Groundwater–surface water interactions in a lowland watershed: source contribution to stream flow

Garrett, C Guinn; Vulava, Vijay M.; Callahan, Timothy J.; Jones, Martin L.

doi:10.1002/hyp.8257

Cited by 23 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Base cations (BCs) are a semiconservative tracer which has been used to determine if there is a partition of water sources in streams and rivers [ Burns et al ., ; Dunn et al ., ; Soulsby et al ., ]. The BC concentrations are commonly much lower in shallow groundwater compared to deep groundwater as the BC concentration primarily is regulated by water residence time in the subsurface environment [ Garrett et al ., ; Klaminder et al ., ; Wolock et al ., ]. This difference in BC concentration between shallow flow and deep flow paths provides an opportunity to determine the sources of water in mesoscale catchment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Downstream changes in DOC: Inferring contributions in the face of model uncertainties

et al. 2014

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[1] Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a central constituent of surface waters which control its characteristic color and chemistry. While the sources and controls of headwater stream DOC can be mechanistically linked to the dominant landscape types being drained, much remains unknown about the downstream controls at larger spatial scales. As DOC is transported from the headwaters to catchment outlets, the fate of stream DOC is largely dependent on the interaction of varying catchment processes. In this study, we investigated the main mechanisms regulating stream DOC in a mesoscale catchment. A landscapemixing model was used to test the role of landscapes in determining stream concentrations. The quantity of DOC lost to in-stream processes was calculated using bacterial respiration and photooxidation rates. We investigated whether there was a change in water pathways using a mass balance model and comparison of hydrology between a headwater catchment and the entire catchment. A Monte Carlo approach was used to test robustness of the model assumptions and results to uncertainty in the process parameterizations. The results indicated that during high-and intermediate-flow conditions, DOC concentrations were regulated by the contributing upstream landscape types. During base flow, the connectivity between the mesoscale river and the upstream landscape reduced resulting in large residuals in the landscape model which could not be explained by the in-stream processes. Both the mass balance model and a specific runoff comparison between upstream/downstream sites independently indicated large input of deep groundwater during base flow. Deep groundwater was important for diluting stream DOC concentrations during base flow.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Downstream changes in DOC: Inferring contributions in the face of model uncertainties

et al. 2014

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“…Reliable and sustainable water yield from watersheds in the Southeastern Coastal Plain has become an area of concern in recent years because of changing population growth, land use, and potential climate change. To address this concern, there is a need for a reliable understanding of hydrologic processes and water balance of less disturbed, forested watersheds on low-gradient Coastal Plain (LCP) lands [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. This reference water balance could be used to quantify the mag-difficulty in accurately estimating the watershed drainage area used in depth-based runoff.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of LiDAR Data for Hydrologic Assessments of Low-Gradient Coastal Watershed Drainage Characteristics

Amatya¹,

Trettin²,

Panda³

et al. 2013

JGIS

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Documenting the recovery of hydrologic functions following perturbations of a landscape/watershed is important to address issues associated with land use change and ecosystem restoration. High resolution LiDAR data for the USDA Forest Service Santee Experimental Forest in coastal South Carolina, USA was used to delineate the remnant historical water management structures within the watersheds supporting bottomland hardwood forests that are typical of the region. Hydrologic functions were altered during the early 1700's agricultural use period for rice cultivation, with changes to detention storage, impoundments, and runoff routing. Since late 1800's, the land was left to revert to forests, without direct intervention. The resultant bottomlands, while typical in terms of vegetative structure and composition, still have altered hydrologic pathways and functions due to the historical land use. Furthermore, an accurate estimate of the watershed drainage area (DA) contributing to stream flow is critical for reliable estimates of peak flow rate, runoff depth and coefficient, as well as water and chemical balance. Peak flow rate, a parameter widely used in design of channels and cross drainage structures, is calculated as a function of the DA and other parameters. However, in contrast with the upland watersheds, currently available topographic maps and digital elevation models (DEMs) used to estimate the DA are not adequate for flat, low-gradient Coastal Plain (LCP) landscape. In this paper we explore a case study of a 3 rd order watershed (equivalent to 14-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC)) at headwaters of east branch of Cooper River draining to Charleston Harbor, SC to assess the drainage area and corresponding mean annual runoff coefficient based on various DEMs including LiDAR data. These analyses demonstrate a need for application of LiDAR-based DEMs together with field verification to improve the basis for assessments of hydrology, watershed drainage characteristics, and modeling in the LCP.

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“…The water table fluctuation (WTF) method is based on monitoring water levels in wells (Rasmussen and Andreasen, ; Coes et al ., ; Delin et al ., ; Lewandowski et al ., ). Two other methods are monitoring soil moisture changes over time (Healy and Cook, ; Nachabe et al ., ) and measuring geochemical indicators and/or environmental isotope concentrations in groundwater and surface water (Genereux, ; Genereux and Jordan, ; Coes et al ., ; Delin et al ., ; Garrett et al ., ). Also, hydrograph separation of storm flow and base flow (Slattery et al ., ; Coes et al ., ; Delin et al ., ; Farahmand et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The water table fluctuation (WTF) method is based on monitoring water levels in wells (Rasmussen and Andreasen, 1959;Coes et al, 2007;Delin et al, 2007;Lewandowski et al, 2009). Two other methods are monitoring soil moisture changes over time Nachabe et al, 2005) and measuring geochemical indicators and/or environmental isotope concentrations in groundwater and surface water (Genereux, 2004;Genereux and Jordan, 2006;Coes et al, 2007;Delin et al, 2007;Garrett et al, 2011). Also, hydrograph separation of storm flow and base flow (Slattery et al, 2006;Coes et al, 2007;Delin et al, 2007;Farahmand et al 2007;LaTorre Torres et al, 2011), and heat as a tracer for groundwater flux (Anderson, 2005;Cox et al, 2007;Foulquier et al, 2009) have been shown to provide estimates of groundwater recharge or discharge.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating groundwater recharge in lowland watersheds

Callahan

Vulava

Passarello

et al. 2011

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:Little attention has been given to the role of groundwater in the hydrological cycle of lowland watersheds. Our objective in this study was to estimate total recharge to groundwater by analysing water table response to storm events and the rate at which water was transferred into the shallow aquifer. This was conducted at three sites in a rural watershed in the lower Atlantic coastal plain near Charleston, South Carolina, USA. A novel version of the water table fluctuation method was used to estimate total recharge to the shallow aquifer by comparing hourly data of water table position following storm events and measuring water table recession behavior, rather than subjective graphical analysis methods. Also, shallow aquifer recharge rates (vertical fluxes) were estimated using Darcy's Law by comparing static water levels in a water table well and in a shallow piezometer during dry periods. The total annual recharge estimated ranged from 107 AE 39 mmÁyr -1 (5-10% of annual precipitation) at a poorly drained topographic low area to 1140 AE 230 mmÁyr -1 (62-94% of annual precipitation) for a moderately well-drained upland site. The average aquifer recharge rate was 114 AE 60 mmÁyr, which is similar to previous estimations of base flow for the ephemeral thirdorder streams in this watershed. The difference in the two methods may have been caused by processes not accounted for in the Darcy flux method, soil moisture deficits, and average evapotranspiration demand, which is about 1100 mmÁyr -1 for this region. Although other factors also can affect partitioning of recharge, an integrated approach to inspecting easily gathered groundwater data can provide information on an often neglected aspect of water budget estimation. We also discuss the effects of land use change on recharge reduction, given a typical development scenario for the region.

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Groundwater–surface water interactions in a lowland watershed: source contribution to stream flow

Cited by 23 publications

References 25 publications

Downstream changes in DOC: Inferring contributions in the face of model uncertainties

Downstream changes in DOC: Inferring contributions in the face of model uncertainties

Application of LiDAR Data for Hydrologic Assessments of Low-Gradient Coastal Watershed Drainage Characteristics

Estimating groundwater recharge in lowland watersheds

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