Contributions of bedrock groundwater to the upscaling of storm‐runoff generation processes in weathered granitic headwater catchments

We examined the contributions of bedrock groundwater to the upscaling of storm‐runoff generation processes in weathered granitic headwater catchments by conducting detailed hydrochemical observations in five catchments that ranged from zero to second order. End‐member mixing analysis (EMMA) was performed to identify the geographical sources of stream water. Throughfall, hillslope groundwater, shallow bedrock groundwater, and deep bedrock groundwater were identified as end members. The contribution of each end member to storm runoff differed among the catchments because of the differing quantities of riparian groundwater, which was recharged by the bedrock groundwater prior to rainfall events. Among the five catchments, the contribution of throughfall was highest during both baseflow and storm flow in a zero‐order catchment with little contribution from the bedrock groundwater to the riparian reservoir. In zero‐order catchments with some contribution from bedrock groundwater, stream water was dominated by shallow bedrock groundwater during baseflow, but it was significantly influenced by hillslope groundwater during storms. In the first‐order catchment, stream water was dominated by shallow bedrock groundwater during storms as well as baseflow periods. In the second‐order catchment, deeper bedrock groundwater than that found in the zero‐order and first‐order catchments contributed to stream water in all periods, except during large storm events. These results suggest that bedrock groundwater influences the upscaling of storm‐runoff generation processes by affecting the linkages of geomorphic units such as hillslopes, riparian zones, and stream channels. Our results highlight the need for a three‐dimensional approach that considers bedrock groundwater flow when studying the upscaling of storm‐runoff generation processes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sources and sinks of nutrients in a New Zealand hill pasture catchment III. Nitrogen

A study was made of the nitrogen (N) inputs to, and exports from, a stream draining a pasture catchment near Hamilton, New Zealand, in order to plan measures for minimizing N losses to natural waters. An estimated 7 kg N ha^?1 was exported from the catchment during 1981 of which 86 per cent was in reduced forms (Kjeldahl-N, TKN) and the remainder as nitrate-N (NO₃-N). Virtually all of the reduced N inputs came from saturated overland flow whereas NO₃-N inputs were dominantly subsurface derived. The TKN exported by individual storm events could be predicted (R² = 0.97) from peak flow and from the peak flow rate in the seven days preceding the storm. A TKN balance for eight events showed that except for large floods (return period approximately a year) the stream system was a net sink for TKN. During large floods, scouring of the organic rich seepage areas resulted in the stream system itself being a net source of TKN. Microbial assays for nitrification and denitrification activity indicated that the main nitrate source was the well-aerated greywacke and ash soils and that the permanently saturated seepage zones were a significant nitrate sink. An in-stream nitrate addition experiment showed that up to 20mg N m^?2 h^?1 was removed from the stream. Simultaneous measurements of in situ denitrification activity demonstrated that only about 1 per cent of this removal could be accounted for by denitrification. It was inferred that plant uptake was responsible for the remainder. Retention of near-stream seepage areas is suggested as a measure for minimizing NO₃-N export, whilst removal of stock from seasonally saturated areas during periods of saturatior should reduce soil loss and hence TKN inputs to the stream.     

Does quantifying antecedent flow conditions improve stream phosphorus export estimation?

A reliable and economical method for the estimation of nutrient export (e.g. phosphorus) in stream flow from catchments is necessary to quantify the impact of land use or land use change upon aquatic systems. The transport of phosphorus (P) from soil to water is known to impact negatively on water quality. A key observation from studies is that most P export occurs during high stream flow. However, it is not yet clear how flood-antecedent conditions affect the P export during flood events. In this study, the P loss from soil to water as represented by soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) in stream waters from three different catchments, varying in land use, scale and location in Ireland was monitored over 1 year. This study examined the role of antecedent stream flow conditions on SRP export and identifies a catchment-specific relationship between SRP flood event load (EL) and a flow ratio (FR). The FR is defined as the ratio of the flood event volume (EV) to the pre-event volume (PEV). The latter is the cumulative flow volume for a number of days preceding the event. This PEV period was found to be longer (average 81 days) in the grassland catchments which were known to be saturated with soil P than in the forested catchments (average 21 days) with minimal soil P. This FR ratio is a measure of the antecedent hydrological state (wet or dry) of the catchment. For SRP for each catchment, a specific relationship between SRP EL and FR was identified. The annual SRP export was estimated, using this ratio and compared with the concentration/discharge (C/Q) method. The new flow ratio method was used with data from 12 flood events during the year to estimate an annual export of SRP. For the two grassland catchments in the study, using the FR method, we estimated an SRP export of 1.77 and 0.41 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Using the C/Q method, for the same sites, our estimate of SRP export was 1.70 and 0.50 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ respectively. The C/Q method used SRP concentrations covering 40% of the year while the FR method used only 12 flood events covering less than 2% of the year. This new method which takes account of the antecedent flow state of the river is an alternative to and may be more promising than the traditional C/Q method, particularly when short duration or flood sampling of water quality is carried out.     

A comparison of streamflow,salt and water balances in adjacent farmland and forest catchments in south‐western Victoria,Australia

A study of the hydrologic effects of catchment change from pasture to plantation was carried out in Gatum, south‐western Victoria, Australia. This study describes the hydrologic characteristics of two adjacent catchments: one with 97% grassland and the other one with 62% Eucalyptus globulus plantations. Streamflow from both catchments was intermittent during the 20‐month study period. Monthly streamflow was always greater in the pasture‐dominated catchment compared with the plantation catchment because of lower evapotranspiration in the pasture‐based catchment. This difference in streamflow was also observed even during summer 2010/2011 when precipitation was 74% above average (1954–2012) summer rainfall. Streamflow peaks in the plantation‐based catchment were smaller than in the pasture‐dominated system. Flow duration curves show differences between the pasture and plantation‐dominated catchments and affect both high‐flow and low‐flow periods. Groundwater levels fell (up to 4.4 m) in the plantation catchment during the study period but rose (up to 3.2 m) in the pasture catchment. Higher evapotranspiration in the plantation catchment resulted in falling groundwater levels and greater disconnection of the groundwater system from the stream, resulting in lower baseflow contribution to streamflow. Salt export from each catchment increases with increasing flow and is higher at the pasture catchment, mainly because of the higher flow. Reduced salt loading to streams due to tree planting is generally considered environmentally beneficial in saline areas of south‐eastern Australia, but this benefit is offset by reduced total streamflow. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of catastrophic flooding on stream biogeochemistry in a headwater stream in Shenandoah National Park,USA

This study examined the stream chemistry changes in Staunton River (a second‐order headwater stream with an average annual discharge 704 m³ ha^?1 yr^?1, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia) resulting from a catastrophic flood in June 1995. This flood, which followed after 800 mm of rain in a 4‐day period, caused large‐scale debris flows and complete scouring of riparian soils down to bedrock in the lower 2 km of the stream, and has been estimated to be a 1000‐year flood. The flood affected stream chemistry on both short‐ and long‐term time scales. The primary short‐term response was elevations in stream concentration of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and K⁺ by 59%, 87%, and 49%, respectively, for 6 months immediately following the flood. The long‐term impact of decreased concentration of all base cations and SiO₂ during summer months (8% average) lasted about 2 years. At the episodic time scale, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and K⁺ flushed from soil sources during pre‐flood storms while Na⁺ and SiO₂ diluted; these trends generally reversed during post‐flood storms for 2 years. Short‐term effects are attributed to the leaching of unconsolidated soil and upturned organic matter that clogged the streambed after the flood. The long‐term and superimposed episodic impacts may have resulted from the loss of riparian soils and vegetation in the flood. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrology and related changes after harvesting native forest catchments and establishing pinus radiata plantations. Part 3. Stream temperatures

Eight small steep south-west facing catchments (1-63-8-26 ha) have been monitored in Westland, New Zealand since 1974. Two catchments were retained in native mixed evergreen forest and the rest were subjected to various harvesting and land preparation techniques before being planted with Pinus radiata between 1977 and 1980. Stream temperatures were measured in all catchments for 11 years, including up to four years before harvesting. The streamwater temperature regime under the native forest cover has a seasonal cycle, with an annual mean of about 9°C and mean daily temperatures ranging between a winter minimum of about 5.8°C and a summer maximum of 12.S°C. After harvesting, the winter minimum stream temperatures in all trials were unchanged as topography exerts the major control over incoming solar radiation. The largest rises in mean summer stream temperatures, up to 5.5°C, were in the catchments that had been clearcut and burnt before planting. The maximum stream temperature recorded was 22.8°C in a clearcut catchment with no riparian reserve. Summer stream temperatures in this catchment were up to 11°C higher than in an adjacent control catchment. Summer stream temperature rises in catchments with riparian reserves were less than 1.5°C. Seven years after harvesting, stream temperatures were dropping towards pre-treatments levels in only two of the six treated catchments as revegetation of the riparian areas occurred and the plantations became established. As these small headwater streams discharge into streams with flows one or two orders of magnitude larger, the increases in summer stream temperatures will be rapidly dissipated. However, the cumulative impact of harvesting many small headwater catchments that discharge into a larger stream could have a noticeable effect on stream temperature if intact riparian reserves were not retained in both headwater and main streams.     

Dependence between flood peaks and volumes: a case study on climate and hydrological controls

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand the causal factors controlling the relationship between flood peaks and volumes in a regional context. A case study is performed based on 330 catchments in Austria ranging from 6 to 500 km² in size. Maximum annual flood discharges are compared with the associated flood volumes, and the consistency of the peak–volume relationship is quantified by the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. The results indicate that climate-related factors are more important than catchment-related factors in controlling the consistency. Spearman rank correlation coefficients typically range from about 0.2 in the high alpine catchments to about 0.8 in the lowlands. The weak dependence in the high alpine catchments is due to the mix of flood types, including long-duration snowmelt, synoptic floods and flash floods. In the lowlands, the flood durations vary less in a given catchment which is related to the filtering of the distribution of all storms by the catchment response time to produce the distribution of flood producing storms.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz     

Assessing the role of forests in mitigating eutrophication downstream of pasture during spring snowmelt

Little research has examined whether forests reduce stream water eutrophication in agricultural areas during spring snowmelt periods. This study evaluated the role of forests in ameliorating deteriorated stream water quality in agricultural areas, including pasture, during snowmelt periods. Temporal variation in stream water quality at a mixed land‐use basin (565 ha: pasture 13%, forestry 87%), northern Japan, was monitored for 7 years. Synoptic stream water sampling was also conducted at 16 sites across a wide range of forest and agricultural areas in a basin (18.3 km²) in spring, summer and fall. Atmospheric nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition were measured for 4 years. The results showed that concentration pulses of nitrate, organic N and total P in stream water were observed when discharge increased during spring snowmelt. Their concentrations were high when silicate concentrations were low, suggesting surface water exported from pasture largely contributed to stream water pollution during snowmelt. Atmospheric N and P deposition (4.1 kg N ha^?1 y^?1; 0.09 kg P ha^?1 y^?1, respectively) was too low to affect the background concentrations of N and P in streams from forested areas. Reduction of eutrophication caused by nutrients from pasture was mainly due to dilution by water containing low concentrations of N and P exported from forested areas, whereas in‐stream reduction was not a dominant process. Results indicate that forests have a limited capacity to reduce the concentration pulses of N and P in stream water during snowmelt in this study basin. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance of grass and eucalyptus riparian buffers in a pasture catchment,Western Australia,part 1: riparian hydrology

Rainfall takes many flowpaths to reach a stream, and the success of riparian buffers in water quality management is significantly influenced by riparian hydrology. This paper presents results from hydrometric monitoring of riparian buffer hydrology in a pasture catchment. Runoff processes and riparian flowpaths were investigated on two planar hillslopes with regenerating grass and E. globulus buffers. Surface runoff and subsurface flows (A‐ and B‐horizons) were measured for 3 years using surface runoff collectors, subsurface troughs and piezometers. Water volumes moving through the riparian buffers via the measured flowpaths were ranked B‐horizon ? surface runoff ≈ A‐horizon. Runoff volumes through the B‐horizon troughs were an order of magnitude greater than those recorded for the most productive surface runoff plots or the A‐horizon troughs. Subsurface runoff and saturation‐excess overland flow (SOF) were limited to the winter months, whereas infiltration‐excess overland flow (IEOF) can occur all year round during intense storms. Surface runoff was recorded on 33 occasions, mostly during winter (late May–early October), and total annual surface runoff volumes collected by the 20 unconfined (2 m wide) runoff plots varied between > 80 and < 20 m³. Subsurface flow only occurred in winter, and the 6 m wide B‐horizon subsurface troughs flowed above 1 l s^?1 continuously, whereas the A‐horizon troughs flowed infrequently (<6 days per year). In summer, surface runoff occurred as IEOF during intense storms in the E. globulus buffer, but not in the grass buffer. Observations suggest that surface crusting reduced the soil's infiltration capacity in the E. globulus buffer. During winter, SOF and seepage were observed in both buffers, but subsurface flow through the B‐horizon was the dominant flowpath. Key hydrologic differences between the grass and tree buffers are the generation of IEOF in the E. globulus buffer during intense summer storms, and the smaller subsurface runoff volumes and fewer flow days in the E. globulus buffer. Low surface runoff volumes are likely to limit the potential of these buffers to filter pollutants from surface runoff. High subsurface flow volumes and saturated conductivities are also likely to limit the residence time of water in the subsurface domain. Based on their hydrologic performance, the key roles of riparian buffers in this landscape are likely to be displacing sediment and nutrient‐generating activities away from streams and stabilizing channel morphology. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantification of bank erosion in a drained agricultural lowland catchment

The long‐term and current volumes of sediment exported from stream banks were calculated as potential sources of sediment in a large pond located at the catchment outlet of a small agricultural lowland basin strongly affected by anthropogenic pressure in France. Bank erosion was measured over a short period using a network of erosion pins along a small stream (1400 m long) to quantify the material exported during a single winter (2012–2013). The material exported by this same stream over the last 69 years was quantified using an original approach involving the comparison of a compilation of three‐dimensional historical stream redesign plans that date back to 1944 with the state of the banks in 2013 (differential global positioning system and LiDAR data). The results suggest that a global trend of material loss along the stream banks monitored by erosion pins, with an average erosion rate of 17.7 mm year^?1 and an average volume of exported material of 75 t km^?1. Over 69 years, this same stream exported an average of 36 t km^?1 year^?1, and the average loss of material from the banks throughout the whole catchment was estimated to be 14 t km^?1 year^?1. The contribution of bank material to the filling of the pond over the last 10 years is between 46% and 52% based on an extrapolation of erosion pin dynamics or between 27% and 30% based on the comparison of LiDAR data to the average historical profile extrapolated for the catchment. These results suggest that bank erosion represents a major source of sediment in degraded waters in traditionally understudied agricultural lowland catchments, where anthropogenic pressures are high.     

Modelling impacts of agricultural practice on flood peaks in upland catchments: An application of the distributed TOPMODEL

Upland agricultural land management activities such as grazing, vegetation burning, and bare ground restoration impact hydrological elements of headwater catchments, many of which may be important for downstream flood peaks (e.g., overland flow and soil water storage). However, there is poor understanding of how these management practices affect river flow peaks during high magnitude rainfall events. Using the distributed TOPMODEL, spatial configurations of land management were modelled to predict flood response in an upland catchment, which contains different regions operating subsidized agricultural stewardship schemes. Heavy grazing leading to soil compaction and loss of vegetation cover in stewardship regions covering 79.8% of the catchment gave a 42‐min earlier flow peak, which was 82.2% higher (under a 1‐hr 15‐mm storm) than the current simulated hydrograph. Light grazing over the same regions of the catchment had much less influence on river flow peaks (18 min earlier and 32.9% increase). Rotational burning (covering 8.8% of the catchment), most of which is located in the headwater areas, increased the peak by 3.2% in the same rainfall event. Vegetation restoration with either Eriophorum or Sphagnum (higher density) in bare areas (5.8%) of the catchment provided a reduction of flood peak (3.9% and 5.2% in the 15‐mm storm event), whereas the same total area revegetated with Sphagnum in riparian regions delivered a much larger decrease (15.0%) in river flow peaks. We show that changes of vegetation cover in highly sensitive areas (e.g., near‐stream zones) generate large impacts on flood peaks. Thus, it is possible to design spatially distributed management systems for upland catchments, which reduce flood peaks while at the same time ensuring economic viability for upland farmers.     

Spatial contributions of diffuse inputs and within-channel processes to the form of stream water phosphorus over storm events

Concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM), NO₃-N and P fractions: PO₄-P, dissolved organic P (DOP), particulate P (PP) and bioavailable exchangeable P were examined over 5 storm events in two nested agricultural catchments in NE Scotland: a (51 km²) catchment and its headwater (4 km²). NO₃-N showed anticlockwise hysteresis for all storms in both catchments. In contrast, the headwater showed strong clockwise hysteresis of SPM, dissolved and particulate P concentrations, but which weakened through summer to spring. Less pronounced hysteresis of P forms in the larger catchment was attributed to a combination of factors: a less energetic system, nutrient leaching from the floodplain, a point source of a small sewage treatment works and the occurrence of coarser soil and sediment parent materials with less P adsorption and transport capacity. The headwater exhibited a strong ‘first flush’ effect of sediment and dissolved P, particularly following dry conditions, received a significant transfer of readily-solubilized organic P from the surrounding soils in late summer and after manure applications in winter, and was the likely cause of large sediment associated P signals observed in the 51 km² catchment. Our results suggest that steeper gradient headwaters should be targeted for riparian improvements to mitigate soil erosion from headwater fields. The efficiency of riparian erosion controls is also dependant on the size of the store of fine sediment material within the stream channel and this may be large.     

Quantification of sediment source contributions in two paired catchments of the Brazilian Pampa using conventional and alternative fingerprinting approaches

The knowledge of the contribution of sediment sources to river networks is a prerequisite to understand the impact of land use change on sediment yield. We calculated the relative contributions of sediment sources in two paired catchments, one with commercial eucalyptus plantations (0.83 km²) and the other with grassland used for livestock farming (1.10 km²), located in the Brazilian Pampa biome, using different combinations of conventional [geochemical (G), radionuclide (R) and stable isotopes and organic matter properties (S)] and alternative tracer properties [spectrocolorimetric visible-based-colour parameters (V)]. Potential sediment sources evaluated were stream channel, natural grassland and oat pasture fields in the grassland catchment, and stream channel, unpaved roads and eucalyptus plantation in the eucalyptus catchment. The results show that the best combination of tracers to discriminate the potential sources was using GSRV tracers in the grassland catchment, and using GSRV, GSV and GS tracers in the eucalyptus catchment. In all these cases, samples were 100% correctly classified in their respective groups. Considering the best tracers results (GSRV) in both catchments, the sediment source contributions estimated in the catchment with eucalyptus plantations was 63, 30 and 7% for stream channel, eucalyptus stands and unpaved roads, respectively. In the grassland catchment, the source contributions to sediment were 84, 14 and 2% for natural grassland, stream channel and oats pasture fields, respectively. The combination of these source apportionment results with the annual sediment loads monitored during a 3-year period demonstrates that commercial eucalyptus plantations supplied approximately 10 times less sediment (0.1 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) than the traditional land uses in this region, that is, 1.0 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ from grassland and 0.3 ton ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ from oats pasture fields. These results demonstrate the potential of combining conventional and alternative approaches to trace sediment sources originating from different land uses in this region. Furthermore, they show that well-managed forest plantations may be less sensitive to erosion than grassland used for intensive livestock farming, which should be taken into account to promote the sustainable use of land in this region of South America.     

Defining hydrochemical evolution of streamflow through flowpath dynamics in Kawakami headwater catchment,Central Japan

The hydrochemical behaviour of catchments is often investigated by inferring stream chemistry through identification of source areas involved in hydrograph separation analysis, yet its dynamic evolution of hydrologic pathways has received little attention. Intensive hydrometric and hydrochemical measurements were performed during two different storms on March 29, 2001 and August 21–22, 2001 to define hydrochemical evolution under the dynamic of flow pathways in a 5·2 ha first‐order drainage of the Kawakami experimental basin (KEB), Central Japan, a forested headwater catchment with various soil depths (1·8 to 5 m) overlying late Neogene of volcanic bedrocks. The hydraulic potential distribution and flow lines data showed that the change in flow direction, which was controlled by rainfall amount and antecedent wetness of the soil profile, agreed well with the hydrochemical change across the slope segment during the storm. Hydrograph separation predicted by end‐member mixing analysis (EMMA) using Ca²⁺ and SiO₂ showed that near surface riparian, hillslope soil water and deep riparian groundwater were important in stream flow generation. The evidence of decrease in solutes concentration at a depth of 1 m in the hillslope and 0·6 m in the near surface riparian during peak storm suggested a flushing of high solutes concentration. Most of the solutes accumulated in the deep riparian groundwater zone, which was due to prominent downward flow and agreed well with the residence time. The distinct flow pathways and chemistry between the near surface riparian and deep riparian groundwater zones and the linkage hillslope aquifer and near surface riparian reservoir, which controls rapid flow and solutes flushing during the storm event, are in conflict with the typical assumption that the whole riparian zone resets flow pathways and chemical signature of hillslope soil water, as has been reported in a previous study. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mobilisation and transport of dissolved organic carbon and iron in peat catchments—Insights from the Lehstenbach stream in Germany using generalised additive models

During the last decades, increasing exports of both dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and iron were observed from peat catchments in North America and Europe with potential consequences for water quality of streamwater and carbon storages of soils. As mobilisation and transport processes of DOC and iron in peat catchments are only partly understood, the purpose of this study was to elucidate these processes in an intensively monitored and studied system. Specifically, it was hypothesised that dissimilatory iron reduction in riparian peatland soils mobilises DOC initially adsorbed to iron minerals. During stormflow conditions, both DOC and iron will be transported into the stream network. Ferrous iron may be reoxidised at redox interfaces on its way to the stream, and subsequently, ferric iron could be transported together with DOC as complexes. To test these hypotheses, generalised additive models (GAMs) were applied to 14 years of weekly time series of discharge and concentrations of selected solutes measured in a German headwater stream called Lehstenbach. This stream drains a 4.19‐km² forested mountain catchment; one third of which is covered by riparian peatland soils. We interpreted results of different types of GAM in the way that (a) iron reduction drove the mobilisation of DOC from peatland soils and that (b) both iron and DOC were transported as complexes after their joint mobilisation to and within the steam. It was speculated that low nitrate availability in the uppermost wetland soil layer, particularly during the growing season, promoted iron reduction and thus the mobilisation of DOC. However, the influence of nitrate on the DOC mobilisation remains relatively uncertain. This influence could be further investigated using methods similar to the GAM analysis conducted here for other catchments with long‐term data as well as detailed measurements of the relevant species in riparian wetland soils and the adjacent stream network.     

Effects of land-use changes on structural characteristics of tropical high-altitude Andean headwater streams

Streams are usually susceptible to land-use change, mainly in the tropics due to high dynamic climatic conditions. Native forests have been converted for agricultural purposes with significantly impacts in streams. Nowadays, forests plantations are taking place of some degraded land and its influence in headwater streams are not well understood in tropical high-altitude streams. Thus, this study aims to assess effects of land-use changes from pasture to Eucalyptus plantations in Colombian Andean catchments on stream water conditions and structural characteristics of stream channels. The study was conducted in three catchments, one catchment covered by pasture, one catchment that was converted from pasture to Eucalyptus plantations in 1995 and one pristine catchment with native forest cover. Physical, chemical and biological conditions of stream water were assessed by measurements of water temperature, concentration of dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll-a content of epiphytic communities. The structural characteristics of stream channels were evaluated using a visual-based habitat assessment protocol from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed native forest and Eucalyptus plantations catchments associated with stream conservation characteristics and pasture catchment with overall degraded conditions. However, the Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) showed significant differences between all streams indicating that, despite the overall positive conservation aspects of native and Eucalyptus catchments, their still different from each other. Pasture catchment showed the highest values for temperature and chlorophyll-a, and the lowest values for dissolved oxygen and final score for structural characteristics. Therefore, our results demonstrated that the land-use change from pasture to Eucalyptus plantation improved the stream water conditions and the structural characteristics of the studied headwater streams. Additionally, we propose the use of the rapid bioassessment protocol coupled some stream water characteristics as a rapid and useful tool for detecting effects of land-use changes on high-altitude Andean streams.     

Understanding the effect of catchment characteristics on suspended sediment dynamics during flood events

Hysteresis in the relationship between suspended sediment concentration and flow during run-off events is commonly used to inform on sediment sources and hydrological pathways. Less attention, however, has been paid to comparing the water and sediment hydrographs, which provide a more direct appreciation of in-event sediment dynamics and their relationship with the upstream catchment characteristics. The aim of this study is to better understand the catchment and hydrological controls on the phasing of water and sediment discharges during events and, in particular, to explore what controls sediment concentrations late on event recessions. Continuous records of flow and turbidity data (calibrated to suspended sediment concentration) were collected from 17 catchments across New Zealand for this purpose. Relationships between event sediment yield and peak flow showed, as anticipated, higher event sediment loads were generated in pasture compared with forested catchments and were also higher from catchments in more erodible terrain. One novel result was that these differences were greater during smaller, more frequent events, whereas the loads from larger flood events tended to converge between pasture and forest catchments. Another novel result was that event sediment load tends to be evenly split between rising and falling stages of the hydrograph in pasture catchments, but forested catchments yield more of their event loads on flood recessions, probably because of delayed erosion or more sediment sources remote from the channel network. Land cover, distance of the sediment sources from the monitoring site, and size of the catchments control sediment concentrations late on event recession. Pasture-dominated and more erodible catchments show longer sediment recessions and therefore stay dirtier for longer time periods. In addition, the size of previous flood events appeared to control the extent of sediment exhaustion after the flood peaks in some catchments.     

Real‐time monitoring and estimation of the discharge of flash floods in a steep mountain catchment

Synchronously and accurately estimating the flood discharges and dynamic changes in the fluid density is essential for hydraulic analysis and forecasting of flash floods, as well as for risk assessment. However, such information is rare for steep mountain catchments, especially in regions that are hotspots for earthquakes. Therefore, six hydrological monitoring sites were established in the main stream and tributaries of the 78.3‐km² Longxi River catchment, an affected region of the Wenchuan earthquake region in China. Direct real‐time monitoring equipment was installed to measure the flow depths, velocities, and fluid total pressures of the flood hydrographs. On the basis of field measurements, real‐time mean cross‐sectional velocities during the flood hydrographs could be derived from easily obtainable parameters: cross‐sectional maximum velocities and the calibrated dimensionless parameter K_h . Real‐time discharges were determined on the basis of a noncontact method to establish the effective rating curves of this mountainous stream, ranging from 1.46 to 386.34 m³/s with the root mean square errors of ≤10.22 m³/s. Compared with the traditional point‐velocity method and empirical Manning's formula, the proposed noncontact method was reliable and safe for monitoring whole flood hydrographs. Additionally, the real‐time fluid density during the flood hydrographs was calculated on the basis of the direct monitoring parameters for fluid total pressures and water depths. During the flood hydrograph, transient flow behaviour with higher fluid density generally occurred downstream during the flood peak periods when the flow was in the supercritical flow regime. The observed behaviour greatly increased the threat of damage to infrastructure and human life near the river. Thus, it is important to accurately estimate flood discharge and identify for fluid densities so that people at risk from an impending flash flood are given reliable, advanced warning.     

Water age in stormwater management ponds and stormwater management pond-treated catchments

Expansion of impervious surface cover results in “flashy” hydrologic response, elevated flood risk, and degraded water quality in urban watersheds. Stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) are often engineered into stream networks to mitigate these issues. A clearer understanding of how water is stored and released from SWMPs and SWMP-treated catchments is required to better represent these engineered systems in hydrological and water quality models of urban and urbanizing watersheds. Stable water isotopes were used to compare water age in SWMPs and SWMP-treated catchments in an urbanizing watershed. We sampled water biweekly from two SWMPs and five stream sites with varying land cover and stormwater control in their catchments. Two inverse transit time proxies (damping ratio and young water fraction) were computed along with the mean transit time (MTT) by sine–wave fitting for each SWMP and stream site using the δ¹⁸O and δ²H data. Water entering the SWMPs was consistently older (224 and 177 days) than water in or exiting the ponds (ranging from 46 to 91 days and 39 to 67 days, respectively). This finding is likely due to a combination of groundwater infiltration into broken sewer pipes that transport water into the ponds and a bias toward baseflow sampling. At the catchment scale, detention provided by SWMPs was not found to be more significant than the interactive effects of impervious cover, surficial geology, land use proportions, and catchment size in determining MTT. Overall, surficial geology explained the most variation in MTT among the seven sites. This study illustrates the potential for isotope-based approaches of water age to provide information on individual SWMP functioning and the influence of SWMPs on catchment-scale water movement.