[1] Discrete zones of groundwater discharge in a stream within a peat-dominated wetland were identified on the basis of variations in streambed temperature using a distributed temperature sensor (DTS). The DTS gives measurements of the spatial (±1 m) and temporal (15 min) variation of streambed temperature over a much larger reach of stream (>800 m) than previous methods. Isolated temperature anomalies observed along the stream correspond to focused groundwater discharge zones likely caused by soil pipes within the peat. The DTS also recorded variations in the number of temperature anomalies, where higher numbers correlated well with a gaining reach identified by stream gauging. Focused zones of groundwater discharge showed essentially no change in position over successive measurement periods. Results suggest DTS measurements will complement other techniques (e.g., seepage meters and stream gauging) and help further improve our understanding of groundwater-surface water dynamics in wetland streams.Citation: Lowry, C. S., J. F. Walker, R. J. Hunt, and M. P. Anderson (2007), Identifying spatial variability of groundwater discharge in a wetland stream using a distributed temperature sensor, Water Resour.

Spatially and temporally distributed measurements of processes, such as baseflow at the watershed scale, come at substantial equipment and personnel cost. Research presented here focuses on building a crowdsourced database of inexpensive distributed stream stage measurements. Signs on staff gauges encourage citizen scientists to voluntarily send hydrologic measurements (e.g., stream stage) via text message to a server that stores and displays the data on the web. Based on the crowdsourced stream stage, we evaluate the accuracy of citizen scientist measurements and measurement approach. The results show that crowdsourced data collection is a supplemental method for collecting hydrologic data and a promising method of public engagement.

Mountain meadows are groundwater‐dependent ecosystems that are hot spots of biodiversity and productivity. In the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, these ecosystems rely on shallow groundwater to support their vegetation communities during the dry summer growing season in the region's Mediterranean montane climate. Vegetation composition in this environment is influenced by both (1) oxygen stress that occurs when portions of the root zone are saturated and anaerobic conditions limit root respiration and (2) water stress that occurs when the water table drops and the root zone becomes water limited. A spatially distributed watershed model that explicitly accounts for snowmelt processes was linked to a fine‐resolution groundwater flow model of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park, California, to simulate water table dynamics. This linked hydrologic model was calibrated to observations from a well observation network for 2006–2009. A vegetation survey was also conducted at the site in which the three dominant species were identified at more than 200 plots distributed across the meadow. Nonparametric multiplicative regression was performed to create and select the best models for predicting vegetation dominance on the basis of the simulated hydrologic regime. The hydrologic niches of three vegetation types representing wet, moist, and dry meadow vegetation communities were found to be best described using both (1) a sum exceedance value calculated as the integral of water table position above a depth threshold of oxygen stress and (2) a sum exceedance value calculated as the integral of water table position below a depth threshold of water stress. This linked hydrologic and vegetative modeling framework advances our ability to predict the propagation of human‐induced climatic and land use or land cover changes through the hydrologic system to the ecosystem. The hydroecologic functioning of meadows provides an example of the extent to which cascading hydrologic processes at watershed, hillslope, and riparian zones and within channels are reflected in the composition and distribution of riparian vegetation.

The relative roles of dynamic hydrologic forcing and geomorphology as controls on the timescales and magnitudes of stream‐aquifer exchange and hyporheic flow paths are unknown but required for management of stream corridors. We developed a comprehensive framework relating diel hydrologic fluctuations to hyporheic exchange in the absence of geomorphic complexity. We simulated groundwater flow through an aquifer bounded by a straight stream and hillslope and under time‐varying boundary conditions. We found that diel fluctuations can produce hyporheic flow path lengths and residence times that span orders of magnitude. With these results, hyporheic flow path residence times and lengths can be predicted from the timing and magnitude of diel fluctuations and valley slope. Finally, we demonstrated that dynamic hydrologic boundary conditions can produce spatial and temporal scales of hyporheic flow paths equivalent to those driven by many well‐studied geomorphic features, indicating that these controls must be considered together in future efforts of upscaling to stream networks.

Citizen science-based approaches to monitor the natural environment tend to be bimodal in maturity. Older and established programs such as the Audubon's Christmas bird count and Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) have thousands of participants across decades of observations, while less mature citizen science projects have shorter lifespans often focused on local or regional observations with tens or hundreds of participants. For the latter, it can be difficult to transition into a more mature and sustainable citizen science-based research program. This paper focuses on this transition by evaluating CrowdHydrology (ca. 2010), a citizen science project that has transitioned from a regional to national network. It evaluates the data accuracy, citizen participation, and station popularity. The CrowdHydrology network asks citizens to send in text messages of water levels in streams and lakes, which has resulted in 16,294 observations submitted by over 8,000 unique participants at 120 unique locations. Using water level data and participation records from CrowdHydrology, we analyze the expansion and citizen participation from a regional to national citizen science network. We identify barriers to participation and evaluate why some citizen science observation stations are popular while others are not. We explore our chosen contributory program model for CrowdHydrology and the influence this model has had on long-term participation. Results demonstrate a highly variable rate of contributions of citizen scientists. This paper proposes hypotheses on why many of our observations are from one-time participants and why some monitoring stations are more popular than others. Finally, we address the future expansion of the CrowdHydrology network by evaluating successful monitoring locations and growing interest of watershed groups to expand the network of gauges.

[1] The typical stratigraphy of riparian ecosystems consists of fine-grained overbank deposits overlying coarser-grained materials. Plants within these regions rely on soil moisture in the fine-grained sediments as well as supplemental groundwater for root water uptake. The additional water available as a result of shallow water table conditions is defined here as groundwater subsidy and is found to be a significant contribution to root water uptake. Work presented here quantifies the effect of groundwater subsidy on root water uptake as a result of variations in the soil thickness of the upper fine-grained sediments, rate of water table decline, and maximum water table depth. Variations in soil thickness and water table decline regimes produce a complex response with respect to both the rate of groundwater subsidy and the cumulative groundwater subsidy. These simulated regimes are analogs to environmental scenarios in riparian ecosystems that result from stream incision, soil erosion, and climate change. These results have implications for identifying ecosystems most susceptible to future change as well as those most amenable to restoration.

Abstract:Quantifying snowmelt-derived fluxes at the watershed scale within hillslope environments is critical for investigating local meadow scale groundwater dynamics in high elevation riparian ecosystems. In this article, we investigate the impact of snowmelt-derived groundwater flux from the surrounding hillslopes on water table dynamics in Tuolumne Meadows, which is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, USA. Results show water levels within the meadow are controlled by a combination of fluxes at the hillslope boundaries, snowmelt within the meadow and changes in the stream stage. Observed water level fluctuations at the boundaries of the meadow show the hydrologic connection and subsequent disconnection between the hillslope and meadow aquifers. Timing of groundwater flux entering the meadow as a result of spring snowmelt can vary over 20 days based on the location, aspect, and local geology of the contributing area within the larger watershed. Identifying this temporal and spatial variability in flux entering the meadow is critical for simulating changes in water levels within the meadow. Model results can vary significantly based on the temporal and spatial scales at which watershed processes are linked to local processes within the meadow causing errors when boundary fluxes are lumped in time or space. Without a clear understanding of the surrounding hillslope hydrology, it is difficult to simulate groundwater dynamics within high elevation riparian ecosystems with the accuracy necessary for understanding ecosystem response.

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