The role of catchment scale and landscape characteristics for runoff generation of boreal streams

Laudon, Hjalmar; Sjöblom, Viktor; Buffam, Ishi; Seibert, Jan; Mörth, Magnus

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.07.010

Cited by 222 publications

(243 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

224

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The details of the field techniques and sampling strategies used in these various studies are provided to a large extent in Bishop et al (1990);Ågren et al (2007); Laudon et al (2007) and Köhler et al (2008). In the current study, we use time series of υ 18 O observed in snowmelt and streamflow water for the 15 nested Krycklan catchments.…”

Section: Time Series Of Isotopic Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the end of the melt season, the corresponding values were 15Ð7, 15Ð8 and 15Ð2‰, suggesting a large fractionation during snow melt . Laudon et al (2007) For simplicity in this study, we consider two different snowmelt water isotopic scenarios. The first assumes that snowmelt water has a constant isotopic value of 16Ð0‰ for all of the 15 Krycklan catchments over the 20 days of observed snowmelt.…”

Section: Time Series Of Isotopic Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The second allows for a linear enrichment of snow melt water with respect to υ 18 O values over the melt period. Thus, snow melt water starts with an υ 18 O value of 17Ð9‰, representing the average of the first melt water leaving the snow pack observed by Laudon et al (2007) and enriches linearly to a value of 15Ð6‰ representing the average of the last observed melt water. These snowmelt υ 18 O values may be considered as pulses of input snowmelt water to the Krycklan catchments.…”

Section: Time Series Of Isotopic Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to these topographic factors, we considered other landscape factors (Table II) based on experience within the region. Motivated by the work of Laudon et al (2007), the percentage of area in each catchment covered by mire wetland was determined. Using the local soil classification map, the average soil depth for each of the catchments was estimated.…”

Section: Catchment Characteristics and Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Spence and Woo, 2006). Specifically, Laudon et al (2007) observed that the proportion of wetland and median catchment area influenced the runoff generation mechanisms in several small catchments located in boreal northern Sweden. As the formation of these ice layers is sensitive to climatic variability and change, it reasons that climate change may influence catchment MTT, particularly during spring thawing in boreal systems not only through changes in forcing but also through changes in structure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Controls on snowmelt water mean transit times in northern boreal catchments

Lyon

Laudon

Seibert

et al. 2010

Hydrological Processes

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Catchment-scale transit times for water are increasingly being recognized as an important control on geochemical processes. In this study, snowmelt water mean transit times (MTTs) were estimated for the 15 Krycklan research catchments in northern boreal Sweden. The snowmelt water MTTs were assumed to be representative of the catchment-scale hydrologic response during the spring thaw period and, as such, may be considered to be a component of the catchment's overall MTT. These snowmelt water MTTs were empirically related to catchment characteristics and landscape structure represented by using different indices of soil cover, topography and catchment similarity. Mire wetlands were shown to be significantly correlated to snowmelt MTTs for the studied catchments. In these wetlands, shallow ice layers form that have been shown to serve as impervious boundaries to vertical infiltration during snowmelt periods and, thus, alter the flow pathways of water in the landscape. Using a simple thought experiment, we could estimate the potential effect of thawing of ice layers on snowmelt hydrologic response using the empirical relationship between landscape structure (represented using a catchment-scale Pe number) and hydrologic response. The result of this thought experiment was that there could be a potential increase of 20-45% in catchment snowmelt water MTTs for the Krycklan experimental catchments. It is therefore possible that climatic changes present competing influences on the hydrologic response of northern boreal catchments that need to be considered. For example, MTTs may tend to decrease during some times of the year due to an acceleration in the hydrologic cycle, while they tend to increase MTTs during other times of the year due to shifts in hydrologic flow pathways. The balance between the competing influences on a catchment's MTT has consequences on climatic feedbacks as it could influence hydrological and biogeochemical cycles at the catchment scale for northern latitude boreal catchments.

show abstract

Section: Time Series Of Isotopic Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Time Series Of Isotopic Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Time Series Of Isotopic Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Catchment Characteristics and Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Controls on snowmelt water mean transit times in northern boreal catchments

Lyon

Laudon

Seibert

et al. 2010

Hydrological Processes

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Storage dynamics in hydropedological units control hillslope connectivity, runoff generation, and the evolution of catchment transit time distributions

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We examined the storage dynamics and isotopic composition of soil water over 12 months in three hydropedological units in order to understand runoff generation in a montane catchment. The units form classic catena sequences from freely draining podzols on steep upper hillslopes through peaty gleys in shallower lower slopes to deeper peats in the riparian zone. The peaty gleys and peats remained saturated throughout the year, while the podzols showed distinct wetting and drying cycles. In this region, most precipitation events are <10 mm in magnitude, and storm runoff is mainly generated from the peats and peaty gleys, with runoff coefficients (RCs) typically <10%. In larger events the podzolic soils become strongly connected to the saturated areas, and RCs can exceed 40%. Isotopic variations in precipitation are significantly damped in the organic-rich soil surface horizons due to mixing with larger volumes of stored water. This damping is accentuated in the deeper soil profile and groundwater. Consequently, the isotopic composition of stream water is also damped, but the dynamics strongly reflect those of the near-surface waters in the riparian peats. “pre-event” water typically accounts for >80% of flow, even in large events, reflecting the displacement of water from the riparian soils that has been stored in the catchment for >2 years. These riparian areas are the key zone where different source waters mix. Our study is novel in showing that they act as “isostats,” not only regulating the isotopic composition of stream water, but also integrating the transit time distribution for the catchment.Key PointsHillslope connectivity is controlled by small storage changes in soil unitsDifferent catchment source waters mix in large riparian wetland storageIsotopes show riparian wetlands set the catchment transit time distribution

show abstract

Topographic controls on shallow groundwater levels in a steep, prealpine catchment: When are the TWI assumptions valid?

Rinderer

Meerveld²,

Seibert

2014

Water Resources Research

104

130

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Topographic indices like the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) have been used to predict spatial patterns of average groundwater levels and to model the dynamics of the saturated zone during events (e.g., TOPMODEL). However, the assumptions underlying the use of the TWI in hydrological models, of which the most important is that groundwater level variation can be approximated by a series of steady state situations, are rarely tested. It is also not clear how well findings from existing hillslope studies on sites with transmissive soil can be transferred to entire catchments with less permeable soils. This study, therefore, evaluated the suitability of selected topographic indices to describe spatial groundwater level variations based on time series from 51 groundwater wells in a 20 ha catchment with low-permeability soils in Switzerland. Results showed that median groundwater levels were correlated to slope, curvature, and TWI, but the strength of correlation depended on whether the indices characterized the local topography or the topography of the upslope contributing area. The correlation between TWI and groundwater levels was not constant over time but decreased at the beginning of rainfall events, indicating large spatial differences in groundwater responses, and increased after peak flow, when groundwater levels could be considered to be spatially in a steady state. Our findings indicate that topographic indices are useful to predict median groundwater levels in catchments with low-permeability soils and that the TWI assumptions are best met when groundwater levels change slowly.

show abstract

The role of catchment scale and landscape characteristics for runoff generation of boreal streams

Cited by 222 publications

References 45 publications

Controls on snowmelt water mean transit times in northern boreal catchments

Controls on snowmelt water mean transit times in northern boreal catchments

Storage dynamics in hydropedological units control hillslope connectivity, runoff generation, and the evolution of catchment transit time distributions

Topographic controls on shallow groundwater levels in a steep, prealpine catchment: When are the TWI assumptions valid?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About