Investigating Hydrologic Connectivity of a Drained Prairie Pothole Region Wetland Complex using a Fully Integrated, Physically-Based Model

Amado, Antonio Arenas; Politano, Marcela; Schilling, Keith E.; Weber, Larry

doi:10.1007/s13157-016-0800-5

Cited by 27 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Despite the common occurrence of drained closed depressions and the potential for elevated nutrient loading resulting from their inherent hydrologic connectivity with surface waters, few studies have evaluated rainfall–run‐off response in these landforms. Several studies have reported on relationships between water table fluctuations and soil morphology across soil catena sequences (James & Fenton, ; Khan & Fenton, ; Reuter & Bell, ; Steinwand & Fenton, ), water table fluctuations and depression ponding (Logsdon, ; Logsdon et al, ; Roth & Capel, ; Schilling, Jacobson, Streeter, & Jones, ), and the fill‐spill surface hydrology in both drained (Amado, Politano, Schilling, & Weber, ) and natural (undrained) wetland complexes (Huang, Young, Abdul‐Aziz, Dahal, & Feng, ; Shaw, Vanderkamp, Conley, Pietroniro, & Martz, ). Results from this previous work suggest that antecedent conditions play an important role in regulating depression hydrology, yet experimental evidence of the impact of precipitation inputs and antecedent soil moisture on producing event run‐off and hydrological connectivity in drained landscapes is uncommon (Bauwe, Tiemeyer, Kahle, & Lennartz, ; Heppell, Worrall, Burt, & Williams, ; Vidon & Cuadra, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thresholds for run‐off generation in a drained closed depression

Williams

Livingston

Heathman

et al. 2019

Hydrological Processes

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Hydrological threshold behaviour has been observed across hillslopes and catchments with varying characteristics. Few studies, however, have evaluated rainfall-run-off response in areas dominated by agricultural land use and artificial subsurface drainage. Hydrograph analysis was used to identify distinct hydrological events over a 9year period and examine rainfall characteristics, dynamic water storage, and surface and subsurface run-off generation in a drained and farmed closed depression in north-eastern Indiana, USA. Results showed that both surface flow and subsurface tile flow displayed a threshold relationship with the sum of rainfall amount and soil moisture deficit (SMD). Neither surface flow nor subsurface tile flow was observed unless rainfall amount exceeded the SMD. Timing of subsurface tile flow relative to soil moisture response on the shoulder slope of the depression indicated that the formation and drainage of perched water tables on depression hillslopes were likely the main mechanism that produced subsurface connectivity. Surface flow generation was delayed compared with subsurface tile flow during rainfall events due to differences in soil water storage along depression hillslopes and run-off generation mechanisms.These findings highlight the substantial impact of subsurface tile drainage on the hydrology of closed depressions; the bottom of the depression, the wettest area prior to drainage installation, becomes the driest part of the depression after installation of subsurface drainage. Rapid connectivity of localized subsurface saturation zones during rainfall events is also greatly enhanced because of subsurface drainage. Thus, less fill is required to generate substantial spill. Understanding hydrologic processes in drained and farmed closed depressions is a critical first step in developing improved water and nutrient management strategies in this landscape.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thresholds for run‐off generation in a drained closed depression

Williams

Livingston

Heathman

et al. 2019

Hydrological Processes

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“…However, even wetlands toward the isolated end of this surface water connectivity continuum can be connected to other aquatic systems through subsurface flows, intermittent surface water connections, and movement of organisms and propagules (Mushet et al, ; Vanderhoof et al, ; Winter & Rosenberry, ), while even streams considered perennial can vary temporally in surface water connectivity (Godsey & Kirchner, ). Several studies have addressed connectivity of wetlands with limited surface water flows (Amado et al, ; Brannen et al, ; Leibowitz & Vining, ; Wright, ). Additionally, in wetlands lacking more permanent surface water connections with other aquatic systems, intermittent connections can occur during wet conditions through fill‐and‐spill or fill‐and‐merge mechanisms (Leibowitz et al, ; Spence & Woo, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating Wetland Connectivity to Streams in the Prairie Pothole Region: An Isotopic and Remote Sensing Approach

Brooks

Mushet

Vanderhoof

et al. 2018

Water Resources Research

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Understanding hydrologic connectivity between wetlands and perennial streams is critical to understanding the reliance of stream flow on inputs from wetlands. We used the isotopic evaporation signal in water and remote sensing to examine wetland‐stream hydrologic connectivity within the Pipestem Creek watershed, North Dakota, a watershed dominated by prairie‐pothole wetlands. Pipestem Creek exhibited an evaporated‐water signal that had approximately half the isotopic‐enrichment signal found in most evaporatively enriched prairie‐pothole wetlands. Groundwater adjacent to Pipestem Creek had isotopic values that indicated recharge from winter precipitation and had no significant evaporative enrichment, indicating that enriched surface water did not contribute significantly to groundwater discharging into Pipestem Creek. The estimated surface water area necessary to generate the evaporation signal within Pipestem Creek was highly dynamic, varied primarily with the amount of discharge, and was typically greater than the immediate Pipestem Creek surface water area, indicating that surficial flow from wetlands contributed to stream flow throughout the summer. We propose a dynamic range of spilling thresholds for prairie‐pothole wetlands across the watershed allowing for wetland inputs even during low‐flow periods. Combining Landsat estimates with the isotopic approach allowed determination of potential (Landsat) and actual (isotope) contributing areas in wetland‐dominated systems. This combined approach can give insights into the changes in location and magnitude of surface water and groundwater pathways over time. This approach can be used in other areas where evaporation from wetlands results in a sufficient evaporative isotopic signal.

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“…The connectivity between surface and subsurface waters and the associated hydrologic and ecological functions are spatially variable and temporally dynamic (Blume and van Meerveld, 2015). Coupled surfacesubsurface flow models with hydrologic, biogeochemical, ecologic, and geographic perspectives have yet to be developed for broad-scale studies in the PPR (Golden et al, 2014;Amado et al, 2016). Further efforts are still needed to improve the understanding of the integrated surface-water and groundwater processes of prairie wetlands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delineating wetland catchments and modeling hydrologic connectivity using lidar data and aerial imagery

Lane

2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. In traditional watershed delineation and topographic modeling, surface depressions are generally treated as spurious features and simply removed from a digital elevation model (DEM) to enforce flow continuity of water across the topographic surface to the watershed outlets. In reality, however, many depressions in the DEM are actual wetland landscape features with seasonal to permanent inundation patterning characterized by nested hierarchical structures and dynamic filling-spilling-merging surface-water hydrological processes. Differentiating and appropriately processing such ecohydrologically meaningful features remains a major technical terrain-processing challenge, particularly as highresolution spatial data are increasingly used to support modeling and geographic analysis needs. The objectives of this study were to delineate hierarchical wetland catchments and model their hydrologic connectivity using high-resolution lidar data and aerial imagery. The graph-theory-based contour tree method was used to delineate the hierarchical wetland catchments and characterize their geometric and topological properties. Potential hydrologic connectivity between wetlands and streams were simulated using the least-cost-path algorithm. The resulting flow network delineated potential flow paths connecting wetland depressions to each other or to the river network on scales finer than those available through the National Hydrography Dataset. The results demonstrated that our proposed framework is promising for improving overland flow simulation and hydrologic connectivity analysis.

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Investigating Hydrologic Connectivity of a Drained Prairie Pothole Region Wetland Complex using a Fully Integrated, Physically-Based Model

Cited by 27 publications

References 43 publications

Thresholds for run‐off generation in a drained closed depression

Thresholds for run‐off generation in a drained closed depression

Estimating Wetland Connectivity to Streams in the Prairie Pothole Region: An Isotopic and Remote Sensing Approach

Delineating wetland catchments and modeling hydrologic connectivity using lidar data and aerial imagery

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