The imprint of hydroclimate, urbanization and catchment connectivity on the stable isotope dynamics of a large river in Berlin, Germany

Kuhlemann, Lena-Marie; Tetzlaff, D.; Marx, Christiane; Soulsby, Chris

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128335

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…The better performance of the TPLR compared to the Gamma model underlines the particular suitability of the two-reservoir model in an urban environment, where runoff generation is a more binary distribution of processes (Soulsby et al, 2014). The estimated MTTs of ⁓ 4 years in the urban stream are slightly longer than estimated in previous work (Kuhlemann et al, 2022).…”

Section: Transit Times and Water Agesmentioning

confidence: 71%

Impact of drought hazards on flow regimes in anthropogenically impacted streams: an isotopic perspective on climate stress

Warter,

Tetzlaff,

Marx

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Abstract. Flow regimes are increasingly impacted by more extreme natural hazards of droughts and floods as a result of climate change, compounded by anthropogenic influences in both urban and intensively managed rural catchments. However, the characteristics of sustainable flow regimes that are needed to maintain or restore hydrologic, biogeochemical and ecological function under rapid global change remain unclear and contested. We conducted an inter-comparison of two streams in the Berlin-Brandenburg region of NE Germany, which are both mesoscale sub-catchments of the River Spree; an intermittent rural agricultural stream (the Demnitzer Millcreek) and a heavily anthropogenically impacted urban stream (the Panke). Through tracer-based analyses using stable water isotopes, we identified the dominant physical processes (runoff sources, flowpaths and age characteristics) sustaining streamflow over multiple years (2018–2023), including three major drought years (2018–20, 2021–22). In the urban stream, low flows are regulated through artificially increased baseflow from treated waste water effluent (by up to 80 %), whilst storm drainage drives rapid, transient high flow and runoff responses (up to 80 %) to intense convective summer rainfall. The intermittent groundwater-dominated rural stream experienced extended no-flow periods during drought years (⁓ 60 % of the year), and only moderate storm runoff coefficients (<10 %) in winter along near-surface flows paths after heavy rainfall. In both streams, groundwater dominance with young water influence prevails, with low water ages in the urban stream (<10 %) despite significant urban runoff, and higher ones in the rural stream (⁓15 %). Urban cover resulted in mean transit time of ⁓4 years compared to arable land with ⁓3 years, highlighting the interlinkages of landuse and catchment properties on catchment transit times. Understanding seasonal and interannual variability in streamflow generation through a tracer-based hydrological template, has potential for assessing the impacts of natural hazards on the sustainability of future baseflow management, including wider water quality and ecological implications across anthropogenically impacted environments.

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Section: Transit Times and Water Agesmentioning

confidence: 71%

Impact of drought hazards on flow regimes in anthropogenically impacted streams: an isotopic perspective on climate stress

Warter,

Tetzlaff,

Marx

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To characterize flow paths and associated transit times in the catchment, we estimated the Mean Transit Time (MTT) and the Young Water Fraction (YWF). The methodology employed in this study is an extension of preliminary research conducted in the same area but with a more extensive time series (Kuhlemann et al, 2022 ). The MTT represents the average time elapsed between the entry of a water molecule into a catchment (e.g., rainfall) and its exit from the catchment (Benettin et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, more hydrological studies are moving towards integrating a more process-based understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of the urban water cycle components across the urban critical zone (Arden et al, 2014 ; Cristiano et al, 2020 ; Gillefalk et al, 2022 ; Salvadore et al, 2015 ). Studies investigating urban catchment hydrology have shown significantly lower water ages (Mean Transit Times – MTTs) and higher fractions of young water than non-urban catchment as a result of artificial storm drainage and reduced recharge and groundwater storage under impervious surfaces (Bonneau et al, 2018 ; Kuhlemann et al, 2022 ; Parajulee et al, 2019 ; Soulsby et al, 2015 ; Stevenson et al, 2022 ). Those impacts are likely to be time-variant as urban areas evolve (Birkel et al, 2012 ; Rodriguez et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Those impacts are likely to be time-variant as urban areas evolve (Birkel et al, 2012 ; Rodriguez et al, 2020 ). Such changes in urban flow paths and landscape connectivity can also impact water quality beyond storm runoff (Knapp et al, 2022 ; Zhi & Li, 2020 ) and are also linked to hydroclimate and urbanization (Ferreira et al, 2021 ; Kuhlemann et al, 2022 ; Marx et al, 2023 ). Potential effects may include passive transport of pollutants along natural and anthropogenic flow paths, impacts of urban wastewater effluents, and incidents where storm drains are connected to foul sewers which can mix and spill in combined sewer overflows during rainfall events (Oswald et al, 2023 ; Paton & Haacke, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sewer and rainwater systems are generally separated, though some historic misconnections are likely (Geoportal Berlin / [Sewer System], 2017, https://fbinter.stadt-berlin.de/fb/index.jsp ). Preliminary work showed that the dominant stream flow generation processes reflect the interplay of urban storm drainage and local groundwater systems recharged through urban and peri-urban green spaces (Kuhlemann et al, 2022 ). However, the stream is also affected by local groundwater abstractions by the local water company, the Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB), and the more recent development of a network of urban flood control storage ponds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrated monitoring and modeling to disentangle the complex spatio-temporal dynamics of urbanized streams under drought stress

López Moreira Mazacotte,

Tetzlaff,

Marx

et al. 2024

Environ Monit Assess

Self Cite

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We have a poor understanding of how urban drainage and other engineered components interact with more natural hydrological processes in green and blue spaces to generate stream flow. This limits the scientific evidence base for predicting and mitigating the effects of future development of the built environment and climate change on urban water resources and their ecosystem services. Here, we synthesize > 20 years of environmental monitoring data to better understand the hydrological function of the 109-km2 Wuhle catchment, an important tributary of the river Spree in Berlin, Germany. More than half (56%) of the catchment is urbanized, leading to substantial flow path alterations. Young water from storm runoff and rapid subsurface flow provided around 20% of stream flow. However, most of it was generated by older groundwater (several years old), mainly recharged through the rural headwaters and non-urban green spaces. Recent drought years since 2018 showed that this base flow component has reduced in response to decreased recharge, causing deterioration in water quality and sections of the stream network to dry out. Attempts to integrate the understanding of engineered and natural processes in a traditional rainfall-runoff model were only partly successful due to uncertainties over the catchment area, effects of sustainable urban drainage, adjacent groundwater pumping, and limited conceptualization of groundwater storage dynamics. The study highlights the need for more extensive and coordinated monitoring and data collection in complex urban catchments and the use of these data in more advanced models of urban hydrology to enhance management.

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The δ18O and δ2H fingerprint of the Scioto River: A detailed look into seasonal and spatial variations in the context of Ohio rivers

Smith,

Wichterich,

Carey

et al. 2024

Applied Geochemistry

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The imprint of hydroclimate, urbanization and catchment connectivity on the stable isotope dynamics of a large river in Berlin, Germany

Cited by 11 publications

References 69 publications

Impact of drought hazards on flow regimes in anthropogenically impacted streams: an isotopic perspective on climate stress

Impact of drought hazards on flow regimes in anthropogenically impacted streams: an isotopic perspective on climate stress

Integrated monitoring and modeling to disentangle the complex spatio-temporal dynamics of urbanized streams under drought stress

The δ18O and δ2H fingerprint of the Scioto River: A detailed look into seasonal and spatial variations in the context of Ohio rivers

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