Author
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Garbrecht, Jurgen |
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Submitted to: Environmental and Water Resources Institute World Congress Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2010 Publication Date: 5/16/2010 Citation: Garbrecht, J.D. 2010. Impacts of climate and land use change on reservoir sedimentation [abstract]. Environmental and Water Resources Institute World Congress Proceedings, May 16-20, 10, Providence, RI. Available on-line: http://content.asce.org/files/pdf/EWRI10_FINAL_504.pdf Interpretive Summary: Abstract only. Technical Abstract: Impacts of evolving climate and implementation of upstream soil conservation measures on sedimentation of the Fort Cobb Reservoir in West-Central Oklahoma are investigated. Conservation practices before the 1950s were few. Between 1950 and 2008, extensive soil conservation measures were implemented. Discharge and suspended sediment were measured by the USGS during 1943-1950 (pre-conservation period), and again in 2004-2008 (post-conservation period). Also, starting in the 1980s, over a decade long sustained increase in annual precipitation was observed. The discharge and suspended sediment measurements offered the opportunity to compare reservoir sedimentation rates before and after implementation of conservation practices, and before and after the increase in precipitation. The estimated reduction in reservoir sedimentation rate as a result of conservation practices was about a factor of 2. However, the precipitation increase in the mid 1980s resulted in increased soil erosion and transport activity that offset to a large extent the reduction of sedimentation rate due to upstream conservation efforts. Calculated reservoir sedimentation was compared to a 1993 survey of reservoir sedimentation, and filling of design capacity for sediment storage was projected. |
