Academic literature on the topic 'Hyporheic exchange flow'

The hyporheic zone is a transition zone for the exchange of matter and energy between surface water and subsurface water. The study of trends and sensitivities of bed hyporheic exchanges to the various influencing factors is of great significance. The surface−groundwater flow process was simulated using a multiphysics computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method and compared to previous flume experiments. Based on that, the single-factor effects of flow velocity (u), water depth (H), dune wave height (h), and bed substrate permeability (κ) on hyporheic exchange in the bed hyporheic zone were investigated. The sensitivity analysis of various factors (H, u, dune wavelength (L), h, bed substrate porosity (θ), κ, and the diffusion coefficient of solute molecules (Dm)) in the surface−subsurface water coupling model was done using orthogonal tests. The results indicated that u, h, and κ were positively related, whereas H was negatively related to hyporheic exchange. H and u showed large effects, whereas κ, Dm, and θ had moderate effects, and L and h showed small effects on hyporheic exchange. This study provides valuable references for the protection and recovery of river ecology.

Streambed morphology, streamflow dynamics, and the heterogeneity of streambed sediments critically controls the interaction between surface water and groundwater. The present study investigated the impact of different flow regimes on hyporheic exchange in a boreal stream in northern Sweden using experimental and numerical approaches. Low-, base-, and high-flow discharges were simulated by regulating the streamflow upstream in the study area, and temperature was used as the natural tracer to monitor the impact of the different flow discharges on hyporheic exchange fluxes in stretches of stream featuring gaining and losing conditions. A numerical model was developed using geomorphological and hydrological properties of the stream and was then used to perform a detailed analysis of the subsurface water flow. Additionally, the impact of heterogeneity in sediment permeability on hyporheic exchange fluxes was investigated. Both the experimental and modelling results show that temporally increasing flow resulted in a larger (deeper) extent of the hyporheic zone as well as longer hyporheic flow residence times. However, the result of the numerical analysis is strongly controlled by heterogeneity in sediment permeability. In particular, for homogeneous sediments, the fragmentation of upwelling length substantially varies with streamflow dynamics due to the contribution of deeper fluxes.

Abstract. Groundwater table dynamics extensively modify the volume of the hyporheic zone and the rate of hyporheic exchange processes. Understanding the effects of daily groundwater table fluctuations on the tightly coupled flow and heat transport within hyporheic zones is crucial for water resources management. With this aim in mind, a physically based model is used to explore hyporheic responses to varying groundwater table fluctuation scenarios. The effects of different timing and amplitude of groundwater table daily drawdowns under gaining and losing conditions are explored in hyporheic zones influenced by natural flood events and diel river temperature fluctuations. We find that both diel river temperature fluctuations and daily groundwater table drawdowns play important roles in determining the spatiotemporal variability of hyporheic exchange rates, temperature of exfiltrating hyporheic fluxes, mean residence times, and hyporheic denitrification potentials. Groundwater table dynamics present substantially distinct impacts on hyporheic exchange under gaining or losing conditions. The timing of groundwater table drawdown has a direct influence on hyporheic exchange rates and hyporheic buffering capacity on thermal disturbances. Consequently, the selection of aquifer pumping regimes has significant impacts on the dispersal of pollutants in the aquifer and thermal heterogeneity in the sediment.

Exchange processes of surface and groundwater are important for the management of water quantity and quality as well as for the ecological functioning. In contrast to most numerical simulations using coupled models to investigate these processes, we present a novel integral formulation for the sediment-water-interface. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model OpenFOAM was used to solve an extended version of the three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations which is also applicable in non-Darcy-flow layers. Simulations were conducted to determine the influence of ripple morphologies and surface hydraulics on the flow processes within the hyporheic zone for a sandy and for a gravel sediment. In- and outflowing exchange fluxes along a ripple were determined for each case. The results indicate that larger grain size diameters, as well as ripple distances, increased hyporheic exchange fluxes significantly. For higher ripple dimensions, no clear relationship to hyporheic exchange was found. Larger ripple lengths decreased the hyporheic exchange fluxes due to less turbulence between the ripples. For all cases with sand, non-Darcy-flow was observed at an upper layer of the ripple, whereas for gravel non-Darcy-flow was recognized nearly down to the bottom boundary. Moreover, the sediment grain sizes influenced also the surface water flow significantly.

Stream sediments are important locations of biogeochemical transformations upon which many stream ecosystem functions depend. Stream water is often exchanged between the stream channel and surrounding subsurface locations - this process is known as hyporheic exchange. While stream water is moving through the hyporheic zone, solutes and nutrients may undergo important chemical reactions that are not possible in the main stream channel. Further, because the hyporheic zone is composed of porous media (sand, sediment, alluvium, etc.), flow inherently slows down and the exchanging water has ample opportunity to interact with mineral grain surfaces and biofilms.

AbstractInteraction between surface water and groundwater plays a fundamental role in influencing aquatic chemistry, where hyporheic exchange processes, distribution of flow paths and residence times within the hyporheic zone will influence the transport of mass and energy in the surface-water/groundwater system. Geomorphological conditions greatly influence hyporheic exchange, and heterogeneities such as rocks and clay lenses will be a key factor for delineating the hyporheic zone. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) were used to investigate the streambed along a 6.3-m-long reach in order to characterise geological layering and distinct features which may influence parameters such as hydraulic conductivity. Time-lapse ERT measurements taken during a tracer injection demonstrated that geological features at the meter-scale played a determining role for the hyporheic flow field. The penetration depth of the tracer into the streambed sediment displayed a variable spatial pattern in areas where the presence of highly resistive anomalies was detected. In areas with more homogeneous sediments, the penetration depth was much more uniformly distributed than observed in more heterogeneous sections, demonstrating that ERT can play a vital role in identifying critical hydraulic features that may influence hyporheic exchange processes. Reciprocal ERT measurements linked variability and thus uncertainty in the modelled resistivity to the spatial locations, which also demonstrated larger variability in the tracer penetration depth, likely due to local heterogeneity in the hydraulic conductivity field.

AbstractThe hyporheic zone (HZ), as the connecting ecotone between surface- and groundwater, is functionally part of both fluvial and groundwater ecosystems. Its hydrological, chemical, biological and metabolic features are specific of this zone, not belonging truly neither to surface- nor to groundwater. Exchanges of water, nutrients, and organic matter occur in response to variations in discharge and bed topography and porosity. Dynamic gradients exist at all scales and vary temporally. Across all scales, the functional significance of the HZ relates to its activity and connection with the surface stream. The HZ is a relatively rich environment and almost all invertebrate groups have colonized this habitat. This fauna, so-called hyporheos, is composed of species typical from interstitial environment, and also of benthic epigean and phreatic species. The hyporheic microbiocenose consists in bacteria, archaea, protozoa and fungi. The HZ provides several ecosystem services, playing a pivotal role in mediating exchange processes, including both matter and energy, between surface and subterranean ecosystems, functioning as regulator of water flow, benthic invertebrates refuge and place of storage, source and transformation of organic matter. The hyporheic zone is one of the most threatened aquatic environments, being strongly influenced by human activities, and the least protected by legislation worldwide. Its maintenance and conservation is compelling in order to preserve the ecological interconnectivity among the three spatial dimensions of the aquatic environment. Although several researchers addressed the importance of the hyporheic zone early, and most contemporary stream ecosystem models explicitly include it, very little is known about the HZ of Neotropical regions. From a biological standpoint, hyporheos fauna in Neotropical regions are still largely underestimated. This review focuses on a brief presentation of the hyporheic zone and its functions and significance as an ecotone. We also highlighted the key aspects considering also the current status of research in Neotropical regions.

Data from two headwater streams in southern Ontario provide support for conceptual models that suggest that hyporheic zone influence on stream nutrient retention is determined by the extent of surface-groundwater exchange and subsurface chemical transformation rates. The hyporheic zone (>10% stream water) was delineated by a chemical mixing equation using differences in background stream and groundwater chloride concentrations and by injections of chloride to stream flow. Good agreement between the two methods confirmed that the extent of stream-groundwater exchanges can be successfully estimated using background conservative ions as a tracer technique. During low stream flows in May-October the depth of the hyporheic zone was 2-15 cm in a 12-m sand-bottom pool, debris dam, pool reach of Glen Major stream and 15-20 cm in a 16-m gravel riffle reach of Duffin Creek. Differences between observed NO3 concentrations and concentrations predicted from background chloride indicated depletion of NO3 in the hyporheic zone at a few locations in Glen Major and at 5-10 cm depth throughout the Duffin Creek reach. NO3 and NH4 injected into stream water were reactive at only a few hyporheic sites in the streams. Upstream-downstream comparisons during injections indicated that stream retention was minor.

Abstract. Surface water quality along river corridors can be modulated by hyporheic zones (HZs) that are ubiquitous and biogeochemically active. Watershed management practices often ignore the potentially important role of HZs as a natural reactor. To investigate the effect of hydrological exchange and biogeochemical processes on the fate of nutrients in surface water and HZs, a novel model, SWAT-MRMT-R, was developed coupling the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) watershed model and the reaction module from a flow and reactive transport code (PFLOTRAN). SWAT-MRMT-R simulates concurrent nonlinear multicomponent biogeochemical reactions in both the channel water and its surrounding HZs, connecting the channel water and HZs through hyporheic exchanges using multirate mass transfer (MRMT) representation. Within the model, HZs are conceptualized as transient storage zones with distinguished exchange rates and residence times. The biogeochemical processes within HZs are different from those in the channel water. Hyporheic exchanges are modeled as multiple first-order mass transfers between the channel water and HZs. As a numerical example, SWAT-MRMT-R is applied to the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River, a large river in the United States, focusing on nitrate dynamics in the channel water. Major nitrate contaminants entering the Hanford Reach include those from the legacy waste, irrigation return flows (irrigation water that is not consumed by crops and runs off as point sources to the stream), and groundwater seepage resulting from irrigated agriculture. A two-step reaction sequence for denitrification and an aerobic respiration reaction is assumed to represent the biogeochemical transformations taking place within the HZs. The spatially variable hyporheic exchange rates and residence times in this example are estimated with the basin-scale Networks with EXchange and Subsurface Storage (NEXSS) model. Our simulation results show that (1), given a residence time distribution, how the exchange fluxes to HZs are approximated when using MRMT can significantly change the amount of nitrate consumption in HZs through denitrification and (2) source locations of nitrate have a different impact on surface water quality due to the spatially variable hyporheic exchanges.

Confluences are nodes in riverine networks characterized by complex three-dimensional changes in flow hydrodynamics and riverbed morphology, and are valued for important ecological functions. This physical complexity is often investigated within the water column or riverbed, while few studies have focused on hyporheic fluxes, which is the mixing of surface water and groundwater across the riverbed. This study aims to understand how hyporheic flux across the riverbed is organized by confluence physical drivers. Field investigations were carried out at a low gradient, headwater confluence between Baltimore Brook and Cold Brook in Marcellus, New York, USA. The study measured channel bathymetry, hydraulic permeability, and vertical temperature profiles, as indicators of the hyporheic exchange due to temperature gradients. Confluence geometry, hydrodynamics, and morphodynamics were found to significantly affect hyporheic exchange rate and patterns. Local scale bed morphology, such as the confluence scour hole and minor topographic irregularities, influenced the distribution of bed pressure head and the related patterns of downwelling/upwelling. Furthermore, classical back-to-back bend planform and the related secondary circulation probably affected hyporheic exchange patterns around the confluence shear layer. Finally, even variations in the hydrological conditions played a role on hyporheic fluxes modifying confluence planform, and, in turn, flow circulation patterns.

The alternation of bathymetrlc lows (pools) and highs (riffles) along a stream plays a critical role in ecology. Besides providing a diversity of substrate material and local flow velocities, pool-riffle sequences (PRS) influence the living conditions in the near-stream sediments by inducing an infiltration of surface water Into the subsurface and a delayed exfiltration back to the stream. This process, called hyporheic exchange flow (HEF). supplies oxygenated water to subsurface organisms and has the potential to modify the chemical composition of stream water. Although PRS-induced HEF is to some degree predictable, little is known about its potential variability in time, space, and across scales. The research reported here investigates this gap through field experimentation in low flow conditions, and numerical modelling. First flow characteristics are detailed through extensive in situ measurements conducted at the metre-scale, and across a range of temporal resolutions. The geometry of the subsurface flow systems, residence time distributions, and fluxes are then estimated through three-dimensional groundwater modelling. Using these models, a sensitivity analysis is performed to characterize the influence of identified controls on HEF characteristics. Finally through a hypothetical 2·D model of a pool-riffle sequence, we evaluate the consequences of Ignoring small scale exchange flow induced by current-obstacle interactions, in channel-unit scale models. This study was conducted at the River Leith, a third-order stream situated within the Eden catchment, in the north west of England. The field site is located in the lower part of the catchment, and belongs to a three kilometre stretch that is known to be significant1y groundwater-fed by the underlying Permo-Trlassic sandstone. In summer, the stream's discharge can be as low as 0.03 m3 S -l. The 200 m study reach includes a succession of three pool-riffle sequences, located along a meander. The streambed consists primarily of gravels and cobbles. The first study examines at a high spatial and temporal resolution the variability of hydraulic conductivity (K), vertical hydraulic gradients (VHGs), and subsurface fiuxes, over a single riffle- step-pool sequence. A 20 m reach was equipped with a network of piezometers in order to determine the distribution ofVHGs and K. During a summer month, temporal variations ofVHGs were regularly surveyed and, for a subset of piezometers, the water level was automatically recorded at 15 min intervals by logging pressure transducers. Additionally, point-dilution tests were carried out on the same subset ofpiezometers. Whereas the distribution of vertical fluxes can be derived from K and VHG values, point-dilution tests allow for the estimation of horizontal fluxes where no VHG is detectable. Results indicate that, spatially, VHGs switched from upwelling to downwelling across lateral as well as longitudinal sections of the channel. Vertical fluxes appeared spatially more homogeneous than VHGs, suggesting that the latter can be a poor indicator of the intensity of flow. Finally, during flow events (high flows), some VHGs showed little or no fluctuations. This was interpreted as the result of a pressure wave propagating from upstream through highly diffusive alluvial sediments.

A principal ecological role proposed for the hyporheic zone is as a refugium that promotes benthic invertebrate survival during adverse conditions in the surface stream. Whilst a growing body of work has examined use of this hyporheic refugium during hydrological extremes (spates, streambed drying), little research has considered variation in refugium use over prolonged periods including contrasting conditions of surface flow. In this thesis, benthic invertebrate use of the hyporheic refugium is considered at monthly intervals over a five-month period of variable surface flow, at nine sites in two groundwater-dominated streams, the River Lathkill (Derbyshire) and the River Glen (Lincolnshire). Conditions identified as potential triggers of refugium use included a flow recession and a high-magnitude spate on the Lathkill, and small spates and a decline in flow preceding localised streambed drying on the Glen. During flow recession, reductions in submerged habitat availability and concurrent increases in benthic population densities were dependent on channel morphology. An unusual paired benthic-hyporheic sampling strategy allowed the type of refugium use (active migration, passive inhabitation) to be inferred from changes in hyporheic abundance and the hyporheic proportion of the total population. Using this approach, evidence of active migrations into the hyporheic zone use was restricted to two instances: firstly, Gammarus pulex (Amphipoda: Crustacea) migrated in response to habitat contraction and increased benthic population densities; secondly, migrations of Simuliidae (Diptera) were associated with low-magnitude spates. Refugium use was site-specific, with refugial potential being highest at sites with downwelling water and coarse sediments. A conceptual model describing this spatial variability in the refugial capacity of the hyporheic zone is developed for low flow conditions. In some cases, hyporheic refugium use was apparently prevented by disturbance-related factors (rapid onset, high magnitude) regardless of the refugial potential of the sediments. The extension of the hyporheic zone's refugial role to include low flows highlights the need to explicitly protect the integrity of hydrologic exchange in river rehabilitation schemes. However, the limited capacity of the hyporheic refugium emphasizes the additional importance of maintaining habitat heterogeneity including multiple instream refugia.

The need to consider groundwater and surface water as a single resource has fostered the interest of the scientific community on the interactions between surface water and groundwater. The region below and alongside rivers where surface hydrology and subsurface hydrology concur is the hyporheic zone. This is the region where water exchange determines many biogeochemical and ecological processes of great impact on the functioning of rivers. However, the complex processes taking place in the hyporheic zone require a multidisciplinary approach. The combination of innovative point and distributed techniques originally developed in separated disciplines is of great advantage for the indirect identification of water exchange in the hyporheic zone. Distributed techniques using temperature as a tracer such as fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing can identify the different components of groundwater-surface water interactions based on their spatial and temporal thermal patterns at the sediment-water interface. In particular, groundwater, interflow discharge and local hyporheic exchange flows can be differentiated based on the distinct size, duration and sign of the temperature anomalies. The scale range and resolution of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing are well complemented by geophysics providing subsurface structures with a similar resolution and scale. Thus, the use of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing to trace flux patterns supported by the exploration of subsurface structures with geophysics enables spatial and temporal investigation of groundwater-surface water interactions with an unprecedented level of accuracy and resolution. In contrast to the aforementioned methods that can be used for pattern identification at the interface, other methods such as point techniques are required to quantify hyporheic exchange fluxes. In the present PhD thesis, point methods based on hydraulic gradients and thermal profiles are used to quantify hyporheic exchange flows. However, both methods are one-dimensional methods and assume that only vertical flow occurs while the reality is much more complex. The study evaluates the accuracy of the available methods and the factors that impact their reliability. The applied methods allow not only to quantify hyporheic exchange flows but they are also the basis for an interpretation of the sediment layering in the hyporheic zone. For upscaling of the previous results three-dimensional modelling of flow and heat transport in the hyporheic zone combines pattern identification and quantification of fluxes into a single framework. Modelling can evaluate the influence of factors governing groundwater-surface water interactions as well as assess the impact of multiple aspects of model design and calibration of high impact on the reliability of the simulations. But more importantly, this modelling approach enables accurate estimation of water exchange at any location of the domain with unparalleled resolution. Despite the challenges in 3D modelling of the hyporheic zone and in the integration of point and distributed data in models, the benefits should encourage the hyporheic community to adopt an integrative approach comprising from the measurement to the upscaling of hyporheic processes.

The need to consider groundwater and surface water as a single resource has fostered the interest of the scientific community on the interactions between surface water and groundwater. The region below and alongside rivers where surface hydrology and subsurface hydrology concur is the hyporheic zone. This is the region where water exchange determines many biogeochemical and ecological processes of great impact on the functioning of rivers. However, the complex processes taking place in the hyporheic zone require a multidisciplinary approach. The combination of innovative point and distributed techniques originally developed in separated disciplines is of great advantage for the indirect identification of water exchange in the hyporheic zone. Distributed techniques using temperature as a tracer such as fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing can identify the different components of groundwater-surface water interactions based on their spatial and temporal thermal patterns at the sediment-water interface. In particular, groundwater, interflow discharge and local hyporheic exchange flows can be differentiated based on the distinct size, duration and sign of the temperature anomalies. The scale range and resolution of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing are well complemented by geophysics providing subsurface structures with a similar resolution and scale. Thus, the use of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing to trace flux patterns supported by the exploration of subsurface structures with geophysics enables spatial and temporal investigation of groundwater-surface water interactions with an unprecedented level of accuracy and resolution. In contrast to the aforementioned methods that can be used for pattern identification at the interface, other methods such as point techniques are required to quantify hyporheic exchange fluxes. In the present PhD thesis, point methods based on hydraulic gradients and thermal profiles are used to quantify hyporheic exchange flows. However, both methods are one-dimensional methods and assume that only vertical flow occurs while the reality is much more complex. The study evaluates the accuracy of the available methods and the factors that impact their reliability. The applied methods allow not only to quantify hyporheic exchange flows but they are also the basis for an interpretation of the sediment layering in the hyporheic zone. For upscaling of the previous results three-dimensional modelling of flow and heat transport in the hyporheic zone combines pattern identification and quantification of fluxes into a single framework. Modelling can evaluate the influence of factors governing groundwater-surface water interactions as well as assess the impact of multiple aspects of model design and calibration of high impact on the reliability of the simulations. But more importantly, this modelling approach enables accurate estimation of water exchange at any location of the domain with unparalleled resolution. Despite the challenges in 3D modelling of the hyporheic zone and in the integration of point and distributed data in models, the benefits should encourage the hyporheic community to adopt an integrative approach comprising from the measurement to the upscaling of hyporheic processes.

Recent research has shown that groundwater flow in hyporheic zone is critical in major hydrologic, ecological, and biogeochemical processes. Quantitative analyses from the literature show that there is a strong correlation between the diel cycles in pH, water temperature, and other parameters such as trace metal concentrations. There is, however, no controlled experimental data to illustrate how water temperature influences the trace metal concentrations and other parameters. The research study presented here illustrates the mechanism of heat is transported from stream water to groundwater in the hyporheic zone on different bed form. The work will serve as the foundation of future research in understanding the relationship of heat and trace metal concentrations in the sediments.
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River-groundwater exchange (hyporheic exchange) influences temperature, water chemistry, and ecology within rivers and alluvial aquifers. Rates and patterns of hyporheic exchange depend on riverbed permeability, pressure gradients created by current-obstacle interactions, and river stage fluctuations. I demonstrate the response of hyporheic exchange to three examples of these driving forces: fine-scale permeability structure in cross-bedded sediment, current interactions with large woody debris (LWD), and anthropogenic river stage fluctuations downstream of dams. Using numerical simulations, I show that cross-bedded permeability structure increases hyporheic path lengths and modifies solute residence times in bedforms. The tails of residence time distributions conform to a power law in both cross-bedded and internally homogeneous riverbed sediment. Current-bedform interactions are responsible for the decade-scale tails, rather than permeability heterogeneity. Like bedforms, wood debris interacts with currents and drives hyporheic exchange. Laboratory flume experiments and numerical simulations demonstrate that the amplitude of the pressure wave (and thus hyporheic exchange) due to a channel-spanning log increases with channel Froude number and blockage ratio (log diameter : flow depth). Upstream from LWD, downwelling water transports the river’s diel thermal signal deep into the sediment. Downstream, upwelling water forms a wedge of buffered temperatures. Hyporheic exchange associated with LWD does not significantly impact diel surface water temperatures. I tested these fluid and heat flow relationships in a second-order stream in Valles Caldera National Preserve (NM). Log additions created alternating zones of upwelling and downwelling in a reach that was previously losing throughout. By clearing LWD from channels, humans have reduced hydrologic connectivity at the meter-scale and contributed to degradation of benthic and hyporheic habitats. Dams also significantly alter hydrologic connectivity in modern rivers. Continuous water table measurements show that 15 km downstream of the Longhorn dam (Austin, Texas), river stage fluctuations of almost 1 m induce a large, unsteady hyporheic exchange zone within the bank. Dam-induced hyporheic exchange may impact thermal and geochemical budgets for regulated rivers. Together, these three case studies broaden our understanding of complex drivers of hyporheic exchange in small, natural streams as well as large, regulated rivers.
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Periodic releases from an upstream dam cause rapid stage fluctuations in the Colorado River near Austin, Texas. These daily pulses modulate fluid exchange and residence times in the hyporheic region, where biogeochemical reactions are pronounced. We installed two transects of wells perpendicular to the river to examine in detail the reactions occurring in this zone of surface-water and groundwater exchange. One well transect recorded physical water level fluctuations and allowed us to map hydraulic head gradients and fluid movement. The second transect allowed for water sample collection at three discrete depths. Samples were collected from 12 wells every 2 hours for a 24-hour period and were analyzed for nutrients, carbon, major ions, and stable isotopes. The results provide a detailed picture of biogeochemical processes in the bank environment during low flow/drought conditions in a regulated river. Findings indicate that a pulse that causes a change in river stage of approximately 16-centimeters does not cause significant mixing in the bank. Under these conditions, the two systems act independently and exhibit only slight mixing at the interface.
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The docotoral thesis titled 'Modeling the effects of Transient Stream Flow on Solute Dynamics in Stream Banks and Intra-meander Zones' investigates flow and solute dynamcis across surface water-groundwater interface under dynamic flow conditons through numerical simulations. The abstract of the thesis is as follows: Waters from various sources meet at the interface between streams and groundwater. Due to their different origins, these waters often have contrasting chemical signatures and therefore mixing of water at the interface may lead to significant changes in both surface and subsurface water quality. The riparian zone adjacent to the stream serves as transition region between groundwater and stream water, where complex water and solute mixing and transport processes occur. Predicting the direction and the magnitude of solute exchanges and the extent of transformations within the riparian zone is challenging due to the varying hydrologic and chemical conditions as well as heterogeneous morphological features which result in complex, three-dimensional flow patterns. The direction of water flow and solute transport in the riparian zone typically varies over time as a result of fluctuating stream water and groundwater levels. Particularly, increasing groundwater levels can mobilize solutes from the unsaturated zone which can be subsequently transported into the stream. Such complex, spatially and temporally varying processes are hard to capture with field observations alone and therefore modeling approaches are required to predict the system behavior as well as to understand the role of individual factors. In this thesis, we investigate the inter-connectivity of streamthe s and adjacent riparia zones in the context of water and solute exchanges both laterally for bank storage and longitudinally for hyporheic flow through meander bends. Using numerical modeling, the transient effect of stream flow events on solute transport and transformation within the initially unsaturated part of stream banks and meander bends have been simulated using a systematic set of hydrological, chemical and morphological scenarios. A two dimensional variably saturated media groundwater modeling set up was used to explore solute dynamics during bank flows. We simulated exchanges between stream and adjacent riparian zone driven by stream stage fluctuations during stream discharge events. To elucidate the effect of magnitude and duration of discharge events, we developed a number of single discharge event scenarios with systematically varying peak heights and event duration. The dominant solute layer was represented by applying high solute concentration in upper unsaturated riparian zone profile. Simulated results show that bank flows generated by high stream flow events can trigger solute mobilization in near stream riparian soils and subsequently export significant amounts of solutes into the stream. The timing and amount of solute export is linked to the shape of the discharge event. Higher peaks and increased duration significantly enhance solute export, however, peak height is found to be the dominant control for overall lateral mass export. The mobilized solutes are transported towards the stream in two stages (1) by return flow of stream water that was stored in the riparian zone during the event and (2) by vertical movement to the groundwater under gravity drainage from the unsaturated parts of the riparian zone, which lasts for significantly longer time (> 400 days) resulting in a theoretically long tailing of bank outflows and solute mass outfluxes. Our bank flow simulations demonstrate that strong stream discharge events are likely to mobilize and export significant quantity of solutes from near stream riparian zones into the stream. Furthermore, the impact of short-term stream discharge variations on solute exchange may sustain for long times after the flow event. Meanders are prominent morphological features of stream systems which exhibit unique hydrodynamics. The water surface elevation difference across the inner bank of a meander induces lateral hyporheic exchange flow through the intrameander region, leading to solute transport and reactions within intra-meander region. We examine the impact of different meander geometries on the intra-meander hyporheic flow field and solute mobilization under both steady-state and transient flow conditions. In order to explore the impact of meander morphology on intrameander flow, a number of theoretical meander shape scenarios, representing various meander evolution stages, ranging from a typical initial to advanced stage (near cut off ) meander were developed. Three dimensional steady-state numerical groundwater flow simulations including the unsaturated zone were performed for the intra-meander region for all meander scenarios. The meandering stream was implemented in the model by adjusting the top layers of the modeling domain to the streambed elevation. Residence times for the intra-meander region were computed by advective particle tracking across the inner bank of meander. Selected steady state cases were extended to transient flow simulations to evaluate the impact of stream discharge events on the temporal behavior of the water exchange and solute transport in the intra-meander region. Transient hydraulic heads obtained from the surface water model were applied as transient head boundary conditions to the streambed cells of the groundwater model. Similar to the bank storage case, a high concentration of solute (carbon source) representing the dominant solute layer in the riparian profile was added in the unsaturated zone to evaluate the effect of stream flow event on mobilization and transport from the unsaturated part of intrameander region. Additionally, potential chemical reactions of aerobic respiration by the entry of oxygen rich surface water into subsurface as well denitrification due to stream and groundwater borne nitrates were also simulated. The results indicate that intra-meander mean residence times ranging from 18 to 61 days are influenced by meander geometry, as well as the size of the intra-meander area. We found that, intra-meander hydraulic gradient is the major control of RTs. In general, larger intra-meander areas lead to longer flow paths and higher mean intra-meander residence times (MRTs), whereas increased meander sinuosity results in shorter MRTs. The vertical extent of hyporheic flow paths generally decreases with increasing sinuosity. Transient modeling of hyporheic flow through meanders reveals that large stream flow events mobilize solutes from the unsaturated portion of intra-meander region leading to consequent transport into the stream via hyporheic flow. Advective solute transport dominates during the flow event; however significant amount of carbon is also consumed by aerobic respiration and denitrification. These reactions continue after the flow events depending upon the availability of carbon source. The thesis demonstrates that bank flows and intra-meander hyporheic exchange flows trigger solute mobilization from the dominant solute source layers in the RZ. Stream flow events driven water table fluctuations in the stream bank and in the intra-meander region transport substantial amount of solutes from the unsaturated RZ into the stream and therefore have significant potential to alter stream water quality.:Declaration Abstract Zusammenfassung 1 General Introduction 1.1 Background and Motivation 1.2 Hydrology and Riparian zones 1.2.1 Transport processes driven by fluctuation in riparian water table depth 1.2.1.1 Upland control 1.2.1.2 Stream control 1.2.2 Biochemical Transformations within the Riparian Zone 1.3 Types and scales of stream-riparian exchange 1.3.1 Hyporheic Exchange 1.3.1.1 Small Scale Vertical HEF 1.3.1.2 Large Scale lateral HEF 1.3.2 Bank Storage 1.4 Methods for estimation of GW-SW exchanges 1.4.1 Field Methods 1.4.1.1 Direct measurement of water flux 1.4.1.2 Tracer based Methods 1.4.2 Modeling Methods 1.4.2.1 Transient storage models 1.4.2.2 Physically based models 1.5 Research gaps and need 1.6 Objectives of the research 1.7 Thesis Outline 2 Flow and Transport Dynamics during Bank Flows 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Methods 2.2.1 Concept and modeling setup 2.2.2 Numerical Model 2.2.3 Stream discharge events 2.2.4 Model results evaluation 2.3 Results and discussion 2.3.1 Response of water and solute exchange to stream discharge events 2.3.1.1 Water exchange time scales 2.3.1.2 Stream water solute concentration 2.3.2 Solute mobilization within the riparian zone 2.3.3 Influence of peak height and event duration on solute mass export towards the stream 2.3.4 Effects of event hydrograph shape on stream water solute concentration 2.3.5 Model limitations and future studies 2.4 Summary and Conclusions Appendix 2 3 Flow and Transport Dynamics within Intra-Meander Zone 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Methods 3.2.1 Meander Shape Scenarios 3.2.2 Surface Water Simulations 3.2.3 3D Groundwater Flow Simulations with Modeling code MIN3P 3.2.3.1 Steady Flow Simulations 3.2.3.2 Stream flow event and Solute Mobilization Set-up 3.2.4 Reactive Transport 3.3 Results and Discussion 3.3.1 Groundwater heads and flow paths in the saturated intrameander zone 3.3.1.1 Groundwater heads 3.3.1.2 Flow paths and isochrones 3.3.1.3 Vertical extent of flow paths 3.3.2 Intra-Meander Residence Time Distribution 3.3.3 Factors affecting intra-meander flow and residence times 3.3.3.1 intra-meander hydraulic gradient 3.3.3.2 Maximum penetration depth 3.3.3.3 Meander sinuosity 3.3.3.4 intra-meander area (A) 3.3.4 Influence of Discharge Event on intra-meander Flow and Solute Transport 3.3.4.1 Spatial distribution of groundwater head and solute concentration 3.3.4.2 Time scales of intra-meander groundwater heads and solute transport 3.3.4.3 Solute export during stream discharge event 3.3.5 Intra-meander reactive transport during stream discharge event 3.3.5.1 Impact of stream discharge on aerobic respiration and denitrification 3.3.5.2 DOC mass removal during stream discharge event 3.4 Summary and Conclusions Appendix 3 4 General Summary and Conclusions 4.1 Summary 4.2 Conclusions 4.2.1 Flow and Transport Dynamics in Near Stream Riparian Zone (Bank Flows) 4.2.2 Flow and Transport Dynamics within Intra-Meander Zone 4.3 Model Limitations and Future Studies Bibliography Acknowledgement