River plume patterns and dynamics within the Southern California Bight

Stormwater river plumes are important vectors of marine contaminants and pathogens in the Southern California Bight. Here we report the results of a multi-institution investigation of the river plumes across eight major river systems of southern California. We use in situ water samples from multi-day cruises in combination with MODIS satellite remote sensing, buoy meteorological observations, drifters, and HF radar current measurements to evaluate the dispersal patterns and dynamics of the freshwater plumes. River discharge was exceptionally episodic, and the majority of storm discharge occurred in a few hours. The combined plume observing techniques revealed that plumes commonly detach from the coast and turn to the left, which is the opposite direction of Coriolis influence. Although initial offshore velocity of the buoyant plumes was ∼50 cm/s and was influenced by river discharge inertia (i.e., the direct momentum of the river flux) and buoyancy, subsequent advection of the plumes was largely observed in an alongshore direction and dominated by local winds. Due to the multiple day upwelling wind conditions that commonly follow discharge events, plumes were observed to flow from their respective river mouths to down-coast waters at rates of 20–40 km/d. Lastly, we note that suspended-sediment concentration and beam-attenuation were poorly correlated with plume salinity across and within the sampled plumes (mean r²=0.12 and 0.25, respectively), while colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) fluorescence was well correlated (mean r²=0.56), suggesting that CDOM may serve as a good tracer of the discharged freshwater in subsequent remote sensing and monitoring efforts of plumes.     

Terrestrial discharge into the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon: nutrient behavior in coastal waters

Pollution of coastal regions of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) is dominated by river discharge associated with agricultural development of the adjacent catchments. Runoff of sediment, nutrients and pesticides has sharply increased since European settlement. Since 1991 plumes from river discharge entering the GBRWHA have been mapped by aerial mapping of plume edges and concentrations of contaminants in plumes measured. Plume dispersion is governed primarily by wind speed and direction. Most plumes spread in a band up to 50 km from the coast. Particulate material discharged in the plumes is trapped within 10 km of the coast. Dissolved nutrients disperse much further and elevated nutrient concentrations are measurable at distances of hundreds of kilometres from river mouths. This differential transport of particulate versus dissolved nutrients is important for the potential effects of these materials and management of their generation on the Great Barrier Reef catchment.     

The effects of floods on the temperature of riparian groundwater

The transition area between rivers and their adjacent riparian aquifers, which may comprise the hyporheic zone, hosts important biochemical reactions, which control water quality. The rates of these reactions and metabolic processes are temperature dependent. Yet the thermal dynamics of riparian aquifers, especially during flooding and dynamic groundwater flow conditions, has seldom been studied. Thus, we investigated heat transport in riparian aquifers during 3 flood events of different magnitudes at 2 sites along the same river. River and riparian aquifer temperature and water‐level data along the Lower Colorado River in Central Texas, USA, were monitored across 2‐dimensional vertical sections perpendicular to the bank. At the downstream site, preflood temperature penetration distance into the bank suggested that advective heat transport from lateral hyporheic exchange of river water into the riparian aquifer was occurring during relatively steady low‐flow river conditions. Although a small (20‐cm stage increase) dam‐controlled flood pulse had no observable influence on groundwater temperature, larger floods (40‐cm and >3‐m stage increases) caused lateral movement of distinct heat plumes away from the river during flood stage, which then retreated back towards the river after flood recession. These plumes result from advective heat transport caused by flood waters being forced into the riparian aquifer. These flood‐induced temperature responses were controlled by the size of the flood, river water temperature during the flood, and local factors at the study sites, such as topography and local ambient water table configuration. For the intermediate and large floods, the thermal disturbance in the riparian aquifer lasted days after flood waters receded. Large floods therefore have impacts on the temperature regime of riparian aquifers lasting long beyond the flood's timescale. These persistent thermal disturbances may have a significant impact on biochemical reaction rates, nutrient cycling, and ecological niches in the river corridor.     

Bankfull discharge in mountain streams: theory and practice

The results are presented of an investigation of bankfull discharge in two Polish Carpathian streams: Skawica and Krzyworzeka. Existing definitions of river bankfull were reviewed and applied in tests carried out on selected cross‐sections of the streams. The Woodyer method was given special attention, with a correspondingly detailed survey of plants characterizing river benches. Riley's bench index method and the methods of Williams, Wolman, Schumm and Brown, and Woloszyn were tested. The report concludes that bankfull discharge value for a mountain stream should not be reported as a single number, but rather as a range of discharges within which one could expect the bankfull value to lie. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Future fluvial erosion and sedimentation potential of cohesive sediments in a coastal river reach of SW Finland

This study aims to analyse the combined impacts of future discharges and sea levels on erosion–sedimentation potential, and its seasonal changes, in a ~43‐km‐long coastal river reach of South‐west Finland. To our knowledge, this kind of combined study has not been performed before. In addition to surveying the present erosion–sedimentation conditions, the daily erosion–sedimentation potential is simulated with a one‐dimensional hydrodynamic model for the 1971–2000 and 2070–2099 periods by applying four discharge scenarios. Different sea level stages are also employed in the simulations. All scenarios forecast increasing autumn and winter discharges, but diminishing summer discharges. This indicates increasing river channel erosion, particularly during winters and autumns. Although discharge changes have altogether a greater influence on erosion–sedimentation potential, the importance of sea level changes on sedimentation is noticeable in the estuary. The rising sea level scenarios increase the sedimentation potential. In total, by 2070–2099, the erosion potential may increase in most parts of the study area. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of snow accumulation and snowmelt on streamflow in the central Spanish Pyrenees / Influence de l’accumulation et de la fonte de la neige sur les écoulements dans les Pyrénées centrales espagnoles

Abstract

Abstract Results of studies related to the effect of snow accumulation and snowmelt on river regimes of the central Spanish Pyrenees are presented. Streamflow of the Pyrenean rivers is characterized by low and constant discharges during winter because of accumulation of snow in the basins above 1600 m a.s.l., and high and fluctuating discharges during spring due to snowmelt and rainfall. Regional discharge contrasts have been assessed in relation to the Atlantic influence and the percentage of high altitude areas in each basin. In most of the Pyrenean basins, snowmelt contributes more to the discharge than rainfall in the spring. The analysis of data shows a decrease in winter precipitation in the last 50 years causing a decrease in both winter and spring discharges and introducing changes in the distribution of streamflow throughout the year.     

Generation mechanisms for mesoscale eddies in the Gulf of Lions: radar observation and modeling

Coastal mesoscale eddies were evidenced during a high-frequency radar campaign in the Gulf of Lions (GoL), northwestern Mediterranean Sea, from June 2005 to January 2007. These anticyclonic eddies are characterized by repeated and intermittent occurrences as well as variable lifetime. This paper aims at studying the link between these new surface observations with similar structures suggested at depth by traditional acoustic Doppler current profiler measurements and investigates the eddy generation and driving mechanisms by means of an academic numerical study. The influence of the wind forcing on the GoL circulation and the eddy generation is analyzed, using a number of idealized configurations in order to investigate the interaction with river discharge, buoyancy, and bathymetric effects. The wind forcing is shown to be crucial for two different generation mechanisms: A strong northerly offshore wind (Mistral) generates a vortex column due to the bathymetric constraint of a geostrophic barotropic current, which can surface after the wind relaxes; a southerly onshore wind generates a freshwater bulge from the Rhône river discharge, which detaches from the coast and forms a well-defined surface anticyclonic eddy based on buoyancy gradients. These structures are expected to have important consequences in terms of dispersion or retention of biogeochemical material at local scales.     

Neural network simulation of spring flow in karst environments

Daily discharges of two springs lying in a karstic environment were simulated for a period of 2.5 years with the use of a multi-layer perceptron back-propagation neural network. Two models were developed for the springs, one relying on the original data and another where the missing discharge values were supplemented by assuming linear relationships during base flow conditions. For both springs the mean square error of the two models did not differ significantly, with an improvement exhibited at the extremes, during the network’s training phase, by the model that utilized the extended data set, the results of which are reported here. The time lag between precipitation and spring discharge differed significantly for the two springs indicating that in karstic environments hydraulic behavior is dominated, even within a few hundred meters, by local conditions. Optimum training results were attained with a Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm resulting in a network architecture consisting of two input layer neurons, four hidden layer neurons, and one output layer neuron, the spring’s discharge. The neural network’s predictions captured the behavior for both springs and followed very closely the discontinuities in the discharge time series. Under-/over-estimation of observed discharges for the two springs remained below 3 %, with the exception of a few local maxima where the predicted discharges diverged more strongly from observed values. Inclusion of temperature data did not add to the improvement of predictions. Finally, optimum predictions were attained when past discharge data were added to the input record and discharge differentials rather than direct discharges were calculated resulting in elimination of any local maximum discrepancy between observed and predicted discharge values.     

A buoyant plume adjacent to a headland—Observations of the Elwha River plume

Small rivers commonly discharge into coastal settings with topographic complexities - such as headlands and islands - but these settings are underrepresented in river plume studies compared to more simplified, straight coasts. The Elwha River provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of coastal topography on a buoyant plume, because it discharges into the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the western side of its deltaic headland. Here we show that this headland induces flow separation and transient eddies in the tidally dominated currents (O(100 cm/s)), consistent with other headlands in oscillatory flow. These flow conditions are observed to strongly influence the buoyant river plume, as predicted by the “small-scale” or “narrow” dynamical classification using Garvine's (1995) system. Because of the transient eddies and the location of the river mouth on the headland, flow immediately offshore of the river mouth is directed eastward twice as frequently as it is westward. This results in a buoyant plume that is much more frequently “bent over” toward the east than the west. During bent over plume conditions, the plume was attached to the eastern shoreline while having a distinct, cuspate front along its westernmost boundary. The location of the front was found to be related to the magnitude and direction of local flow during the preceding O(1 h), and increases in alongshore flow resulted in deeper freshwater mixing, stronger baroclinic anomalies, and stronger hugging of the coast. During bent over plume conditions, we observed significant convergence of river plume water toward the frontal boundary within 1 km of the river mouth. These results show how coastal topography can strongly influence buoyant plume behavior, and they should assist with understanding of initial coastal sediment dispersal pathways from the Elwha River during a pending dam removal project.     

Hillslope groundwater discharges provide localized stream ecosystem buffers from regional per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination

Emerging groundwater contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact surface-water quality and groundwater-dependent ecosystems of gaining streams. Although complex near-surface hydrogeology of stream corridors challenges sampling efforts, recent advances in heat tracing of discharge zones enable efficient and informed data collection. For this study, we used a combination of streambed temperature push-probe and thermal infrared methods to guide a discharge-zone-oriented sample collection along approximately 6 km of a coastal trout stream on Cape Cod, MA. Eight surface-water locations and discharging groundwater from 24 streambed and bank seepages were analysed for dissolved oxygen (DO), specific conductance, stable water isotopes, and a range of PFAS compounds, which are contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic environments. The results indicate a complex system of groundwater discharge source flowpaths, where the sum of concentrations of six PFAS compounds (corresponding to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule “UCMR 3”) showed a median concentration of 52 ± 331 (SD) ng/L with two higher outliers and three discharges with PFAS concentrations below the quantification limit. Higher PFAS concentration was related (− 0.66 Spearman rank, p < .001) to discharging groundwater that showed an evaporative signature (deuterium excess), indicating flow through at least one upgradient kettle lake. Therefore, more regional groundwater flowpaths originating from outside the local river corridor tended to show higher PFAS concentrations as evaluated at their respective discharge zones. Conversely, PFAS concentrations were typically low at discharges that did not indicate evaporation and were adjacent to steep hillslopes and, therefore, were classified as locally recharged groundwater. Previous research at this stream found that the native brook trout spawn at discharge points of groundwater recharged on local hillslopes, likely in response to generally higher levels of DO. Our study shows that by targeting high oxygen discharges the trout may thereby be avoiding emerging contaminants such as PFAS in groundwater recharged farther from the stream.     

Regionalization of low flows in southwest Germany

Abstract

The hydrogeological conditions of a region strongly influence the low flow behaviour of river systems. The quantification of the hydrogeological conditions of a catchment and the application of hydrogeology for estimation purposes is very difficult. Up till now only a few solutions are found in the literature. This paper discusses a river network approach using hydrogeological conditions to estimate mean annual ten-day minima of discharge. The new method allows one to estimate flow parameters not only at a single site in a river stretch but also in space. The method has been tested on a data set in southwest Germany. The results showed a good agreement between the estimated discharges and the empirical data. The new method is therefore considered to be a useful tool, in particular for water management problems.     

Hydrological variability of major French rivers over recent decades,assessed from gauging station and GRACE observations

Abstract

This study was carried out in the framework of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) programme of the French National Centre of Space Studies (CNES). Based on discharge measurements and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) determination of total water storage (TWS), we have investigated the hydrological variability of the main French drainage basins (Seine, Loire, Garonne and Rhône) using a wavelet approach (continuous wavelet analyses and wavelet coherence analyses). The results of this analysis have shown a coherence ranging between 82% and 90% for TWS and discharge, thus demonstrating the potential use of TWS for characterization of the hydrological variability of French rivers. Strong coherence between the four basin discharges (between 73% and 92%) and between their associated TWS data (from 82% to 98%) suggested a common external influence on hydrological variability. To determine this influence, we investigated the relationship between hydrological variability and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), considered as an index of prevailing climate in Europe. Basin discharges show strong coherence with NAO, ranging between 64% and 72% over the period 1959–2010. The coherence between NAO and TWS was 62% to 67% for 2003–2009. This is similar to the coherence between NAO and basin discharges detected for the same period. According to these results, strong influence of the NAO was clearly observed on the TWS and discharges of the major French river basins.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz     

The channel-geometry method: Guidelines and applications

All river engineering schemes require flood discharge estimates as part of the design and appraisal process. Unfortunately, continuous measurement of flood discharges is limited to those river sites with instrumented gauging stations, which constitute only a small proportion of channel reaches where information is required. Therefore, considerable research effort has been devoted to the development of reliable indirect techniques of flood discharge estimation. Research on the interrelationship of stream channel geometry and river discharge has provided the basis for an indirect method of flood estimation – the channel-geometry method – which employs river channel dimensions alone to estimate discharge characteristics at ungauged river sites. Channel-geometry equations are developed empirically by relating streamflow data from gauging stations and channel dimensions measured from natural river reaches in the vicinity of the gauge, and take the form of power function relations. Once regional channel-geometry equations have been defined, a channel width or channel capacity measurement is the only variable needed to estimate the flood flow characteristics at a specified river site. The method is useful as an alternative to traditional catchment-based approaches or as a rapid reconnaissance technique. In addition to the application for flood discharge prediction, channel-geometry equations could prove helpful in the management of river channels, first, by providing a basis for assessing local deviations in the channel form–discharge relation, deviations which could be employed as indicators of the sensitivity of particular stretches of river channel to change, and secondly, in the computation of natural channel dimensions for use in river channel design and river restoration.     

三峡工程蓄水后长江中游城陵矶—汉口河段过流能力变化及影响因素分析

受上游水库运行的影响,自2003年后长江中游河段河床调整,引起河道自身过流能力的变化.本文选取长江中游城陵矶—汉口河段作为研究对象,根据实测资料计算了 2003-2016年两个水文断面的水位—流量关系及特征流量变化,并采用一维水动力学模型计算了河段尺度的平滩流量.结果表明:(1)螺山站及汉口站2003-2016年的水位...     

Increasing discharge from the Mackenzie River system to the Arctic Ocean

The Mackenzie River, Canada's longest and largest river system, provides the greatest Western Hemisphere discharge to the Arctic Ocean. Recent reports of declining flows have prompted concern because (1) this influences Arctic Ocean salinity, stratification and polar ice; (2) a major tributary, the Peace River, has large hydroelectric projects, and further dams are proposed; and (3) the system includes the extensive and biodiverse Peace–Athabasca, Slave and Mackenzie deltas. To assess hydrological trends over the past century that could reflect climate change, we analysed historic patterns of river discharges. We expanded the data series by infilling for short gaps, calculating annual discharges from early summer‐only records (typical r² > 0.9), coordinating data from sequential hydrometric gauges (requiring r² > 0.8) and advancing the data to 2013. For trend detection, Pearson correlation provided similar outcomes to non‐parametric Kendall's τ and Spearman's ρ tests. There was no overall pattern for annual flows of the most southerly Athabasca River (1913–2013), while the adjacent, regulated Peace River displayed increasing flows (1916–2013, p < 0.05). These rivers combine to form the Slave River, which did not display an overall trend (1917–2013). The more northerly, free‐flowing Liard River is the largest tributary and displayed increasing annual flows (1944–2013, p < 0.01, ~3.5% per decade) because of increasing winter, spring, and summer flows, and annual maximum and minimum flows also increased. Following from the tributary contributions, the Mackenzie River flows gradually increased (Fort Simpson 1939–2013, p < 0.05, ~1.5% per decade), but the interannual patterns for the Liard and other rivers were correlated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, complicating the pattern. This conclusion of increasing river flows to the Arctic Ocean contrasts with some prior reports, based on shorter time series. The observed flow increase is consistent with increasing discharges of the large Eurasian Arctic drainages, suggesting a common northern response to climate change. Analyses of historic trends are strengthened with lengthening records, and with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation influence, we recommend century‐long records for northern rivers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ISOTOPIC AND IONIC VARIATIONS IN GLACIER RIVER WATER DURING THREE CONTRASTING ABLATION SEASONS

The significance of the baseflow component of glacier river discharge in summer varies with geographical location, altitude, glacier geometry and glacier size. Baseflow is maintained by meltwater generated above the transient equilibrium line and by water released from temporary storage on, in or beneath the glacier. At the Norwegian glacier Austre Okstindbreen, where precipitation is generally high throughout the year and the summers are cool and wet, observations in three successive, but contrasting, years have shown that Na⁺ ion concentrations in the glacier river water are influenced strongly by the amount of snowmelt. This itself depends on the preceding winter conditions, which determine the amount of accumulation, and on the current summer's weather. The efficiency of the glacier's drainage systems depends on the general progress of summer ablation. The speed with which the systems develop influences ion provision from subglacial sources. Ca²⁺ ion concentrations are largely determined by subglacial conditions. Oxygen isotope variations in glacier river water reflect the relative contributions made to total discharge by snow meltwater and other sources; the composition of the snow cover, which is a function of winter temperatures, has a strong influence. Ice meltwater has low isotopic variability, but the isotopic composition of rainfall varies markedly. A simple model of mixing of englacial and subglacial waters, each of a constant composition, cannot be applied to a high-latitude glacier of the size and altitudinal range of Austre Okstindbreen.     

Analysis of groundwater exchange for a large plains river in Colorado (USA)

Complete daily water budget information was assembled for a 105 km segment of the South Platte River in the plains region below Denver, CO, for the period 1983–1993. The data were used in testing the possibility that dependence of alluvial exchange mechanisms on stage height, as shown by models of alluvial exchange, allows alluvial exchange to be predicted continuously over a given reach through use of statistical information on river discharge. The study segment was divided into an upper and a lower reach; daily alluvial exchanges for each reach were estimated by the method of residuals. The two reaches show small (15%) but statistically significant annual differences in rates of exchange. For each reach, there is a seasonal pattern (2·5‐fold oscillation) in alluvial discharge to the channel, reflecting seasonality in recharge of the alluvium by irrigation. At discharges up to 40 m³/s (82nd percentile), alluvial discharge to the channel occurs at a rate independent of river discharge. Above 40 m³/s, net alluvial discharge into the channel is progressively reduced; at 60 m³/s (92nd percentile) there is no net alluvial exchange. At still higher river discharges, water is lost to the alluvium through bank storage at a rate that is linearly related to the logarithm of discharge. Annually, alluvial discharge accounts for 15–18% of water entering the study segment, and alluvial recharge through bank storage accounts for 2–4% of water leaving the segment. Alluvial recharge through bank storage at the highest discharges can, however, exceed low‐flow alluvial discharge rates by five‐fold over short intervals. Even though daily alluvial exchanges vary widely, they can be estimated at r² values above 80% on the basis of reach, season, and river discharge. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lichens and the determination of river channel capacity

The identification of channel capacity associated with a particular frequency of peak discharges is necessary for discharge estimation for planning purposes at ungauged sites. Although lichen limits have been suggested to be useful for this purpose, previous studies have not elaborated their hydrological significance. Lichen limits are clearly defined on the sides of rock channels in New England. Australia and they are analyzed in relation to discharge at 6 gauging stations with up to 52 years of continuous record. It is demonstrated that the lowest lichen limit is maintained by peak discharges which occur on average at least once or twice each year. Recurrence intervals based on Annual Series and on Annual Exceedance Series are calculated and for the annual series are fairly consistent for the lowest lichen limit and range from 1·14 to 1·37 years. Lichenometry can be applied to the analysis of river channels in relation to the frequency of peak discharges. By reference to growth curves based upon lichens on Armidale tombstones it is shown that lichenometry may be employed to indicate dates for channel modification due to the removal of blocks and to dam construction and also to date the rock surface between lichen limits. Detailed analysis of the record from gauging stations indicates that where several lichen limits occur in a channel cross section each limit is related to periods when peak discharges exceeded the limits on at least 5 occasions. The lichen-free surfaces were then recolonized by Parmelia spp. and the size of the lichen thalli indicates the time elapsing since these frequent high discharges.     

Fate of three major rivers in the Bohai Sea: A model study

Huanghe (Yellow River), Haihe and Liaohe are three major rivers flowing into the Bohai Sea and account for more than 80% of the freshwater and land-drained material inputs annually. The fate of three rivers in the seawaters correlates with the transport and distribution of the riverine sediments and nutrients, and further exerts a profound influence on the local marine ecosystem dynamics. Therefore, the evolution of the river plumes under the influence of the freshwater buoyancy, the tidal forcing and the wind stress are examined using a three-dimensional primitive equation ocean circulation model, independently and jointly. It is found that both tide and wind stirring can deteriorate the stabilization of the water column caused by the freshwater buoyancy; however, the processes are different. The tide stirring originates from the seafloor due to the bottom friction as the tidal wave propagates into the shallow waters, and then the turbulent kinetic energy dissipates upward. On the other hand, the wind stirring proceeds in the up-down direction. The influences of different winds on the evolution of the river plumes are also examined. Since the situation of each river mouth is different, the wind influence is also distinct. At last, the fate of three major rivers driven by the combined tidal forcing and climatology winds is reproduced, and the simulated salinity distribution shows a reasonable agreement with that observed, meaning that the river plume evolution plays a crucial role in shaping the salinity distribution in BS.