HR: 0830h
AN: H41D-1036 [PDF]
TI: Controls of riparian areas, hillslopes, and hollows on storm-event evolution of stream water and
chemistry
AU: * Inamdar, S P
EM: inamdasp@buffalostate.edu
AF: SUNY College at Buffalo, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Great Lakes Center, Buffalo, NY 14222 United States
AU: Tuk, J
EM: jmtuk27@yahoo.com
AF: SUNY College at Buffalo, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Great Lakes Center, Buffalo, NY 14222 United States
AU: Mitchell, M
EM: mitchell@syr.edu
AF: SUNY-ESF, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210 United States
AB:
The controls of variable source areas (VSAs) and/or riparian areas on storm-event exports of water and solute from watersheds
is widely recognized. However, our understanding of the areal expansion (wetting-up) and contraction (drying-down) of VSAs
and its impacts on the temporal evolution of solutes during storm events is limited. There is also considerable interest in
determining the relative contributions of hillslopes, hollows, and riparian areas (VSAs) to the temporal pattern of stream
water and chemistry during storm events. We explored these questions at two different spatial scales for a 710 ha forested
watershed located in southwestern NY, USA. Stream flow and chemistry is being monitored at the main outlet (710 ha) and at
the outlet of a 5 ha subwatershed. The response of hilllslopes, hollows, and riparian areas (VSAs) is being monitored using
an extensive network of groundwater wells and surface runoff weirs which record data at 15 minute intervals. The areal
expansion and contraction of VSAs is being monitored using a network of surface moisture sensors recording data at every 15
minutes. ISCO samplers have provided stream chemistry data for more than 15 storm events at the two catchment scales. The
collected samples are being analyzed for - nitrate, DOC, calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, silica, ammonium, sulfate,
and DON. A 1m DEM of the watershed has been used to generate a ln[a/tanB] distribution for the watershed. Riparian
groundwater elevations peaked early on during storm events whereas the response of hollow groundwater was delayed. Hollow
groundwater continued to rise while riparian groundwater elevations dropped during the event. These results suggest that
riparian areas (VSAs) have a greater influence on the early portion of the streamflow hydrograph whereas hillslopes and
hollows dominate the receding portion of the stream discharge. Further analysis is in progress to discriminate between the
contributions of riparian areas and hillslope/hollows to stream chemistry.
UR: http://www.buffalostate.edu/orgs/glc/gowanda/overview.htm
DE: 1860 Runoff and streamflow
DE: 1871 Surface water quality
DE: 1890 Wetlands
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting