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www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/6/3543/2009/
doi:10.5194/hessd-6-3543-2009
© Author(s) 2009. This work is distributed
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Analyzing the relationship between peak runoff discharge and land-use pattern – a spatial optimization approach
1Department of Geography, The University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
2Department of City and Regional Planning, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Abstract. This paper investigates the impacts of land-use patterns on watershed hydrology and characterizes the nature of this relationship. The approach combines a spatially explicit, process-based hydrological simulation model, a land-use optimization model, the Integrated Hydrological and Land-Use Optimization (IHLUO) model, and an extensive GIS database. Numerical experiments are conducted to assess changes in the peak discharge rate under various spatial land-use arrangements, and to delineate the optimal land distribution that minimizes the peak discharge. The area of application is a catchment of the Old Woman Creek watershed in the southwestern coastal area of Lake Erie, OH. The global optimality of the delineated land pattern at a 30-m resolution is evaluated using a combinatorial statistical method. A large number of solutions has been generated from clearly different initial solutions, and these solutions turn out to be very close to each other, strongly supporting the case for a convex relationship between peak discharge and land-use pattern. The Weibull distribution is used to generate a point estimate of the global optimal value and its confidence interval. The peak discharge function is further examined in light of the underlying physics used in the simulation model.
Discussion Paper (PDF, 955 KB) Interactive Discussion (Closed, 5 Comments) Final Revised Paper (HESS)
Citation: Yeo, I.-Y. and Guldmann, J.-M.: Analyzing the relationship between peak runoff discharge and land-use pattern – a spatial optimization approach, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 6, 3543-3575, doi:10.5194/hessd-6-3543-2009, 2009. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
