The Fragility of Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Zones: Exploring Impacts of Dynamic Groundwater Table Fluctuations
Abstract Hyporheic zones are commonly regarded as resilient and enduring interfaces between groundwater and surface water in river corridors. In particular, bedform‐induced advective pumping hyporheic exchange (bedform‐induced exchange) is often perceived as a relatively persistent mechanism in natu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-07-01
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| Series: | Water Resources Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036706 |
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| author | L. Wu J. D. Gomez‐Velez L. Li K. C. Carroll |
| author_facet | L. Wu J. D. Gomez‐Velez L. Li K. C. Carroll |
| author_sort | L. Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Hyporheic zones are commonly regarded as resilient and enduring interfaces between groundwater and surface water in river corridors. In particular, bedform‐induced advective pumping hyporheic exchange (bedform‐induced exchange) is often perceived as a relatively persistent mechanism in natural river systems driving water, solutes, and energy exchanges between the channel and its surrounding streambed sediments. Numerous studies have been based on this presumption. To evaluate the persistence of hyporheic zones under varying hydrologic conditions, we use a multi‐physics framework to model advective pumping bedform‐induced hyporheic exchange in response to a series of seasonal‐ and event‐scale groundwater table fluctuation scenarios, which lead to episodic river‐aquifer disconnections and reconnections. Our results suggest that hyporheic exchange is not as ubiquitous as generally assumed. Instead, the bedform‐induced hyporheic exchange is restricted to a narrow range of conditions characterized by minor river‐groundwater head differences, is intermittent, and can be easily obliterated by minor losing groundwater conditions. These findings shed light on the fragility of bedform‐induced hyporheic exchange and have important implications for biogeochemical transformations along river corridors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ec2376f1495c4b3b99aa0cf11edef91e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0043-1397 1944-7973 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Resources Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-ec2376f1495c4b3b99aa0cf11edef91e2025-08-20T03:22:22ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732024-07-01607n/an/a10.1029/2023WR036706The Fragility of Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Zones: Exploring Impacts of Dynamic Groundwater Table FluctuationsL. Wu0J. D. Gomez‐Velez1L. Li2K. C. Carroll3Institute of Advanced Technology Westlake Institute for Advanced Study Hangzhou ChinaEnvironmental Sciences Division & Climate Change Science Institute Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN USAInstitute of Advanced Technology Westlake Institute for Advanced Study Hangzhou ChinaDepartment of Plant and Environmental Sciences New Mexico State University Las Cruces NM USAAbstract Hyporheic zones are commonly regarded as resilient and enduring interfaces between groundwater and surface water in river corridors. In particular, bedform‐induced advective pumping hyporheic exchange (bedform‐induced exchange) is often perceived as a relatively persistent mechanism in natural river systems driving water, solutes, and energy exchanges between the channel and its surrounding streambed sediments. Numerous studies have been based on this presumption. To evaluate the persistence of hyporheic zones under varying hydrologic conditions, we use a multi‐physics framework to model advective pumping bedform‐induced hyporheic exchange in response to a series of seasonal‐ and event‐scale groundwater table fluctuation scenarios, which lead to episodic river‐aquifer disconnections and reconnections. Our results suggest that hyporheic exchange is not as ubiquitous as generally assumed. Instead, the bedform‐induced hyporheic exchange is restricted to a narrow range of conditions characterized by minor river‐groundwater head differences, is intermittent, and can be easily obliterated by minor losing groundwater conditions. These findings shed light on the fragility of bedform‐induced hyporheic exchange and have important implications for biogeochemical transformations along river corridors.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036706hyporheic zonesurface water‐groundwater interactiondisconnectionintermittent riverdynamicriver corridor connectivity |
| spellingShingle | L. Wu J. D. Gomez‐Velez L. Li K. C. Carroll The Fragility of Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Zones: Exploring Impacts of Dynamic Groundwater Table Fluctuations Water Resources Research hyporheic zone surface water‐groundwater interaction disconnection intermittent river dynamic river corridor connectivity |
| title | The Fragility of Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Zones: Exploring Impacts of Dynamic Groundwater Table Fluctuations |
| title_full | The Fragility of Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Zones: Exploring Impacts of Dynamic Groundwater Table Fluctuations |
| title_fullStr | The Fragility of Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Zones: Exploring Impacts of Dynamic Groundwater Table Fluctuations |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Fragility of Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Zones: Exploring Impacts of Dynamic Groundwater Table Fluctuations |
| title_short | The Fragility of Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Zones: Exploring Impacts of Dynamic Groundwater Table Fluctuations |
| title_sort | fragility of bedform induced hyporheic zones exploring impacts of dynamic groundwater table fluctuations |
| topic | hyporheic zone surface water‐groundwater interaction disconnection intermittent river dynamic river corridor connectivity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036706 |
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