Synthesis of Concepts in Disturbance Hydrology and the Importance for Hydrologic Response to Extreme Hydroclimatic Events in the Critical Zone

Abstract:

The watersheds we rely on for water resources, ecosystem services, and protection from hydrologically driven natural hazards are increasingly impacted by landscape disturbance. Abrupt alterations of hydrologic processes resulting from wildfires, urban development, resource extraction, deforestation, hurricanes, tsunamis, and landslides change the storage or buffering capacity as well as the hydrologic functional connectivity in watersheds. We highlight some of the critical issues and major challenges to predicting disturbance impacts on water resources and natural hazards and outline some of the opportunities for improved mechanistic understanding of how disturbances propagate through landscape hydrological processes. In particular, we emphasize synthesis of conceptual commonalities and opportunities from other disciplines, primarily ecologic sciences, which are well versed in the study of disturbed landscapes. Cross scale interactions and complex adaptive systems theory are examples of useful concepts for synthesis across different disturbance effects. We also highlight the importance of improved understanding of disturbance hydrology for predicting the effects of extreme hydroclimatic events on the hydrologic response of the Critical Zone. An example from the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, USA of a watershed with multiple disturbances subjected to a low frequency extreme rainfall event is presented to show the diversity of runoff generation mechanisms and the implications for watershed scale impacts.