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Title: The Fragility of Bedform‐Induced Hyporheic Zones: Exploring Impacts of Dynamic Groundwater Table Fluctuations

Journal Article · · Water Resources Research
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4]
  1. Institute of Advanced Technology Westlake Institute for Advanced Study Hangzhou China, Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province School of Engineering Westlake University Hangzhou China, Department of Health and Environmental Sciences Xi'an Jiaotong‐Liverpool University Suzhou China
  2. Environmental Sciences Division &, Climate Change Science Institute Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN USA
  3. Institute of Advanced Technology Westlake Institute for Advanced Study Hangzhou China, Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province School of Engineering Westlake University Hangzhou China
  4. Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences New Mexico State University Las Cruces NM USA

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.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0023132
OSTI ID:
2397354
Journal Information:
Water Resources Research, Journal Name: Water Resources Research Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 60; ISSN 0043-1397
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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