We evaluated the impacts of natural wetlands and various land uses on stream nitrogen concentration in two grassland-dominated catchments in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Analyzing land use types in drainage basins, measuring denitrification potential of its soil, and water sampling in all seasons of 2003 were performed. Results showed a highly significant positive correlation between the concentrat...

Land use change is the most significant driver linked to global species extinctions. In Northern Australia, the landscape is still relatively intact with very low levels of clearing. However, a re-energized political discourse around creating a northern food bowl means that currently intact ecosystems in northern Australia could be under imminent threat from increased land clearing and water ex...

This paper presents a new method of representing flow duration curves (FDC) using a logarithmic transformation. The FDC has been defined using two parameters – the ‘cease to flow’ point, and the slope of the FDC. This method for defining the FDC has been applied to 23 sub-catchments of the Burdekin River in North Queensland, Australia. The two parameters defining the FDC have been related to th...

By increased rural-urban migration in many African countries, the assessment of changes in catchment hydrologic responses due to urbanization is critical for water resource planning and management. This paper assesses hydrological impacts of urbanization on two medium-sized Zimbabwean catchments (Mukuvisi and Marimba) for which changes in land cover by urbanization were determined through Lands...

Bestari Jaya, former tin mining catchment covers an area of 2656.31 hectares comprised of four hundred and forty-two different-size lakes and ponds. The present study area comprise of 92 hectares of the catchment that include four large size lakes. Arc GIS version 9.2 used to develop bathymetric map, Global Positioning System (GPS) for hydrographical survey and flow meter was utilized for water...

Dissolved organic carbon concentrations ([DOC]) in surface waters are increasing in many regions of Europe and North America. These increases are likely driven by a combination of changing climate, recovery from acidification and change in severity of winter storms in coastal areas. INCA-C, a process-based model of climate effects on surface water [DOC], was used to explore the mechanisms by wh...

Transit time is a fundamental catchment descriptor that reveals information about storage, flow pathways and source of water in a single characteristic. Given the importance of transit time, little guidance exists for the application of transit time modeling in complex catchment systems. This paper presents an evaluation and review of the transit time literature in the context of catchments and...

The development and increasing availability of global environmental data sets provides an opportunity to examine systematically the relationship between sediment yields and controlling catchment variables, employing Geographical Information Systems. Few studies have attempted to harness such information to analyse variations in sediment yields within large catchments. Sediment yields from 62 lo...

Addressing environmental management problems at catchment scales requires an integrated modelling approach, in which key bio-physical and socio-economic drivers, processes and impacts are all considered. Development of Decision Support Systems (DSSs) for environmental management is rapidly progressing. This paper describes the integration of physical, ecological, and socio-economic components i...