Heterogeneity influences on stream water–groundwater interactions in a gravel-dominated floodplain

Abstract

Floodplains are composed of complex depositional patterns of ancient and recent stream sediments, and research is needed to address the manner in which coarse floodplain materials affect stream/groundwater exchange patterns. Efforts to understand the heterogeneity of aquifers have utilized numerous techniques typically focused on point-scale measurements; however, in highly heterogeneous settings, the ability to model heterogeneity is dependent on the data density and spatial distribution. The objective of this research was to investigate the correlation between broad-scale methodologies for detecting heterogeneity and the observed spatial variability in stream/groundwater interactions of gravel-dominated alluvial floodplains. More specifically, this study examined the correlation between electrical resistivity (ER) and alluvial groundwater patterns during a flood event at a site on Barren Fork Creek (BFC), in the Ozark ecoregion of Oklahoma, USA, where chert gravels Downloaded by [University of Tennessee, Knoxville] at 16:50 22 December 2014 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 2 were common both as streambed and floodplain material. Water table elevations from groundwater monitoring wells for a flood event on May 1-5, 2009 were compared to electrical resistivity maps at various elevations. Areas with high electrical resistivity matched areas with lower water table slope at the same elevation. This research demonstrated that electrical resistivity approaches were capable of indicating heterogeneity in surface water/groundwater interactions, and that these heterogeneities were present even in an aquifer matrix characterized as highly conductive. Portions of gravel-dominated floodplain vadose zones characterized by high hydraulic conductivity features can result in heterogeneous flow patterns when the vadose zone of alluvial floodplains activates during storm events.

Hydrogeological Analysis Supported by Remote Sensing Methods as A Tool for Assessing the Safety of Embankments (Case Study from Vistula River Valley, Poland)

“…[56][57][58]). It has been examined, among others, by [59][60][61]. Within the study area, the filled crevasses were masked with the sediments of subsequent floods, due to which some of them are poorly pronounced in valley bottom morphology.…”

Simulating Flood‐Induced Riverbed Transience Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Physically Based Hydrological Modeling, and the Ensemble Kalman Filter

“…Wildhaber et al (2014) found that fine sediment and streambed morphology also affected oxygen and water exchange. K rb also plays an important role in the dynamics of exchange fluxes and solute transport processes between the river and the surrounding GW system (e.g., Cardenas et al, 2004;Irvine et al, 2012;Kalbus et al, 2009;Käser et al, 2009;Lackey et al, 2015;Miller et al, 2016;Ryan & Boufadel, 2006;Song et al, 2007;Song et al, 2016;Woessner, 2000).…”

Tradeoffs in Model Performance and Effort for Long‐Term Phosphorus Leaching Based on In Situ Field Data

“…The gravel was divided into three layers identified using electrical resistivity imaging data (Miller et al, 2014, 2016) from the location of the plot. The K s (m d −1 ) values for the gravel layers were determined using electrical resistivity data and the relationship below, which was developed using borehole permeameter data from the Barren Fork Creek site and one other floodplain site in the Ozark ecoregion (Miller et al, 2014, 2016): where ρ is electrical resistivity (Ω m). The K s values for points within each gravel layer, as determined with electrical resistivity data, were then averaged to generate an average K s for that layer.…”