DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: River Dynamics Control Transit Time Distributions and Biogeochemical Reactions in a Dam-Regulated River Corridor

Abstract

Abstract Transit time distributions (TTDs) exert important controls on biogeochemical processes in watershed systems. TTDs are often assumed to follow time‐invariant exponential, lognormal, or heavy‐tailed power law distributions in headwater or low‐order streams. However, under dynamic hydrological forcing, transit time could exhibit more complex distribution patterns with strong spatial and temporal variability. In this study, we used a numerical particle tracking approach to characterize TTDs along the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River under the influences of river stage fluctuations and evaluate the associated effects on biogeochemical reaction potentials within the river corridor. Particle tracking was conducted using velocity fields simulated by high‐resolution three‐dimensional groundwater flow models that capture both the river stage fluctuations and physical heterogeneity. Our results revealed that multifrequency flow variations led to multimodal TTDs that varied in time and space. Such characteristics can only be captured by multiyear numerical simulations supported by multiyear field monitoring. Dam‐induced high‐frequency (subweekly) flow variations increased additional hydrologic exchange flows with short (subweekly) transit times, which accounted for up to 44% of reactant consumption in the river corridor along the Hanford Reach. The dam‐induced river stage fluctuations have more significant impacts on faster biogeochemical reactions because they cause a larger fractionmore » of shorter transit times. Numerical particle tracking provides an efficient alternative for characterizing TTDs for large complex systems where in situ field experiments are not feasible. Such a numerical approach is thus essential for improving large‐scale biogeochemical modeling from watersheds to basins.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  2. Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
OSTI Identifier:
1677641
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1786875
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-146640
Journal ID: ISSN 0043-1397
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830; AC02-05CH11231; DE‐AC05‐76RL01830; DE‐AC02‐05CH11231
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Water Resources Research
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 56; Journal Issue: 9; Journal ID: ISSN 0043-1397
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; residence time distributions; transit time distributions; hydrological exchange zone; hydropeaking; biogeochemical reaction; dam operation; surface water‐groundwater interactions

Citation Formats

Song, Xuehang, Chen, Xingyuan, Zachara, John M., Gomez‐Velez, Jesus D., Shuai, Pin, Ren, Huiying, and Hammond, Glenn E. River Dynamics Control Transit Time Distributions and Biogeochemical Reactions in a Dam-Regulated River Corridor. United States: N. p., 2020. Web. doi:10.1029/2019wr026470.
Song, Xuehang, Chen, Xingyuan, Zachara, John M., Gomez‐Velez, Jesus D., Shuai, Pin, Ren, Huiying, & Hammond, Glenn E. River Dynamics Control Transit Time Distributions and Biogeochemical Reactions in a Dam-Regulated River Corridor. United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr026470
Song, Xuehang, Chen, Xingyuan, Zachara, John M., Gomez‐Velez, Jesus D., Shuai, Pin, Ren, Huiying, and Hammond, Glenn E. Mon . "River Dynamics Control Transit Time Distributions and Biogeochemical Reactions in a Dam-Regulated River Corridor". United States. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019wr026470. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1677641.
@article{osti_1677641,
title = {River Dynamics Control Transit Time Distributions and Biogeochemical Reactions in a Dam-Regulated River Corridor},
author = {Song, Xuehang and Chen, Xingyuan and Zachara, John M. and Gomez‐Velez, Jesus D. and Shuai, Pin and Ren, Huiying and Hammond, Glenn E.},
abstractNote = {Abstract Transit time distributions (TTDs) exert important controls on biogeochemical processes in watershed systems. TTDs are often assumed to follow time‐invariant exponential, lognormal, or heavy‐tailed power law distributions in headwater or low‐order streams. However, under dynamic hydrological forcing, transit time could exhibit more complex distribution patterns with strong spatial and temporal variability. In this study, we used a numerical particle tracking approach to characterize TTDs along the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River under the influences of river stage fluctuations and evaluate the associated effects on biogeochemical reaction potentials within the river corridor. Particle tracking was conducted using velocity fields simulated by high‐resolution three‐dimensional groundwater flow models that capture both the river stage fluctuations and physical heterogeneity. Our results revealed that multifrequency flow variations led to multimodal TTDs that varied in time and space. Such characteristics can only be captured by multiyear numerical simulations supported by multiyear field monitoring. Dam‐induced high‐frequency (subweekly) flow variations increased additional hydrologic exchange flows with short (subweekly) transit times, which accounted for up to 44% of reactant consumption in the river corridor along the Hanford Reach. The dam‐induced river stage fluctuations have more significant impacts on faster biogeochemical reactions because they cause a larger fraction of shorter transit times. Numerical particle tracking provides an efficient alternative for characterizing TTDs for large complex systems where in situ field experiments are not feasible. Such a numerical approach is thus essential for improving large‐scale biogeochemical modeling from watersheds to basins.},
doi = {10.1029/2019wr026470},
journal = {Water Resources Research},
number = 9,
volume = 56,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Mon Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}

Works referenced in this record:

A Comparison of Zero-Order, First-Order, and Monod Biotransformation Models
journal, March 1998


Analysis of the Effects of Dam Release Properties and Ambient Groundwater Flow on Surface Water‐Groundwater Exchange Over a 100‐km‐Long Reach
journal, November 2019

  • Ferencz, Stephen B.; Cardenas, M. Bayani; Neilson, Bethany T.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 55, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1029/2019WR025210

Hyporheic exchange controlled by dynamic hydrologic boundary conditions: Dynamic Hyporheic Exchange
journal, May 2016

  • Schmadel, Noah M.; Ward, Adam S.; Lowry, Christopher S.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1002/2016GL068286

A multiscale model for integrating hyporheic exchange from ripples to meanders: A 3-D FLOW MODEL FOR HYPORHEIC EXCHANGE
journal, December 2010

  • Stonedahl, Susa H.; Harvey, Judson W.; Wörman, Anders
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 46, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1029/2009WR008865

Hyporheic flow and residence time distributions in heterogeneous cross-bedded sediment: HYPORHEIC FLOW IN HETEROGENEOUS SEDIMENT
journal, August 2009

  • Sawyer, Audrey Hucks; Cardenas, M. Bayani
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 45, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1029/2008WR007632

Tracer-based characterization of hyporheic exchange and benthic biolayers in streams: HYPORHEIC EXCHANGE AND BENTHIC BIOLAYERS
journal, February 2017

  • Knapp, Julia L. A.; González-Pinzón, Ricardo; Drummond, Jennifer D.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 53, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1002/2016WR019393

Storage selection functions: A coherent framework for quantifying how catchments store and release water and solutes: ON STORAGE SELECTION FUNCTIONS
journal, June 2015

  • Rinaldo, Andrea; Benettin, Paolo; Harman, Ciaran J.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 51, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015WR017273

A hydrogeomorphic river network model predicts where and why hyporheic exchange is important in large basins
journal, September 2014

  • Gomez-Velez, Jesus D.; Harvey, Judson W.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 41, Issue 18
  • DOI: 10.1002/2014GL061099

Effect of enhanced manganese oxidation in the hyporheic zone on basin-scale geochemical mass balance
journal, April 1998

  • Harvey, Judson W.; Fuller, Christopher C.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 34, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1029/97WR03606

Effects of stream discharge, alluvial depth and bar amplitude on hyporheic flow in pool-riffle channels: HYPORHEIC FLOW IN POOL-RIFFLE CHANNELS
journal, August 2011

  • Tonina, Daniele; Buffington, John M.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 47, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1029/2010WR009140

Effects of fluctuating river flow on groundwater/surface water mixing in the hyporheic zone of a regulated, large cobble bed river
journal, January 2006

  • Arntzen, Evan V.; Geist, David R.; Dresel, P. Evan
  • River Research and Applications, Vol. 22, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1002/rra.947

Hyporheic exchange of reactive and conservative solutes in streams—tracer methodology and model interpretation
journal, July 2003


Kilometer‐Scale Hydrologic Exchange Flows in a Gravel Bed River Corridor and Their Implications to Solute Migration
journal, February 2020

  • Zachara, John M.; Chen, Xingyuan; Song, Xuehang
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 56, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1029/2019WR025258

Dynamics of nitrate production and removal as a function of residence time in the hyporheic zone
journal, January 2011

  • Zarnetske, Jay P.; Haggerty, Roy; Wondzell, Steven M.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 116, Issue G1
  • DOI: 10.1029/2010JG001356

Effect of Surface Water Stage Fluctuation on Mixing‐Dependent Hyporheic Denitrification in Riverbed Dunes
journal, June 2019

  • Hester, Erich T.; Eastes, Lauren A.; Widdowson, Mark A.
  • Water Resources Research
  • DOI: 10.1029/2018WR024198

Biogeochemical zonation due to intrameander hyporheic flow: INTRAMEANDER BIOGEOCHEMICAL ZONATION
journal, February 2010

  • Boano, F.; Demaria, A.; Revelli, R.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 46, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1029/2008WR007583

Residence time control on hot moments of net nitrate production and uptake in the hyporheic zone: RESIDENCE TIME CONTROL ON TEMPORAL HYPORHEIC NITRATE CYCLING
journal, June 2013

  • Briggs, Martin A.; Lautz, Laura K.; Hare, Danielle K.
  • Hydrological Processes, Vol. 28, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1002/hyp.9921

Impact of Dynamically Changing Discharge on Hyporheic Exchange Processes Under Gaining and Losing Groundwater Conditions
journal, December 2018

  • Wu, Liwen; Singh, Tanu; Gomez‐Velez, Jesus
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 54, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1029/2018WR023185

Decomposition of Hardy Functions into Square Integrable Wavelets of Constant Shape
journal, July 1984

  • Grossmann, A.; Morlet, J.
  • SIAM Journal on Mathematical Analysis, Vol. 15, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1137/0515056

Flow and Residence Times of Dynamic River Bank Storage and Sinuosity-Driven Hyporheic Exchange: BANK STORAGE AND HYPORHEIC EXCHANGE
journal, October 2017

  • Gomez-Velez, J. D.; Wilson, J. L.; Cardenas, M. B.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 53, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1002/2017WR021362

Dam Operations and Subsurface Hydrogeology Control Dynamics of Hydrologic Exchange Flows in a Regulated River Reach
journal, April 2019

  • Shuai, Pin; Chen, Xingyuan; Song, Xuehang
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 55, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1029/2018WR024193

Comparing transient storage modeling and residence time distribution (RTD) analysis in geomorphically varied reaches in the Lookout Creek basin, Oregon, USA
journal, September 2003


Three-dimensional Bayesian geostatistical aquifer characterization at the Hanford 300 Area using tracer test data: INVERSION OF TRACER DATA USING MAD
journal, June 2012

  • Chen, Xingyuan; Murakami, Haruko; Hahn, Melanie S.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 48, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1029/2011WR010675

Decomposition of the mean squared error and NSE performance criteria: Implications for improving hydrological modelling
journal, October 2009


In-stream geomorphic structures as drivers of hyporheic exchange: IN-STREAM STRUCTURES AND HYPORHEIC EXCHANGE
journal, March 2008

  • Hester, Erich T.; Doyle, Martin W.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 44, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1029/2006WR005810

Identification and mapping of riverbed sediment facies in the Columbia River through integration of field observations and numerical simulations
journal, February 2019

  • Hou, Zhangshuan; Scheibe, Timothy D.; Murray, Christopher J.
  • Hydrological Processes, Vol. 33, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1002/hyp.13396

Lateral hyporheic exchange throughout the Mississippi River network
journal, May 2014

  • Kiel, Brian A.; Bayani Cardenas, M.
  • Nature Geoscience, Vol. 7, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2157

Using Bayesian Networks for Sensitivity Analysis of Complex Biogeochemical Models
journal, April 2019

  • Dai, Heng; Chen, Xingyuan; Ye, Ming
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 55, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1029/2018WR023589

Efficient calculation of dewatered and entrapped areas using hydrodynamic modeling and GIS
journal, December 2009


Riverbed Hydrologic Exchange Dynamics in a Large Regulated River Reach
journal, April 2018

  • Zhou, Tian; Bao, Jie; Huang, Maoyi
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 54, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1002/2017WR020508

Solute dynamics across the stream‐to‐riparian continuum under different flood waves
journal, August 2019

  • Liu, Dongsheng; Zhao, Jian; Jeon, Woo‐Hyun
  • Hydrological Processes, Vol. 33, Issue 20
  • DOI: 10.1002/hyp.13515

Localization of the complex spectrum: the S transform
journal, April 1996

  • Stockwell, R. G.; Mansinha, L.; Lowe, R. P.
  • IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, Vol. 44, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1109/78.492555

How Hydrologic Connectivity Regulates Water Quality in River Corridors
journal, October 2018

  • Harvey, Jud; Gomez‐Velez, Jesus; Schmadel, Noah
  • JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Vol. 55, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1111/1752-1688.12691

Mixture Kalman filters
journal, August 2000

  • Chen, Rong; Liu, Jun S.
  • Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B (Statistical Methodology), Vol. 62, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1111/1467-9868.00246

Hyporheic flow and transport processes: Mechanisms, models, and biogeochemical implications: HYPORHEIC FLOW AND TRANSPORT PROCESSES
journal, October 2014

  • Boano, F.; Harvey, J. W.; Marion, A.
  • Reviews of Geophysics, Vol. 52, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1002/2012RG000417

Inter-disciplinary perspectives on processes in the hyporheic zone
journal, November 2010

  • Krause, S.; Hannah, D. M.; Fleckenstein, J. H.
  • Ecohydrology, Vol. 4, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1002/eco.176

On model selection criteria in multimodel analysis: ON MODEL SELECTION CRITERIA IN MULTIMODEL ANALYSIS
journal, March 2008

  • Ye, Ming; Meyer, Philip D.; Neuman, Shlomo P.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 44, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1029/2008WR006803

Hydraulic controls of in‐stream gravel bar hyporheic exchange and reactions
journal, April 2015

  • Trauth, Nico; Schmidt, Christian; Vieweg, Michael
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 51, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1002/2014WR015857

The master transit time distribution of variable flow systems: MASTER TRANSIT TIME DISTRIBUTION
journal, June 2012

  • Heidbüchel, Ingo; Troch, Peter A.; Lyon, Steve W.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 48, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1029/2011WR011293

Drought Conditions Maximize the Impact of High‐Frequency Flow Variations on Thermal Regimes and Biogeochemical Function in the Hyporheic Zone
journal, October 2018

  • Song, Xuehang; Chen, Xingyuan; Stegen, James
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 54, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1029/2018WR022586

Nitrate removal in the hyporheic zone of a salmon river in Alaska
journal, May 2009

  • Pinay, Gilles; O'Keefe, Thomas C.; Edwards, Richard T.
  • River Research and Applications, Vol. 25, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1002/rra.1164

Dam nation: A geographic census of American dams and their large-scale hydrologic impacts
journal, April 1999


Impact of heterogeneity, bed forms, and stream curvature on subchannel hyporheic exchange: MODELING STUDY OF HYPORHEIC EXCHANGE
journal, August 2004

  • Cardenas, M. Bayani; Wilson, J. L.; Zlotnik, V. A.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 40, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1029/2004WR003008

Denitrification in the Mississippi River network controlled by flow through river bedforms
journal, October 2015

  • Gomez-Velez, Jesus D.; Harvey, Judson W.; Cardenas, M. Bayani
  • Nature Geoscience, Vol. 8, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2567

River corridor science: Hydrologic exchange and ecological consequences from bedforms to basins: RIVER CORRIDORS FROM BEDFORMS TO BASINS
journal, September 2015

  • Harvey, Jud; Gooseff, Michael
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 51, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015WR017617

Impact of dam operations on hyporheic exchange in the riparian zone of a regulated river
journal, July 2009

  • Hucks Sawyer, Audrey; Bayani Cardenas, M.; Bomar, Ashleigh
  • Hydrological Processes, Vol. 23, Issue 15
  • DOI: 10.1002/hyp.7324

Fractal topography and subsurface water flows from fluvial bedforms to the continental shield
journal, January 2007

  • Wörman, Anders; Packman, Aaron I.; Marklund, Lars
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 34, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1029/2007GL029426

Persistence of uranium groundwater plumes: Contrasting mechanisms at two DOE sites in the groundwater–river interaction zone
journal, April 2013


Residence times of stream-groundwater exchanges due to transient stream stage fluctuations: BANK STORAGE RESIDENCE TIMES
journal, March 2016

  • McCallum, James L.; Shanafield, Margaret
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 52, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015WR017441

Single discharge events increase reactive efficiency of the hyporheic zone: DISCHARGE EVENTS INCREASE REACTIVITY
journal, January 2017

  • Trauth, Nico; Fleckenstein, Jan H.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 53, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1002/2016WR019488

Simulation of solute transport in a mountain pool-and-riffle stream: A transient storage model
journal, June 1983


Catchment residence and travel time distributions: The master equation: CATCHMENT RESIDENCE TIMES
journal, June 2011

  • Botter, Gianluca; Bertuzzo, Enrico; Rinaldo, Andrea
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 38, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1029/2011GL047666

Time‐Variable Transit Time Distributions in the Hyporheic Zone of a Headwater Mountain Stream
journal, March 2018

  • Ward, Adam S.; Schmadel, Noah M.; Wondzell, Steven M.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 54, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1002/2017WR021502

The Functional Significance of the Hyporheic zone in Streams and Rivers
journal, November 1998


Fractal patterns in riverbed morphology produce fractal scaling of water storage times: RIVER BEDS AS FRACTAL FILTERS
journal, July 2015

  • Aubeneau, A. F.; Martin, R. L.; Bolster, D.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 42, Issue 13
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015GL064155

Fragmentation and Flow Regulation of the World's Large River Systems
journal, April 2005


Advancing our predictive understanding of river corridor exchange
journal, October 2018

  • Ward, Adam S.; Packman, Aaron I.
  • Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, Vol. 6, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1002/wat2.1327

Power-law residence time distribution in the hyporheic zone of a 2nd-order mountain stream
journal, January 2002


Surface water-groundwater interface geomorphology leads to scaling of residence times
journal, January 2008


Hydrologic controls on hyporheic exchange in a headwater mountain stream: HYDROLOGIC CONTROLS ON HYPORHEIC FLOW
journal, July 2017

  • Schmadel, Noah M.; Ward, Adam S.; Wondzell, Steven M.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 53, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1002/2017WR020576

Bayesian measures of model complexity and fit
journal, October 2002

  • Spiegelhalter, David J.; Best, Nicola G.; Carlin, Bradley P.
  • Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B (Statistical Methodology), Vol. 64, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.1111/1467-9868.00353

Upscaling Nitrogen Removal Capacity from Local Hotspots to Low Stream Orders’ Drainage Basins
journal, May 2015


Effect of flow-induced exchange in hyporheic zones on longitudinal transport of solutes in streams and rivers: EFFECT OF FLOW-INDUCED EXCHANGE
journal, January 2002

  • Wörman, Anders; Packman, Aaron I.; Johansson, Håkan
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 38, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1029/2001WR000769

Parallel distributed computing using Python
journal, September 2011


Hyporheic flow patterns in relation to large river floodplain attributes
journal, July 2012


Nitrate attenuation in agricultural catchments: Shifting balances between transport and reaction: SHIFTING BALANCES IN NITRATE ATTENUATION
journal, January 2006

  • Ocampo, Carlos J.; Oldham, Carolyn E.; Sivapalan, Murugesu
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 42, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1029/2004WR003773

Dynamic Hyporheic Zones: Exploring the Role of Peak Flow Events on Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Exchange
journal, January 2019

  • Singh, Tanu; Wu, Liwen; Gomez‐Velez, Jesus D.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 55, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1029/2018WR022993

Runoff conditions in the upper Danube basin under an ensemble of climate change scenarios
journal, March 2012


Influences of organic carbon speciation on hyporheic corridor biogeochemistry and microbial ecology
journal, February 2018


Tidal controls on riverbed denitrification along a tidal freshwater zone: Tides on Riverbed Denitrification
journal, January 2017

  • Knights, Deon; Sawyer, Audrey H.; Barnes, Rebecca T.
  • Water Resources Research, Vol. 53, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1002/2016WR019405