Application of LiDAR Data for Hydrologic Assessments of Low-Gradient Coastal Watershed Drainage Characteristics

Devendra Amatya, Carl Trettin, Sudhanshu Panda, Herbert Ssegane

.
USDA Forest Service, Cordesville, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/jgis.2013.52017                

Abstract

Documenting the recovery of hydrologic functions following perturbations of a landscape/watershed is important to address issues associated with land use change and ecosystem restoration. High resolution LiDAR data for the USDAForestServiceSanteeExperimentalForestin coastalSouth Carolina,USAwas used to delineate the remnant historical water management structures within the watersheds supporting bottomland hardwood forests that are typical of the re- gion. Hydrologic functions were altered during the early1700’s agricultural use period for rice cultivation, with changes to detention storage, impoundments, and runoff routing. Since late1800’s, the land was left to revert to forests, without direct intervention. The resultant bottomlands, while typical in terms of vegetative structure and composition, still have altered hydrologic pathways and functions due to the historical land use. Furthermore, an accurate estimate of the watershed drainage area (DA) contributing to stream flow is critical for reliable estimates of peak flow rate, runoff depth and coefficient, as well as water and chemical balance. Peak flow rate, a parameter widely used in design of channels and cross drainage structures, is calculated as a function of the DA and other parameters. However, in contrast with the upland watersheds, currently available topographic maps and digital elevation models (DEMs) used to estimate the DA are not adequate for flat, low-gradient Coastal Plain (LCP) landscape. In this paper we explore a case study of a 3^rd order watershed (equivalent to 14-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC)) at headwaters of east branch of Cooper River draining to Charleston Harbor, SC to assess the drainage area and corresponding mean annual runoff coefficient based on various DEMs including LiDAR data. These analyses demonstrate a need for application of LiDAR-based DEMs together with field verification to improve the basis for assessments of hydrology, watershed drainage characteristics, and modeling in the LCP.

Keywords

Santee Experimental Forest; Digital Elevation Models (DEM); Drainage Area; Drainage Network; Low-Gradient Coastal Plain (LCP)

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	“Evaluating the Swat Model for a Low-Gradient Forested Watershed in Coastal South Carolina,” Transactions of the ASABE, Vol. 54, No. 6, 2011, pp. 2151-2163.
[2]	D. M. Amatya, T. J. Callahan, C. Trettin and A. Radecki-Pawlik, “Hydrologic and Water Quality Monitoring on Turkey Creek Watershed, Francis Marion National Forest, SC,” ASABE Annual International Meeting, Reno, 2009, pp. 21-24.
[3]	D. Bosch, J. Sheridan and F. Davis, “Rainfall Characteristics and Spatial Correlation for the Georgia Coastal Plain,” Transactions of the ASAE, Vol. 42, No. 6, 1999, pp. 1637-1644.
[4]	C. G. Garrett, V. M. Vulava, T. J. Callahan and M. L. Jones, “Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions in a Lowland Watershed: Source Contribution to Stream Flow,” Hydrological Processes, Vol. 26, No. 21, 2012, pp. 3195-3206. doi:10.1002/hyp.8257
[5]	I. B. La Torre Torres, D. M. Amatya, G. Sun and T. J. Callahan, “Seasonal Rainfall-Runoff Relationships in a Lowland Forested Watershed in the Southeastern USA,” Hydrological Processes, Vol. 25, No. 13, 2011, pp. 2032-2045. doi:10.1002/hyp.7955
[6]	T. M. Williams, D. M. Amatya, D. R. Hitchcock and A. E. Edwards, “Streamflow and Nutrients from a Karst Watershed with a Downstream Embayment: Chapel Branch Creek,” In Press, Posted Ahead of Print January 26, 2013.
[7]	T. J. Callahan, V. M. Vulava, M. C. Passarello and C. G. Garrett, “Estimating Groundwater Recharge in Lowland Watersheds,” Hydrological Processes, Vol. 26, No. 19, 2012, pp. 2845-2855. doi:10.1002/hyp.8356
[8]	D. M. Amatya, M.K. Jha, A. E. Edwards, T. M. Williams, and D. R. Hitchcock, “SWAT-Based Streamflow and Embayment Modeling of a Karst affected Chapel Branch Watershed, SC,” Transaction of the ASABE, Vol. 54, No. 4, 2011, pp. 11311-1323
[9]	Z. Dai, C. C. Trettin, C. Li, H. Li, G. Sun and D. M. Amatya, “Effect of Assessment Scale on Spatial and Temporal Variations in CH4, CO2 and N2O Fluxes in a Forested Wetland,” Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, Vol. 223, No. 1, 2012, pp. 253-265. doi:10.1007/s11270-011-0855-0
[10]	P. C. Beeson, A. M. Sadeghi, M. W. Lang, M. D. Tomer and C. S. T. Daughtry, “Sediment Delivery Estimates in Water Quality Models Altered by Resolution and Source of Topographic Data,” Journal of Environmental Quality, 2013. doi:10.2134/jeq2012.0148
[11]	S. S. Panda, K. Burry and C. Tamblyn, “Wetland Change and Cause Recognition in Georgia Coastal Plain,” ASABE International Conference, Dallas, 2012.
[12]	C. S. Renschler and D. C. Flanagan, “Site-Specific Decision-Making Based on RTK GPS Survey and Six Altaernative Elevation Data Sources: Soil Erosion Predictions,” Transactions of the ASAE, Vol. 51, No. 2, 2008, pp. 413-424.
[13]	A. A. Aziz, B. L. Steward, A. Kaleita and M. Karkee, “Assessing the Effects of DEM Uncertainty on Erosion rate Estimation in an Agricultural Field,” Transactions of the ASABE, Vol. 55, No. 3, 2012, pp. 785-798.
[14]	R. L. Perroy, B. Bookhagen, G. P. Asner and O. A. Chadwick, “Comparison of Gully Erosion Estimates Using Airborne and Ground-Based LiDAR on Santa Cruz Island, California,” Geomorphology, Vol. 118, No. 3-4, 2010, pp. 288-300. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.01.009
[15]	L. A. James, D. G. Watson and W. F. Hansen, “Using LiDAR Data to Map Gullies and Headwater Streams under Forest Canopy: South Carolina, USA,” Catena, Vol. 71, No. 1, 2007, pp. 132-144. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2006.10.010
[16]	S. P. Wechsler, “Uncertainties Associated with Digital Elevation Models for Hydrologic Applications: A Review,” Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions, Vol. 11, No. 4, 2007, pp. 1481-1500. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1481-2007
[17]	M. W. Lang and G. W. McCarty, “LiDAR Intensity for Improved Detection of Inundation below the Forest Canopy,” Wetlands, Vol. 29, No. 4, 2009, pp. 1166-1178. doi:10.1672/08-197.1
[18]	S. V. Harder, D. M. Amatya, T. J. Callahan, C. C. Trettin and J. Hakkila, “Hydrology and Water Budget for a Forested Atlantic Coastal Plain Watershed, South Carolina,” JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 43, No. 3, 2007, pp. 563-575. doi:10.1111/j.1752-1688.2007.00035.x
[19]	B. Ambroise, J. L. Perrin and D. Reutenauer, “Multi-Criterion Validation of a Semi-Distributed Conceptual Model of the Water Cycle in the Fecht Catchment (Vosges Massif, France),” Water Resources Research, Vol. 31, No. 6, 1995, pp. 1467-1481. doi:10.1029/94WR03293
[20]	J. G. Arnold, R. Srinivasan, R. S. Muttiah and J. Williams, “Large Area Hydrologic Modeling and Assessment Part I: Model Development,” JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 34, No. 1, 2007, pp. 73-89. doi:10.1111/j.1752-1688.1998.tb05961.x
[21]	Z. Dai, C. Li, C. Trettin, G. Sun, D. Amatya and H. Li, “Bi-Criteria Evaluation of the MIKE SHE Model for a Forested Watershed on the South Carolina Coastal Plain,” Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Vol. 14, No. 6, 2010, pp. 1033-1046. doi:10.5194/hess-14-1033-2010
[22]	S. B. Hilliard, “Antebellum Tidewater Rice Culture in South Carolina and Georgia,” In: J. R. Gibson, Ed., European Settlement and Developmentin North America, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1978, pp. 91-115.
[23]	J. K. O. Amoah, D. M. Amatya and S. Nnaji, “Quantifying Watershed Surface Depression Storage: Determination and Application in a Hydrologic Model,” HYDRO-LOGICAL PROCESSESHydrol. Process, Wiley Online Library, 2012. wileyonlinelibrary.com
[24]	PhotoScience, “Airborne Laser Terrain Mapping for Santee Experimental Forest, SC. Photo Science Geospatial Solutions,” Lexington, 2007.
[25]	D. M. Amatya and A. Radecki-Pawlik, “Flow Dynamics of Three Experimental Forested Watersheds in Coastal South Carolina (USA),” ACTA Scientiarum Polonorum, Formatio Circumiectus, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2007, pp. 3-17.
[26]	J. P. Eidson, C. M. Lacy, L. Nance, W. F. Hansen, M. A. Lowery and N. M. Hurley, Jr., “Development of a 10- and 12-Digit Hydrologic Unit Code Numbering System for South Carolina, 2005,” 2005.
[27]	D. E. Bower, C. Lowry, M. A. Lowery and N. M. Hurley, “USGS Water Resources Investigations Report WRIR 99-4015,” 1999. http://sc.water.usgs.gov/publications/abstracts/wrir99-4015.html
[28]	E. B. Haley, “Field Measurements and Hydrologic Modeling of the Turkey Creek Watershed, South Carolina (SC),” Master’s Thesis, Graduate School of the College of Charleston, Charleston, 2007.
[29]	DeLorme, “A Topographic Map Software,” 2002. www.delorme.com
[30]	C. C. Trettin, D. M. Amatya, C. Kaufman, N. Levine and R. T. Morgan, “Recognizing Change in Hydrologic Functions and Pathways due to Historical Agricultural Use—Implications to Hydrologic Assessments and Modeling,” The Third Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds, Estes Park, 8-11 September 2008, 5 p.
[31]	J. Scurry, “Raw LiDAR Data for Berkeley County, SC, SCDNR,” 2011.
[32]	A. Imagery, “Quick Terrain Modeler (QTM),” Version 7.1.5, 2012.
[33]	D. Civco, “ERDAS IMAGINE Remote-Sensing, Image-Processing and GIS Software,” Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, Vol. 60, No. 1, 1994, pp. 35-39.
[34]	ESRI, “ESRI ArcGIS,” Version 9.3.1., Redlands, 2009.
[35]	J. D. Simley and W. J. Carswell, Jr., “The National Map—Hydrography,” US Geological Survey Fact Sheet, Vol. 3054, No. 1, 2009, 4 p.
[36]	M. Eeckhaut, J. Poesen, G. Verstraeten, V. Vanacker, J. Nyssen, J. Moeyersons, et al., “Use of LIDAR-Derived Images for Mapping Old Landslides under Forest,” Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Vol. 32, No. 5, 2006, pp. 754-769. doi:10.1002/esp.1417
[37]	M. D. Di Luzio, R. Srinivasan, J. G. Arnold and S. L. Neitsch, “Arcview Interface for SWAT2000: User’s Guide-(2002),” 12 December 2012. http://www.brc.tamus.edu/swat/downloads/doc/swatav2000.pdf
[38]	R. S. Kinerson, J. L. Kittle and P. B. Duda, “BASINS: Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources,” In: Decision Support Systems for Risk-Based Management of Contaminated Sites, A. Marcomini, G. W. Suter II and A. Critto, Eds., Springer, 2009, pp. 1-24.
[39]	J. F. O’Callaghan and D. M. Mark, “The Extraction of Drainage Networks from Digital Elevation Data,” Computer Vision, Graphics, and Image Processing, Vol. 28, No. 3, 1984, pp. 323-344. doi:10.1016/S0734-189X(84)80011-0
[40]	R. Jones, “Algorithms for Using a DEM for Mapping Catchment Areas of Stream Sediment Samples,” Computers & Geosciences, Vol. 28, No. 9, 2002, pp. 1051-1060. doi:10.1016/S0098-3004(02)00022-5
[41]	A. R. Paz, W. Collischonn, A. Risso and C. A. B. Mendes, “Errors in River Lengths Derived from Raster Digital Elevation Models,” Computers & Geosciences, Vol. 34, No. 11, 2008, pp. 1584-1596. doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2007.10.009
[42]	J. P. Wilson, C. S. Lam and Y. Deng, “Comparison of the Performance of Flow-Routing Algorithms Used in GIS-Based Hydrologic Analysis,” Hydrological Processes, Vol. 21, No. 8, 2007, pp. 1026-1044. doi:10.1002/hyp.6277
[43]	K. M. Crombez, “Comparing Flow Routing Algorithms for Digital Elevation Models,” Digital Terrain Analysis (Geo428), Project Paper for Michigan State University, 2008, pp. 1-9.
[44]	C. E. Young, “Precipitation-Runoff Relations on Small Forested Watersheds in the Coastal Plain. Study Plan Addendum No. 2,” USDA Forest Service Technical Report FS-SE-1602, 1965.
[45]	N. D. Gordon, T. A. McMahon, B. L. Finlayson, C. J. Gippel and R. J. Nathan, “Stream Hydrology: An Introduction for Ecologists,” Wiley, Hoboken, 2004.
[46]	P. Haan and R. Skaggs, “Effect of Parameter Uncertainty on DRAINMOD Predictions: I. Hydrology and Yield,” Transactions of the ASAE, Vol. 46, No. 4, 2003, pp. 1061-1067.
[47]	K. Konyha and R. Skaggs, “A Coupled, Field Hydrology: Open Channel Flow Model: Theory,” Transactions of the ASAE, Vol. 35, No. 5, 1992, pp. 1431-1440.
[48]	R. Skaggs, “A Water Management Model for Shallow Water Table Soils,” Technical Report No. 134, North Carolina State University, Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina, Raleigh, 1978.
[49]	J. Amoah, “A New Methodology for Estimating Watershed-Scale Depression Storage,” Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, 2008, 202 p.
[50]	G. Sun, S. G. McNulty, D. M. Amatya, R. W. Skaggs, L. W. Swift, J. P. Shepard, et al., “A Comparison of the Watershed Hydrology of Coastal Forested Wetlands and the Mountainous Uplands in the Southern US,” Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 263, No. 1-4, 2002, pp. 92-104. doi:10.1016/S0022-1694(02)00064-1
[51]	S. Laseter, “Stage-Flow Fortran Programs for Processing Discharge Data for Santee Experimental Forest Watersheds,” USDA Forest Service, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, Otto, 2008.
[52]	D. Amatya, M. Miwa, C. Harrison, C. Trettin and G. Sun, “Hydrology and Water Quality of Two First Order Forested Watersheds in Coastal South Carolina,” In: ASABE Annual International Meeting, Portland, 9-12 July 2006, 22 p.
[53]	G. M. Chescheir, M. E. Lebo, D. M. Amatya, J. Hughes, J. W. Gilliam and R. W. Skaggs, “Hydrology and Water Quality of Forested Lands in Eastern North Carolina,” Tech Bullet 320, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 2008, 79 p.
[54]	OHD, “Basin Delineation with a 400 m Terrain Dataset,” 2011. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ oh/hrl/gis/delineation.html
[55]	W. B. Guimaraes and L. R. Bohman, “Techniques for Estimating Magnitude and Frequency of Floods in South Carolina,” USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report, 1992, pp. 91-4157.
[56]	J. M. Sheridan, “Peak Flow Estimates for Coastal Plain Watersheds,” Transactions of the ASAE, Vol. 45, No. 5, 2002, pp. 1319-1326.
[57]	H. S. Ssegane, D. M. Amatya, E. W. Tollner, Z. Dai and J. E. Nettles, “Estimation of Daily Streamflow of South-eastern Coastal Plain Watersheds by Combining Estimated Magnitude and Sequence (Tentatively Accepted),” Journal of the American Water Resources Association, In Press, 2013, pp. 1-17.
[58]	D. M. Amatya, G. M. Chescheir, G. P. Fernandez, R. W. Skaggs, F. Birgand and J. Gilliam, “Lumped Parameter Models for Predicting Nitrogen Transport in Lower Coastal Plain Watersheds,” Report No. 347, North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute, Raleigh, 2003.
[59]	M. Beaulac and K. Reckhow, “An Examination of Land Use-Nutrient Export Relationships,” Journal of the American Water Resources Bulletin, Vol. 18, No. 6, 1982, pp. 1013-1024.
[60]	M. Lang, O. McDonough, G. McCarty, R. Oesterling and B. Wilen, “Enhanced Detection of Wetland-Stream Connectivity Using LiDAR,” Wetlands, Vol. 32, No. 3, 2012, pp. 461-473.