Articles | Volume 19, issue 9
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 3771–3785, 2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3771-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 3771–3785, 2015
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3771-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article 08 Sep 2015
Research article | 08 Sep 2015
Transit times from rainfall to baseflow in headwater catchments estimated using tritium: the Ovens River, Australia
I. Cartwright and U. Morgenstern
Related authors
Dylan J. Irvine, Cameron Wood, Ian Cartwright, and Tanya Oliver
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 5415–5424, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5415-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5415-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
It is widely assumed that 14C is in contact with the atmosphere until recharging water reaches the water table. Unsaturated zone (UZ) studies have shown that 14C decreases with depth below the land surface. We produce a relationship between UZ 14C and depth to the water table to estimate input 14C activities for groundwater age estimation. Application of the new relationship shows that it is important for UZ processes to be considered in groundwater mean residence time estimation.
Ian Cartwright
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-454, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-454, 2021
Preprint under review for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
Using specific conductivity (SC) to estimate groundwater inflow to rivers is complicated by bank return waters, interflow, and flows off floodplains contributing to baseflow in all but the driest years. Using the maximum SC of the river in dry years to estimate the SC of groundwater produces the best baseflow vs streamflow trends. The variable composition of baseflow hinders calibration of hydrograph-based techniques to estimate groundwater inflows.
Michael Kilgour Stewart, Uwe Morgenstern, and Ian Cartwright
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-146, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-146, 2021
Revised manuscript under review for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
The combined use of deuterium and tritium to determine travel time distributions in streams is an important development in catchment hydrology (Rodriguez et al, 2021). This comment, however, argues that their results do not generally invalidate the truncation hypothesis of Stewart et al. (2010) (i.e. that stable isotopes underestimate travel times through catchments) as they imply, but asserts instead that the hypothesis still applies to many other catchments.
Shovon Barua, Ian Cartwright, P. Evan Dresel, and Edoardo Daly
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 89–104, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-89-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-89-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We evaluate groundwater recharge rates in a semi-arid area that has undergone land-use changes. The widespread presence of old saline groundwater indicates that pre-land-clearing recharge rates were low and present-day recharge rates are still modest. The fluctuations of the water table and tritium activities reflect present-day recharge rates; however, the water table fluctuation estimates are unrealistically high, and this technique may not be suited for estimating recharge in semi-arid areas.
Harald Hofmann, Dean Newborn, Ian Cartwright, Dioni I. Cendón, and Matthias Raiber
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1293–1318, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1293-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1293-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Fresh groundwater (GW) on barrier islands is affected by GW use and precipitation variability. Mean residence times (MRTs) of GW on a sand barrier island were determined. They ranged from 37 years to more than 150 years for tritium and had a much larger range (modern to 5000 years) for carbon-14. Perched aquifer systems in the unsaturated zone and peat formations around wetlands are the most likely cause of longer MRTs, as they have a significant impact on regional recharge and flow diversion.
William Howcroft, Ian Cartwright, and Uwe Morgenstern
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 635–653, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-635-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-635-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Documenting mean transit times is critical for understanding and managing catchments. Mean transit times in six headwater catchments of the Otway Ranges, Australia, determined using tritium, range from 7 to 230 years. Tritium activities correlate well with streamflow but are difficult to predict from catchment attributes or major ion geochemistry. The long mean transit times suggest that the catchments are buffered from short-term rainfall variations.
Ian Cartwright and Uwe Morgenstern
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4757–4773, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4757-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4757-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This research used tritium to determine the timescales that water is stored in peatlands and eucalyptus forest catchments in upland river systems in southeast Australia. The mean transit times in the peatland catchments of less than a few years contrast with much longer transit times (years to decades) in adjacent eucalyptus catchments. The peat is susceptible to drying which renders it vulnerable to degradation and bushfire and does not represent a long-term water store to upland streams.
Ian Cartwright and Harald Hofmann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3581–3600, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3581-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3581-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This paper uses the natural geochemical tracer Rn together with streamflow measurements to differentiate between actual groundwater inflows and water that exits the river, flows through the near-river sediments, and subsequently re-enters the river downstream (parafluvial flow). Distinguishing between these two components is important to understanding the water balance in gaining streams and in managing and protecting surface water resources.
N. P. Unland, I. Cartwright, D. I. Cendón, and R. Chisari
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 5109–5124, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-5109-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-5109-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
Periodic flooding of rivers should result in increased groundwater recharge near rivers and thus - younger and fresher groundwater near rivers. This study found the age and salinity of shallow groundwater to increase with proximity to the Tambo River in South East Australia. This appears to be due to the upwelling of older, regional groundwater closer the river. Other chemical parameters are consistent with this. This is a process that may be occurring in other similar river systems.
A. P. Atkinson, I. Cartwright, B. S. Gilfedder, D. I. Cendón, N. P. Unland, and H. Hofmann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 4951–4964, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4951-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4951-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
This research article uses of radiogenic isotopes, stable isotopes and groundwater geochemistry to study groundwater age and recharge processes in the Gellibrand Valley, a relatively unstudied catchment and potential groundwater resource. The valley is found to contain both "old", regionally recharged groundwater (300-10,000 years) in the near-river environment, and modern groundwater (0-100 years old) further back on the floodplain. There is no recharge of the groundwater by high river flows.
I. Cartwright, B. Gilfedder, and H. Hofmann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 15–30, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-15-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-15-2014, 2014
M. C. L. Yu, I. Cartwright, J. L. Braden, and S. T. de Bree
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 4907–4924, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-4907-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-4907-2013, 2013
N. P. Unland, I. Cartwright, M. S. Andersen, G. C. Rau, J. Reed, B. S. Gilfedder, A. P. Atkinson, and H. Hofmann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 3437–3453, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3437-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3437-2013, 2013
Dylan J. Irvine, Cameron Wood, Ian Cartwright, and Tanya Oliver
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 5415–5424, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5415-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5415-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
It is widely assumed that 14C is in contact with the atmosphere until recharging water reaches the water table. Unsaturated zone (UZ) studies have shown that 14C decreases with depth below the land surface. We produce a relationship between UZ 14C and depth to the water table to estimate input 14C activities for groundwater age estimation. Application of the new relationship shows that it is important for UZ processes to be considered in groundwater mean residence time estimation.
Ian Cartwright
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-454, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-454, 2021
Preprint under review for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
Using specific conductivity (SC) to estimate groundwater inflow to rivers is complicated by bank return waters, interflow, and flows off floodplains contributing to baseflow in all but the driest years. Using the maximum SC of the river in dry years to estimate the SC of groundwater produces the best baseflow vs streamflow trends. The variable composition of baseflow hinders calibration of hydrograph-based techniques to estimate groundwater inflows.
Michael Kilgour Stewart, Uwe Morgenstern, and Ian Cartwright
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-146, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2021-146, 2021
Revised manuscript under review for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
The combined use of deuterium and tritium to determine travel time distributions in streams is an important development in catchment hydrology (Rodriguez et al, 2021). This comment, however, argues that their results do not generally invalidate the truncation hypothesis of Stewart et al. (2010) (i.e. that stable isotopes underestimate travel times through catchments) as they imply, but asserts instead that the hypothesis still applies to many other catchments.
Shovon Barua, Ian Cartwright, P. Evan Dresel, and Edoardo Daly
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 89–104, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-89-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-89-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We evaluate groundwater recharge rates in a semi-arid area that has undergone land-use changes. The widespread presence of old saline groundwater indicates that pre-land-clearing recharge rates were low and present-day recharge rates are still modest. The fluctuations of the water table and tritium activities reflect present-day recharge rates; however, the water table fluctuation estimates are unrealistically high, and this technique may not be suited for estimating recharge in semi-arid areas.
Harald Hofmann, Dean Newborn, Ian Cartwright, Dioni I. Cendón, and Matthias Raiber
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1293–1318, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1293-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1293-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Fresh groundwater (GW) on barrier islands is affected by GW use and precipitation variability. Mean residence times (MRTs) of GW on a sand barrier island were determined. They ranged from 37 years to more than 150 years for tritium and had a much larger range (modern to 5000 years) for carbon-14. Perched aquifer systems in the unsaturated zone and peat formations around wetlands are the most likely cause of longer MRTs, as they have a significant impact on regional recharge and flow diversion.
William Howcroft, Ian Cartwright, and Uwe Morgenstern
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 635–653, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-635-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-635-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Documenting mean transit times is critical for understanding and managing catchments. Mean transit times in six headwater catchments of the Otway Ranges, Australia, determined using tritium, range from 7 to 230 years. Tritium activities correlate well with streamflow but are difficult to predict from catchment attributes or major ion geochemistry. The long mean transit times suggest that the catchments are buffered from short-term rainfall variations.
Michael K. Stewart, Uwe Morgenstern, Maksym A. Gusyev, and Piotr Małoszewski
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 4615–4627, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4615-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4615-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents for the first time the effects of aggregation errors on mean transit times and young fractions estimated using tritium concentrations. Such errors, due to heterogeneity in catchments, had previously been demonstrated for seasonal tracer cycles by Kirchner (2016a). We found that mean transit times derived from tritium are just as susceptible to aggregation bias as those from seasonal tracer cycles. Young fractions were found to be almost immune to aggregation bias.
Monique Beyer, Uwe Morgenstern, Rob van der Raaij, and Heather Martindale
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 4213–4231, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4213-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4213-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The determination of groundwater age can aid characterization of aquifers, providing information on groundwater mixing, flow, volume, and recharge rates. Here we assess a recently discovered groundwater age tracer, Halon-1301. Its performance as an age tracer is assessed against six other well-established, widely used age tracers in 302 groundwater samples. We show Halon-1301 reliably inferred age, thus potentially becoming a useful groundwater age tracer where other tracers are compromised.
Ian Cartwright and Uwe Morgenstern
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 4757–4773, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4757-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-4757-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This research used tritium to determine the timescales that water is stored in peatlands and eucalyptus forest catchments in upland river systems in southeast Australia. The mean transit times in the peatland catchments of less than a few years contrast with much longer transit times (years to decades) in adjacent eucalyptus catchments. The peat is susceptible to drying which renders it vulnerable to degradation and bushfire and does not represent a long-term water store to upland streams.
Ian Cartwright and Harald Hofmann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3581–3600, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3581-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3581-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This paper uses the natural geochemical tracer Rn together with streamflow measurements to differentiate between actual groundwater inflows and water that exits the river, flows through the near-river sediments, and subsequently re-enters the river downstream (parafluvial flow). Distinguishing between these two components is important to understanding the water balance in gaining streams and in managing and protecting surface water resources.
Maksym A. Gusyev, Uwe Morgenstern, Michael K. Stewart, Yusuke Yamazaki, Kazuhisa Kashiwaya, Terumasa Nishihara, Daisuke Kuribayashi, Hisaya Sawano, and Yoichi Iwami
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3043–3058, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3043-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3043-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Tritium-estimated groundwater mean transit times (MTTs) and storage volumes provide useful information for water resources management especially during droughts. In Hokkaido, we find that (1) one tritium measurement at baseflow is already sufficient to estimate MTT for some catchments, (2) the hydrogeological settings control tritium transit times of subsurface groundwater storage at baseflow, and (3) in future, one tritium measurement will be sufficient to estimate MTT in most Japanese catchments.
M. Beyer, R. van der Raaij, U. Morgenstern, and B. Jackson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 2775–2789, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2775-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2775-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We assess the potential of Halon-1301 as a new groundwater age tracer, which had not been assessed in detail. We determine Halon-1301 and infer age in 17 New Zealand groundwater samples and various modern waters. Halon-1301 reliably inferred age in 71% of the sites within 1 SD of the ages inferred from tritium and SF6. The remaining (anoxic) waters show reduced concentrations of Halon-1301 along with even further reduced concentrations of CFCs. The reason(s) for this need to be further assessed.
S. Kang, F. Wang, U. Morgenstern, Y. Zhang, B. Grigholm, S. Kaspari, M. Schwikowski, J. Ren, T. Yao, D. Qin, and P. A. Mayewski
The Cryosphere, 9, 1213–1222, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1213-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1213-2015, 2015
U. Morgenstern, C. J. Daughney, G. Leonard, D. Gordon, F. M. Donath, and R. Reeves
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 803–822, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-803-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-803-2015, 2015
N. P. Unland, I. Cartwright, D. I. Cendón, and R. Chisari
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 5109–5124, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-5109-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-5109-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
Periodic flooding of rivers should result in increased groundwater recharge near rivers and thus - younger and fresher groundwater near rivers. This study found the age and salinity of shallow groundwater to increase with proximity to the Tambo River in South East Australia. This appears to be due to the upwelling of older, regional groundwater closer the river. Other chemical parameters are consistent with this. This is a process that may be occurring in other similar river systems.
A. P. Atkinson, I. Cartwright, B. S. Gilfedder, D. I. Cendón, N. P. Unland, and H. Hofmann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 4951–4964, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4951-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4951-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
This research article uses of radiogenic isotopes, stable isotopes and groundwater geochemistry to study groundwater age and recharge processes in the Gellibrand Valley, a relatively unstudied catchment and potential groundwater resource. The valley is found to contain both "old", regionally recharged groundwater (300-10,000 years) in the near-river environment, and modern groundwater (0-100 years old) further back on the floodplain. There is no recharge of the groundwater by high river flows.
M. A. Gusyev, D. Abrams, M. W. Toews, U. Morgenstern, and M. K. Stewart
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 3109–3119, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3109-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3109-2014, 2014
I. Cartwright, B. Gilfedder, and H. Hofmann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 15–30, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-15-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-15-2014, 2014
M. C. L. Yu, I. Cartwright, J. L. Braden, and S. T. de Bree
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 4907–4924, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-4907-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-4907-2013, 2013
N. P. Unland, I. Cartwright, M. S. Andersen, G. C. Rau, J. Reed, B. S. Gilfedder, A. P. Atkinson, and H. Hofmann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 3437–3453, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3437-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3437-2013, 2013
M. A. Gusyev, M. Toews, U. Morgenstern, M. Stewart, P. White, C. Daughney, and J. Hadfield
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 1217–1227, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-1217-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-1217-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Subject: Catchment hydrology | Techniques and Approaches: Instruments and observation techniques
Technical note: Introduction of a superconducting gravimeter as novel hydrological sensor for the Alpine research catchment Zugspitze
CABra: a novel large-sample dataset for Brazilian catchments
Benefits from high-density rain gauge observations for hydrological response analysis in a small alpine catchment
Hydrologic regimes drive nitrate export behavior in human-impacted watersheds
Intensive landscape-scale remediation improves water quality of an alluvial gully located in a Great Barrier Reef catchment
Environmental DNA simultaneously informs hydrological and biodiversity characterization of an Alpine catchment
Technical note: Evaluation of a low-cost evaporation protection method for portable water samplers
New flood frequency estimates for the largest river in Norway based on the combination of short and long time series
The pulse of a montane ecosystem: coupling between daily cycles in solar flux, snowmelt, transpiration, groundwater, and streamflow at Sagehen Creek and Independence Creek, Sierra Nevada, USA
Technical note: A time-integrated sediment trap to sample diatoms for hydrological tracing
Do stream water solute concentrations reflect when connectivity occurs in a small, pre-Alpine headwater catchment?
Soil moisture sensor network design for hydrological applications
Catchment-scale drought: capturing the whole drought cycle using multiple indicators
Field-based estimation and modelling of distributed groundwater recharge in a Mediterranean karst catchment, Wadi Natuf, West Bank
Surface water as a cause of land degradation from dryland salinity
Technical note: A microcontroller-based automatic rain sampler for stable isotope studies
Controls on spatial and temporal variability in streamflow and hydrochemistry in a glacierized catchment
Open-source Arduino-compatible data loggers designed for field research
Water-use dynamics of an alien-invaded riparian forest within the summer rainfall zone of South Africa
Technical note: Mapping surface-saturation dynamics with thermal infrared imagery
Value of uncertain streamflow observations for hydrological modelling
Why has catchment evaporation increased in the past 40 years? A data-based study in Austria
Technical note: GUARD – an automated fluid sampler preventing sample alteration by contamination, evaporation and gas exchange, suitable for remote areas and harsh conditions
Hydrological processes and permafrost regulate magnitude, source and chemical characteristics of dissolved organic carbon export in a peatland catchment of northeastern China
Exploring the influence of citizen involvement on the assimilation of crowdsourced observations: a modelling study based on the 2013 flood event in the Bacchiglione catchment (Italy)
Comment on “Can assimilation of crowdsourced data in hydrological modelling improve flood prediction?” by Mazzoleni et al. (2017)
Multiconfiguration electromagnetic induction survey for paleochannel internal structure imaging: a case study in the alluvial plain of the River Seine, France
Tree-, stand- and site-specific controls on landscape-scale patterns of transpiration
The potamochemical symphony: new progress in the high-frequency acquisition of stream chemical data
Impact of snow deposition on major and trace element concentrations and elementary fluxes in surface waters of the Western Siberian Lowland across a 1700 km latitudinal gradient
Human amplified changes in precipitation–runoff patterns in large river basins of the Midwestern United States
Landscape and groundwater controls over boreal lake water chemistry and water balance heterogeneity in an esker complex of northeastern Ontario, Canada
Landscape-scale water balance monitoring with an iGrav superconducting gravimeter in a field enclosure
A site-level comparison of lysimeter and eddy covariance flux measurements of evapotranspiration
A lab in the field: high-frequency analysis of water quality and stable isotopes in stream water and precipitation
High-magnitude flooding across Britain since AD 1750
Water yield following forest–grass–forest transitions
Exploring water cycle dynamics by sampling multiple stable water isotope pools in a developed landscape in Germany
Variations of deep soil moisture under different vegetation types and influencing factors in a watershed of the Loess Plateau, China
Contradictory hydrological impacts of afforestation in the humid tropics evidenced by long-term field monitoring and simulation modelling
Use of cosmic-ray neutron sensors for soil moisture monitoring in forests
Closing the water balance with cosmic-ray soil moisture measurements and assessing their relation to evapotranspiration in two semiarid watersheds
The Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL) in Petzenkirchen: a hypothesis-driven observatory
Time series of tritium, stable isotopes and chloride reveal short-term variations in groundwater contribution to a stream
Understanding runoff processes in a semi-arid environment through isotope and hydrochemical hydrograph separations
Qualitative soil moisture assessment in semi-arid Africa – the role of experience and training on inter-rater reliability
Detecting groundwater discharge dynamics from point-to-catchment scale in a lowland stream: combining hydraulic and tracer methods
Characteristics and controls of variability in soil moisture and groundwater in a headwater catchment
Groundwater surface mapping informs sources of catchment baseflow
Spatial distribution of oxygen-18 and deuterium in stream waters across the Japanese archipelago
Christian Voigt, Karsten Schulz, Franziska Koch, Karl-Friedrich Wetzel, Ludger Timmen, Till Rehm, Hartmut Pflug, Nico Stolarczuk, Christoph Förste, and Frank Flechtner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 5047–5064, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5047-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5047-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A continuously operating superconducting gravimeter at the Zugspitze summit is introduced to support hydrological studies of the Partnach spring catchment known as the Zugspitze research catchment. The observed gravity residuals reflect total water storage variations at the observation site. Hydro-gravimetric analysis show a high correlation between gravity and the snow water equivalent, with a gravimetric footprint of up to 4 km radius enabling integral insights into this high alpine catchment.
André Almagro, Paulo Tarso S. Oliveira, Antônio Alves Meira Neto, Tirthankar Roy, and Peter Troch
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 3105–3135, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3105-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-3105-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We have collected and synthesized catchment attributes from multiple sources into an extensive dataset, the Catchment Attributes for Brazil (CABra). CABra contains streamflow and climate daily series for 735 catchments in the 1980–2010 period, aside from dozens of attributes of topography, climate, streamflow, groundwater, soil, geology, land cover, and hydrologic disturbance. The CABra intends to pave the way for a better understanding of catchments' behavior in Brazil and the world.
Anthony Michelon, Lionel Benoit, Harsh Beria, Natalie Ceperley, and Bettina Schaefli
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 2301–2325, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2301-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-2301-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Rainfall observation remains a challenge, particularly in mountain environments. Unlike most studies which are model based, this analysis of the rainfall–runoff response of a 13.4 km2 alpine catchment is purely data based and relies on measurements from a network of 12 low-cost rain gauges over 3 months. It assesses the importance of high-density rainfall observations in informing hydrological processes and helps in designing a permanent rain gauge network.
Galen Gorski and Margaret A. Zimmer
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 1333–1345, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-1333-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-1333-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding when, where, and how nitrate is exported from watersheds is the key to addressing the challenges that excess nutrients pose. We analyzed daily nitrate and streamflow data for five nested, agricultural watersheds that export high levels of nitrate over a 4-year time period. Nutrient export patterns varied seasonally during baseflow but were stationary during stormflow. Additionally, anthropogenic and geologic factors drove nutrient export during both baseflow and stormflow.
Nicholas J. C. Doriean, William W. Bennett, John R. Spencer, Alexandra Garzon-Garcia, Joanne M. Burton, Peter R. Teasdale, David T. Welsh, and Andrew P. Brooks
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 867–883, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-867-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-867-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Gully erosion is a major contributor to suspended sediment and associated nutrient pollution (e.g. gullies generate approximately 40 % of the sediment pollution impacting the Great Barrier Reef). This study used a new method of monitoring to demonstrate how large-scale earthworks used to remediated large gullies (i.e. eroding landforms > 1 ha) can drastically improve the water quality of connected waterways and, thus, protect vulnerable ecosystems in downstream-receiving waters.
Elvira Mächler, Anham Salyani, Jean-Claude Walser, Annegret Larsen, Bettina Schaefli, Florian Altermatt, and Natalie Ceperley
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 735–753, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-735-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-735-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we collected water from an Alpine catchment in Switzerland and compared the genetic information of eukaryotic organisms conveyed by eDNA with the hydrologic information conveyed by naturally occurring hydrologic tracers. At the intersection of two disciplines, our study provides complementary knowledge gains and identifies the next steps to be addressed for using eDNA to achieve complementary insights into Alpine water sources.
Jana von Freyberg, Julia L. A. Knapp, Andrea Rücker, Bjørn Studer, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5821–5834, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5821-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5821-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Automated water samplers are often used to collect precipitation and streamwater samples for subsequent isotope analysis, but the isotopic signal of these samples may be altered due to evaporative fractionation occurring during the storage inside the autosamplers in the field. In this article we present and evaluate a cost-efficient modification to the Teledyne ISCO automated water sampler that prevents isotopic enrichment through evaporative fractionation of the water samples.
Kolbjørn Engeland, Anna Aano, Ida Steffensen, Eivind Støren, and Øyvind Paasche
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5595–5619, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5595-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5595-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We combine systematic, historical, and paleo information to obtain flood information from the last 10 300 years for the Glomma River in Norway. We identify periods with increased flood activity (4000–2000 years ago and the recent 1000 years) that correspond broadly to periods with low summer temperatures and glacier growth. The design floods in Glomma were more than 20 % higher during the 18th century than today. We suggest that trends in flood variability are linked to snow in late spring.
James W. Kirchner, Sarah E. Godsey, Madeline Solomon, Randall Osterhuber, Joseph R. McConnell, and Daniele Penna
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 5095–5123, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5095-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-5095-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Streams and groundwaters often show daily cycles in response to snowmelt and evapotranspiration. These typically have a roughly 6 h time lag, which is often interpreted as a travel-time lag. Here we show that it is instead primarily a phase lag that arises because aquifers integrate their inputs over time. We further show how these cycles shift seasonally, mirroring the springtime retreat of snow cover to higher elevations and the seasonal advance and retreat of photosynthetic activity.
Jasper Foets, Carlos E. Wetzel, Núria Martínez-Carreras, Adriaan J. Teuling, Jean-François Iffly, and Laurent Pfister
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 4709–4725, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4709-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4709-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Diatoms (microscopic algae) are regarded as useful tracers in catchment hydrology. However, diatom analysis is labour-intensive; therefore, only a limited number of samples can be analysed. To reduce this number, we explored the potential for a time-integrated mass-flux sampler to provide a representative sample of the diatom assemblage for a whole storm run-off event. Our results indicate that the Phillips sampler did indeed sample representative communities during two of the three events.
Leonie Kiewiet, Ilja van Meerveld, Manfred Stähli, and Jan Seibert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3381–3398, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3381-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3381-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The sources of stream water are important, for instance, for predicting floods. The connectivity between streams and different (ground-)water sources can change during rain events, which affects the stream water composition. We investigated this for stream water sampled during four events and found that stream water came from different sources. The stream water composition changed gradually, and we showed that changes in solute concentrations could be partly linked to changes in connectivity.
Lu Zhuo, Qiang Dai, Binru Zhao, and Dawei Han
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2577–2591, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2577-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2577-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Soil moisture plays an important role in hydrological modelling. However, most existing in situ observation networks rarely provide sufficient coverage to capture soil moisture variations. Clearly, there is a need to develop a systematic approach, so that with the minimal number of sensors the soil moisture information could be captured accurately. In this study, a simple and low-data requirement method is proposed (WRF, PCA, CA), which can provide very efficient soil moisture estimations.
Abraham J. Gibson, Danielle C. Verdon-Kidd, Greg R. Hancock, and Garry Willgoose
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1985–2002, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1985-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1985-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
To be better prepared for drought, we need to be able to characterize how they begin, translate to on-ground impacts and how they end. We created a 100-year drought record for an area on the east coast of Australia and compared this with soil moisture and vegetation data. Drought reduces vegetation and soil moisture, but recovery rates are different across different catchments. Our methods can be universally applied and show the need to develop area-specific data to inform drought management.
Clemens Messerschmid, Martin Sauter, and Jens Lange
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 887–917, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-887-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-887-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Recharge assessment in the shared transboundary Western Aquifer Basin is highly relevant, scientifically as well as hydropolitically (in Israeli–Palestinian water negotiations). Our unique combination of field-measured soil characteristics and soil moisture time series with soil moisture saturation excess modelling provides a new basis for the spatial differentiation of formation-specific groundwater recharge (at any scale), applicable also in other previously ungauged basins around the world.
J. Nikolaus Callow, Matthew R. Hipsey, and Ryan I. J. Vogwill
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 717–734, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-717-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-717-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Secondary dryland salinity is a global land degradation issue. Our understanding of causal processes is adapted from wet and hydrologically connected landscapes and concludes that low end-of-catchment runoff indicates land clearing alters water balance in favour of increased infiltration and rising groundwater that bring salts to the surface causing salinity. This study shows surface flows play an important role in causing valley floor recharge and dryland salinity in low-gradient landscapes.
Nils Michelsen, Gerrit Laube, Jan Friesen, Stephan M. Weise, Ali Bakhit Ali Bait Said, and Thomas Müller
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2637–2645, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2637-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2637-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Most commercial automatic rain samplers are costly and do not prevent evaporation from the collection bottles. Hence, we have developed a microcontroller-based collector enabling timer-actuated integral rain sampling. The simple, low-cost device is robust and effectively minimizes post-sampling evaporation. The excellent performance of the collector during an evaporation experiment in a lab oven suggests that even multi-week field deployments in warm climates are feasible.
Michael Engel, Daniele Penna, Giacomo Bertoldi, Gianluca Vignoli, Werner Tirler, and Francesco Comiti
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2041–2063, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2041-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2041-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrometric and geochemical dynamics are controlled by interplay of meteorological conditions, topography and geological heterogeneity. Nivo-meteorological indicators (such as global solar radiation, temperature and decreasing snow depth) explain monthly conductivity and isotopic dynamics best. These insights are important for better understanding hydrochemical responses of glacierized catchments under a changing cryosphere.
Andrew D. Wickert, Chad T. Sandell, Bobby Schulz, and Gene-Hua Crystal Ng
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2065–2076, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2065-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2065-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Measuring Earth's changing environment is a critical part of natural science, but to date most of the equipment to do so is expensive, proprietary, and difficult to customize. We addressed this challenge by developing and deploying the ALog, a low-power, lightweight, Arduino-compatible data logger. We present our hardware schematics and layouts, as well as our customizable code library that operates the ALog and helps users to link it to off-the-shelf sensors.
Bruce C. Scott-Shaw and Colin S. Everson
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1553–1565, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1553-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1553-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The research undertaken for this study has allowed for an accurate direct comparison of indigenous and introduced tree water use. The measurements of trees growing in the understorey indicate significant water use in the subcanopy layer. The results showed that individual tree water use is largely inter-species specific. The introduced species remain active during the dry winter periods, resulting in their cumulative water use being significantly greater than that of the indigenous species.
Barbara Glaser, Marta Antonelli, Marco Chini, Laurent Pfister, and Julian Klaus
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5987–6003, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5987-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5987-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We demonstrate how thermal infrared images can be used for mapping the appearance and disappearance of water at the surface. The use of thermal infrared images allows for mapping this appearance and disappearance for various temporal and spatial resolutions, and the images can be understood intuitively. We explain the necessary steps in detail, from image acquisition to final processing, by relying on image examples and experience from an 18-month mapping campaign.
Simon Etter, Barbara Strobl, Jan Seibert, and H. J. Ilja van Meerveld
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5243–5257, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5243-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5243-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
To evaluate the potential value of streamflow estimates for hydrological model calibration, we created synthetic streamflow datasets in various temporal resolutions based on the errors in streamflow estimates of 136 citizens. Our results show that streamflow estimates of untrained citizens are too inaccurate to be useful for model calibration. If, however, the errors can be reduced by training or filtering, the estimates become useful if also a sufficient number of estimates are available.
Doris Duethmann and Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5143–5158, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5143-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5143-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We analyze changes in catchment evaporation estimated from the water balances of 156 catchments in Austria over 1977–2014, as well as the possible causes of these changes. Our results show that catchment evaporation increased on average by 29 ± 14 mm yr−1 decade−1. We attribute this increase to changes in atmospheric demand (based on reference and pan evaporation), changes in vegetation (quantified by a satellite-based vegetation index), and changes in precipitation.
Arno Hartmann, Marc Luetscher, Ralf Wachter, Philipp Holz, Elisabeth Eiche, and Thomas Neumann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 4281–4293, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4281-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-4281-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We have developed a new mobile automated water sampling device for environmental research and other applications where waters need to be tested for compliance with environmental/health regulations. It has two main advantages over similar devices: firstly, it injects water samples directly into airtight vials to prevent any change in sample properties through contamination, evaporation and gas exchange. Secondly, it can hold up to 160 sample vials, while other devices only hold up to 24 vials.
Yuedong Guo, Changchun Song, Wenwen Tan, Xianwei Wang, and Yongzheng Lu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1081–1093, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1081-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-1081-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The study examined dynamics of DOC export from a permafrost peatland catchment located in northeastern China. The findings indicated that the DOC export is a transport-limited process and the DOC load was significant for the net carbon balance in the studied catchment. The flowpath shift process is key to observed DOC concentration, resources and chemical characteristics in discharge. Permafrost degradation would likely elevate the proportion of microbe-originated DOC in baseflow.
Maurizio Mazzoleni, Vivian Juliette Cortes Arevalo, Uta Wehn, Leonardo Alfonso, Daniele Norbiato, Martina Monego, Michele Ferri, and Dimitri P. Solomatine
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 391–416, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-391-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-391-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the usefulness of assimilating crowdsourced observations from a heterogeneous network of sensors for different scenarios of citizen involvement levels during the flood event occurred in the Bacchiglione catchment in May 2013. We achieve high model performance by integrating crowdsourced data, in particular from citizens motivated by their feeling of belonging to a community. Satisfactory model performance can still be obtained even for decreasing citizen involvement over time.
Daniele P. Viero
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 171–177, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-171-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-171-2018, 2018
Fayçal Rejiba, Cyril Schamper, Antoine Chevalier, Benoit Deleplancque, Gaghik Hovhannissian, Julien Thiesson, and Pierre Weill
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 159–170, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-159-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-159-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The internal variability of paleomeanders strongly influence water fluxes in alluvial plains. This study presents the results of a hydrogeophysical investigation that provide a very detailed characterization of the geometry of a wide paleomeander. The presented case study, situated in the Seine River basin (France), represents a common sedimentary and geomorphological structure in alluvial plains worldwide.
Sibylle Kathrin Hassler, Markus Weiler, and Theresa Blume
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 13–30, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-13-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-13-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We use sap velocity measurements from 61 trees on 132 days to gain knowledge about the controls of landscape-scale transpiration, distinguishing tree-, stand- and site-specific controls on sap velocity and sap flow patterns and examining their dynamics during the vegetation period. Our results show that these patterns are not exclusively determined by tree characteristics. Thus, including site characteristics such as geology and aspect could be beneficial for modelling or management purposes.
Paul Floury, Jérôme Gaillardet, Eric Gayer, Julien Bouchez, Gaëlle Tallec, Patrick Ansart, Frédéric Koch, Caroline Gorge, Arnaud Blanchouin, and Jean-Louis Roubaty
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 6153–6165, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-6153-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-6153-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new prototype
lab in the fieldnamed River Lab (RL) designed for water quality monitoring to perform a complete analysis at sub-hourly frequency of major dissolved species in river water. The article is an analytical paper to present the proof of concept, its performances and improvements. Our tests reveal a significant improvement of reproducibility compared to conventional analysis in the laboratory. First results are promising for understanding the critical zone.
Vladimir P. Shevchenko, Oleg S. Pokrovsky, Sergey N. Vorobyev, Ivan V. Krickov, Rinat M. Manasypov, Nadezhda V. Politova, Sergey G. Kopysov, Olga M. Dara, Yves Auda, Liudmila S. Shirokova, Larisa G. Kolesnichenko, Valery A. Zemtsov, and Sergey N. Kirpotin
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 5725–5746, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5725-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5725-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We used a coupled hydrological–hydrochemical approach to assess the impact of snow on river and lake water chemistry across a permafrost gradient in very poorly studied Western Siberia Lowland (WSL), encompassing > 1.5 million km2. The riverine springtime fluxes of major and trace element in WSL rivers might be strongly overestimated due to previously unknown input from the snow deposition.
Sara A. Kelly, Zeinab Takbiri, Patrick Belmont, and Efi Foufoula-Georgiou
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 5065–5088, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5065-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5065-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Humans have profoundly altered land cover and soil drainage for agricultural purposes in the Midwestern USA. Here we investigate whether climate alone can explain recent increases in observed streamflows throughout the region. Using multiple analyses, including statistical tests and water budgets, we conclude that historical drainage installation has likely amplified the streamflow response to regional precipitation increases. We stress that better documentation of artificial drainage is needed.
Maxime P. Boreux, Scott F. Lamoureux, and Brian F. Cumming
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2017-460, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2017-460, 2017
Revised manuscript accepted for HESS
Short summary
Short summary
The investigation of groundwater-lake water interactions in a highly permeable boreal terrain using several indicators showed that lowland lakes are imbedded into the groundwater system and are thus relatively resilient to short-term hydroclimatic change while upland lakes rely more on precipitation as their main water input, making them more sensitive to evaporative drawdown. This suggest that landscape position controls the vulnerability of lake water levels to hydroclimatic change.
Andreas Güntner, Marvin Reich, Michal Mikolaj, Benjamin Creutzfeldt, Stephan Schroeder, and Hartmut Wziontek
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 3167–3182, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3167-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3167-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Monitoring water storage changes beyond the point scale is a challenge. Here, we show that an integrative and non-invasive way is by observing variations of gravity that are induced by water mass changes. A high-precision superconducting gravimeter is successfully operated in the field and allows for direct and continuous monitoring of the water balance and of its components, such as actual evapotranspiration.
Martin Hirschi, Dominik Michel, Irene Lehner, and Sonia I. Seneviratne
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1809–1825, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1809-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1809-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We compare lysimeter and eddy covariance (EC) flux measurements of evapotranspiration at a research catchment in Switzerland. The measurements are compared on various timescales, and with respect to a 40-year long-term lysimeter time series. Overall, the lysimeter and EC measurements agree well, especially on the annual timescale. Furthermore, we identify that lack of reliable EC data during/after rainfall events significantly contributes to an underestimation of EC evapotranspiration.
Jana von Freyberg, Bjørn Studer, and James W. Kirchner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1721–1739, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1721-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1721-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present a newly developed instrument package that enables the online analysis of stable water isotopes and major ion chemistry at 30 min intervals in the field. The resulting data streams provide an unprecedented view of hydrochemical dynamics on the catchment scale. Based on a detailed analysis of the variable behavior of isotopic and chemical tracers in stream water and precipitation over a 4-week period, we developed a conceptual hypothesis for runoff generation in the studied catchment.
Neil Macdonald and Heather Sangster
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1631–1650, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1631-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1631-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We use historical records to extend current understanding of flood risk, examining past spatial and temporal variability and ask
are the perceived high-magnitude flood events witnessed in recent years really unprecedented?We identify that there are statistically significant relationships between the British flood index and climatic drivers, whereby the largest floods often transcend single catchments affecting regions and that the current flood-rich period is not unprecedented.
Katherine J. Elliott, Peter V. Caldwell, Steven T. Brantley, Chelcy F. Miniat, James M. Vose, and Wayne T. Swank
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 981–997, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-981-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-981-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Our long-term results are relevant to land areas that are in pasture and those that have reverted back to forests. We found that within a deciduous forest, species identity matters in terms of how much precipitation leaves the watershed as evapotranspiration versus water yield. We demonstrate that a shift in tree species composition from species with ring-porous xylem to species with diffuse-porous xylem can increase water use, and in turn, produce a long-term reduction in water yield.
Natalie Orlowski, Philipp Kraft, Jakob Pferdmenges, and Lutz Breuer
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3873–3894, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3873-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3873-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The 2-year measurements of δ2H and δ18O in rainfall, stream, soil, and groundwater revealed that surface and groundwater are isotopically disconnected from the annual precipitation cycle but showed bidirectional interactions in the Schwingbach catchment. We established a hydrological model to estimate spatially distributed groundwater ages and flow directions. Our model revealed complex age dynamics and showed that runoff must have been stored in the catchment for much longer than event water.
Xuening Fang, Wenwu Zhao, Lixin Wang, Qiang Feng, Jingyi Ding, Yuanxin Liu, and Xiao Zhang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3309–3323, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3309-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3309-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we focused on analyzing the variation and factors influencing deep soil moisture content based on a soil moisture survey of the Ansai watershed. Our results revealed the variation characteristics of deep soil moisture and its controlling mechanism at a moderate scale. The results of this study are of practical significance for vegetation restoration strategies and the sustainability of restored ecosystems.
Guillaume Lacombe, Olivier Ribolzi, Anneke de Rouw, Alain Pierret, Keoudone Latsachak, Norbert Silvera, Rinh Pham Dinh, Didier Orange, Jean-Louis Janeau, Bounsamai Soulileuth, Henri Robain, Adrien Taccoen, Phouthamaly Sengphaathith, Emmanuel Mouche, Oloth Sengtaheuanghoung, Toan Tran Duc, and Christian Valentin
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 2691–2704, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2691-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2691-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Laos and Vietnam have switched from net forest loss to net forest expansion between 1990 and 2015. Based on long-term field measurements of land use, river flows, and weather data, we demonstrate that forest expansion can have extreme, yet opposite, impacts on water resources, depending on how the newly established tree-based cover is managed. The conversion of annual crops to teak plantations in Laos or to naturally regrowing forests in Vietnam led to increased and decreased flows, respectively.
Ingo Heidbüchel, Andreas Güntner, and Theresa Blume
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 1269–1288, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-1269-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-1269-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Cosmic-ray neutron sensors bridge the gap between point-scale measurements of soil moisture and remote sensing applications. We tested four distinct methods to calibrate the sensor in a temperate forest environment using different soil moisture weighting approaches. While the variable leaf biomass of the deciduous trees had no significant influence on the calibration, it proved necessary to modify the standard calibration method to achieve the best sensor performance.
A. P. Schreiner-McGraw, E. R. Vivoni, G. Mascaro, and T. E. Franz
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 329–345, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-329-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-329-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Soil moisture estimates from a novel method were evaluated in two semiarid watersheds. We found good agreements between the technique and estimates derived from watershed instruments designed to close the water balance. We then investigated local hydrologic processes and link between evapotranspiration and soil moisture obtained from the novel measurements.
G. Blöschl, A. P. Blaschke, M. Broer, C. Bucher, G. Carr, X. Chen, A. Eder, M. Exner-Kittridge, A. Farnleitner, A. Flores-Orozco, P. Haas, P. Hogan, A. Kazemi Amiri, M. Oismüller, J. Parajka, R. Silasari, P. Stadler, P. Strauss, M. Vreugdenhil, W. Wagner, and M. Zessner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 227–255, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-227-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-227-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This paper illustrates the experimental and monitoring set-up of the 66 ha Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL) in Petzenkirchen, Lower Austria, which allows meaningful hypothesis testing. The HOAL catchment features a range of different runoff generation processes (surface runoff, springs, tile drains, wetlands), and is convenient from a logistic point of view as all instruments can be connected to the power grid and a high-speed glassfibre local area network.
C. Duvert, M. K. Stewart, D. I. Cendón, and M. Raiber
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 257–277, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-257-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-257-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The transit time of water is a key indicator of hydrological processes at the catchment scale. Our results suggest that the use of tritium time series in streamwater can be highly valuable for assessing the temporal variations in the transit time of older groundwater contributions to streamflow. We also show that, shortly after high flow events, the transit time of the old water fraction increases and tends to approach the groundwater residence time.
V. V. Camacho Suarez, A. M. L. Saraiva Okello, J. W. Wenninger, and S. Uhlenbrook
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 4183–4199, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4183-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-4183-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Isotope and hydrochemical tracers are tested providing new insights to isotope hydrograph in semi-arid areas in southern Africa. This study provides a spatial hydrochemical characterization of surface and groundwater sources, end member mixing analysis, and two- and three-component hydrograph separations. Results showed that the Kaap catchment is mainly dominated by groundwater sources, and direct runoff is positively correlated with the Antecedent Precipitation Index during the wet season.
M. Rinderer, H. C. Komakech, D. Müller, G. L. B. Wiesenberg, and J. Seibert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 3505–3516, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3505-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3505-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
A field method for assessing soil moisture in semi-arid conditions is proposed and tested in terms of inter-rater reliability with 40 Tanzanian farmers, students and experts. The seven wetness classes are based on qualitative indicators that one can see, feel or hear. It could be shown that the qualitative wetness classes reflect differences in volumetric water content and neither experience nor a certain level of education was a prerequisite to gain high agreement among raters.
J. R. Poulsen, E. Sebok, C. Duque, D. Tetzlaff, and P. K. Engesgaard
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 1871–1886, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1871-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1871-2015, 2015
H. K. McMillan and M. S. Srinivasan
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 1767–1786, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1767-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1767-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
River flows depend not only on how much water is in a catchment, but also on where the water is stored, which changes over time. We monitored streamflow, soil moisture, and groundwater levels in a NZ catchment, to find out what controls water storage and variability. We found that the catchment had a summer mode where water storage is controlled by near-surface interactions of water with soils and vegetation, and a winter mode where water storage is controlled by deeper groundwater movement.
J. F. Costelloe, T. J. Peterson, K. Halbert, A. W. Western, and J. J. McDonnell
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 1599–1613, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1599-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1599-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Groundwater surface mapping is used as an independent data set to better estimate groundwater discharge to streamflow. The groundwater surfaces indicated when other techniques likely overestimated the groundwater discharge component of baseflow. Groundwater surfaces also identified areas where regional groundwater could not be contributing to tributary streamflow. This method adds significant value to water resource management where sufficient groundwater monitoring data are available.
M. Katsuyama, T. Yoshioka, and E. Konohira
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 1577–1588, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1577-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1577-2015, 2015
Cited articles
Allison, G. B., Cook, P. G., Barnett, S. R., Walker, G. R., Jolly, I. D., and Hughes, M. W.: Land clearance and river salinisation in the western Murray Basin, Australia, J. Hydrol., 119, 1–20, 1990.
Blackburn, G. and McLeod, S.: Salinity of atmospheric precipitation in the Murray Darling Drainage Division, Australia, Austr. J. Soil Res., 21, 400–434, 1983
Bullen, T. D., Krabbenhoft, D. P., and Kendall, C.: Kinetic and mineralogic controls on the evolution of groundwater chemistry and 87Sr/86Sr in a sandy silicate aquifer, northern Wisconsin, USA, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 60, 1807–1821, 1996.
Bureau of Meteorology: Commonwealth of Australia Bureau of Meteorology, available at: http://www.bom.gov.au, last access: March 2015.
Cartwright, I. and Morgenstern, U.: Constraining groundwater recharge and the rate of geochemical processes using tritium and major ion geochemistry: Ovens catchment, southeast Australia, J. Hydrol., 475, 137–149, 2012.
Cartwright, I., Weaver, T. R., Cendón, D. I., Fifield, L. K., Tweed, S. O., Petrides, B., and Swane, I.: Constraining groundwater flow, residence times, inter-aquifer mixing, and aquifer properties using environmental isotopes in the southeast Murray Basin, Australia, Appl. Geochem., 27, 1698–1709, 2012.
Cartwright, I., Weaver, T. R., and Fifield, L. K.: Cl / Br ratios and environmental isotopes as indicators of recharge variability and groundwater flow: An example from the southeast Murray Basin, Australia, Chem. Geol., 231, 38–56, 2006.
Clark, I. D. and Fritz, P.: Environmental Isotopes in Hydrogeology, Lewis, New York, USA, 328 pp., 1997.
Cook, P. G.: Estimating groundwater discharge to rivers from river chemistry surveys, Hydrol. Process., 27, 3694–3707, 2013.
Cook, P. G. and Bohlke, J. K.: Determining timescales for groundwater flow and solute transport, in: Environmental Tracers in Subsurface Hydrology, edited by: Cook, P. G. and Herczeg, A. L., Kluwer, Boston, USA, 1–30, 2000.
Coplen, T. B.: Normalization of oxygen and hydrogen isotope data, Chem. Geol., 72, 293–297, 1988.
Department of Environment and Primary Industries: Victoria Department of Environment and Primary Industries Water Monitoring, available at: http://data.water.vic.gov.au/monitoring.htm, last access: March 2015.
Edmunds, W. M., Bath, A. H., and Miles, D. L.: Hydrochemical evolution of the East Midlands Triassic sandstone aquifer, England, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 46, 2069–2081, 1982.
Energy and Earth Resources: State Government Victoria Energy and Earth Resources, available at: http://www.energyandresources.vic.gov.au/earth-resources/maps-reports-and-data/geovic, last access: March 2015.
Freeman, C. M., Pringle, C. M., and Jackson, C. R.: Hydrologic connectivity and the contribution of stream headwaters to ecological integrity at regional scales, J. Am. Water Resour. As., 43, 5–14, 2007.
Goulburn-Murray Water: Ovens Basin, available at: http://www.g-mwater.com.au/water-resources/catchments/ ovensbasin, last access: April 2015.
Godsey, S. E., Kirchner, J. W., and Clow, D. W.: Concentration–discharge relationships reflect chemostatic characteristics of US catchments, Hydrol. Process., 23, 1844–1864, 2009.
Herczeg, A. L., Dogramaci, S. S., and Leaney, F. W.: Origin of dissolved salts in a large, semi-arid groundwater system: Murray Basin, Australia, Mar. Freshwater Res., 52, 41–52, 2001.
Hrachowitz, M., Bohte, R., Mul, M. L., Bogaard, T. A., Savenije, H. H. G., and Uhlenbrook, S.: On the value of combined event runoff and tracer analysis to improve understanding of catchment functioning in a data-scarce semi-arid area. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 2007–2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-2007-2011, 2011.
Hrachowitz, M., Savenije, H., Bogaard, T. A., Tetzlaff, D., and Soulsby, C.: What can flux tracking teach us about water age distribution patterns and their temporal dynamics?, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 533–564, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-533-2013, 2013.
International Atomic Energy Association: Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation, available at: http://www.iaea.org/water, last access: February 2015.
Ivkovic, K. M., Watkins, K. L., Cresswell, R. G., and Bauld, J.: A Groundwater Quality Assessment of the Upper Shepparton Formation Aquifers: Cobram Region, Victoria, Austr. Geol. Surv. Org. Record 1998/16, Austr. Geol. Surv. Org., Canberra, Australia, 1998.
Jurgens, B.C., Bohlke, J. K., and Eberts, S. M.: TracerLPM (Version 1): An Excel\textsuperscript\textregistered workbook for interpreting groundwater age distributions from environmental tracer data, US Geol. Surv. Techniques and Methods Report 4-F3, US Geological Survey, Reston, USA, 60 pp., 2012.
Kirchner, J. W.: Catchments as simple dynamical systems: Catchment characterization, rainfall-runoff modeling, and doing hydrology backward, Water Resour. Res., 45, W02429, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR006912, 2009.
Kirchner, J. W.: Aggregation in environmental systems: catchment mean transit times and young water fractions under hydrologic nonstationarity, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 12, 3105–3167, https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-12-3105-2015, 2015.
Kirchner, J. W., Tetzlaff, D., and Soulsby, C.: Comparing chloride and water isotopes as hydrological tracers in two Scottish catchments, Hydrol. Process., 24, 1631–1645, 2010.
Lawrence, C. R.: Murray Basin, in: Geology of Victoria, edited by: Douglas J. G. and Ferguson, J. A., Geological Society of Australia (Victoria Division), Melbourne, Australia, 352–363, 1988.
Leaney, F. and Herczeg, A.: The origin of fresh groundwater in the SW Murray Basin and its potential for salinisation, CSIRO Land and Water Technical Report 7/99, CSIRO, Adelaide, Australia, 1999.
Maloszewski, P.: Lumped-parameter models as a tool for determining the hydrological parameters of some groundwater systems based on isotope data, IAHS-AISH Publication 262, Vienna, Austria, 271–276, 2000.
Maloszewski, P. and Zuber, A.: Determining the turnover time of groundwater systems with the aid of environmental tracers, 1. Models and their applicability, J. Hydrol., 57, 207–231, 1982.
Maloszewski, P. and Zuber, A.: On the calibration and validation of mathematical models for the interpretation of tracer experiments in groundwater, Adv. Water Resour., 15, 47–62, 1992.
Maloszewski, P., Rauert, W., Trimborn, P., Herrmann, A., and Rau, R.: Isotope hydrological study of mean transit times in an alpine basin (Wimbachtal, Germany), J. Hydrol., 140, 343–360, 1992.
McCallum, J. L., Cook, P. G., Brunner, P., and Berhane, D.: Solute dynamics during bank storage flows and implications for chemical base flow separation, Water Resour. Res., 46, W07541, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009WR008539, 2010.
McDonnell, J. J., McGuire, K., Aggarwal, P., Beven, K. J., Biondi, D., Destouni, G., Dunn, S., James, A., Kirchner, J., Kraft, P., Lyon, S., Maloszewski, P., Newman, B., Pfister, L., Rinaldo, A., Rodhe, A., Sayama, T., Seibert, J., Solomon, K., Soulsby, C., Stewart, M., Tetzlaff, D., Tobin, C., Troch, P., Weiler, M., Western, A., Wörman, A., and Wrede, S.: How old is streamwater? Open questions in catchment transit time conceptualization, modelling and analysis, Hydrol. Process., 24, 1745–1754, 2010.
Morgenstern, U. and Daughney, C. J.: Groundwater age for identification of baseline groundwater quality and impacts of land-use intensification – The National Groundwater Monitoring Programme of New Zealand, J. Hydrol., 456–457, 79–93, 2012.
Morgenstern, U. and Taylor, C. B.: Ultra low-level tritium measurement using electrolytic enrichment and LSC, Isot. Environ. Healt. S., 45, 96–117, 2009.
Morgenstern, U., Stewart, M. K., and Stenger, R.: Dating of streamwater using tritium in a post nuclear bomb pulse world: Continuous variation of mean transit time with streamflow, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 14, 2289–2301, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-2289-2010, 2010.
Morgenstern, U., Daughney, C. J., Leonard, G., Gordon, D., Donath, F. M., and Reeves, R.: Using groundwater age and hydrochemistry to understand sources and dynamics of nutrient contamination through the catchment into Lake Rotorua, New Zealand, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 803–822, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-803-2015, 2015.
Rice, K. C. and Hornberger, G. M.: Comparison of hydrochemical tracers to estimate source contributions to peak flow in a small, forested, headwater catchment, Water Resour. Res., 34, 1755–1766, 1998.
Shugg, A.: Hydrogeology of the Upper Ovens Valley, Victoria Department of Industry, Technology and Resources Report 1987/5, Melbourne, Australia, 1987.
Sklash, M. G. and Farvolden, R. N.: The role of groundwater in storm runoff, J. Hydrol., 43, 45–65, 1979.
Sophocleous, M.: Interactions between groundwater and surface water: the state of the science, Hydrogeol. J., 10, 52–67, 2002.
Stewart, M. K., Morgenstern, U., and McDonnell, J. J.: Truncation of stream residence time: How the use of stable isotopes has skewed our concept of streamwater age and origin, Hydrol. Process., 24, 1646–1659, 2010.
Tadros, C. V., Hughes, C. E., Crawford, J., Hollins, S. E., and Chisari, R.: Tritium in Australian precipitation: A 50 year record, J. Hydrol., 513, 262–273, 2014.
Tickell, S. J.: Geology and hydrogeology of the eastern part of the riverine plain in Victoria, Geological Survey of Victoria Report 1977-8, Melbourne, Australia, 73 pp., 1978,
Uhlenbrook, S., Frey, M., Leibundgut, C., and Maloszewski, P.: Hydrograph separations in a mesoscale mountainous basin at event and seasonal timescales, Water Resour. Res., 38, 311–3114, 2002.
van den Berg, A. H. M. and Morand, V.: Wangaratta, Geological Survey of Victoria 1 : 250,000 Geological Map Series, Geological Survey of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, 1997.
Winter, T. C.: Relation of streams, lakes, and wetlands to groundwater flow systems, Hydrogeol. J., 7, 28–45, 1999.
Zuber, A., Witczak, S., Rozanski, K., Sliwka, I., Opoka, M., Mochalski, P., Kuc, T., Karlikowska, J., Kania, J., Jackowicz-Korczynski, M., and Dulinski, M.: Groundwater dating with 3H and SF6 in relation to mixing patterns, transport modelling and hydrochemistry, Hydrol. Process., 19, 2247–2275, 2005.
Short summary
This study documents the age of water that contributes to rivers in upper catchments using the radioactive tracer tritium. River water in the upper Ovens Valley (Australia) is several years to decades old and water from different parts of the catchment (e.g., soil, regolith, and groundwater) is mobilised at different flow conditions. The results indicate that these rivers are buffered against short term climate variability but are susceptible to longer-term climate and land use changes
This study documents the age of water that contributes to rivers in upper catchments using the...
