Sensors in the Stream: The High-Frequency Wave of the Present

Rode, Michael; Wade, Andrew J.; Cohen, Matthew J.; Hensley, Robert T.; Bowes, Michael J.; Kirchner, James W.; Arhonditsis, George B.; Jordan, Phil; Kronvang, Brian; Halliday, Sarah; Skeffington, R. A.; Rozemeijer, Joachim; Aubert, Alice H.; Rinke, Karsten; Jomaa, Seifeddine

doi:10.1021/acs.est.6b02155

Cited by 286 publications

(244 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Our study contributes to this important field of research by developing new mechanistic process understanding from examining interactions between hydroclimatological drivers, streamflow, and nitrogen, and carbon concentrations at high temporal resolution. The use of high-frequency in situ sensors to capture short-term streamflow and solute concentration dynamics through storm events facilitated insights into the processes controlling highly dynamic catchment exports that would be impossible to achieve using discrete sampling methods [Rode et al, 2016b;Blaen et al, 2016]. Our modeling results highlighted the importance of key hydroclimatological variables, notably rainfall intensity and antecedent conditions, which drive the mobilization and transport of nitrogen and carbon through stream catchments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

High‐frequency monitoring of catchment nutrient exports reveals highly variable storm event responses and dynamic source zone activation

et al. 2017

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Storm events can drive highly variable behavior in catchment nutrient and water fluxes, yet short‐term event dynamics are frequently missed by low‐resolution sampling regimes. In addition, nutrient source zone contributions can vary significantly within and between storm events. Our inability to identify and characterize time‐dynamic source zone contributions severely hampers the adequate design of land use management practices in order to control nutrient exports from agricultural landscapes. Here we utilize an 8 month high‐frequency (hourly) time series of streamflow, nitrate (NO3‐N), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and hydroclimatic variables for a headwater agricultural catchment. We identified 29 distinct storm events across the monitoring period. These events represented 31% of the time series and contributed disproportionately to nutrient loads (42% of NO3‐N and 43% of DOC) relative to their duration. Regression analysis identified a small subset of hydroclimatological variables (notably precipitation intensity and antecedent conditions) as key drivers of nutrient dynamics during storm events. Hysteresis analysis of nutrient concentration‐discharge relationships highlighted the dynamic activation of discrete NO3‐N and DOC source zones, which varied on an event‐specific basis. Our results highlight the benefits of high‐frequency in situ monitoring for characterizing short‐term nutrient fluxes and unraveling connections between hydroclimatological variability and river nutrient export and source zone activation under extreme flow conditions. These new process‐based insights, which we summarize in a conceptual model, are fundamental to underpinning targeted management measures to reduce nutrient loading of surface waters.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

High‐frequency monitoring of catchment nutrient exports reveals highly variable storm event responses and dynamic source zone activation

et al. 2017

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“…Therefore, it is difficult to decipher the diffuse contributions of different landscape units from point-source contributions and instream transformations (Bishop et al, 2008;Temnerud et al, 2016). In contrast to environmental agency monitoring programs, scientific programs often focus on headwater catchments free of point-sources and with relatively homogeneous landscape types (Fealy et al, 2010;McGonigle et al, 2014), where in-stream processes are often considered to be minimal (Salmon-Monviola et al, 2013). A comparison of export regimes in contrasting catchments representing different landscape types can be performed to investigate the effect of, for example, contrasting dominant land use, dominant flow paths or climate (Outram et al, 2014;Dupas et al, 2017;Minaudo et al, 2017), sometimes aided by the use of models (e.g., Dupas et al, 2016a;Hartmann et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon and nutrient export regimes from headwater catchments to downstream reaches

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Excessive amounts of nutrients and dissolved organic matter in freshwater bodies affect aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the spatial and temporal variability in nitrate (NO − 3 ), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) was analyzed in the Selke (Germany) river continuum from three headwaters draining 1-3 km 2 catchments to two downstream reaches representing spatially integrated signals from 184-456 km 2 catchments. Three headwater catchments were selected as archetypes of the main landscape units (land use × lithology) present in the Selke catchment. Export regimes in headwater catchments were interpreted in terms of NO − 3 , DOC and SRP land-to-stream transfer processes. Headwater signals were subtracted from downstream signals, with the differences interpreted in terms of in-stream processes and contributions from point sources. The seasonal dynamics for NO − 3 were opposite those of DOC and SRP in all three headwater catchments, and spatial differences also showed NO − 3 contrasting with DOC and SRP. These dynamics were interpreted as the result of the interplay of hydrological and biogeochemical processes, for which riparian zones were hypothesized to play a determining role. In the two downstream reaches, NO − 3 was transported almost conservatively, whereas DOC was consumed and produced in the upper and lower river sections, respectively. The natural export regime of SRP in the three headwater catchments mimicked a point-source signal (high SRP during summer low flow), which may lead to overestimation of domestic contributions in the downstream reaches. Monitoring the river continuum from headwaters to downstream reaches proved effective to jointly investigate land-to-stream and instream transport, and transformation processes.

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“…Thus far, these data have been mostly acquired during limited periods of time such as single storm events or a day (Beck et al, 2009;Brick and Moore, 1996;Chapman et al, 1997;Gammons et al, 2007;Kurz et al, 2013;Liu et al, 2008;Morel et al, 2009;de Montety et al, 2011;Neal et al, 2002;Nimick et al, 2011Nimick et al, , 2005Takagi, 2015;Tercier-Weaber et al, 2009). Although these studies clearly highlighted the wealth of information provided by sampling rivers at sub-hourly frequency, they underestimate the legacy of past hydrological episodes (Kirchner, 2006;Jasechko et al, 2016;Rode et al, 2016) and are of limited use when mass budgets are to be calculated for a typical hydrological cycle.…”

Section: P Floury Et Al: the Potamochemical Symphonymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several papers have been published over the last decade reporting existing devices mostly focused on monitoring dissolved N or P and organic matter (Clough et al, 2007;Kunz et al, 2012;Aubert et al, 2013b;Escoffier et al, 2016). A recent overview of the potential of available conductivity, dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide, nutrients, dissolved organic matter and chlorophyll in situ probes is given by Rode et al (2016). A new solution for high-frequency measurement of river chemistry is offered by bringing the laboratory's measuring devices to the field (the "lab in the field" concept).…”

Section: P Floury Et Al: the Potamochemical Symphonymentioning

confidence: 99%

The potamochemical symphony: new progress in the high-frequency acquisition of stream chemical data

Floury¹,

Gaillardet²,

Gayer³

et al. 2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Our understanding of hydrological and chemical processes at the catchment scale is limited by our capacity to record the full breadth of the information carried by river chemistry, both in terms of sampling frequency and precision. Here, we present a proof-of-concept study of a "lab in the field" called the "River Lab" (RL), based on the idea of permanently installing a suite of laboratory instruments in the field next to a river. Housed in a small shed, this set of instruments performs analyses at a frequency of one every 40 min for major dissolved species (Na + , K + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Cl − , SO 2− 4 , NO − 3 ) through continuous sampling and filtration of the river water using automated ion chromatographs. The RL was deployed in the Orgeval Critical Zone Observatory, France for over a year of continuous analyses. Results show that the RL is able to capture long-term fine chemical variations with no drift and a precision significantly better than conventionally achieved in the laboratory (up to ±0.5 % for all major species for over a day and up to 1.7 % over 2 months). The RL is able to capture the abrupt changes in dissolved species concentrations during a typical 6-day rain event, as well as daily oscillations during a hydrological low-flow period of summer drought. Using the measured signals as a benchmark, we numerically assess the effects of a lower sampling frequency (typical of conventional field sampling campaigns) and of a lower precision (typically reached in the laboratory) on the hydrochemical signal. The highresolution, high-precision measurements made possible by the RL open new perspectives for understanding critical zone hydro-bio-geochemical cycles. Finally, the RL also offers a solution for management agencies to monitor water quality in quasi-real time.

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Sensors in the Stream: The High-Frequency Wave of the Present

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Cited by 286 publications

References 73 publications

High‐frequency monitoring of catchment nutrient exports reveals highly variable storm event responses and dynamic source zone activation

High‐frequency monitoring of catchment nutrient exports reveals highly variable storm event responses and dynamic source zone activation

Carbon and nutrient export regimes from headwater catchments to downstream reaches

The potamochemical symphony: new progress in the high-frequency acquisition of stream chemical data

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