Spring 2013 Water Seminar Series - "Dynamics of Transport and Fate of Solutes in Hydrologic Landscapes"

Hydrological landscapes consist of both surface- and groundwaters, interacting across several spatial and temporal scales. These interactions underpin a host of ecosystem services including transformation of nutrients and pollutants, buffering in-stream temperatures, and providing a unique habitat within aquatic ecosystems. The transport of water and the solutes it carries through hydrological landscapes is central to quantifying these ecosystem services, yet our ability to predict these fluxes remains particularly limited during dynamic changes in hydrological landscapes. Here, I present two case studies focused on stream solute transport during dynamic periods in hydrological landscapes. First, geophysical tools are used to image and quantify solute transport in the hyporheic zone (near-stream aquifer) during baseflow recession. Next, a series of experiments conducted during a major storm event are analyzed to quantify stream gains and losses throughout a highly dynamic 9-day period. Results of these studies demonstrate a balance between hydrological and geological controls on transport through hydrological landscapes, and the nested scales at which exchanged of water, solutes, and energy occur.