Explaining temporal shifts of river hydrochemistry observed during storm events

Abstract

Rainstorms rapidly change flow and water constituents in rivers. These alterations can be assessed during storms through transport and fate of total suspended solids (TSS) and total dissolved solids (TDS) and the river's inherent water chemistry.Evidence of the storm events effect is presented in this study by analyzing datasets derived from experiments and modeling. Experimental datasets were retrieved from the Kanawha River, West Virginia by means of water samples and two water quality monitoring stations (Q1 and Q2). Water samples facilitated water chemistry analysis whereas the two stations, separated by 23.5 km along the river, hourly measured temperature, turbidity, NO 3 , Cl and pH during a winter period. In addition, modeling was used to define the water type and dominant geochemical processes using the Piper and Gibbs diagrams, respectively. Also, TSS and TDS were estimated to explain the effects of storms along the river. Results showed that water type was mainly