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[1] Tributary streams flow from the headwaters directly to the main stem in the valley axis and represent an important general stream type with high surface areas to volume and high streambed exchanges along much of their length. These characteristics strongly influence water quantity and quality in tributary streams, as well as the underlying groundwater and, eventually, the main stem. Tributary streams can be described as consisting of upland, central, and distal reaches, each with temporal trends in streambed exchanges unique to their spatial position along the tributary stream. In this work, thermal tracing and hydraulic monitoring reported in earlier works have been analyzed to compare surface-water/ groundwater streambed exchange patterns along Fish Creek Wyoming (US), a well-studied tributary stream in a humid watershed. Results of this analysis demonstrate that composite thermal/hydraulic techniques successfully differentiated reach-specific streambed exchanges to distinguish upland, central, and distal reaches along Fish Creek above the Snake River. The upland and central reaches streambed exchanges were primarily vertical and horizontal streambed exchanges normal to general streamflow, while the distal reach streambed exchanges were lower in magnitude and more longitudinal in the same direction as streamflow. Heat-based streambed hydraulic conductivities were highest (and isotropic) for the upland reach and lowest (and strongly anisotropic) for the distal reach, in accordance with general downstream sediment fining approaching a main stem. These distinct reach patterns should show general transfer value, since general tributary streambed exchange patterns are expected to be influenced by proximity to headwaters in the upland reach, by buffering within alluvial fill in the central reach, and by proximity to the main stem in the distal reach.

Fish Creek, a tributary of the Snake River, is about 25 river kilometers long and is located in Teton County in western Wyoming near the town of Wilson. Local residents began observing an increase in the growth of algae and aquatic plants in the stream during the last decade. Due to the known importance of groundwater to surface water in the area, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Teton Conservation District, conducted a study to characterize the interactions between surface water and near-stream groundwater along Fish Creek. The study has two main objectives: (1) develop an Interactions between Surface Water and Near-Stream Groundwater along Fish Creek, Using Heat as a Tracer Resor's Bridge reach is influenced by a combination of (1) a rise in groundwater level likely due to both infiltration of valley snowmelt and recharge to the alluvial aquifer along the west bank from the higher stage of the Snake River, (2) a snowmelt pulse from the mountain range to the west, and (3) recharge from irrigation water infiltration. Summer streamflows in the Wilson reach are maintained by streamflow in the upper part of the creek, tributary inflows, and a small, constant input of groundwater. Winter streamflows in the Wilson reach have similar inputs, except that tributary inflows are minimal. The qualitative patterns of gain and loss are in general agreement with qualitative results from previous investigations. However, this study provides quantitative information that can be used for future studies of Fish Creek, such as nutrient budgets, simulation of surface-water and groundwater flow, and simulation of surface water/groundwater interactions in the southwestern area of the Jackson Hole valley.

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