Characterization of mean transit time at large springs in the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA: a tool for assessing groundwater discharge vulnerability

Solder, John E.; Stolp, B.J.; Heilweil, Victor M.; Susong, David D.

doi:10.1007/s10040-016-1440-9

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Transit times of groundwater flow further confound the interpretation of baseflow water quality trends because there is limited understanding of the time delay between when projects implemented on the land surface would begin to affect baseflow conditions observed in the stream. Solder, Stolp, Heilweil, and Susong () found that groundwater from springs in the UCRB is relatively young and responded quickly to hydrologic variability, with 20% of the sampled spring water estimated to be less than 15 years old and 50% of the sampled spring water less than 80 years old. These findings suggest that some changes to baseflow load due to SCP implementation could be observed within a decade of implementation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of baseflow in dissolved solids delivery to streams in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Rumsey

Miller

Schwarz

et al. 2017

Hydrological Processes

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Salinity has a major effect on water users in the Colorado River Basin, estimated to cause almost $300 million per year in economic damages. The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program implements and manages projects to reduce salinity loads, investing millions of dollars per year in irrigation upgrades, canal projects, and other mitigation strategies. To inform and improve mitigation efforts, there is a need to better understand sources of salinity to streams and how salinity has changed over time. This study explores salinity in the baseflow fraction of streamflow, assessing whether groundwater is a significant contributor of dissolved solids to streams in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). Chemical hydrograph separation was used to estimate baseflow discharge and baseflow dissolved solids loads at stream gages (n = 69) across the UCRB. On average, it is estimated that 89% of dissolved solids loads originate from the baseflow fraction of streamflow, indicating that subsurface transport processes play a dominant role in delivering dissolved solids to streams in the UCRB. A statistical trend analysis using weighted regressions on time, discharge, and season was used to evaluate changes in baseflow dissolved solids loads in streams (n = 27) from 1986 to 2011. Decreasing trends in baseflow dissolved solids loads were observed at 63% of streams. At the three most downstream sites, Green River at Green River, UT, Colorado River at Cisco, UT, and the San Juan River near Bluff, UT, baseflow dissolved solids loads decreased by a combined 823,000 metric tons (mT), which is approximately 69% of projected basin‐scale decreases in total dissolved solids loads as a result of salinity control efforts. Decreasing trends in baseflow dissolved solids loads suggest that salinity mitigation projects, landscape changes, and/or climate are reducing dissolved solids transported to streams through the subsurface. Notably, the pace and extent of decreases in baseflow dissolved solids loads declined during the most recent decade; average decreasing loads during the 2000s (28,200 mT) were only 54% of average decreasing loads in the 1990s (51,700 mT).

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of baseflow in dissolved solids delivery to streams in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Rumsey

Miller

Schwarz

et al. 2017

Hydrological Processes

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A disconnect seems to exist between catchment and groundwater TT communities. Whereas catchment studies using lumped models and stable isotopes often focus on short TTs of days and months (e.g., Birkel et al, 2012;Dunn et al, 2010;Peralta-Tapia et al, 2016) the TTs studied by the groundwater community using groundwater models and tracers such as dissolved gases and radioactive isotopes are generally in the order of years and decades (e.g., Basu et al, 2012;Eberts et al, 2012;Gilmore et al, 2016;Solder et al, 2016;Stewart & Morgenstern, 2016;Visser et al, 2009;Visser et al, 2013). The coupling between groundwater TTDs and stream discharge is especially used in the assessment and prediction of stream discharge from (nitrate) polluted aquifers (e.g., Böhlke & Denver, 1995;Duffy & Lee, 1992;Zhang et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transient Groundwater Travel Time Distributions and Age‐Ranked Storage‐Discharge Relationships of Three Lowland Catchments

Kaandorp

Louw

Velde

et al. 2018

Water Resources Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The contribution of groundwater to streams is controlled by temporally and spatially variable groundwater flow paths with distinctive travel times. The aggregated average travel time distribution (TTD) of all these flow paths functions as a catchment characteristic. Currently, research on TTDs is expanding towards dynamic TTDs and building on this, we present dynamic backward TTDs and residence time distributions using forward particle tracking on a high-resolution spatially distributed groundwater flow model (25*25 m). We show that the dynamic backward TTDs of three Dutch catchments are determined by the interplay between the activation of shallow short flow paths and the intensification of fluxes through all flow paths when groundwater levels rise. In addition, the preference for young water in our lowland catchments appears strongly controlled by drainage density. Variations in catchment mixing with time and between catchments were analyzed using dynamic StorAge Selection (SAS) functions. This showed the effect of differences in geology and topography on the shape of the SAS functions. Additionally, the variability of SAS functions in time was shown to depend on the extent to which new flow paths can be activated. Time-varying SAS functions are required for computation of dynamic TTDs, and this research showed realistic values for the variability in the SAS functions of lowland catchments. The step towards dynamic TTDs is crucial for understanding the temporal and spatial behavior of streams, their chemical composition, and their ecological value.

show abstract

“…Environmental tracers—such as stable isotopes, noble gases, tritium, and radiocarbon—can be used to estimate the residence time of discharging spring water (Kreamer and Springer , Solder et al. ). In some cases, oxygen and hydrogen isotopes can also indicate the general elevation at which recharge occurred, and thereby provide information about the spring source area and flow‐path length (James et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Solder et al. () demonstrated that springs with longer groundwater residence times respond more slowly to interannual variation in precipitation and also noted that such springs may be slower to recover from long‐term droughts. In low‐gradient groundwater systems, however, even large‐volume springs with relatively long groundwater residence times may respond quickly to interannual changes in recharge due to a loss of hydraulic head during dry periods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Springs as hydrologic refugia in a changing climate? A remote‐sensing approach

Cartwright

Johnson

2018

Ecosphere

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Spring-fed wetlands are ecologically important habitats in arid and semi-arid regions. Springs have been suggested as possible hydrologic refugia from droughts and climate change; however, springs that depend on recent precipitation or snowmelt for recharge may be vulnerable to warming and drought intensification. Springs that are expected to maintain their ecohydrologic function in a warmer, drier climate may be priorities for conservation and restoration. Identifying such springs is difficult because many springs lack hydrologic records of adequate temporal extent and resolution to assess their resilience to water cycle changes. This study demonstrates proof-of-concept for the assessment of certain spring types (i.e., helocrene, hypocrene, and hillslope springs) in terms of hydrologic and ecological resilience to climatic water stress using freely available remote-sensing and climate data. We used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from 1985 through 2011 to delineate surface-moisture zones (SMZs) associated with 39 clusters of 172 springs in a montane sage-steppe landscape in southeastern Oregon, USA. We developed and synthesized seven NDVI-based indicators of SMZ resilience to interannual changes in water availability: (1) mean and (2) standard deviation of July NDVI; (3) mean difference in July NDVI and (4) difference in coefficient of variation for July NDVI between each SMZ and its surrounding watershed; (5) response of SMZ July NDVI to 90-day antecedent precipitation; (6) response of SMZ July NDVI to the previous winter's snowpack; and (7) range of NDVI values from an exceptionally wet year followed by three dry years. Because all resilience indicators were highly inter-correlated, we derived an overall metric of SMZ resilience using principal components analysis that accounted for 66% of total variance. This overall resilience score was positively correlated with SMZ elevation, slope, mean annual precipitation, and with the number of associated springs. Resilience was greater for SMZs on topographically shaded, north-facing slopes. Several high-resilience SMZs were located immediately below persistent snowbanks, suggesting a possible source of steady recharge throughout the growing season. The approach presented here-if combined with field assessments of spring hydrogeology, discharge, and groundwater age-could help identify spring-fed wetlands that are most likely to serve as hydrologic refugia from climate change.

show abstract

Characterization of mean transit time at large springs in the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA: a tool for assessing groundwater discharge vulnerability

Cited by 17 publications

References 49 publications

The role of baseflow in dissolved solids delivery to streams in the Upper Colorado River Basin

The role of baseflow in dissolved solids delivery to streams in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Transient Groundwater Travel Time Distributions and Age‐Ranked Storage‐Discharge Relationships of Three Lowland Catchments

Springs as hydrologic refugia in a changing climate? A remote‐sensing approach

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About