Michel Meybeck

Mountains of the world, water towers for humanity: Typology, mapping, and global significance

[1]xa0Mountains are important sources of freshwater for the adjacent lowlands. In view of increasingly scarce freshwater resources, this contribution should be clarified. While earlier studies focused on selected river systems in different climate zones, we attempt here a first spatially explicit, global typology of the so-called “water towers” at the 0.5° × 0.5° resolution in order to identify critical regions where disproportionality of mountain runoff as compared to lowlands is maximum. Then, an Earth systems perspective is considered with incorporation of lowland climates, distinguishing four different types of water towers. We show that more than 50% of mountain areas have an essential or supportive role for downstream regions. Finally, the potential significance of water resources in mountains is illustrated by including the actual population in the adjacent lowlands and its water needs: 7% of global mountain area provides essential water resources, while another 37% delivers important supportive supply, especially in arid and semiarid regions where vulnerability for seasonal and regional water shortage is high.

Global system of rivers: Its role in organizing continental land mass and defining land‐to‐ocean linkages

The spatial organization of the Earths land mass is analyzed using a simulated topological network (STN-30p) representing potential flow pathways across the entire nonglacierized surface of the globe at 30-min (longitude × latitude) spatial resolution. We discuss a semiautomated procedure to develop this topology combining digital elevation models and manual network editing. STN-30p was verified against several independent sources including map products and drainage basin statistics, although we found substantial inconsistency within the extant literature itself. A broad suite of diagnostics is offered that quantitatively describes individual grid cells, river segments, and complete drainage systems spanning orders 1 through 6 based on the Strahler classification scheme. Continental and global-scale summaries of key STN-30p attributes are given. Summaries are also presented which distinguish basins that potentially deliver discharge to an ocean (exorheic) from those that potentially empty into an internal receiving body (endorheic). A total of 59,122 individual grid cells constitutes the global nonglacierized land mass. At 30-min spatial resolution, the cells are organized into 33,251 distinct river segments which define 6152 drainage basins. A global total of 133.1 × 106 km2 bear STN-SOp flow paths with a total length of 3.24 × 106 km. The organization of river networks has an important role in linking land mass to ocean. From a continental perspective, low-order river segments (orders 1-3) drain the largest fraction of land (90%) and thus constitute a primary source area for runoff and constituents. From an oceanic perspective, however, the small number (n=101) of large drainage systems (orders 4-6) predominates; draining 65% of global land area and subsuming a large fraction of the otherwise spatially remote low-order rivers. Along river corridors, only 10% of land mass is within 100 km of a coastline, 25% is within 250 km, and 50% is within 750 km. The global mean distance to river mouth is 1050 km with individual continental values from 460 to 1340 km. The Mediterranean/Black Sea and Arctic Ocean are the most land-dominated of all oceans with land:ocean area ratios of 4.4 and 1.2, respectively; remaining oceans show ratios from 0.55 to 0.13. We discuss limitations of the STN-30p together with its potential role in future global change studies. STN-30p is geographically linked to several hundred river discharge and chemistry monitoring stations to provide a framework for calibrating and validating macroscale hydrology and biogeochemical flux models.

Anthropogenic perturbations of the silicon cycle at the global scale: Key role of the land‐ocean transition

Silicon (Si), in the form of dissolved silicate (DSi), is a key nutrient in marine and continental ecosystems. DSi is taken up by organisms to produce structural elements (e.g., shells and phytoliths) composed of amorphous biogenic silica (bSiO(2)). A global mass balance model of the biologically active part of the modern Si cycle is derived on the basis of a systematic review of existing data regarding terrestrial and oceanic production fluxes, reservoir sizes, and residence times for DSi and bSiO(2). The model demonstrates the high sensitivity of biogeochemical Si cycling in the coastal zone to anthropogenic pressures, such as river damming and global temperature rise. As a result, further significant changes in the production and recycling of bSiO(2) in the coastal zone are to be expected over the course of this century.

Lithologic composition of the Earth's continental surfaces derived from a new digital map emphasizing riverine material transfer

[1]xa0A new digital map of the lithology of the continental surfaces is proposed in vector mode (n ≈ 8300, reaggregated at 0.5° × 0.5° resolution) for 15 rock types (plus water and ice) targeted to surficial Earth system analysis (chemical weathering, land erosion, carbon cycling, sediment formation, riverine fluxes, aquifer typology, coastal erosion). These types include acid (0.98% at global scale) and basic (5.75%) volcanics, acid (7.23%) and basic (0.20%) plutonics, Precambrian basement (11.52%) and metamorphic rocks (4.07%), consolidated siliciclastic rocks (16.28%), mixed sedimentary (7.75%), carbonates (10.40%), semi- to un-consolidated sedimentary rocks (10.05%), alluvial deposits (15.48%), loess (2.62%), dunes (1.54%) and evaporites (0.12%). Where sediments, volcanics and metamorphosed rocks are too intimately mixed, a complex lithology (5.45%) class is added. Average composition is then tabulated for continents, ocean drainage basins, relief types (n = 7), 10° latitudinal bands, geological periods (n = 7), and exorheic versus endorheic domain and for formerly glaciated regions. Surficial lithology is highly heterogeneous and major differences are noted in any of these ensembles. Expected findings include the importance of alluvium and unconsolidated deposits in plains and lowlands, of Precambrian and metamorphic rocks in mid-mountain areas, the occurrence of loess, dunes and evaporites in dry regions, and of carbonates in Europe. Less expected are the large occurrences of volcanics (74% of their outcrops) in highly dissected relief and the importance of loess in South America. Prevalence of carbonate rocks between 15°N and 65°N and of Precambrian plus metamorphics in two bands (25°S–15°N and north of 55°N) is confirmed. Asia and the Atlantic Ocean drainage basin, without Mediterranean and Black Sea, are the most representative ensembles. In cratons the influence of ancient geological periods is often masked by young sediments, while active orogens have a specific composition.

Spatial and seasonal dynamics of total suspended sediment and organic carbon species in the Congo River

[1]xa0The Congo (Zaire) River, the worlds second largest river in terms both of water discharges and of drainage area after the Amazon River, has remained to date in a near-pristine state. For a period between 2 and 6 years, the mainstream near the river mouth (Brazzaville/Kinshasa station) and some of the major and minor tributaries (the Oubangui, Mpoko, and Ngoko-Sangha) were monitored every month for total suspended sediment (TSS), particulate organic carbon (POC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). In this large but relatively flat equatorial basin, TSS levels are very low and organic carbon is essentially exported as DOC: from 74% of TOC for the tributaries flowing in savannah regions and 86% for those flowing in the rain forest. The seasonal patterns of TSS, POC, and DOC show clockwise hysteresis in relation to river discharges, with maximum levels recorded 2 to 4 months before peak flows. At the Kinshasa/Brazzaville station, the DOC distribution is largely influenced by the input from the tributaries draining the large marshy forest area located in the center of the basin. There is a marked difference between specific fluxes, threefold higher in the forest basins than in the savannah basins. The computation of inputs to the Atlantic Ocean demonstrates that the Congo is responsible for 14.4 × 106 t/yr of TOC of which 12.4 × 106 t/yr is DOC and 2 × 106 t/yr is POC. The three biggest tropical rivers (the Amazon, the Congo, and the Orinoco), with only 10% of the exoreic world area drained to world oceans, contribute ∼4% of its TSS inputs but 15–18% of its organic carbon inputs. These proportions may double when considering only world rivers discharging into the open ocean.

Global coastal segmentation and its river catchment contributors: A new look at land‐ocean linkage

Here we present the COSCATs global database of 151 catchments in exorheic areas. The catchments connect to oceans through coastal segments according to three sets of criteria: natural limits (continents, oceans, regional seas, major capes, and bays), continental shelf topography (sills, basins, island chains), and geophysical dynamics (climate, ocean currents and tectonics). The COSCATs segmentation scheme is designed to improve Earth System analysis and to harmonize reporting of global riverine transfers from land to oceans. Each COSCAT is characterized by its coastal segment limits and length (median 2 400 km), by its catchment characteristics, including area (median 0.45 M km 2 ), width, latitudinal range, runoff average value and direction, including its related physiographic units (n = 500). We apply the COSCAT segmentation to all 151 basins to estimate water discharge and total nitrogen impacts to oceans and find that the average runoff (mm/yr) and N yields (Y N in kg km -2 yr -1 ) range over more than 3 orders of magnitude at this coarse resolution, and that their average population density ranges over 2 orders of magnitude. Hyperactive regions, defined as segments with 5 to 10 times the world average yield (river transfers per unit area of land), are differentially placed for water runoff and total contemporary nitrogen. COSCATs have been designed to facilitate the budget reporting and the analysis of global scale heterogeneity for riverine fluxes and can be applied to other material, such as suspended solids, carbon species or other nutrients, particularly for areas draining into regional seas.

The geochemical composition of the terrestrial surface (without soils) and comparison with the upper continental crust

The terrestrial surface, the “skin of the earth”, is an important interface for global (geochemical) material fluxes between major reservoirs of the Earth system: continental and oceanic crust, ocean and atmosphere. Because of a lack in knowledge of the geochemical composition of the terrestrial surface, it is not well understood how the geochemical evolution of the Earth’s crust is impacted by its properties. Therefore, here a first estimate of the geochemical composition of the terrestrial surface is provided, which can be used for further analysis. The geochemical average compositions of distinct lithological classes are calculated based on a literature review and applied to a global lithological map. Comparison with the bulk composition of the upper continental crust shows that the geochemical composition of the terrestrial surface (below the soil horizons) is significantly different from the assumed average of the upper continental crust. Specifically, the elements Ca, S, C, Cl and Mg are enriched at the terrestrial surface, while Na is depleted (and probably K). Analysis of these results provide further evidence that chemical weathering, chemical alteration of minerals in marine settings, biogeochemical processes (e.g. sulphate reduction in sediments and biomineralization) and evaporite deposition are important for the geochemical composition of the terrestrial surface on geological time scales. The movement of significant amounts of carbonate to the terrestrial surface is identified as the major process for observed Ca-differences. Because abrupt and significant changes of the carbonate abundance on the terrestrial surface are likely influencing CO2-consumption rates by chemical weathering on geological time scales and thus the carbon cycle, refined, spatially resolved analysis is suggested. This should include the recognition of the geochemical composition of the shelf areas, now being below sea level.

Uncertainties in Assessing Annual Nitrate Loads and Concentration Indicators: Part 2. Deriving Sampling Frequency Charts in Brittany, France

In water quality monitoring programs, standard sampling frequency schemes tend to be applied throughout entire regions or states. Ideally, the common standard among monitoring stations ought not to be the sampling frequency but instead the level of uncertainty of the estimated water quality indicators. Until now, there was no obvious way of doing this. This article proposes, for the first time, guidelines to select appropriate sampling frequencies to harmonize the level of uncertainty in the case of yearly nitrate indicators for the regional river water quality monitoring network in Brittany, France. A database of 50 watershed-year datasets (nine watersheds of 4 to 252 km2 in size) was used for which high temporal resolution data (hourly and daily) were available for flow and nitrate concentrations. For each dataset, the uncertainty levels were calculated by numerically simulating sampling intervals varying from 2 to 60 days. The precision limits of the uncertainties were successfully correlated to a hydrological reactivity index. The correlations were used to derive sampling frequency charts. These charts can be used by watershed managers to optimize the sampling frequency scheme for any watershed for a desired uncertainty level, provided that the dimensionless local hydrological reactivity can be calculated from previous records of continuous flow rates. The sampling frequency charts also suggest that, depending on the hydrological reactivity, expected uncertainties generated by monthly sampling range between ±6% and ±14% for the annual load and between -5% and +2.5% to +7.2% for the annual concentration average.

Choosing methods for estimating dissolved and particulate riverine fluxes from monthly sampling

Abstract In discrete water quality surveys, riverine fluxes are associated with unknown uncertainties (biases and imprecisions). Annual flux errors have been determined from the generation of discrete surveys by Monte Carlo sorting for monthly sampling, from 10 years of daily records (120 records). Eight calculation methods were tested for suspended particulate matter, dissolved solids and dissolved and total nutrients in medium to large basins (103 to 106 km2) covering a wide range of hydrological conditions and riverine biogeochemistry. The performance of each method was analysed first by type of riverine material, which appeared to be much less pertinent than the flux variability matrix. The latter combines the river flow duration in two percent of time (W2%) and the truncated exponent (b50sup) defining the relationship of concentration vs discharge (C–Q) at higher flows (C = aQb50sup). As flux variability increases (high W2% and/or high b50sup), averaging and rating curve methods become less efficient compared to hydrograph separation methods. Flux biases and imprecisions were plotted in the [W2%, b50sup] matrix for discrete monthly surveys. Editor Z. W. Kundzewicz Citation Raymond, S., Moatar, F., Meybeck, M., and Bustillo, V., 2013. Choosing methods for estimating dissolved and particulate riverine fluxes from monthly sampling. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (6), 1326–1339.

Uncertainties on nitrate water quality indicators associated with infrequent sampling in Brittany, France

Excessive nutrient export in watersheds has led to the development of large monitoring programs and the implementation of Best Management Practices throughout the western countries. Documenting water quality improvement or degradation is not an easy endeavor. On a particular site, perceived improvement or degradation may result from climate variability from year to year. High uncertainties may actually result from the actual sampling and monitoring design, and particularly on the frequencies at which water is sampled and analyzed. We conducted an analysis of uncertainties on nitrate fluxes and concentration indicators (average, median, 90th and 95th percentiles, maximum) associated with infrequent sampling in Brittany, France. We used a database of 50 watershed-year datasets for which high temporal resolution data (hourly, daily at worst) was available for flow and nitrate concentrations. For each dataset, we calculated yearly reference fluxes and indicators. We then numerically simulated sampling for a set frequency and calculation strategy and compared the result to the reference ones. The choice of the algorithm used to compute the nitrate fluxes largely determines the expected accuracy and imprecision of the strategy. All methods that do not use the continuous record of flow performed very poorly and we recommend not to use them. The flow weighted average concentration ratio method was showed to best perform across the 50 datasets in Brittany. Ranges of errors were found to be correlated to a flow duration indicator, which lead to the drawing of reference guideline curves. These may serve as a template to determine, for a given watershed and its hydrological reactivity, expected errors for a given sampling frequency or to better design sampling frequency for a given uncertainty level. Annual values computed using monthly sampling showed that for a moderately ‘flashy’ watershed nitrate flux estimates would be between -12% and +11% of the ‘true’ load, average and 95th percentile concentrations would be within ±6% and between -7% and +2% of the reference value, respectively.