographically defined reaches, more readily mapped at broad scales than hydraulic processes, can enable operationalization of heterogeneous routing schemes. We demonstrate regional proof of concept and identify the optimal routing configuration in Lake Champlain Basin, VT. Spatially variable routing across a river network strongly affects model outcomes; we observed a 108% difference in reach-scale flood peak attenuation between the simplest and most complex configurations. By improving representation of flood routing dynamics in broad scale models, this framework enables efficient modeling schemes that represent natural landscape variability, supporting more reliable flood hazard assessments.</p>","PeriodicalId":17234,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The American Water Resources Association","volume":"62 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1752-1688.70145","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimating Baseline Flow Resistance Parameters for Remote Sensing River Discharge (RSQ) From River Morphology Characteristics","authors":"David M. Bjerklie,&nbsp;Merritt E. Harlan,&nbsp;Ethan J. Shavers,&nbsp;Craig B. Brinkerhoff,&nbsp;Lawrence V. Stanislawski,&nbsp;J. Toby Minear,&nbsp;Robert W. Dudley","doi":"10.1111/1752-1688.70142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70142","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study demonstrates that flow resistance in rivers, quantified via calibration of a modified Manning's equation, can inform its estimation from channel hydrometric information available from regional or global datasets for a limited set (<i>N</i> = 14) of rigorously calibrated river reaches in Alaska and with less certainty in a large set (<i>N</i> = 754) of river reaches across the United States developed from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) discharge measurements. The channel morphometry datasets tested include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) River Database (SWORD) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Scale Specific Sinuosity (S3) river channel morphometry metrics. Multiple regression prediction models of the baseline (near bankfull) Manning's <i>n</i> flow resistance coefficient were developed from the SWORD and S3 reach data. Significant predictive variables included but were not limited to water-surface slope, water-surface variation (width and elevation), the number of active channels, maximum width, sinuosity and along channel meander length. The study points to the possibility of global a priori estimation of flow resistance in rivers for application in remote sensing of river discharge from river morphology, water-surface width, slope and height measurements made by SWOT and other satellites.</p>","PeriodicalId":17234,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The American Water Resources Association","volume":"62 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1752-1688.70142","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148616460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increasing the Spatial and Temporal Resolution of Snow Water Equivalent Estimates Using SNOTEL Data and Low-Cost Sensing","authors":"Braedon Dority,&nbsp;Jeffery S. Horsburgh","doi":"10.1111/1752-1688.70139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70139","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Accurate estimation of snow water equivalent (SWE) is critical for understanding hydrologic processes in snow-dominated watersheds. This study presents a method for improving the spatial and temporal resolution of SWE estimates using low-cost snow depth sensors, manual snow sampling, and snow density data from nearby SNOwpack TELemetry (SNOTEL) stations. Snow depth measurements were collected from five low-cost monitoring stations installed surrounding the Tony Grove Ranger Station (TGRS) SNOTEL station in northern Utah, USA, employing an Arduino Mayfly data logger and a MaxBotix MB7374 ultrasonic sensor. Linear regression models were developed to estimate snow density at each low-cost station based on the SNOTEL data, enabling the computation of SWE time series with associated confidence intervals at low-cost stations. Results show significant variability in snow accumulation across different physiographic settings, with notable differences driven by solar exposure, aspect, and land cover type. While SWE estimates at some stations closely matched the SNOTEL station, others exhibited substantial deviations, highlighting the importance of localized physiographic influences on snow distribution. This method demonstrates the potential for expanding lower cost snow monitoring networks for creating data that can improve hydrologic modeling accuracy and enhancing water resource management in watersheds with snow-driven hydrology.</p>","PeriodicalId":17234,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The American Water Resources Association","volume":"62 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1752-1688.70139","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148615949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Featured Collection Introduction: Advancing China's Water Research","authors":"Qianqian Zhang,&nbsp;Xueqing Zhang,&nbsp;Yuqin Gao,&nbsp;Zhenxing Zhang,&nbsp;Changjun Liu,&nbsp;Xianfeng Huang","doi":"10.1111/1752-1688.70143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70143","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;China's water resources are under unprecedented pressure from the confluence of climate change, rapid urbanization, and intensive human activities. With approximately 22% of the world's population but only 7% of global freshwater resources, China has long confronted the challenge of reconciling limited water availability with sustained socio-economic development (Sun et al. &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). Over the past four decades, the country has undergone transformative changes: urban land has expanded by over 170% in many regions (Wang et al. &lt;span&gt;2025&lt;/span&gt;), river systems have been significantly altered, and hydraulic infrastructure has proliferated to manage flood and drought risks (Xu et al. &lt;span&gt;2025&lt;/span&gt;). Yet, these changes have also generated emerging water-related challenges, including intensified flood risks (Chen, Yu, et al. &lt;span&gt;2025&lt;/span&gt;; Wang et al. &lt;span&gt;2026&lt;/span&gt;; Zhou, Lin, et al. &lt;span&gt;2025&lt;/span&gt;), groundwater contamination (Du et al. &lt;span&gt;2025&lt;/span&gt;), and spatial inequities in water resource distribution (Wu, Zhu, et al. &lt;span&gt;2025&lt;/span&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In response to these challenges, China has elevated water security to a national strategic priority. The policy framework of “water-saving priority, spatial equilibrium, system governance, and a two-handed approach”, introduced in 2014, marked a paradigm shift from traditional water management toward integrated, adaptive and coordinated governance. Situated within this broader context of intensifying water challenges, rapid socio-economic transformation, and continuing advances in hydrological science, this Featured Collection, titled “Advancements in China's Water Research,” brings together recent studies that investigate the complex interactions between water systems and human activities across China's diverse climatic and hydrological landscapes. The collection showcases innovative methodologies—from machine learning to coupled hydrologic-hydrodynamic modeling—that tackle the intricacies of water system dynamics, pollution source tracking, and hydrochemical evolution.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The origins of this collection stem from a growing recognition within the international water research community of China's unique position as both a laboratory for observing rapid hydro-social change and a source of innovative solutions. As the papers assembled here demonstrate, China's experience offers valuable insights for other rapidly developing regions facing similar challenges of balancing economic growth, environmental protection, and water security.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 16 articles in this Featured Collection span a broad spectrum of China's water research frontier. Rather than offering a simple enumeration, we organize them around three interconnected themes that reflect the dominant narratives in contemporary Chinese water science: (1) Understanding and managing water-related hazards under changing conditions; (2) Tracing and mitigating water pollution from multiple sources; and (3) Advancing systemic ap","PeriodicalId":17234,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The American Water Resources Association","volume":"62 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1752-1688.70143","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adapting to an Uncertain Future: Water Quality Management in Chesapeake Bay","authors":"Kurt Stephenson,&nbsp;Denice Wardrop,&nbsp;Leonard Shabman,&nbsp;William Dennison,&nbsp;Kenny Rose,&nbsp;Zachary Easton","doi":"10.1111/1752-1688.70138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70138","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Chesapeake Bay has been at the forefront of large-scale efforts to reverse human-induced eutrophication in coastal waters. While significant progress has been made, 15 years of intensive implementation efforts reveal that outcomes in many areas have fallen short of water quality goals. Future program goals and implementation plans will increasingly be challenged by uncertainties and limits in the effectiveness of nonpoint source programs and in the estuaries' response to changing pollutant inputs and environmental conditions. This paper argues that policy changes are needed to adapt to these management realities. We outline three policy alternatives—tiered implementation of an existing Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), changes in the accounting and modeling of nonpoint sources, and policy sandboxing—that together offer practical pathways to accelerate learning and improve outcomes of implementation programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":17234,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The American Water Resources Association","volume":"62 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1752-1688.70138","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"RNSTM: A Network-Link Approach to Streamflow Temperature Modeling","authors":"Valeria García-Múnera,&nbsp;Nicolas Velásquez Giron,&nbsp;Ruben D. Molina,&nbsp;Larry J. Weber,&nbsp;Witold F. Krajewski","doi":"10.1111/1752-1688.70140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.70140","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This work presents the development and validation of the River Network Streamflow Temperature Model (RNSTM), which solves the energy balance equations at the air-water interface within the channels to estimate their temperature. RNSTM considers solar radiation, net longwave radiation, evaporative heat flux, and convective heat transfer. Additionally, it includes sub-surface heat transfer and the rainfall effects on water temperature. First, we present the formulation and testing of a lumped-energy balance model. For this test, we used atmospheric forcings from ground-based observations and the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) weather forecasting system. Next, we formulated RNSTM for a general river network using the ordinary differential equations (ODE) solver that is part of the Hillslope Link Model (HLM). We tested RNSTM using HRRR meteorological data and discharge simulations from HLM and we validated it using United States Geological Survey (USGS) water temperature observations at the Cedar River at Waverly, Iowa, for 2021. Our model results show potential for large-scale deployment and water quality-related applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":17234,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The American Water Resources Association","volume":"62 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1752-1688.70140","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}