Abstract.Interactions between groundwater and surface water play a fundamental role in the functioning of riparian ecosystems. In the context of sustainable river basin management it is crucial to understand and quantify exchange processes between groundwater and surface water. Numerous well-known methods exist for parameter estimation and process identification in aquifers and surface waters. Only in recent years has the transition zone become a subject of major research interest; thus, the need has evolved for appropriate methods applicable in this zone. This article provides an overview of the methods that are currently applied and described in the literature for estimating fluxes at the groundwater -surface water interface. Considerations for choosing appropriate methods are given including spatial and temporal scales, uncertainties, and limitations in application. It is concluded that a multi-scale approach combining multiple measuring methods may considerably constrain estimates of fluxes between groundwater and surface water.

Abstract. Streambed temperatures can be easily, accurately and inexpensively measured at many locations. To characterize patterns of groundwater-stream water interaction with a high spatial resolution, we measured 140 vertical streambed temperature profiles along a 220 m section of a small man-made stream. Groundwater temperature at a sufficient depth remains nearly constant while stream water temperatures vary seasonally and diurnally. In summer, streambed temperatures of groundwater discharge zones are relatively colder than downwelling zones of stream water. Assuming vertical flow in the streambed, the observed temperatures are correlated to the magnitude of water fluxes. The water fluxes are then estimated by applying a simple analytical solution of the heat conduction-advection equation to the observed vertical temperature profiles. The calculated water fluxes through the streambed ranged between 455 Lm−2 d−1 of groundwater discharging to the stream and approximately 10 Lm−2 d−1 of stream water entering the streambed. The investigated reach was dominated by groundwater discharge with two distinct high discharge locations accounting for 50% of the total flux on 20% of the reach length.

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