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Hyporheic exchange transports solutes into the subsurface where they can undergo biogeochemical transformations, affecting fluvial water quality and ecology. A three-dimensional numerical model of a natural in-stream gravel bar (20 m x 6 m) is presented. Multiple steady state streamflow is simulated with a computational fluid dynamics code that is sequentially coupled to a reactive transport groundwater model via the hydraulic head distribution at the streambed. Ambient groundwater flow is considered by scenarios of neutral, gaining, and losing conditions. The transformation of oxygen, nitrate, and dissolved organic carbon by aerobic respiration and denitrification in the hyporheic zone are modeled, as is the denitrification of groundwater-borne nitrate when mixed with stream-sourced carbon. In contrast to fully submerged structures, hyporheic exchange flux decreases with increasing stream discharge, due to decreasing hydraulic head gradients across the partially submerged structure. Hyporheic residence time distributions are skewed in the log-space with medians of up to 8 h and shift to symmetric distributions with increasing level of submergence. Solute turnover is mainly controlled by residence times and the extent of the hyporheic exchange flow, which defines the potential reaction area. Although streamflow is the primary driver of hyporheic exchange, its impact on hyporheic exchange flux, residence times, and solute turnover is small, as these quantities exponentially decrease under losing and gaining conditions. Hence, highest reaction potential exists under neutral conditions, when the capacity for denitrification in the partially submerged structure can be orders of magnitude higher than in fully submerged structures.
The analytical evaluation of diurnal temperature variation in riverbed sediments provides detailed information on exchange fluxes between rivers and groundwater. The underlying assumption of the stationary, one-dimensional vertical flow field is frequently violated in natural systems where subsurface water flow often has a significant horizontal component. In this paper, we present a new methodology for identifying the geometry of the subsurface flow field using vertical temperature profiles. The statistical analyses are based on model optimisation and selection and are used to evaluate the shape of vertical amplitude ratio profiles. The method was applied to multiple profiles measured around in-stream geomorphological structures in a losing reach of a gravel bed river. The predominant subsurface flow field was systematically categorised in purely vertical and horizontal (hyporheic, parafluvial) components. The results highlight that river groundwater exchange flux at the head, crest and tail of geomorphological structures significantly deviated from the one-dimensional vertical flow, due to a significant horizontal component. The geometry of the subsurface water flow depended on the position around the geomorphological structures and on the river level. The methodology presented in this paper features great potential for characterising the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of complex subsurface flow geometries by using measured temperature time series in vertical profiles. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Flow patterns in conjunction with seasonal and diurnal temperature variations control ecological and biogeochemical conditions in hyporheic sediments. In particular, hyporheic temperatures have a great impact on many temperature-sensitive microbial processes. In this study, we used 3-D coupled water flow and heat transport simulations applying the HydroGeoSphere code in combination with high-resolution observations of hydraulic heads and temperatures to quantify reach-scale water and heat flux across the river-groundwater interface and hyporheic temperature dynamics of a lowland gravel bed river. The model was calibrated in order to constrain estimates of the most sensitive model parameters. The magnitude and variations of the simulated temperatures matched the observed ones, with an average mean absolute error of 0.7 degrees C and an average Nash Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.87. Our results indicate that nonsubmerged streambed structures such as gravel bars cause substantial thermal heterogeneity within the saturated sediment at the reach scale. Individual hyporheic flow path temperatures strongly depend on the flow path residence time, flow path depth, river, and groundwater temperature. Variations in individual hyporheic flow path temperatures were up to 7.9 degrees C, significantly higher than the daily average (2.8 degrees C), but still lower than the average seasonal hyporheic temperature difference (19.2 degrees C). The distribution between flow path temperatures and residence times follows a power law relationship with exponent of about 0.37. Based on this empirical relation, we further estimated the influence of hyporheic flow path residence time and temperature on oxygen consumption which was found to partly increase by up to 29% in simulations.