Projection of Sediment Loading from Pearl River Basin, Mississippi into Gulf of Mexico under a Future Climate with Afforestation.

Sediment load in rivers is recognized as both a carrier and a potential source of contaminants. Sediment deposition significantly changes river flow and morphology, thereby affecting stream hydrology and aquatic life. We projected sediment load from the Pearl River basin (PRB), Mississippi into the northern Gulf of Mexico under a future climate with afforestation using the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool)-based HAWQS (Hydrologic and Water Quality System) model.

Quantification and simulation of nutrient sources at watershed scale in Mississippi.

Excessive quantity of nutrient produced from various point and non-point source deteriorates the quality of water. For reduction of nutrient from a watershed, it is needed to be quantified followed by implementation of appropriate management practices. In this study, major sources of nutrient in Big Sunflower River Watershed (BSRW) were identified, quantified, and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was applied for assessment of flow, sediment and nutrient.

Application of Climate Assessment Tool (CAT) to Estimate Climate Variability Impacts on Nutrient Loading from Local Watersheds.

A vast amount of future climate scenario datasets, created by climate models such as general circulation models (GCMs), have been used in conjunction with watershed models to project future climate variability impact on hydrological processes and water quality. However, these low spatial-temporal resolution datasets are often difficult to downscale spatially and disaggregate temporarily, and they may not be accurate for local watersheds (., state level or smaller watersheds).

Identify temporal trend of air temperature and its impact on forest stream flow in Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley using wavelet analysis.

Characterization of stream flow is essential to water resource management, water supply planning, environmental protection, and ecological restoration; while air temperature variation due to climate change can exacerbate stream flow and add instability to the flow. In this study, the wavelet analysis technique was employed to identify temporal trend of air temperature and its impact upon forest stream flows in Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley (LMRAV). Four surface water monitoring stations, which locate near the headwater areas with very few land use disturbances and the long-term data records (60-90 years) in the LMRAV, were selected to obtain stream discharge and air temperature data.

Relationships between water table and model simulated ET.

This research was conducted to develop relationships among evapotranspiration (ET), percolation (PERC), groundwater discharge to the stream (GWQ), and water table fluctuations through a modeling approach. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrologic and crop models were applied in the Big Sunflower River watershed (BSRW; 7660 km(2) ) within the Yazoo River Basin of the Lower Mississippi River alluvial plain. Results of this study showed good to very good model performances with the coefficient of determination (R(2) ) and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) index from 0.

Source specific fecal bacteria modeling using soil and water assessment tool model.

Fecal bacteria can contaminate water and result in illness or death. It is often difficult to accurately determine sources of fecal bacteria contamination, but bacteria source tracking can help identify non-point sources of fecal bacteria such as livestock, humans and wildlife. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) microbial sub-model 2005 was used to evaluate source-specific fecal bacteria using three years (2004-2006) of observed modified deterministic probability of bacteria source tracking data, as well as measure hydrologic and water quality data.