Legacies in Streams Using Natural and Introduced Tracers to Determine Origin and Fate of Stream Wate

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Legacies in Streams Using Natural and
Introduced Tracers to Determine Origin and Fate
of Stream Water

• Michael N. Gooseff
• Colorado School of Mines/Penn State University

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Collaborators

• Diane McKnight (CU)
• Roy Haggerty (OSU)
• Berry Lyons (the OSU)
• Breck Bowden (UVM)
• Jim McNamara (BSU)
• John Bradford (BSU)
• Brian McGlynn (MSU)
• Jeb Barrett (VT)
• Tina Takacs (UNM)
• Jay Jones (UAF)

• Jack Schmidt (USU)
• Charlie Vörösmarty (UNH)
• Bruce Peterson (MBL)
• Chuck Hopkinson (MBL)
• Bob Hall (U Wyo)
• Jen Tank (Notre Dame)
• Michelle Baker (USU)
• Steve Wondzell (USFS)
• USGS
• Ken Bencala
• Rob Runkel
• John Duff

• Graduate Students
• Rob Payn, PhD
• Randy Goetz, MS

Funding Source
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Watersheds as Integrated Systems
geomorphic template, soils, stream network
chemical
vegetation patterns
chemical weathering
Hydrology mediates the interactions among these
systems
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Streams as Integrators
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Streams are connected to watersheds
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Streams as Integrated Systems
fluvial geomorphology, substrate, sediment/water
discharge, setting
chemical
flora/fauna distributions
nutrient cycling
Hydrology and hydraulics mediate the interactions
among these systems
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How do we use Tracers in Streams?

• Decipher catchment flowpaths/operation -
  i.e., hydrograph separation/EMMA
• Dilution gaging
• Characterize transient storage

surface
recent surface
Stream discharge (mm/d)
newold subsurface
old subsurface
Maulé and Stein, 1990
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Natural Tracer Responses
Photos from Kevin McGuire
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Natural Tracer Responses
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How do we use Tracers in Streams?

• Decipher catchment flowpaths/operation -
  i.e., hydrograph separation/EMMA
• Dilution gaging

Tracer mass injection as a pulse
C(t)
Ctracer
Time
Mixing Length
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How do we use Tracers in Streams?

• Decipher catchment flowpaths/operation -
  i.e., hydrograph separation/EMMA
• Dilution gaging
• Characterize Transient Storage

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Streams Hyporheic Zones
Co, Ni, Zn, Mn retention (Fuller Harvey, 1998)
Alley et al., 2003

• Stream-adjacent subsurface flow location, through
  which stream water exchanges.

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Exchange Driven by Head Gradients
Flow of water from hyporheic zone to the stream
was greatest at the downstream end of riffles.
Harvey Bencala, 1993
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Water and Solute Retention

• Stream tracer technique at reach scale
• Tracer BTC characterizes solute transport
  processes

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Simulating Solute Transport I
Gooseff McGlynn, 2005
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Simulating Solute Transport II
Haggerty Reaves (2002), figure from Gooseff et
al. (2003)
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Ex. Restoring Stream Function

• In general
• restoring streams
• increasing channel complexity
• This should result in restored function of
  retention
• Example Provo River Restoration
• Reversing the impacts of diking and straightening
  from 1960s

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Restoring Stream Function

• Middle Provo River, UT
• Qann 5.3 m3/s
• 3 channelized reaches
• 3 reconfigured reaches
• Channel morph.
• Stream tracer exps.

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Provo River Restoration, UT
before
after
http//www.mitigationcommission.gov/prrp/prrp.html
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Provo River Restoration, UT
before
after
http//www.mitigationcommission.gov/prrp/prrp.html
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Modified Channel Form
Riffle Pool
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Leads to Increase Retention?
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How do we use Tracers in Streams?

• Decipher catchment flowpaths/operation -
  i.e., hydrograph separation/EMMA
• Dilution gaging
• Characterize transient storage
• Assess lateral inflows distributed loads

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Identifying Sources of Metals
http//wwwrcamnl.wr.usgs.gov/wrdseminar/pastsemina
rsonvideo.htm
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Identifying Sources of Metals
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Identifying Sources of Metals
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Wheres the Problem?

• Zinc load Zn Q
• Distributed inflows contribute to Zn load

Kimball, USGS FS 245-96
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How do we use Tracers in Streams?

• Decipher catchment flowpaths/operation -
  i.e., hydrograph separation/EMMA
• Dilution gaging
• Characterize transient storage
• Assess lateral inflows distributed loads
• Characterize streamflow gains, losses, and
  scaling of exchange dynamics

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Streams Are Not Isolated
One of these things is not like the other
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Stream-Catchment Interactions

• Instrumentation
• Watershed area 22.6 km2
• Tributary to the Smith River
• - 6 sub-basins
• - 7 USFS stream gauges
• 12 hillslope-riparian well transects
• LIDAR ALSM in fall 2005

2425 m
2090 m
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Stream-Watershed Connections

• Role of catchment structure on hydrologic and
  solute response

Spring Park Cr.
Upper Tenderfoot Cr.
Stringer Cr.
Sun Cr.
Bubbling Cr.
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Stringer Creek, TCEF
ALSM high resolution topography data
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Its almost like being there
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Landscape Analysis
0 ha Log10 40 ha
Stringer Creek
Upslope accumulated area
Lower Tenderfoot Creek
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Differing hillslope-riparian sequences
(combinations of accumulated area and riparian
extent)
Based on 3m DEM
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Snowmelt Hydrograph
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Distributed Water Balance

• 2.6-km stream
• Divided into 26 consecutive100-m reaches
• Water balance measured with tracer dilution
  gauging

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Measuring Reach Water BalanceRepeated Slugs
Method
QUP Gross Gain QDOWN Gross Loss
QUP

Gross hydrologic gain
QDOWN
Gross hydrologic loss
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Water balance Net change in Q compared to tracer
loss
July
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Concurrent gross hydrologic gain and loss
July
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Seasonal Trends
June
July
August
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Q along 2.6 km of Stringer Cr.
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Hydrology ? Hydraulics
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Scales of Exchange
Rhodamine WT Constant Rate Injection, 9 days
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Scales of Exchange
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Scales of Exchange
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Scales of Exchange
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Measuring Reach Water BalanceFlow path effects
on tracers
Transient hydrologic storage
Gross hydrologic gain
Gross hydrologic loss
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Summary

• Stream tracer application has a long history and
  has significantly advanced our understanding of
  hydrology
• Despite its history, the future is bright for
  stream tracer applications

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Future Research
1. How does N-retention (as a fn of hyporheic
exchange) scale through a stream network?
Recently funded by NSF - New method to partition
in-channel from hyporheic storage
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Future Research
2. Does acid mine drainage effectively clog
streambeds? Proposal to NSF assess N cycling
in AMD streams that have significant deposition
of ferrecrete.
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Future Research
3. How do thermokarsts (permafrost failures)
impact stream function?
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Watershed Functions

• Combined operation of watersheds, streams, and
  wetlands
• 6 Processes precipitation, infiltration,
  percolation, interception, evapotranspiration,
  and runoff
• 5 Functions collection, storage, discharge,
  provide reaction substrate, provide habitat

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Components Working Together
Fig. 3, Black, 1997
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Watershed Responses

• Flush storage locations

Fig. 5, Black, 1997
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Watershed Responses
1. Attenuate inputs
Fig. 4, Black (1997)
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Stream Functions

• Functions
• Collection, retention, and discharge of water,
  sediment, and solutes
• Provide reaction substrate
• Provide habitat
• Streams operate in the context of in-channel and
  out of channel controls

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Hyporheic Zone Characterization

• Connects streams to catchments
• Increases stream water/solute retention
• Underpins stream ecosystem function
• Denitrification (Gooseff et al., 2004)
• Co, Ni, Zn, Mn retention (Fuller Harvey, 1998)

USGS Circular 1139, 1998
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Water and Solute Retention
Storage zone can be hyporheic zone and/or channel
storage
Runkel, 1998
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Water balance Net change in Q compared to tracer
loss
June
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Water balanceHydrologic conditions ofSummer
2006
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Future Research
Is stream solute and water retention important
when channels are ice-covered?
Cardenas Gooseff, WRR in review
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Nitrogen Cycling in Antarctic Hyporheic Zones
Maurice et al. (2002)
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Denitrification in Green Creek?

• Denitrification
• NO-3 NO-2 N2O N2 (reduction)

nitrate
nitrite
nitrous oxide
dinitrogen
Algal mats remove NO3 by assimilation and
hyporheic microbes remove NO3 via denitrification
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Study Approach

• Stream tracer experiment
• add steady injection of NO3 and conservative
  tracer (Cl)
• simulate NO3 loss in-stream and in-hyporheic

injection
Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 4
Sample 3
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Hyporheic NO2 Production?
Transport Limited!
Gooseff et al. (2004)
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Alternative Denitrification also occurring in
algal mats
Gooseff et al. (2004)
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Green Creek Stream Results
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In-channel control on retention
Gooseff et al. (2004)