Evapotranspiration and groundwater inputs control the timing of diel cycling of stream drying during low-flow periods

Frontiers in Water

Water

Rebecca L. Hale¹  Sara R. Warix²  Sarah E. Godsey²  H. Carrie Bottenberg²  Kathleen A. Lohse³  Mark Seyfried⁴  Gerald Flerchinger⁴  Scott Havens⁴  Xiaosheng Chu⁵ 

[1] Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, United States;Department of Geosciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, United States;Department of Geosciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, United States;Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, United States;Northwest Watershed Research Center, USDA–ARS, Boise, ID, United States;Northwest Watershed Research Center, USDA–ARS, Boise, ID, United States;College of Water Resources and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China;

关键词: evapotranspiration;    groundwater/surface water interaction;    remote sensing;    streamflow;    intermittent streams;   

DOI  :  10.3389/frwa.2023.1279838

 received in 2023-08-18, accepted in 2023-10-03,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Geologic, geomorphic, and climatic factors have been hypothesized to influence where streams dry, but hydrologists struggle to explain the temporal drivers of drying. Few hydrologists have isolated the role that vegetation plays in controlling the timing and location of stream drying in headwater streams. We present a distributed, fine-scale water balance through the seasonal recession and onset of stream drying by combining spatiotemporal observations and modeling of flow presence/absence, evapotranspiration, and groundwater inputs. Surface flow presence/absence was collected at fine spatial (~80 m) and temporal (15-min) scales at 25 locations in a headwater stream in southwestern Idaho, USA. Evapotranspiration losses were modeled at the same locations using the Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model. Groundwater inputs were estimated at four of the locations using a mixing model approach. In addition, we compared high-frequency, fine-resolution riparian normalized vegetation difference index (NDVI) with stream flow status. We found that the stream wetted and dried on a daily basis before seasonally drying, and daily drying occurred when evapotranspiration outputs exceeded groundwater inputs, typically during the hours of peak evapotranspiration. Riparian NDVI decreased when the stream dried, with a ~2-week lag between stream drying and response. Stream diel drying cycles reflect the groundwater and evapotranspiration balance, and riparian NDVI may improve stream drying predictions for groundwater-supported headwater streams.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Warix, Godsey, Flerchinger, Havens, Lohse, Bottenberg, Chu, Hale and Seyfried.