[1] Exchange of water and solutes across the stream-sediment interface is an important control for biogeochemical transformations in the hyporheic zone (HZ). In this paper, we investigate the interplay between turbulent stream flow and HZ flow in pool-riffle streams under various ambient groundwater flow conditions. Streambed pressures, derived from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, are assigned at the top of the groundwater model, and fluxes at the bottom of the groundwater model domain represent losing and gaining conditions. Simulations for different Reynolds numbers (Re) and pool-riffle morphologies are performed. Results show increasing hyporheic exchange flows (m 3 /d) for larger Re and a concurrent decrease in residence time (RT). Losing and gaining conditions were found to significantly affect the hyporheic flow field and diminish its spatial extent as well as rates of hyporheic exchange flow. The fraction of stream water circulating through the hyporheic zone is in the range of 1 Â 10 À5 to 1 Â 10 À6 per meter stream length, decreasing with increasing discharge. Complex distributions of pressure across the streambed cause significant lateral hyporheic flow components with a mean lateral travel distance of 20% of the longitudinal flow paths length. We found that the relationship between pool-riffle height and hyporheic exchange flow is characterized by a threshold in pool-riffle amplitude, beyond which hyporheic exchange flow becomes independent of riffle height. Hyporheic residence time distributions (RTD) are log-normally distributed with medians ranging between 0.7 and 19 h.

At the interface between stream water, groundwater, and the hyporheic zone (HZ), important biogeochemical processes that play a crucial role in fluvial ecology occur. Solutes that infiltrate into the HZ can react with each other and possibly also with upwelling solutes from the groundwater. In this study, we systematically evaluate how variations of gaining and losing conditions, stream discharge, and pool-riffle morphology affect aerobic respiration (AR) and denitrification (DN) in the HZ. For this purpose, a computational fluid dynamics model of stream water flow is coupled to a reactive transport model. Scenarios of variations of the solute concentration in the upwelling groundwater were conducted. Our results show that solute influx, residence time, and the size of reactive zones strongly depend on presence, magnitude, and direction of ambient groundwater flow. High magnitudes of ambient groundwater flow lower AR efficiency by up to 4 times and DN by up to 3 orders of magnitude, compared to neutral conditions. The influence of stream discharge and morphology on the efficiency of AR and DN are minor, in comparison to that of ambient groundwater flow. Different scenarios of O 2 and NO 3 concentrations in the upwelling groundwater reveal that DN efficiency of the HZ is highest under low upwelling magnitudes accompanied with low concentrations of O 2 and NO 3 . Our results demonstrate how ambient groundwater flow influences solute transport, AR, and DN in the HZ. Neglecting groundwater flow in stream-groundwater interactions would lead to a significant overestimation of the efficiency of biogeochemical reactions in fluvial systems.

No abstract

No abstract

Soil-atmosphere exchange is important for the environmental fate and atmospheric transport of many semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). This study focuses on modeling the vapor phase exchange of semi-volatile hydrophobic organic pollutants between soil and the atmosphere using the multicomponent reactive transport code MIN3P. MIN3P is typically applied to simulate aqueous and vapor phase transport and reaction processes in the subsurface. We extended the code to also include an atmospheric boundary layer where eddy diffusion takes place. The relevant processes and parameters affecting soil-atmosphere exchange were investigated in several 1-D model scenarios and at various time scales (from years to centuries). Phenanthrene was chosen as a model compound, but results apply for other hydrophobic organic compounds as well. Gaseous phenanthrene was assumed to be constantly supplied to the system during a pollution period and a subsequent regulation period (with a 50% decline in the emission rate). Our results indicate that long-term soil-atmosphere exchange of phenanthrene is controlled by the soil compartment - re-volatilization thus depends on soil properties. A sensitivity analysis showed that accumulation and transport in soils in the short term is dominated by diffusion, whereas in the long term groundwater recharge and biodegradation become relevant. As expected, sorption causes retardation and slows down transport and biodegradation. If atmospheric concentration is reduced (e.g. after environmental regulations), re-volatilization from soil to the atmosphere occurs only for a relatively short time period. Therefore, the model results demonstrate that soils generally are sinks for atmospheric pollutants. The atmospheric boundary layer is only relevant for time scales of less than one month. The extended MIN3P code can also be applied to simulate fluctuating concentrations in the atmosphere, for instance due to temperature changes in the topsoil.

A chlorinated solvent mixture (2.0 L of trichloroethylene, 0.5 L of chloroform, and 2.5 L of tetrachloroethylene) was released into a sandy aquifer to create a heterogeneously distributed DNAPL (dense nonaqueous-phase liquid) source. The dissolution and dissolved-phase plume development from this source were studied in detail along a cross-section downgradient of the source for a period of approximately 1 year. At the conclusion of the experiment, the site was excavated to map the actual distribution of solvent residuals in the subsurface. Multiple-component dissolution theory provides a tool for the estimation of the mass of a multiple-component DNAPL source present in the groundwater. Concentration ratios between the compounds change with time, and those changes can be used to estimate the mass of DNAPL upgradient of the monitoring point(s) or well(s). The method is independent of the dilution occurring in the groundwater and only requires observations of time series of the contaminants in one or more monitoring points. For the field experiment, the method was applied using the measured concentrations of individual sampling points, the depth-integrated concentrations, the area-integrated concentrations, and the effluent concentrations of the cell. The experiment showed that multiple-component dissolution theory may be a valuable tool for the estimation of the mass of multiple-component DNAPL residuals in the saturated zone.

No abstract

No abstract