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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Application of a hydrochemical model and a multivariate soil-solution mixing model to alpine watersheds in the Sierra Nevada, California. Water resources investigation

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:35165
A computer model that was developed to simulate the hydrology and geochemical reactions at Emerald Lake in California can be applied to three of the four alpine lake watersheds in the Sierra Nevada, California studied in this investigation. A sensitivity analysis of the geochemical formulation of ALF indicates that the streamwater chemical response to acidic snowmelt is highly dependent upon the proportion of more readily weatherable minerals that are contained in the bedrock. To further elucidate hydrologic flowpaths in alpine basins, a multivariate mixing model was developed that explains variation in streamwater chemistry as mixtures of soil solutions. The results indicate that two soil environments--the bench meadow and the inlet meadow or ridge site--may explain most of the observed variation in stream chemistry, and indicate that there is a source of calcium to the surface water that has not been identified.
Research Organization:
Geological Survey, Atlanta, GA (United States). Water Resources Div.
OSTI ID:
35165
Report Number(s):
PB--95-184107/XAB; USGS/WRI--93-4030
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English