FOR 5288: Fast and invisible: Conquering Subsurface Stormflow
through an Interdisciplinary Multi-Site Approach

Abstract:

Subsurface flow in preferential pathways in soils may transport water more rapidly than the soil matrix, which may be quickly activated during precipitation events and enhancing infiltration or interflow. Vertical pathways are particularly important for runoff generation. However, identifying these pathways is challenging because traditional methods such as piezometers, soil moisture sensors, or hillslope trenches do not adequately capture the spatial scale and frequency of prefer ential flow features, while other experimental techniques like dye tracing are labor-intensive and invasive. In this study, we introduce a novel method to identify the locations of preferential flow by analysing vertical soil profiles of stable water isotope. Across four catchments, we drilled 100 soil cores (1–3 m deep) per catchment and analyzed the stable isotope composition of the soil water in 10–20 cm depth intervals to construct depth profiles. We employed clustering techniques to group soil-water isotope profiles and selecting those that match to a seasonal sampling date to establish a reference profile for each catchment using LOESS regression, representing profiles influenced solely by matrix infiltration. Deviations from these reference profiles were then used as indicators of being influenced by vertical or lateral preferential flow. Our results revealed evidence of preferential flow in all studied catchments. Especially in the alpine catchment with highly heterogeneous soils many profiles showed distinct preferential flow features, including multiple, vertically independent pathways occurring at variable depths, even among adjacent profiles. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using soil water isotope profiles to assess preferential flow pathways highlighting the substantial spatial and vertical variability of preferential flowpaths at hillslope and catchment scale.

Abstract:

Headwater streams account for 70% or more of total stream length in most catchments, making it crucial to better understand the processes and controlling factors governing streamflow generation as well as water quality. In this context, stream water chemistry longitudinal profiles can provide valuable insights. This study examines longitudinal stream chemistry profiles across six headwater catchments in three mid-mountain ranges in Germany: The Ore Mountains (catchments OM 1 and OM 2), Black Forest (BF 1 and BF 2), and Sauerland (SL 1 and SL 2). Three to four snapshot sampling campaigns were conducted per catchment across different seasons and catchment wetness conditions. During the campaigns, water samples were collected from 22 stream monitoring points in the Ore Mountains catchments, 14 in the Black Forest, and 14 in Sauerland, and the samples were analyzed for major cations, anions, and dissolved organic carbon. Subsequently, the longitudinal profiles observed were grouped into spatial and temporal patterns. In the Ore Mountains, solute concentrations were generally stable over time. However, the spatial patterns varied between the two neighbouring catchments (OM 1 and OM 2). OM 2 exhibited chemostatic longitudinal profiles for most solutes, while OM 1 showed pronounced spatial variability in solutes such as nitrate, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chloride, and sodium. This variability is usually linked to monitoring points located near springs, tributaries, and drainage systems. However, some spikes in ion concentrations along the stream were not linked to these obvious inflows, thus potentially indicating hotspots for groundwater inflow. The Sauerland catchments showed elevated concentrations of DOC, magnesium, calcium, and sodium in July 2023, a period associated with lower streamflow. An increase in concentration from upstream to downstream was here seen in both streams for solutes like calcium and sodium, during all snapshot campaigns. However, other solutes, like nitrate and sulfate, showed different longitudinal patterns and notable shifts in solute concentration during the snapshot campaigns in SL 2. The shifts in patterns indicate a dependency on time-variant factors like seasonal changes in water input, and land use practices. BF 1 catchment in the Black Forest showed a decreasing pattern in DOC, from upstream to downstream, while the neighbouring catchment BF 2 showed a chemostatic trend. These trends could be influenced by the land use changes within the catchments. Notable increased nitrate concentrations were seen along reaches adjacent to grassland areas and at sampling points near tile drains in OM 1, BF 1, SL 1, and SL 2. Overall, solute spatial and temporal patterns were stream-specific, with no universal behaviour observed across all catchments. This variability likely results from the interplay of factors such as geology, soils, land use, stream morphology, and climate. High-resolution spatial sampling enabled the identification of point sources and hotspots of groundwater inflow which could be missed by sparse sampling. These findings enhance our understanding of the processes regulating water quality and flow in headwater systems, providing a basis for better management of these systems.

Abstract:

Subsurface stormflow (SSF) generated on hillslopes is an important hydrological process in headwater catchments. Tracing SSF flow paths and ultimately quantifying its contribution to streamflow is challenging as the signal can undergo various transformations from the hillslope. The riparian zone specifically, can act as a mixing and storage zone and may change strongly the physical and chemical signals of hillslope SSF before it reaches the stream. As a consequence, SSF may not be recognized as streamflow contribution. Thus, the relevance of this process for streamflow generation is currently not fully understood. In addition, studies often focus on quantifying SSF generation at the hillslope scale. Therefore, there is a lack of data to fully understand SSF characteristics at the catchment scale. The aim of this study is to characterize the hillslope-stream connectivity at the reach to catchment scale, using physical as well as chemical information. To deal with the challenges associated with measuring the SSF signal, this study implements a novel multi-method experimental design that will create a unique along-stream data set of hillslope contributions to streamflow in four test catchments in Germany and Austria. A combination of extensive salt dilution gauging along streams, water level measurements in-stream and in near-stream groundwater, longitudinal Radon profiles in streamwater and regular sampling of near-stream groundwater and streamwater for hydrochemical analyses will allow to evaluate the spatial variability of SSF inputs to the stream and to quantify the along-stream attenuation of the SSF signal. Here, we present the study outline as well as first data of water chemistry in near-stream groundwater and streamwater and will characterize the longitudinal patterns of a range of hydrochemical tracers along the streams in the four test catchments. The data set we will collect will be used to simplify and minimize future experimental effort and to identify simple proxies for regionalization. Ultimately, we aim to develop a framework to determine the likelihood of hillslope-stream connectivity at the catchment scale, as influenced by landscape and climate characteristics.

Abstract:

Environmental tracers have been used to separate streamflow components for many years. They allow us to quantify the contribution of water originating from different sources, such as direct runoff from precipitation, subsurface storm flow, or groundwater to total streamflow at variable flow conditions. Although previous studies have explored the value of incorporating experimentally derived fractions of event and pre-event water into hydrological models, a thorough analysis of the value of incorporating hydrographseparation-derived information on multiple streamflow components at varying flow conditions into model parameter estimation has not yet been performed. This study explores the value of such information to achieve more realistic simulations of catchment discharge. We use a modified version of the process-oriented HBV model that simulates catchment discharge through the interplay of hillslope, riparian-zone discharge, and groundwater discharge at a small forested catchment which is located in the mountainous north of South Korea, subject to a monsoon season between June and August. Applying a Monte-Carlo-based parameter estimation scheme and the Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE) to compare discharge observations and simulations across two seasons (2013 and 2014), we show that the model is able to provide accurate simulations of catchment discharge (KGE 0.8) but fails to provide robust predictions and realistic estimates of the contribution of the different streamflow components. Using a simple framework that compares simulated and observed contributions of hillslope, riparian zone, and groundwater to total discharge during two sub-periods, we show that the precision of simulated streamflow components can be increased, while remaining with accurate discharge simulations.We further show that the additional information increases the identifiability of all model parameters and results in more robust predictions. Our study shows how tracer-derived information on streamflow contributions can be used to improve the simulation and predictions of streamflow at the catchment scale without adding additional complexity to the model. The complementary use of temporally resolved observations of streamflow components and modeling provides a promising direction to improve discharge prediction by representing model internal dynamics more realistically.

Abstract:

In many natural landscapes, subsurface stormflow (SSF) is a runoff-producing mechanism which can substantially contribute to the storm hydrograph of a stream. Despite its importance, its complex and highly dynamic nature have hindered its conceptualization and integration in most hydrological models. The lack of general rules to describe SSF is partly linked to the fact that SSF studies are often conducted at only one specific site or analyze only a handful of storm events. In the quest to gain a better understanding of the processes governing SSF, multiple SSF-capturing trenches have been excavated on intensely instrumented hillslopes characterized by different land uses, geology, soils and climates. The trenches are 10-15 m wide and 2-3 m deep and are vertically divided into an upper and lower flow-capture zone, which allows to study SSF at different depths. At the sites, SSF was continuously recorded over a period of ca. 1.5 year, during which numerous rainfall events occurred. This study analyses how the different rainfall event characteristics (e.g. total rainfall, intensity, etc.) influence the SSF response and to what degree the relationships between rainfall and SSF event characteristics are affected by the initial subsurface conditions (i.e. initial trenchflow and initial water content).

Abstract:

In many natural landscapes, subsurface stormflow (SSF) is a runoff-producing mechanism which can substantially contribute to the storm hydrograph of a stream. Despite its importance, there is a lack of systematic studies exploring SSF across sites with different land uses and hydrogeological characteristics. Thus, we face limitations to properly conceptualize and parametrize hydrological models. In order to gain a better understanding of the processes governing SSF, multiple SSF-capturing trenches were excavated. The selected trench sites span over different land uses, geology, soils and climates in Germany and Austria. Depending on local boundaries, the trenches were designed with a width of 11–15 m allowing to collect water flowing laterally at depths of up to 1–3 m. Using separate drainage pipes, the trench’s face is divided into an upper and lower flow-capture zone. Combining the measurements of vertically separated SSF outflow with upstream monitored groundwater levels and soil moisture dynamics, allows to estimate flow propagations along the hillslope. Besides the continuous monitoring, these installations were used to measure SSF events triggered by artificial rainfall. In this study we investigated the SSF response at 11 different trench sites under controlled conditions using a large-scale (200 m²) experimental sprinkling system in combination with deuterated water, which served as an artificial tracer. The irrigation was applied at a rate of ca. 16 mm h-1 for about 3 hours. The analysis focuses on trenchflow dynamics (e.g., timing and magnitude of the peak flow, recession curve analysis) and their relationship with changes in soil moisture and groundwater level. The experiments highlighted the vastly different responses between sites; while some trenches remained dry, others were characterized by extremely high subsurface runoff coefficients and short response times.

Abstract:

Abstract Environmental DNA (eDNA) has revolutionized ecological research, particularly for biodiversity assessment in various environments, most notably aquatic media. Environmental DNA analysis allows for non-invasive and rapid species detection across multiple taxonomic groups within a single sample, making it especially useful for identifying rare or invasive species. Due to dynamic hydrological processes, eDNA samples from running waters may represent biodiversity from broad contributing areas, which is convenient from a biomonitoring perspective but also challenging, as hydrological knowledge is required for meaningful biological interpretation. Hydrologists could also benefit from eDNA to address unsolved questions, particularly concerning water movement through catchments. While naturally occurring abiotic tracers have advanced our understanding of water age distribution in catchments, for example, current geochemical tracers cannot fully elucidate the timing and flow paths of water through landscapes. Conversely, biological tracers, owing to their immense diversity and interactions with the environment, could offer more detailed information on the sources and flow paths of water to the stream. The informational capacity of eDNA as a tracer, however, is determined by the ability to interpret the complex biological heterogeneity at a study site, which arguably requires both biological and hydrological expertise. As eDNA data has become increasingly available as part of biomonitoring campaigns, we argue that accompanying eDNA surveys with hydrological observations could enhance our understanding of both biological and hydrological processes; we identify opportunities, challenges, and needs for further interdisciplinary collaboration; and we highlight eDNA's potential as a bridge between hydrology and biology, which could foster both domains. This article is categorized under: Science of Water > Hydrological Processes Science of Water > Methods Water and Life > Nature of Freshwater Ecosystems