Full Citation
Title: Changes and Trends in Streamflow during Floods and Droughts in the Urbanizing Christina River Basin
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2007
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Abstract: The Christina River Basin is a vital resource to nearly half a million people in three different states that is undergoing rapid growth. The goal of this study is to quantify the changes in land use and population and identify the potential impact on streamflows in the region. Land use and population data from four different time frames dating back to 1970 are analyzes using a GIS to measure the rate of increase in urbanization and population. Streamflow data from the USGS and precipitation data from NCDC were examined to look for trends that reflect the impact of urbanization on the Basin. Several variables, including runoff coefficient, maximum instantaneous peak flow and minimum 7-day low flow, the highest discharge and lowest 10 discharge events were all reviewed by water year. The results show that agriculture and forest land use in the Christina River Basin is being converted to residential and other urban land uses at a rate of approximately 5% every ten years. This is causing the impervious cover of the region to increase by 2-3% in the same time frame. At the current rate. impervious cover across the Basin will exceed the threshold of what a watershed can handle without significant impairment in quality and habitat within the next 15 to 20 years. Population is also increasing approximately 10-15% every ten years across the entire Basin and is reflective of the urban sprawl as residents spread out from the most urbanized areas. Seven stream gages were paired with nearby precipitation gages to measure trends in streamflow for the seven discharge areas. The analysis reflects that peak instantaneous discharges are increasing and minimum 7-day flows (baseflow) are decreasing. The highest 10 discharge events (floods) and lowest 10 streamflow events (droughts) are getting worse over time. Precipitation has not changes significantly over time and the changes do not closely corresponds with changes in streamflow, leading to the conclusion that floods and droughts are getting more severe due to urbanization.
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Authors: Cloud, Kimberly C.
Institution: University of Delaware
Department: Geography
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Degree: Master of Science
Publisher Location: Newark, DE
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Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS
Topics: Migration and Immigration, Other
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