The role of the hyporheic zone across stream networks

Many hyporheic papers state that the hyporheic zone is a critical component of stream ecosystems, and many of these papers focus on the biogeochemical effects of the hyporheic zone on stream solute loads. However, efforts to show such relationships have proven elusive, prompting several questions: Are the effects of the hyporheic zone on stream ecosystems so highly variable in place and time (or among streams) that a consistent relationship should not be expected? Or, is the hyporheic zone less important in stream ecosystems than is commonly expected? These questions were examined using data from existing groundwater modelling studies of hyporheic exchange flow at five sites in a fifth‐order, mountainous stream network. The size of exchange flows, relative to stream discharge (Q_HEF:Q), was large only in very small streams at low discharge (area ≈ 100 ha; Q < 10 l/s). At higher flows (flow exceedance probability > 0·7) and in all larger streams, Q_HEF:Q was small. These data show that biogeochemical processes in the hyporheic zone of small streams can substantially influence the stream's solute load, but these processes become hydrologically constrained at high discharge or in larger streams and rivers. The hyporheic zone may influence stream ecosystems in many ways, however, not just through biogeochemical processes that alter stream solute loads. For example, the hyporheic zone represents a unique habitat for some organisms, with patterns and amounts of upwelling and downwelling water determining the underlying physiochemical environment of the hyporheic zone. Similarly, hyporheic exchange creates distinct patches of downwelling and upwelling. Upwelling environments are of special interest, because upwelling water has the potential to be thermally or chemically distinct from stream water. Consequently, micro‐environmental patches created by hyporheic exchange flows are likely to be important to biological and ecosystem processes, even if their impact on stream solute loads is small. Published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temporal Hyporheic Zone Response to Water Table Fluctuations

Expansion and contraction of the hyporheic zone due to temporal hydrologic changes between stream and riparian aquifer influence the biogeochemical cycling capacity of streams. Theoretical studies have quantified the control of groundwater discharge on the depth of the hyporheic zone; however, observations of temporal groundwater controls are limited. In this study, we develop the concept of groundwater‐dominated differential hyporheic zone expansion to explain the temporal control of groundwater discharge on the hyporheic zone in a third‐order stream reach flowing through glacially derived terrain typical of the Great Lakes region. We define groundwater‐dominated differential expansion of the hyporheic zone as: differing rates and magnitudes of hyporheic zone expansion in response to seasonal vs. storm‐related water table fluctuation. Specific conductance and vertical hydraulic gradient measurements were used to map changes in the hyporheic zone during seasonal water table decline and storm events. Planar and riffle beds were monitored in order to distinguish the cause of increasing hyporheic zone depth. Planar bed seasonal expansion of the hyporheic zone was of a greater magnitude and longer in duration (weeks to months) than storm event expansion (hours to days). In contrast, the hyporheic zone beneath the riffle bed exhibited minimal expansion in response to seasonal groundwater decline compared to storm related expansion. Results indicated that fluctuation in the riparian water table controlled seasonal expansion of the hyporheic zone along the planar bed. This groundwater induced hyporheic zone expansion could increase the potential for biogeochemical cycling and natural attenuation.     

Impact of a low-permeability lens on dune-induced hyporheic exchange

Hyporheic exchange induced by dunes is a key process controlling water fluxes and biogeochemical processes in river networks. Owing to the limitations of instrumental detection at small spatial scales, previous studies have focused mainly on dune-induced hyporheic exchange in homogeneous systems. A low-permeability lens is a natural, widespread heterogeneity in stream beds, and probably affects the processes of water flow and contaminant transportation significantly. To quantitatively analyse the response mechanism of hyporheic exchange to a low-permeability lens, a two-dimensional dune-generated hyporheic exchange model was developed using the VS2DH model. The results indicate a lens in a stream bed can hinder or enhance hyporheic exchange processes, depending on its relative spatial location to dunes. Both the increase in length and thickness of the lens could strengthen its impacts on hyporheic exchange. Regional groundwater–surface water interactions of higher intensity suppress the flow of hyporheic exchange in a stream bed with a low-permeability lens.     

Hydropeaking induces losses from a river reach: observations at multiple spatial scales

In humid regions, where gaining river conditions generally prevail, daily hydroelectric dam releases alter downstream surface water–groundwater interactions by reversing the head gradient between river and adjacent groundwater. Previously, it has been noted that artificial stage changes due to dam releases enhance hyporheic exchange. Here we investigate the regulated Deerfield River in northwestern Massachusetts at multiple scales to evaluate how changing downstream geologic conditions along the river mediate this artificial hyporheic pumping. Water budget analysis indicates that roughly 10% of bank‐stored water is permanently lost from the 19.5‐km river reach, likely as a result of transpiration by bank vegetation. An adjacent reference stream with similar dimensions and geomorphology, but without hydropeaking, shows predictable gaining conditions. Field observations from streambed piezometers and thermistors show that water losses are not uniform throughout the study reach. Riparian aquifer transmissivity in river sub‐reaches largely determines the magnitude of surface water–groundwater exchange as well as net water loss from the river. These newly documented losses from hydropeaking river systems should inform decisions by river managers and hydroelectric operators of additional tradeoffs of oscillatory dam‐release river management. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Beaver dam analogues drive heterogeneous groundwater–surface water interactions

Beaver dam analogues (BDAs) are a cost-effective stream restoration approach that leverages the recognized environmental benefits of natural beaver dams on channel stability and local hydrology. Although natural beaver dams are known to exert considerable influence on the hydrologic conditions of a stream system by mediating geomorphic processes, nutrient cycling, and groundwater–surface water interactions, the impacts of beaver-derived restoration methods on groundwater–surface water exchange are poorly characterized. To address this deficit, we monitored hyporheic exchange fluxes and streambed porewater biogeochemistry across a sequence of BDAs installed along a central Wyoming stream during the summer of 2019. Streambed fluxes were quantified by heat tracing methods and vertical hydraulic gradients. Biogeochemical activity was evaluated using major ion porewater chemistry and principal component analysis. Vertical fluxes of approximately 1.0 m/day were observed around the BDAs, as was the development of spatially heterogeneous zones of nitrate production, groundwater upwelling, and anaerobic reduction. Strong contrasts in hyporheic zone processes were observed across BDAs of differing sizes. This suggests that structures may function with size-dependent behaviour, only altering groundwater–surface water interactions after a threshold hydraulic step height is exceeded. Patterns of hyporheic exchange and biogeochemical cycling around the studied BDAs resemble those around natural beaver dams, suggesting that BDAs may provide comparable benefits to channel complexity and near-stream function over a 1-year period.     

Determining long time‐scale hyporheic zone flow paths in Antarctic streams

In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, glaciers are the source of meltwater during the austral summer, and the streams and adjacent hyporheic zones constitute the entire physical watershed; there are no hillslope processes in these systems. Hyporheic zones can extend several metres from each side of the stream, and are up to 70 cm deep, corresponding to a lateral cross‐section as large as 12 m², and water resides in the subsurface year around. In this study, we differentiate between the near‐stream hyporheic zone, which can be characterized with stream tracer experiments, and the extended hyporheic zone, which has a longer time‐scale of exchange. We sampled stream water from Green Creek and from the adjacent saturated alluvium for stable isotopes of D and ¹⁸O to assess the significance and extent of stream‐water exchange between the streams and extended hyporheic zones over long time‐scales (days to weeks). Our results show that water residing in the extended hyporheic zone is much more isotopically enriched (up to 11‰ D and 2·2‰ ¹⁸O) than stream water. This result suggests a long residence time within the extended hyporheic zone, during which fractionation has occurred owing to summer evaporation and winter sublimation of hyporheic water. We found less enriched water in the extended hyporheic zone later in the flow season, suggesting that stream water may be exchanged into and out of this zone, on the time‐scale of weeks to months. The transient storage model OTIS was used to characterize the exchange of stream water with the extended hyporheic zone. Model results yield exchange rates (α) generally an order magnitude lower (10^?5 s^?1) than those determined using stream‐tracer techniques on the same stream. In light of previous studies in these streams, these results suggest that the hyporheic zones in Antarctic streams have near‐stream zones of rapid stream‐water exchange, where ‘fast’ biogeochemical reactions may influence water chemistry, and extended hyporheic zones, in which slower biogeochemical reaction rates may affect stream‐water chemistry at longer time‐scales. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Focused Groundwater Controlled Feedbacks into the Hyporheic Zone During Baseflow Recession

Groundwater surface water interaction in the hyporheic zone remains an important challenge for water resources management and ecosystem restoration. In heterogeneous stratified glacial sediments, reach‐scale environments contain an uneven distribution of focused groundwater flow occurring simultaneously with diffusely discharging groundwater. This results in a variation of stream‐aquifer interactions, where focused flow systems are able to temporally dominate exchange processes. The research presented here investigates the direct and indirect influences focused groundwater discharge exerts on the hyporheic zone during baseflow recession. Field results demonstrate that as diffuse sources of groundwater deplete during baseflow recession, focused groundwater discharge remains constant. During baseflow recession the hyporheic zone is unable to expand, while the high nitrate concentration from focused discharge changes the chemistry of the stream. The final result is a higher concentration of nitrate in the hyporheic zone as this altered surface water infiltrates into the subsurface. This indirect coupling of focused groundwater discharge and the hyporheic zone is unaccounted for in hyporheic studies at this time. Results indicate important implications for the potential reduction of agricultural degradation of water quality.     

What is groundwater and what does this mean to fauna? - An opinion

Many subsurface waters are considered groundwater but are influenced in shallow depths by hyporheic, parafluvial and/or soil interception water to such a degree that groundwater fauna (stygofauna) communities may be significantly altered. Recharge, even if spatially and temporally distinct, delivers input of dissolved oxygen, organic matter (OM), and nutrients that caters sustainably for ubiquists such as stygophiles and hyporheic fauna, but renders the life of uncompetitive stygobites difficult or impossible. The impact of recharge at shallow groundwater thus needs to be taken into account when determining groundwater fauna reference communities and when evaluating monitoring studies.One of the main characteristics of groundwater is low OM concentration. In contrast, high OM concentrations are typical of hyporheic or parafluvial waters, which are enriched by OM from the river, the riparian soils and from interflow, and which contribute significantly to river OM balance. Consequently, for ecological studies on subsurface waters, both the origin of the water and OM, and the intensity of surface water interactions should be considered. Here, we discuss how groundwater spatial and temporal heterogeneity translates into faunal distribution patterns. In terms of the origin of water and OM, and from an ecological point of view, we need to distinguish between (i) shallow groundwater characterized by infiltrating precipitation and soil recharge, (ii) shallow groundwater interacting with surface water bodies such as continuously flowing and ephemeral streams and rivers, and (iii) “old” groundwater which has no recent connections to the surface and is thus largely secluded from input of nutrients and carbon. Water in the first two groups is characterized by high amounts of OM of varying quality, while water in the third group is characterized by low amounts of low quality OM. Consequently, stygophiles dominate in groups 1 and 2, with hyporheic fauna taking up a considerable proportion in group 2, while stygobites only dominate in group 3. Thus, for studies aiming to assess impacts on groundwater, only sampling sites of the third group should be used for reference sites as these are the most likely sites to have little surface impact and a stygofauna representative of the deeper aquifer.     

A Comparison of Hyporheic Transport at a Cross‐Vane Structure and Natural Riffle

While restoring hyporheic flowpaths has been cited as a benefit to stream restoration structures, little documentation exists confirming that constructed restoration structures induce comparable hyporheic exchange to natural stream features. This study compares a stream restoration structure (cross‐vane) to a natural feature (riffle) concurrently in the same stream reach using time‐lapsed electrical resistivity (ER) tomography. Using this hydrogeophysical approach, we were able to quantify hyporheic extent and transport beneath the cross‐vane structure and the riffle. We interpret from the geophysical data that the cross‐vane and the natural riffle induced spatially and temporally unique hyporheic extent and transport, and the cross‐vane created both spatially larger and temporally longer hyporheic flowpaths than the natural riffle. Tracer from the 4.67‐h injection was detected along flowpaths for 4.6 h at the cross‐vane and 4.2 h at the riffle. The spatial extent of the hyporheic zone at the cross‐vane was 12% larger than that at the riffle. We compare ER results of this study to vertical fluxes calculated from temperature profiles and conclude significant differences in the interpretation of hyporheic transport from these different field techniques. Results of this study demonstrate a high degree of heterogeneity in transport metrics at both the cross‐vane and the riffle and differences between the hyporheic flowpath networks at the two different features. Our results suggest that restoration structures may be capable of creating sufficient exchange flux and timescales of transport to achieve the same ecological functions as natural features, but engineering of the physical and biogeochemical environment may be necessary to realize these benefits.     

High-Resolution Integrated Transport Model for Studying Surface Water–Groundwater Interaction

Transport processes that lead to exchange of mass between surface water and groundwater play a significant role for the ecological functioning of aquatic systems, for hydrological processes and for biogeochemical transformations. In this study, we present a novel integral modeling approach for flow and transport at the sediment–water interface. The model allows us to simultaneously simulate turbulent surface and subsurface flow and transport with the same conceptual approach. For this purpose, a conservative transport equation was implemented to an existing approach that uses an extended version of the Navier–Stokes equations. Based on previous flume studies which investigated the spreading of a dye tracer under neutral, losing and gaining flow conditions the new solver is validated. Tracer distributions of the experiments are in close agreement with the simulations. The simulated flow paths are significantly affected by in- and outflowing groundwater flow. The highest velocities within the sediment are found for losing condition, which leads to shorter residence times compared to neutral and gaining conditions. The largest extent of the hyporheic exchange flow is observed under neutral condition. The new solver can be used for further examinations of cases that are not suitable for the conventional coupled models, for example, if Reynolds numbers are larger than 10. Moreover, results gained with the integral solver provide high-resolution information on pressure and velocity distributions at the rippled streambed, which can be used to improve flow predictions. This includes the extent of hyporheic exchange under varying ambient groundwater flow conditions.     

Surface water–groundwater interaction at restored streams and associated reference reaches

Stream restoration goals include improving habitat and water quality through reconstruction of morphological features found at analogous, pristine stream reaches. Enhancing hyporheic exchange may facilitate achieving these goals. Although hyporheic exchange at restoration sites has been explored in a few previous studies, comparative studies of restored versus reference or control streams are largely absent. We hypothesized that restoration cross‐vanes enhance hyporheic exchange, resulting in biogeochemical alteration of stream water chemistry in the streambed. Two streams restored using cross‐vanes to control erosion and improve habitat were compared with their associated reference reaches, which provided the basis for the restoration design. Thirteen temperature profile rods with vertically stacked sensors were installed at each site for 2 weeks. Heat tracing was used to quantify vertical flux in the streambed from the diurnal temperature fluctuations in the subsurface. Stream water and bed pore waters from mini‐piezometers were analysed for ion and nutrient chemistry. In general, mean vertical flux rates through the streambed were small throughout reference sites (?0.3 to 0.3 m/day) and at most locations at restored sites. Immediately adjacent to cross‐vanes, vertical flux rates were larger (up to 3.5 m/day). Geochemistry of pore waters shows distinct differences in the sources for the reference and restored sites. Strong downwelling zones adjacent to cross‐vanes showed high dissolved oxygen (10.75 mg/l) and geochemistry in the streambed similar to surface water. Reference sites had lower dissolved oxygen in the streambed (0.66–5.14 mg/l), and geochemical patterns suggest a mixture of discharging groundwater and surface water in the hyporheic zone. Restored sites also clearly show sulfate and nitrate reduction occurring in the streambed, which is not observed at the reference sites. The stream restoration sites studied here enhance rapid hyporheic exchange, but upwelling of groundwater has a stronger influence on streambed geochemistry at reference sites. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From streambed temperature measurements to spatial‐temporal flux quantification: using the LPML method to study groundwater–surface water interaction

Knowledge on groundwater–surface water interaction and especially on exchange fluxes between streams and aquifers is an important prerequisite for the study of transport and fate of contaminants and nutrients in the hyporheic zone. One possibility to quantify groundwater–surface water exchange fluxes is by using heat as an environmlental tracer. Modern field equipment including multilevel temperature sticks and the novel open‐source analysis tool LPML make this technique ever more attractive. The recently developed LPML method solves the one‐dimensional fluid flow and heat transport equation by combining a local polynomial method with a maximum likelihood estimator. In this study, we apply the LPML method on field data to quantify the spatial and temporal variability of vertical fluxes and their uncertainties from temperature–time series measured in a Belgian lowland stream. Over several months, temperature data were collected with multilevel temperature sticks at the streambed top and at six depths for a small stream section. Long‐term estimates show a range from gaining fluxes of ?291 mm day^?1 to loosing fluxes of 12 mm day^?1; average seasonal fluxes ranged from ?138 mm day^?1 in winter to ?16 mm day^?1 in summer. With our analyses, we could determine a high spatial and temporal variability of vertical exchange fluxes for the investigated stream section. Such spatial and temporal variability should be taken into account in biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nutrients and metals and in fate analysis of contaminant plumes. In general, the stream section was gaining during most of the observation period. Two short‐term high stream stage events, seemingly caused by blockage of the stream outlet, led to a change in flow direction from gaining to losing conditions. We also found more discharge occurring at the outer stream bank than at the inner one indicating a local flow‐through system. With the conducted analyses, we were able to advance our understanding of the regional groundwater flow system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collocation of hydrological and biological attenuation of nitrate in an urban stream

The hydrologic and biogeochemical processes that control nutrient export in urban streams are not well understood. Attenuation can occur by tributary dilution, groundwater discharge, and biological processing both in the water column and the hyporheic zone. A wastewater treatment plant on Pennypack Creek, an urban stream near Philadelphia, PA, provided high nitrate concentrations for analysis of downstream attenuation processes. Longitudinal sampling for an 8‐km reach revealed decreases in nitrate concentration of 2 mg l^?1 at high flow and 4.5 mg l^?1 during low flow. During high flow, δ¹⁵N‐NO₃ increased from 9.5 to 10.5‰ and during low flow increased from 10.1 to 11.1‰. Two reaches were sampled at fine spatial intervals (approximately 200 m) to better identify attenuation processes. Mixing analysis indicated that groundwater discharge and biological processing both control nitrate concentration and isotope signatures. However, fine‐scaled sampling did not reveal spatially discrete zones; instead, these processes were occurring simultaneously. While both processes attenuate nitrate, they have opposite isotope signatures, which may have muted changes in δ¹⁵N‐NO₃. At high flow, a decrease in Cl/NO₃ ratios helped distinguish groundwater discharge occurring along both finely sampled reaches. At low flow, biological processing seemed to be occurring more extensively, but the δ¹⁵N‐NO₃ signature was not consistent with either a single process or a sequential combination of groundwater dilution and biological nitrate attenuation. The collocation of processes makes it more difficult to assess biological processing hot spots and predict how urbanization and subsequent stream restoration influence nitrate attenuation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface water-groundwater exchange dynamics in buried-valley aquifer systems

Groundwater is a primary source of drinking water worldwide, but excess nutrients and emerging contaminants could compromise groundwater quality and limit its usage as a drinking water source. As such contaminants become increasingly prevalent in the biosphere, a fundamental understanding of their fate and transport in groundwater systems is necessary to implement successful remediation strategies. The dynamics of surface water-groundwater (hyporheic) exchange within a glacial, buried-valley aquifer system are examined in the context of their implications for the transport of nutrients and contaminants in riparian sediments. High conductivity facies act as preferential flow pathways which enhance nutrient and contaminant delivery, especially during storm events, but transport throughout the aquifer also depends on subsurface sedimentary architecture (e.g. interbedded high and low conductivity facies). Temperature and specific conductance measurements indicate extensive hyporheic mixing close to the river channel, but surface water influence was also observed far from the stream-aquifer interface. Measurements of river stage and hydraulic head indicate that significant flows during storms (i.e., hot moments) alter groundwater flow patterns, even between consecutive storm events, as riverbed conductivity and, more importantly, the hydraulic connectivity between the river and aquifer change. Given the similar mass transport characteristics among buried-valley aquifers, these findings are likely representative of glacial aquifer systems worldwide. Our results suggest that water resources management decisions based on average (base) flow conditions may inaccurately represent the system being evaluated, and could reduce the effectiveness of remediation strategies for nutrients and emerging contaminants.     

Mixing interfaces,fluxes, residence times and redox conditions of the hyporheic zones induced by dune-like bedforms and ambient groundwater flow

Recent studies highlighted the importance of the interface between streams and their surrounding sediment, known as the hyporheic zone, where stream waters flow through the alluvium. These pore water fluxes stem from the interaction among streambed morphology, stream hydraulics and surrounding groundwater flow. We analytically model the hyporheic hydraulics induced by a spatially uniform ambient groundwater flow made of a horizontal, underflow, and a vertical, basal, component, which mimics gaining and losing stream conditions. The proposed analytical solution allows to investigate the control of simple hydromorphological quantities on the extent, residence time and redox conditions of the hyporheic zone, and the thickness of the mixing interface between hyporheic and groundwater cells. Our analysis shows that the location of the mixing zone shallows or deepens in the sediment as a function of bedform geometry, surface hydraulic and groundwater flow. The point of stagnation, where hyporheic flow velocities vanish and where the separation surface passes through, is shallower than or coincides with the deepest point of the hyporheic zone only due to underflow. An increase of the ambient flow causes a reduction of the hyporheic zone volume similarly in both losing and gaining conditions. The hyporheic residence time is lognormally distributed under neutral, losing and gaining conditions, with the residence time moments depending on the same set of parameters describing dune morphology and stream flow.     

Convergence of Groundwater Discharge through the Hyporheic Zone of Streams

Significant attention has been given to hyporheic water fluxes induced by hydromorphologic processes in streambeds and the effects they have on stream ecology. However, the impact of hyporheic fluxes on regional groundwater flow discharge zones as well as the interaction of these flows are much less investigated. The groundwater-hyporheic interactive flow not only governs solute mass and heat transport in streams but also controls the retention of solute and contamination following the discharge of deep groundwater, such as naturally occurring solutes and leakage from geological waste disposal facilities. Here, we applied a physically based modeling approach combined with extensive hydrologic, geologic and geographical data to investigate the effect of hyporheic flow on groundwater discharge in the Krycklan catchment, located in a boreal landscape in Sweden. Regional groundwater modeling was conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics by considering geologic heterogeneity and infiltration constraint of the groundwater circulation intensity. Moreover, the hyporheic flow was analyzed using an exact spectral solution accounting for the fluctuating streambed topography and superimposed with the regional groundwater flow. By comparing the discharge flow fields with and without consideration of hyporheic flows, we found that the divergence of the discharge was substantially enhanced and the distribution of the travel times of groundwater was significantly shifted toward shorter times due to the presence of hyporheic flow. Particularly important is that the groundwater flow paths contract near the streambed interface due to the hyporheic flow, which leads to a phenomenon that we name “fragmentation” of coherent areas of groundwater upwelling in pinhole-shaped stream tubes.     

Channel Representation in Physically Based Models Coupling Groundwater and Surface Water: Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Recent models that couple three‐dimensional subsurface flow with two‐dimensional overland flow are valuable tools for quantifying complex groundwater/stream interactions and for evaluating their influence on watershed processes. For the modeler who is used to defining streams as a boundary condition, the representation of channels in integrated models raises a number of conceptual and technical issues. These models are far more sensitive to channel topography than conventional groundwater models. On all spatial scales, both the topography of a channel and its connection with the floodplain are important. For example, the geometry of river banks influences bank storage and overbank flooding; the slope of the river is a primary control on the behavior of a catchment; and at the finer scale bedform characteristics affect hyporheic exchange. Accurate data on streambed topography, however, are seldom available, and the spatial resolution of digital elevation models is typically too coarse in river environments, resulting in unrealistic or undulating streambeds. Modelers therefore perform some kind of manual yet often cumbersome correction to the available topography. In this context, the paper identifies some common pitfalls, and provides guidance to overcome these. Both aspects of topographic representation and mesh discretization are addressed. Additionally, two tutorials are provided to illustrate: (1) the interpolation of channel cross‐sectional data and (2) the refinement of a mesh along a stream in areas of high topographic variability.     

Tracking Groundwater Discharge to a Large River using Tracers and Geophysics

Few studies have investigated large reaches of rivers in which multiple sources of groundwater are responsible for maintaining baseflow. This paper builds upon previous work undertaken along the Fitzroy River, one of the largest perennial river systems in north‐western Australia. Synoptic regional‐scale sampling of both river water and groundwater for a suite of environmental tracers (⁴He, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ²²²Rn and major ions), and subsequent modeling of tracer behavior in the river, has enabled definition and quantification of groundwater input from at least three different sources. We show unambiguous evidence of both shallow “local” groundwater, possibly recharged to alluvial aquifers beneath the adjacent floodplain during recent high‐flow events, and old “regional” groundwater introduced via artesian flow from deep confined aquifers. We also invoke hyporheic exchange and either bank return flow or parafluvial flow to account for background ²²²Rn activities and anomalous chloride trends along river reaches where there is no evidence of the local or regional groundwater inputs. Vertical conductivity sections acquired through an airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey provide insights to the architecture of the aquifers associated with these sources and general groundwater quality characteristics. These data indicate fresh groundwater from about 300 m below ground preferentially discharging to the river, at locations consistent with those inferred from tracer data. The results demonstrate how sampling rivers for multiple environmental tracers of different types—including stable and radioactive isotopes, dissolved gases and major ions—can significantly improve conceptualization of groundwater—surface water interaction processes, particularly when coupled with geophysical techniques in complex hydrogeological settings.     

Geomorphology,hydrology, and aquatic vegetation drive seasonal hyporheic flow patterns across a gravel‐dominated floodplain

Across 1·7 km² of the Umatilla River floodplain (Oregon, USA), we investigated the influences of an ephemeral tributary and perennial ‘spring channel’ (fed only by upwelling groundwater) on hyporheic hydrology. We derived maps of winter and summer water‐table elevations from data collected at 46 monitoring wells and 19 stage gauges and used resulting maps to infer groundwater flow direction. Groundwater flow direction varied seasonally across the floodplain and was influenced by main channel stage, flooding, the tributary creek, and the location and direction of hyporheic exchange in the spring channel. Hyporheic exchange in the spring channel was evaluated with a geochemical mixing model, which confirmed patterns of floodplain groundwater movement inferred from water‐table maps and showed that the spring channel was fed predominantly by hyporheic water from the floodplain aquifer (87% during winter, 80% during summer), with its remaining flow supplied by upslope groundwater from the adjacent catchment aquifer. Summertime growth of aquatic macrophytes in the spring channel also influenced patterns of hyporheic exchange and groundwater flow direction in the alluvial aquifer by increasing flow resistance in the spring channel, locally raising surface water stage and adjacent water‐table elevation, and thereby altering the slope of the water‐table in the hyporheic zone. The Umatilla River floodplain is larger than most sites where hyporheic hydrology has been investigated in detail. Yet, our results corroborate other research that has identified off‐channel geomorphic features as important drivers of hyporheic hydrology, including previously published modeling efforts from a similar river and field observations from smaller streams. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hyporheic and total transient storage in small,sand‐bed streams

Key processes in stream ecosystems are linked to hydraulic retention, which is the departure of stream flow from ideal ‘plug flow’, and reflects fluid movement through surface and hyporheic storage zones. Most existing information about hyporheic exchange is based on flume studies or field measurements in relatively steep streams with beds coarser than sand. Stream tracer studies may be used to quantify overall hydraulic retention, but disaggregation of surface and hyporheic retention remains difficult. A stream tracer approach was used to compute the rates at which stream water is exchanged with water in storage zones (total storage) in short reaches of two small, sand‐bed streams under free and obstructed flow conditions. Tracer curves were fit to the one‐dimensional transport with inflow storage model OTIS‐P. Networks of piezometers were used to measure specific discharge between the stream and the groundwater. In the sand‐bed streams studied, parameters describing total retention were in the upper 50% of data compiled from the literature, most of which represented streams with beds coarser than sand. However, hyporheic storage was an insignificant component of total hydraulic retention, representing only 0·01–0·49% of total exchange, and this fraction did not increase after installation of flow obstructions. Total retention did not vary systematically with bed material size, but increased 50–100% following flow obstruction. Removal of roughness elements, such as large wood and debris dams, is detrimental to processes dependent upon transient storage in small, sand‐bed streams. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.