Exploring changes in the spatial distribution of stream baseflow generation during a seasonal recession

[1] Relating watershed structure to streamflow generation is a primary focus of hydrology. However, comparisons of longitudinal variability in stream discharge with adjacent valley structure have been rare, resulting in poor understanding of the distribution of the hydrologic mechanisms that cause variability in streamflow generation along valleys. This study explores detailed surveys of stream base flow across a gauged, 23 km2 mountain watershed. Research objectives were (1) to relate spatial variability in base flow to fundamental elements of watershed structure, primarily topographic contributing area, and (2) to assess temporal changes in the spatial patterns of those relationships during a seasonal base flow recession. We analyzed spatiotemporal variability in base flow using (1) summer hydrographs at the study watershed outlet and 5 subwatershed outlets and (2) longitudinal series of discharge measurements every ∼100 m along the streams of the 3 largest subwatersheds (1200 to 2600 m in valley length), repeated 2 to 3 times during base flow recession. Reaches within valley segments of 300 to 1200 m in length tended to demonstrate similar streamflow generation characteristics. Locations of transitions between these segments were consistent throughout the recession, and tended to be collocated with abrupt longitudinal transitions in valley slope or hillslope-riparian characteristics. Both within and among subwatersheds, correlation between the spatial distributions of streamflow and topographic contributing area decreased during the recession, suggesting a general decrease in the influence of topography on stream base flow contributions. As topographic controls on base flow evidently decreased, multiple aspects of subsurface structure were likely to have gained influence.

[1]  Keith Beven.  Streamflow generation processes. , 2006 .

[2]  J. Tóth.  A Theoretical Analysis of Groundwater Flow in Small Drainage Basins , 1963 .

[3]  Keith Beven,et al.  The role of bedrock topography on subsurface storm flow , 2002 .

[4]  Jeffrey J. McDonnell,et al.  On the dialog between experimentalist and modeler in catchment hydrology: Use of soft data for multicriteria model calibration , 2002 .

[5]  Jeffrey J. McDonnell,et al.  On the relationships between catchment scale and streamwater mean residence time , 2003 .

[6]  Walter J. Rawls,et al.  Field manual for research in agricultural hydrology. , 1979 .

[7]  Lars Marklund,et al.  Fractal topography and subsurface water flows from fluvial bedforms to the continental shield , 2007 .

[8]  M. Parlange,et al.  Fiber optics opens window on stream dynamics , 2006 .

[9]  D. Montgomery.  PROCESS DOMAINS AND THE RIVER CONTINUUM 1 , 1999 .

[10]  S. Wondzell.  Effect of morphology and discharge on hyporheic exchange flows in two small streams in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, USA , 2006 .

[11]  Michael N. Gooseff,et al.  Hillslope hydrologic connectivity controls riparian groundwater turnover: Implications of catchment structure for riparian buffering and stream water sources , 2010 .

[12]  R. Runkel,et al.  An approach to quantify sources, seasonal change, and biogeochemical processes affecting metal loading in streams: Facilitating decisions for remediation of mine drainage , 2010 .

[13]  J. Hewlett.  Principles of Forest Hydrology , 1982 .

[14]  K. Beven,et al.  A physically based, variable contributing area model of basin hydrology , 1979 .

[15]  T. Gleeson,et al.  Regional groundwater flow in mountainous terrain: Three‐dimensional simulations of topographic and hydrogeologic controls , 2008 .

[16]  R. O'Neill,et al.  Flow variability and hillslope hydrology , 1982 .

[17]  John F. O'Callaghan,et al.  The extraction of drainage networks from digital elevation data , 1984, Comput. Vis. Graph. Image Process..

[18]  G. H. Leavesley,et al.  Precipitation-runoff modeling system; user's manual , 1983 .

[19]  Younes Alila,et al.  The spatiotemporal variability of runoff generation and groundwater dynamics in a snow-dominated catchment , 2008 .

[20]  Michael N. Gooseff,et al.  Channel water balance and exchange with subsurface flow along a mountain headwater stream in Montana, United States , 2009 .

[21]  Steven W. Running,et al.  Three-dimensional mapping of geomorphic controls on flood-plain hydrology and connectivity from aerial photos , 2002 .

[22]  Scott. Mincemoyer,et al.  VASCULAR FLORA OF THE TENDERFOOT CREEK EXPERIMENTAL FOREST, LITTLE BELT MOUNTAINS, MONTANA , 2006 .

[23]  Mitchell W. Reynolds,et al.  Geology of Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest Little Belt Mountains, Meagher County, Montana , 1975 .

[24]  Buildup of discharge along the course of a mountain stream deduced from water-quality routings (EC routings) , 1983 .

[25]  Jeffrey G. Arnold,et al.  The Soil and Water Assessment Tool: Historical Development, Applications, and Future Research Directions , 2007 .

[26]  H. N. Holtan.  Field manual for research in agricultural hydrology , 1962 .

[27]  R. J. Avanzino,et al.  COMPARISON OF TRACER-DILUTION AND CURRENT-METER DISCHARGE MEASUREMENTS IN A SMALL GRAVEL-BED STREAM, LITTLE LOST MAN CREEK, CALIFORNIA , 1989 .

[28]  Murugesu Sivapalan,et al.  Power law catchment‐scale recessions arising from heterogeneous linear small‐scale dynamics , 2009 .

[29]  B. McGlynn,et al.  Hierarchical controls on runoff generation: Topographically driven hydrologic connectivity, geology, and vegetation , 2011 .

[30]  C. Baxter,et al.  Geomorphology, hyporheic exchange, and selection of spawning habitat by bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) , 2000 .

[31]  J. Welker,et al.  The role of topography on catchment‐scale water residence time , 2005 .

[32]  Harold F. Hemond,et al.  Spatial and temporal variability in streamflow generation on the West Fork of Walker Branch Watershed , 1993 .

[33]  D. E. Prudic,et al.  GSFLOW - Coupled Ground-Water and Surface-Water Flow Model Based on the Integration of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) and the Modular Ground-Water Flow Model (MODFLOW-2005) , 2008 .

[34]  J. Stanford,et al.  An Ecosystem Perspective of Alluvial Rivers: Connectivity and the Hyporheic Corridor , 1993, Journal of the North American Benthological Society.

[35]  S. Miyata,et al.  Effects of the lateral and vertical expansion of the water flowpath in bedrock on temporal changes in hillslope discharge , 2008 .

[36]  B. McGlynn,et al.  A stream tracer technique employing ionic tracers and specific conductance data applied to the Maimai catchment, New Zealand , 2004 .

[37]  J. Seibert,et al.  A new triangular multiple flow direction algorithm for computing upslope areas from gridded digital elevation models , 2007 .

[38]  J. Sharp,et al.  On the relationship between river-basin geomorphology, aquifer hydraulics, and ground-water flow direction in alluvial aquifers , 1992 .

[39]  Malcolm G. Anderson,et al.  The role of topography in controlling throughflow generation , 1978 .

[40]  Michael N. Gooseff,et al.  Hydrologic connectivity between landscapes and streams: Transferring reach‐ and plot‐scale understanding to the catchment scale , 2009 .

[41]  Jan Vanderborght,et al.  Proof of concept of regional scale hydrologic simulations at hydrologic resolution utilizing massively parallel computer resources , 2010 .

[42]  P. E. O'connell,et al.  IAHS Decade on Predictions in Ungauged Basins (PUB), 2003–2012: Shaping an exciting future for the hydrological sciences , 2003 .