Investigating rising nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the Permo-Triassic aquifer, Eden Valley, Cumbria, UK

Butcher, Andrew S.; Lawrence, A.R.; Jackson, C. R.; Cullis, E.; Cunningham, Jennifer; Hasan, Kamrul; Ingram, John J.

doi:10.1144/gsl.sp.2006.263.01.16

Cited by 11 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Due to the shallow depth of the water table in lowland areas, groundwater flow in the upper Eden Valley is dominated by discharge to the River Eden (Butcher et al, 2006;Bennett et al, 2003), with contributions from the subsurface along the majority of its length. Groundwater levels in upland regions of the study area may be up to 100 m the below surface.…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulating the influences of groundwater on regional geomorphology using a distributed, dynamic, landscape evolution modelling platform

Barkwith

Hurst

Jackson

et al. 2015

Environmental Modelling & Software

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a b s t r a c tA dynamic landscape evolution modelling platform (CLiDE) is presented that allows a variety of Earth system interactions to be explored under differing environmental forcing factors. Representation of distributed surface and subsurface hydrology within CLiDE is suited to simulation at sub-annual to centennial time-scales. In this study the hydrological components of CLiDE are evaluated against analytical solutions and recorded datasets. The impact of differing groundwater regimes on sediment discharge is examined for a simple, idealised catchment, Sediment discharge is found to be a function of the evolving catchment morphology. Application of CLiDE to the upper Eden Valley catchment, UK, suggests the addition of baseflow-return from groundwater into the fluvial system modifies the total catchment sediment discharge and the spatio-temporal distribution of sediment fluxes during storm events. The occurrence of a storm following a period of appreciable antecedent rainfall is found to increase simulated sediment fluxes.

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Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulating the influences of groundwater on regional geomorphology using a distributed, dynamic, landscape evolution modelling platform

Barkwith

Hurst

Jackson

et al. 2015

Environmental Modelling & Software

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“…This work forms part of a larger “parent” project investigating groundwater‐surface water interactions and implications for nitrogen transformations in a gaining river reach of the River Leith, Cumbria, UK. The River Leith is part of the Eden catchment in which groundwater nitrate concentrations are rising as a result of nitrogen applied to grassland, as slurry and inorganic fertilizers, in excess of crop nutrient requirements [ Butcher et al ., ]. Previous hydrological and biogeochemical investigations at the study site have focused on base flow conditions [ Binley et al ., ; Heppell et al ., ; Lansdown et al ., ] and have identified an area of preferential groundwater discharge in the upstream part of the site that limits the vertical extent of the hyporheic zone under low flow conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Temporal responses of groundwater‐surface water exchange to successive storm events

Dudley-Southern

Binley

2015

Water Resources Research

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Groundwater-surface water exchange within the hyporheic zone is widely recognized as a key mechanism controlling the fate of nutrients within catchments. In gaining river systems, groundwatersurface water interactions are constrained by upwelling groundwater but there is increasing evidence that a rapid rise in river stage during storm events can result in a temporary reversal of vertical hydraulic gradients, leading to surface water infiltration into the subsurface and supply of surface-borne reactive solutes to this biogeochemically active interface. At a UK study site, using logged hydraulic heads in the surface water, riverbed, and riverbanks and logged electrical conductivity at multiple depths in the riverbed we show that storm events can lead to a temporary reversal of vertical hydraulic gradient with mixing evident up to 30 cm beneath the riverbed. Cross-channel variability is evident, with the center of the channel consistently having shorter reversals of hydraulic gradient, compared to the channel margins. The direction of shallow subsurface riverbank flow at the site is also reactive to storm events, temporarily aligning with the surface flow direction and then reverting back to preevent conditions. Such a transition of flow paths during events is also likely to lead to expansion of lateral hyporheic exchange. This study provides evidence that storm events can be a key driver of enhanced hyporheic exchange in gaining river systems, which may support nutrient reactions beyond the duration of event-driven change. Our observations demonstrate the dynamic nature of the hyporheic zone, which should be considered when evaluating its biogeochemical function.

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“…Here we study the heterogeneity of water fluxes at this interface. We concentrate our efforts on a study reach of the River Leith in Cumbria, UK: a river of known groundwater connectivity (at the catchment scale) and within an area of known rising regional nitrate concentrations in groundwater [ Butcher et al ., ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revealing the spatial variability of water fluxes at the groundwater‐surface water interface

Binley

Ullah

Heathwaite

et al. 2013

Water Resources Research

109

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[1] There is widespread recognition that the groundwater-surface water interface can have significant influence on the pattern and form of the transfer of nutrient-rich groundwater to rivers. Characterizing and quantifying this influence is critical for successful management of water resources in many catchments, particularly those threatened by rising nitrate levels in groundwater. Building on previous experimental investigations in one such catchment: the River Leith, UK, we report on a multimeasurement, multiscale program aimed at developing a conceptualization of groundwater-surface water flow pathways along a 200 m reach. Key to this conceptualization is the quantification of vertical and horizontal water fluxes, which is achieved through a series of Darcian flow estimates coupled with in-stream piezometer tracer dilution tests. These data, enhanced by multilevel measurements of chloride concentration in riverbed pore water and water-borne geophysical surveying, reveal a contrast in the contribution of flow components along the reach. In the upper section of the reach, a localized connectivity to regional groundwater, that appears to suppress the hyporheic zone, is identified. Further downstream, horizontal (lateral and longitudinal) flows appear to contribute more to the total subsurface flow at the groundwater-surface water interface. Although variation in hydraulic conductivity of the riverbed is observed, localized variation that can account for the spatial variability in flow pathways is not evident. The study provides a hydrological conceptualization for the site, which is essential for future studies which address biogeochemical processes, in relation to nitrogen retention/release. Such a conceptualization would not have been possible without a multiexperimental program.Citation: Binley, A., S. Ullah, A. L. Heathwaite, C. Heppell, P. Byrne, K. Lansdown, M. Trimmer, and H. Zhang (2013), Revealing the spatial variability of water fluxes at the groundwater-surface water interface, Water Resour. Res., 49,[3978][3979][3980][3981][3982][3983][3984][3985][3986][3987][3988][3989][3990][3991][3992]

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Investigating rising nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the Permo-Triassic aquifer, Eden Valley, Cumbria, UK

Cited by 11 publications

References 6 publications

Simulating the influences of groundwater on regional geomorphology using a distributed, dynamic, landscape evolution modelling platform

Simulating the influences of groundwater on regional geomorphology using a distributed, dynamic, landscape evolution modelling platform

Temporal responses of groundwater‐surface water exchange to successive storm events

Revealing the spatial variability of water fluxes at the groundwater‐surface water interface

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