Jean-Martial Cohard

Water storage changes as a marker for base flow generation processes in a tropical humid basement catchment (Benin): Insights from hybrid gravimetry

In basement catchments of subhumid West Africa, base flow is the main component of annual streamflow. However, the important heterogeneity of lithology hinders the understanding of base flow generation processes. Since these processes are linked with water storage changes (WSCs) across the catchment, we propose the use of hybrid gravity data in addition to neutron probe-derived water content and water levels to monitor spatiotemporal WSC of a typical crystalline basement headwater catchment (16 ha) in Benin. WSC behaviors are shown to provide insights into hydrological processes in terms of water redistribution toward the catchment outlet. Hybrid gravimetry produces gravity change observations from time-lapse microgravity surveys coupled with gravity changes monitored at a base station using a superconducting gravimeter and/or an absolute gravimeter. A dense microgravity campaign (70 surveys of 14 stations) covering three contrasted years was set up with a rigorous protocol, leading to low uncertainties (<2.5 lGal) on station gravity determinations (with respect to the network reference station). Empirical orthogonal function analyses of both gravity changes and WSCs from neutron probe data show similar spatial patterns in the seasonal signal. Areas where storage and water table show a capping behavior (when data reach a plateau during the wet season), suggesting threshold-governed fast subsurface redistribution, are identified. This observed storage dynamics, together with geological structures investigated by electrical resistivity tomography and drill log analysis, make it possible to derive a conceptual model for the catchment hydrology.

The contribution of MRS and resistivity methods to the interpretation of actual evapo-transpiration measurements: a case study in metamorphic context in north Benin

A quantitative budget estimate of actual evapo-transpiration is a key issue for enhanced hydrological modelling in northern Benin. Actual evapo-transpiration is estimated using large aperture scintillometer equipment, devoted to sensible heat flux measurements. However, a previous study reported that the actual evapo-transpiration cycle is not fully understood. Indeed, the actual evapo-transpiration depends strongly on several factors such as climate, vegetation pattern, soil water storage and human activities. The respective contributions of the aquifer and vadose zone to the actual evapo-transpiration budget are not known. When using piezometric variations of the water table, the aquifer contribution is not easy to quantify since the specific yield may vary in the investigated area, located in a metamorphic rock environment. In the present study, we investigate whether significant differences in the aquifers specific yield could exist within the large aperture scintillometer measurement area, leading to different actual evapo-transpiration water losses. We use joint frequency electromagnetic resistivity mapping, geological surveys and magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) to delineate the effective porosity of the regolith around the scintillometre measurement area. Thirteen MRS soundings implemented in key areas reveal a clear classification of the main geological units on the basis of their water content. The MRS water content varies between 1.5-3% for amphibolite and micaschists formations to more than 12% for quartzitic fractured formations, whereas the MRS relaxation time T1 is less discriminating (150-250 ms), indicating a small variation in pore size. Then, as a first modelling exercise, we assumed that the MRS water content (the effective porosity) maximizes the specific yield. The actual evapo-transpiration budget given by a previous study (Guyot et al. 2009) is then re-interpreted using geophysical data: we found that a) the measured water table depletion can explain the actual evapo-transpiration value providing enough water for the transpiration process and b) the significant discrepancies in actual evapo-transpiration signals observed between the eastern and western parts of the watershed can be explained by the respective effective porosity of the geological units. Even if further research is needed to link MRS water content to the specific yield and to evaluate a possible role of the deep vadose zone, the hydrogeophysical mapping presented in this study highlights the role of the MRS method for providing relevant information to understand hydrological processes in this complicated geological context of north Benin.

Dynamics of water vapor and energy exchanges above two contrasting Sudanian climate ecosystems in Northern Benin (West Africa)

Natural ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing intense changes that will probably modify land surface feedbacks and consequently the regional climate. In this study, we have analyzed water vapor (QLE) and sensible heat (QH) fluxes over a woodland (Bellefoungou, BE) and a cultivated area (Nalohou, NA) in the Sudanian climate of Northern Benin, using 2 years (from July 2008 to June 2010) of eddy covariancemeasurements. The evaporative fraction (EF) response to environmental and surface variables was investigated at seasonal scale. Soil moisturewas found to be themain environmental factor controlling energy partitioning.During thewet seasons, EFwas rather stablewith anaverageof 0.75 ± 0.07over thewoodlandand 0.70 ± 0.025 over the cultivated area. This means that 70–75% of the available energy was changed into actual evapotranspiration during the investigated wet seasons depending on the vegetation type. The cumulative annual actual evapotranspiration (AET) variedbetween730 ± 50mmyr 1 at theNAsite and1040 ± 70mmyr 1 at theBEsite.Withsimilarweatherconditionsat thetwosites, theBEsite showed30%higherAETvalues thanthe NA site. The sensible heat flux QH at the cultivated site was always higher than that of the woodland site, but observed differences weremuch less than those ofQLE. In a land surface conversion context, these differences are expected to impact both atmospheric dynamics and the hydrological cycle.

Interactions entre surface et convection au Sahel

Strong interactions and feedbacks between surface processes and deep convection occur in the Sahel. They take place over a wide range of scales. They are found to enhance surfaceatmosphere energy exchanges during the monsoon and to generate a large variability of surface sensible and latent heat fluxes in time and space.A positive feedback is observed between this variability, or more accurately soil moisture heterogeneities, and the frequency of initiation of convective systems. This feedback operates at fine scale, on the order of a few tens of kilometres. The underlying mechanisms and their modelling are discussed.

Measurement of the spatial distribution of atmospheric turbulence with SCINDAR on a mosaic of urban surfaces

Two experiments of urban scintillometry were performed recently. Their objective was to study the SCINDAR Cn² profiler performance on a composite urbanforest ground. The SCINDAR provides horizontal Cn² profiles with a few hundred meter profile resolution. Several improvements in data processing are reported: the choice of the spatial resolution of the profile and the hyper-parameters adjustment for Cn² regularization. The distributed Cn² values along the optical path are estimated every minute with small error bars. Their non-uniformity is shown to be consistent with the differences of the line of sight to ground and the coverage of the terrain. The SCINDAR data are also in the same order of magnitude with the three scintillometer data that were simultaneously recorded.