Identification of dominant runoff and sediment pathways within the Baru Experimental Catchment, Borneo

This study is focused on the modelling of runoff pathways and associated suspended sediment dynamics, utilising data from a parallel monitoring programme within Baru Experimental Catchment and nearby basins (since 1990). The research site is located within the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo Island in Southeast Asia

Publications

Cheng, Z., Zhang, J., Yu, B., Chappell, N. A., Meerveld, H.J. van and Bruijnzeel, L. A. 2023. Stormflow response and 'effective' hydraulic conductivity of a degraded tropical Imperata grassland catchment as evaluated with two infiltration models. Water Resources Research, 59: e2022WR033625. view online.

Ramakant Nayak, R.R., Krishnaswamy, J., Vaidyanathan, S., Chappell, N.A., and Singh Bhalla, R. 2023. Invasion of natural grasslands by exotic trees increases flood risks in mountainous landscapes in South India. Journal of Hydrology, 617 (Part A): 128944. view online.

Magliano, P.N., Mindham, D., Tych, W., Murray, F., Nosetto, M.N., Jobbagy, E.G., Rufino, M.C. and Chappell, N.A. 2019. Hydrological functioning of cattle ranching impoundments in the Dry Chaco rangelands of Argentina. Hydrology Research 50(6): 1596-1608 doi.org/10.2166/nh.2019.149. view online or view paper (pdf).

Mello, C.R., Avila, L.F., Lin, H., Terra, M.M.C.S, and Chappell, N.A. 2019. Water balance in a neotropical forest catchmen of southeastern Brazil. Catena, 173, 9-21. view paper (pdf) or online.

Krishnaswamy. J., Chappell, N., Bhalla, R.S., Sankaran, M., Vaidyanathan, S., Badiger, S. and Varghese, S. 2017. Hydrologic and carbon services in the Western Ghats: Response of forest and agroecosystems to extreme rainfall events. Technical Report submitted to Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. 67pp. download report.

Kretzschmar, A., Tych, W., Chappell, N.A. and Beven, K.J. 2016. Reversing hydrology: quantifying the temporal aggregation effect of catchment rainfall estimation using sub-hourly data. Hydrology Research, 47: 630-645. DOI: 10.2166/nh.2015.076 view online.

Kumagai T., Kanamori, H., and Chappell, N.A. 2016. Tropical Forest Hydrology. In: Forest Hydrology: Management and Assessment, Amatya, D.M., Williams, T.M., Bren, L. and de Jong, C. (eds), CABI, Wallingford. ISBN: 9781780646602. link to book.

Kretzschmar, A., Tych, W., Chappell, N.A. and Beven, K.J. 2016. What really happens at the end of the rainbow?: paying the price for reducing uncertainty (using reverse hydrology models). Procedia Engineering, 154: 1333-1340. view online or view paper (pdf).

Acton, J., Hewitt, N., Chappell, N. 2016. Preliminary assessment of RSPO's recommendations for soil erosion control measures: A science-for-policy paper for the Oil Palm Research-Policy Partnership Network. SEnSOR science-for-policy paper for RSPO. view science-for-policy paper (pdf) or website.

Kretzschmar, A., Tych, W., and Chappell, N.A. 2014. Reversing Hydrology: estimation of sub-hourly rainfall time-series from streamflow. Environmental Modelling and Software, 60: 290-301. doi: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2014.06.017 view online, or as pdf.

Yamashita, N., Sase, H., Kobayashi, R., Peng, L.K., Hanapi, J.M., Uchiyama, S., Urban, S., Ying-Ying, T., Muhamad, M., Gidiman, J. and Chappell, N.A. 2014. Atmospheric input versus rock weathering control of stream water chemistry in a tropical rain forest catchment in Malaysian Borneo. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 30: 481-492. doi: 10.1017/S0266467414000303. view abstract, view paper (pdf).

Pereira, R., Bovolo, I., Spencer, R.G.M., Hernes, P.J., Tipping, E., Vieth-Hillebrand, A., Pedentchouk, N., Chappell, N.A., Parkin, G. and Wagner, T. 2014. Mobilization of optically invisible dissolved organic matter (iDOM) in response to rainstorm events in a tropical forest headwater river. Geophysical Research Letters, 41, 1202-1208 doi:10.1002/2013GL058658. view abstract, view paper (pdf).

Wohl, E., Barros, A., Brunsell, N., Chappell, N.A, Coe, M., Giambelluca, T., Goldsmith, S., Harmon, R., Hendrickx, J., Juvik, J., McDonnell, J., and Ogden, F. 2012. The hydrology of the humid tropics. Nature Climate Change, 2: 655-662 doi: 10.1038/nclimate1556. view paper (pdf).

Chappell, N.A., Bonell, M., Barnes, C.J., and Tych, W. 2012. Tropical cyclone effects on rapid runoff responses: quantifying with new continuous-time transfer function models. In: Revisiting Experimental Catchment Studies in Forest Hydrology, Webb, A.A., Bonell, M. Bren, L. Lane, P.N.J., McGuire, D., Neary, D.G., Nettles, J., Scott, D.F., Stednik J. & Wang, Y. (eds) IAHS Publication 353, Wallingford, IAHS Press. 82-93. view paper (pdf), IAHS volume.

Walsh, R.P.D., Bidin, K., Blake, W.H., Chappell, N.A., Clarke, M.A., Douglas, I., Ghazali, R., Sayer, A.M., Suhaimi, J., Tych, W. and Annammala, K.V. 2011. Longer-term responses of rainforest erosional systems at different spatial scales to selective logging and climatic change. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B., 366, 3340-3353 doi: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0054 view abstract (htm), paper (pdf).

Chappell, N.A. 2010. Soil pipe distribution and hydrological functioning within the humid tropics: a synthesis. Hydrological Processes, 24, 1567-1581. view paper (pdf).

Chappell, N.A., Discenza, A.R., Tych, W., Whittaker, J. and Bidin, K. 2009. Simulating hourly rainfall occurrence within an equatorial rainforest, Borneo Island. Hydrological Sciences Journal 54(3), 571-581. view abstract (htm), or paper (pdf).

Chappell, N.A. and Thang, H.C. 2007 Practical hydrological protection for tropical natural forests: the Malaysian experience. Unasylva 229(58), 17-21. view paper in English (pdf), view paper in French (pdf), view paper in Spanish (pdf) (Special Issue on 'Forests and Water')

Chappell, N.A., Vongtanaboon S., Jiang, Y., and Tangtham, N. 2006. Return-flow prediction and buffer designation in two rainforest headwaters. Forest Ecology and Management 224, 131-146. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf)

Chappell, N.A., Tych, W., Chotai, A., Bidin, K. Sinun, W. and Thang H.C. 2006. BARUMODEL: Combined Data Based Mechanistic models of runoff response in a managed rainforest catchment. Forest Ecology and Management 224, 58-80. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf)

Bidin, K., and Chappell, N.A. 2006. Characteristics of rain-events at an inland locality in Northeastern Borneo. Hydrological Processes, 20(18), 3835-3850. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf)

Solera-Garcia, M., Chappell, N.A., and Tych, W. 2006. Identification of the distribution of hydroclimatic cycles of field observations in Southeast Asia. In: Climate Variability and Change - Hydrological Impacts, Demuth, S., Gustard, a., Planos, E., Scatena, F., and Sevat, E. (eds). IAHS Publication 308, Wallingford, IAHS Press. 356-361. view paper (pdf) or issue contents

Walsh, R.P.D., Clarke, M., Bidin, K., Blake, W.H., Chappell, N.A., Douglas, I., Ramli, N. Sayer, A.M., Sinun, W., Larenus, J. and Hanapi, J. 2006. Changes in the spatial distribution of erosion within a selectively logged rain-forest catchment in Borneo, 1988-2002. In Soil erosion and sediment redistribution in river catchments: Measurement, modelling and management. Owens, P.N., and Collins, A.J. (eds). Wallingford, CABI Publishing. 239-253. ISBN 0851990509. view paper (pdf), book introduction (pdf) or cover

Chappell, N.A., and Sherlock, M.D. 2005. Contrasting flow pathways within tropical forest slopes of Ultisol soil. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 30, 735-753. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf)

Chappell, N.A., Douglas, I., Hanapi, J.M., and Tych, W. 2004. Source of suspended-sediment within a tropical catchment recovering from selective logging. Hydrological Processes, 18, 685-701. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf)

Bidin, K., and Chappell, N.A. 2004. Sub-canopy rainfall and wet-canopy evaporation in a selectively-logged rainforest, Sabah, Malaysia. In Water: Forestry and Landuse Perspectives, A. R. Nik (Ed), IHP-VI Technical Document in Hydrology No. 70, Paris, UNESCO. p69-85. ISBN 9292200305. view abstract (htm) or technical document (pdf)

Chappell, N.A., Tych, W., Yusop, Z. N.A. Rahim, and Kasran, B. 2004. Spatially-significant effects of selective tropical forestry on water, nutrient and sediment flows: a modelling-supported review. In Forests, Water and People in the Humid Tropics, Bonell M. and Bruijnzeel, L.A. (Eds), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. p 513-532. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf) or book details or intro

Chappell, N.A., Bidin, K., Sherlock, M.D., and Lancaster, J.W. 2004. Parsimonious spatial representation of tropical soils within dynamic, rainfall-runoff models. In Forests, Water and People in the Humid Tropics, Bonell M. and Bruijnzeel, L.A. (Eds), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. p 756-769. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf) or book details or intro

Thang H.C. and Chappell, N.A. 2004. Minimising the hydrological impact of forest harvesting in Malaysia's rain forests In Forests, Water and People in the Humid Tropics, Bonell M. and Bruijnzeel, L.A. (Eds), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. p 852-865. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf) or book details or intro

Bidin, K., and Chappell, N.A. 2003 First evidence of a structured and dynamic spatial pattern of rainfall within a small humid tropical catchment. Hydrology and Earth System Science. 7(2), 245-253. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf)

Bidin, K., Chappell, N.A., Sinun, W., and Tangki, H 2003. Net-rainfall and wet-canopy evaporation in a small selectively-logged rainforest catchment, Sabah, Malaysia. In Proceedings of 1st International Conference on Hydrology and Water Resources in Asia Pacific Region, vol 2, p 659-666. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf)

Chappell, N.A., Bidin, K., and Tych, W. 2001. Modelling rainfall and canopy controls on net-precipitation beneath selectively-logged tropical forest. In Tropical Forest Canopies: Ecology and Management, K.E. Linsenmair, A.J. Davies, B. Fiala, M.R. Speight (eds), Kluwer : Dordrecht (ISBN: 0-7923-7049-X), 215-229. book details (htm).

Chappell, N.A., Bidin, K., and Tych, W. 2001. Modelling rainfall and canopy controls on net-precipitation beneath selectively-logged tropical forest. Plant Ecology, 153, 215-229. (Special Issue on Tropical Forest Canopies). view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf)

Sherlock, M.D., Chappell, N.A., and McDonnell, J.J. 2000. Effects of experimental uncertainty on the calculation of hillslope flow paths. Hydrological Processes, 14, 2457-2471. view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf)

Douglas, I., Bidin, K., Balamurugam, G., Chappell, N.A., Walsh, R.P.D., Greer, T., and Sinun, W. 2000. The role of extreme events in the impacts of selective tropical forestry on erosion during harvesting and recovery phases at Danum Valley, Sabah. In Changes and disturbance in tropical rainforest in South-East Asia, (Eds) D.M. Newbery, T.H. Clutton-Brock and G.T. Prance. Imperial College Press, London (ISBN: 1-86094-243-1), 25-37. book details (htm)

Chappell, N.A., McKenna, P., Bidin, K., Douglas, I., and Walsh, R.P.D. 2000. Parsimonious modelling of water and suspended-sediment flux from nested-catchments affected by selective tropical forestry. In Changes and disturbance in tropical rainforest in South-East Asia, (Eds) D.M. Newbery, T.H. Clutton-Brock and G.T. Prance. Imperial College Press, London (ISBN: 1-86094-243-1), 107-122. book details (htm)

Chappell, N.A., Ternan, J.L., and Bidin, K. 1999. Correlation of physicochemical properties and sub-erosional landforms with aggregate stability variations in a tropical Ultisol disturbed by forestry operations. Soil and Tillage Research, 50, 55-71. view paper (pdf)

Douglas, I., Bidin, K., Balamurugam, G., Chappell, N.A., Walsh, R.P.D., Greer, T., and Sinun, W. 1999. The role of extreme events in the impacts of selective tropical forestry on erosion during harvesting and recovery phases at Danum Valley, Sabah. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. B,, 354, 1749-1761. view paper (pdf)

Chappell, N.A., McKenna, P., Bidin, K., Douglas, I., and Walsh, R.P.D. 1999. Parsimonious modelling of water and suspended-sediment flux from nested-catchments affected by selective tropical forestry. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. B,, 354, 1831-1846. view paper (pdf)

Chappell, N.A., Franks, S.W., and Larenus, J. 1998. Multi-scale permeability estimation in a tropical catchment. Hydrological Processes, 12, 1507-1523. view paper (pdf)

Chappell, N.A., McKenna, P., Bidin, K., Douglas, I., and Walsh, R.P.D., 1998. Upscaling suspended-sediment flows in disturbed rain forest terrain: role of localised new sources. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on GeoComputation, University of Bristol, 17-19 September 1998. (ISBN 0-9533477-0-2). view paper (htm)

Chappell, N.A., and Ternan, J.L. 1997. Ring permeametry: design, operation and error analysis. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 22, 1197-1205. view paper (pdf)

Franks, S.W., Beven, K.J., Chappell, N.A., and Gineste, P., 1997. The utility of multi-scale objective conditioning of a distributed hydrological model using uncertain estimates of saturated areas. In A.D. McDonald, and M. McAleer (Eds)., Proceedings of the International Congress on Modelling and Simulation (MODSIM '97), Hobart, 8-11 December 1997, Volume 1, 335-340. view paper (pdf)

Sherlock, M.D., Chappell, N.A., and Greer, T. 1995. Tracer and Darcy-based identification of subsurface flow, Bukit Timah forest, Singapore, S. Jnl. of Tropical Geography, 16, 2, 197-215.view abstract (htm) or paper (pdf)

Funding sources

NERC; Malaysian Government

Investigators

Dr Nick A Chappell; Dr Waidi Sinun; Dr Kawi Bidin; Ms Siti Nurhidayu Abu Bakar; Dr Wlodek Tych; Mr Jadda Suhaimi; Mr Mohd Jamal Hanapi; Prof Ian Douglas; Prof Rory P.D. Walsh; Dr Mark Sherlock; Dr Maria Solera-Garcia; Mr Hamza Rusitim; Mr Sallehudin Jail; Mr Thang Hooi Chiew

International collaborations

Yayasan Sabah Group (CESD), Malaysia

Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

Malaysian Meteorological Department, Malaysia

Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia

Forestry Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Malaysia

Universiti Putra Malaysia (Forestry), Malaysia

Swansea University (Geography), UK

University of Manchester (Geography), UK

Impact & policy implications

Chappell & Thang (2007 p20) state '...The two decades of research on forestry practices and hydrological processes in Malaysia's natural forests that underlie the certification of hydrologically sound forestry practices in forest reserves of the states of Selangor, Pahang, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan offer findings pertinent to sustainable forest management in other countries in the humid tropics. Reduced-impact logging techniques within several Malaysian states help maintain the hydrological functioning of rivers in natural forests (e.g. Nik and Harding, 1992; Yusop, 1989; Chappell et al., 2004b; Thang and Chappell, 2004). These rivers are of considerable importance for potable water supply because they are free from artificial chemical contamination. It is by influencing sediment load, however, that forestry practices have the largest impact on rivers in natural forests maintained for long-term timber production (Chappell et al., 2004b). The MC&I hydrological standards of performance for Peninsular Malaysia contain measures to mitigate impacts on sediment load (Thang and Chappell, 2004). Despite the recent intensification of hydrological research within tropical natural forests (Bonell and Bruijnzeel, 2004), the impact of many forestry practices on tropical hydrological systems remains poorly quantified. Amounts and sources of river sediments in particular are extremely difficult to determine with accuracy because of the episodic nature of sediment delivery, the heterogeneity of the sediment sources and the high technological requirements for such measurements (Douglas et al., 1999; Chappell et al., 2004a). Despite these uncertainties, it is clear that small permanent streams - because they comprise the greatest length of perennial watercourse (Chappell et al., 2007) and receive the greatest sediment inputs per unit watershed area (Chappell et al., 2004a) - all need protection. Within certified forestry systems in Peninsular Malaysia, the placement of narrow buffer zones on small permanent streams:

• restricts skidder drivers from using small channels as routes, thereby reducing channel erosion;
• requires culverts or bridges to be placed at all road and trail crossings of permanent streams, reducing channel disturbance and disconnecting some slope sediment pathways from the channels;
• maintains canopy cover and hence microclimate along stream corridors.

These considerable benefits can be gained by limiting cutting and vehicle access from a relatively small area (less than 10 percent) of the landscape. While few studies have addressed the hydrological impacts of forestry within tropical natural forests and associated mitigation strategies, almost none have addressed river turbidity for tropical plantations (Bonell and Bruijnzeel, 2004; Chappell, Tych and Bonell, 2007). There is an urgent need to extrapolate the findings of turbidity studies from tropical natural forests to watersheds with plantations, and to initiate new watershed-scale studies on river turbidity and water quality within timber or oil-palm plantations. Hydrological research is also needed to compare the value and economic impacts of buffer zones of different sizes within areas being converted to timber plantations and agroforestry systems...'

Available PhD, MPhil or MSc project topics

1. Field measurement and simulation of runoff processes in the Baru catchment.

Email enquires to Dr Nick A Chappell and applications via LEC-PG website

Related research

Bonell, M., 2004. Runoff generation in tropical forests. In: Bonell, M., Bruijnzeel, L.A.(Eds.), Forests, Water and People in the Humid Tropics: Past, Present and Future. Hydrological Research for Integrated Land and Water Management, UNESCO International Hydrology Series. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 314-406.

Bonell, M., Gilmour, D.A., Cassells, D.S., 1983. A preliminary survey of the hydraulic properties of rainforest soils in tropical north-east Queensland and their implication of or the runoff process. In: de Ploey, J. (Ed.), Rainfall Simulation Runoff and Soil Erosion. Catena Supplement, vol. 4. pp. 57-78.

Bruijnzeel, L.A., 1990. Hydrology of Moist Tropical Forest and Effects of Conversion: a State of Knowledge Review. UNESCO, Paris and Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 226 pp.

Bruijnzeel, L.A., 2004. Hydrological functions of tropical forest: not seeing the soil for the trees? Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 104, 185-228. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2004.01.015.

Elsenbeer, H., Vertessy, R.A., 2000. Stormflow generation and flowpath characteristics in an Amazoonian rainforest catchment. Hydrological Processes 14, 2367-2381.

Loos, M., Elsenbeer, H. 2011. Topographic controls on overland flow generation in a forest - An ensemble tree approach. Journal of Hydrology 409(1-2), 94-103.

Ziegler, A.D., Negishi, J.N., Sidle, R.C., Noguchi, S., Nik, A.R., 2006. Impacts of logging disturbance on hillslope saturated hydraulic conductivity in a tropical forest in Peninsular Malaysia. Catena 67 (2), 89-104. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2006.02.008.

Zimmermann, B., Elsenbeer, H., 2009. The near-surface hydrological consequences of disturbance and recovery: a simulation study. Journal of Hydrology 364 (1-2), 115-127.

Please email Dr Nick A Chappell for further information on the BaruMOD project