Hydrology of a Southern Appalachian Hypocrene Spring-Fed Fen

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-366
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Wilcox ◽  
Emily Bradshaw Marino ◽  
Adam Warwick ◽  
Megan Sutton
Keyword(s):  
Open Space ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Fractured Bedrock ◽  
Southern Appalachian ◽  
Discharge Rates ◽  
Hydrologic Restoration ◽  
Spring Flow

ABSTRACT Garland Seep is a Southern Appalachian fen that supports a population of federally endangered green pitcher plants (Sarracenia oreophila). The wetland is underlain by clayey stream deposits above fractured bedrock, is located at the base of a mountain slope, and is fed by groundwater that originates as recharge on the adjacent hillslope. Groundwater wells were installed following a hydrologic restoration in the mid-1990s and have been monitored at varying frequencies since that time. The 20+ year record provides evidence that Garland Seep can be classified as a “hypocrene fen,” in which spring flow rarely reaches the ground surface because of low discharge rates and high evapotranspiration (ET). In general, water-level fluctuations followed seasonal ET patterns, with higher water levels in the winter and early spring (when ET is low) and lower levels in the summer and fall. During wetter years, the water table remained near the ground surface for much of the year, with the clay layer underlying the site retaining moisture even after water levels had dropped. The “clay wetting” period was shorter during dryer years and corresponded with a reduction in the number of pitcher plant clumps observed at the site. In addition to the geologic and climatic controls on hydrology, previous landowners used fire to maintain open space for grazing, and The Nature Conservancy has continued the practice to combat woody vegetation and to open the canopy. Prescribed burns reduce ET (at least initially), cause a rise in water levels, and have helped maintain a thriving Sarracenia population.

scholarly journals Nutrients availability and hydrological conditions of selected wetland ecosystems in the Biebrza river valley

2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusz Stelmaszczyk ◽  
Tomasz Okruszko ◽  
Patrick Meire
Keyword(s):  
Ground Surface ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Wet Meadow ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Hydrological Conditions ◽  
Nutrients Availability

Abstract: Nutrients availability and hydrological conditions of selected wetland ecosystems in the Biebrza river valley. Paper presents results of investigation of hydrological conditions and nutrients limitation and availability for wetland vegetation in selected sites within Biebrza river valley. Analysed sites were overgrown by tall sedge Magnocaricion vegetation (Caricetum gracilis and Caricetum elatae), wet meadow Molinio-Arrhenatheretea vegetation (Molinietum caeruleae), and sedge-moss Scheuchzerio-Caricetea nigrae vegetation (Caricetum lasiocarpae). There were noted a close relationship between vegetation types, hydrological regimes and kind of nutrient limitation. Low productive Molinio-Arrhenatheretea and Scheuchzerio-Caricetea nigrae vegetations fed mainly by groundwater were limited by phosphorus, while highly productive Magnocaricion vegetation, fed by river water, was subjected to nitrogen limitation. We have found big diversification of groundwater and surface water levels within habitats of different vegetation types along the Biebrza river valley. Magnocaricion vegetation present on flooded areas is characterized by significant water level fluctuations and long-lasting inundations. On areas covered by Molinio-Arrhenatheretea vegetation we noted majority of water levels not exceeding the level of the ground surface. Whereas Scheuchzerio-Caricetea nigrae vegetation, fed by groundwater, is characterized by low variation of groundwater levels.

scholarly journals Water level fluctuations in selected Wielkopolski National Park lakes in 2012 against changes noted in 2007-2008

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-153
Author(s):  
Michał Lorenc ◽  
Renata Dondajewska ◽  
Lech Kaczmarek
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
National Park ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
New Information ◽  
Wielkopolski National Park ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Water Stage

AbstractThe results presented in this paper of water level fluctuations in selected lakes of Wielkopolski National Park have a preliminary character, contributing new information to the knowledge on this area. Five lakes situated in three distinct tunnel valleys were selected for research: Jarosławieckie, Góreckie, Budzyńskie, Witobelskie and Łódzko-Dymaczewskie. The water level was measured from December 2006 till January 2008 and from January till December of 2012 with ca. monthly frequency. An increase in the water stage was noted in the autumn-winter period, which was rather unusual. The comparison of years 2007 and 2012 indicated higher water levels in the latter. The amplitude of the water level was higher in flow-through lakes due to the reaction to precipitation in early spring as well as different catchment features. Specific water level fluctuations in Lake Góreckie are probably related to the influence of groundwater of the Wielkopolska fossil valley.

AUTOMATIC WATER LEVEL MONITORING WITH IOT AND LPWAN

2019 ◽  
pp. 95-103
Author(s):  
Krum Videnov ◽  
Vanya Stoykova
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Level Monitoring ◽  
Water Level Monitoring

Monitoring water levels of lakes, streams, rivers and other water basins is of essential importance and is a popular measurement for a number of different industries and organisations. Remote water level monitoring helps to provide an early warning feature by sending advance alerts when the water level is increased (reaches a certain threshold). The purpose of this report is to present an affordable solution for measuring water levels in water sources using IoT and LPWAN. The assembled system enables recording of water level fluctuations in real time and storing the collected data on a remote database through LoRaWAN for further processing and analysis.

scholarly journals A Case Study of the Effects of Management Interventions on the Phosphorus Dynamics at a Coastal, Eutrophic, Caribbean lagoon (Laguna Cartagena, Puerto Rico)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 449
Author(s):  
Yashira Marie Sánchez Colón ◽  
Fred Charles Schaffner
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Freshwater Wetland ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Phosphorus Loading ◽  
Estuarine Wetlands ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Management Recommendations

Laguna Cartagena is a coastal, eutrophic, shallow lake and freshwater wetland in southwestern Puerto Rico, managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. This ecosystem has been impacted by phosphorus loading from adjacent agricultural areas since the 1950s, causing eutrophication and deteriorating wildlife habitats. Herein, we describe phosphorus input and export during September 2010–September 2011 (Phase One) and October 2013–November 2014 (Phase Two). These two phases bracket a period of intensified management interventions including excavation and removal of sediment and vegetation, draining, and burning during the summers of 2012 and 2013. Results indicate that Laguna Cartagena retains a phosphorus (sink) in its sediments, and exhibits nutrient-releasing events (source, mainly total phosphorus) to the lagoon water column, which are associated with rainfall and rising water levels. External factors including water level fluctuations and rainfall influenced phosphorus export during Phase One, but after management interventions (Phase Two), internal processes influenced sink/source dynamics, releasing elevated phosphorus concentrations to the water column. When exposed sediments were re-flooded, phosphorus concentrations to the water column increased, releasing elevated P concentrations downstream to an estuarine wetlands area and the Caribbean Sea. Herein we offer management recommendations to optimize wildlife habitat without elevating phosphorus concentrations.

scholarly journals The effect of water level on lateral movements of fish between river and off-channel habitats and implications for management

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarod Lyon ◽  
Ivor Stuart ◽  
David Ramsey ◽  
Justin O'Mahony
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Life History Strategy ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Main River Channel ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Wetland Biodiversity ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Riverine Wetland

Off-channel habitats, such as wetlands and backwaters, are important for the productivity of river systems and for many species of native fish. This study aimed to investigate the fish community, timing and cues that stimulated movement to and from off-channel habitats in the highly regulated Lake Hume to Lake Mulwala reach of the Murray River, south-eastern Australia. In 2004–05, 193 712 fish were collected moving bi-directionally between a 50-km section of the Murray River and several off-channel habitats. Lateral fish movements approximated water level fluctuations. Generally as water levels rose, fish left the main river channel and moved into newly flooded off-channel habitats; there was bi-directional movement as water levels peaked; on falling levels fish moved back to the permanent riverine habitats. Fish previously classified as ‘wetland specialists’, such as carp gudgeons (Hypseleotris spp.), have a more flexible movement and life-history strategy including riverine habitation. The high degree of lateral movement indicates the importance of habitat connectivity for the small-bodied fish community. Wetlands adjacent to the Murray River are becoming increasingly regulated by small weirs and ensuring lateral fish movement will be important in maintaining riverine-wetland biodiversity.

scholarly journals Regulation of Vegetation and Evapotranspiration by Water Level Fluctuation in Shallow Lakes

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2651
Author(s):  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Liqiao Liang ◽  
Xiaomin Yuan ◽  
Sirui Yan ◽  
Miao Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Water Area ◽  
Water Level Fluctuation ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Water Evaporation ◽  
Level Fluctuation ◽  
Open Water Area ◽  
Annual Scale

Water level fluctuations play a critical role in regulating vegetation distribution, composition, cover and richness, which ultimately affect evapotranspiration. In this study, we first explore water level fluctuations and associated impacts on vegetation, after which we assess evapotranspiration (ET) under different water levels. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to estimate the fractional vegetation cover (Fv), while topography- and vegetation-based surface-energy partitioning algorithms (TVET model) and potential evaporation (Ev) were used to calculate ET and water evaporation (Ep). Results show that: (1) water levels were dramatically affected by the combined effect of ecological water transfer and climate change and exhibited significant decreasing trends with a slope of −0.011 m a−2; and (2) as predicted, there was a correlation between water level fluctuation at an annual scale with Phragmites australis (P. australis) cover and open-water area. Water levels also had a controlling effect on Fv values, an increase in annual water levels first increasing and then decreasing Fv. However, a negative correlation was found between Fv values and water levels during initial plant growth stages. (iii) ET, which varied under different water levels at an annual scale, showed different partition into transpiration from P. australis and evaporation from open-water area and soil with alterations between vegetation and open water. All findings indicated that water level fluctuations controlled biological and ecological processes, and their structural and functional characteristics. This study consequently recommends that specifically-focused ecological water regulations (e.g., duration, timing, frequency) should be enacted to maintain the integrity of wetland ecosystems for wetland restoration.

scholarly journals A partially-coupled hydro-mechanical analysis of the Bengal Aquifer System under hydrological loading

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas D. Woodman ◽  
William G. Burgess ◽  
Kazi Matin Ahmed ◽  
Anwar Zahid
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Load ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Hydraulic Head ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Elastic Model ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Aquifer System ◽  
Terrestrial Water

Abstract. The coupled poro-mechanical behaviour of geologic-fluid systems is fundamental to numerous processes in structural geology, seismology and geotechnics but is frequently overlooked in hydrogeology. Substantial poro-mechanical influences on groundwater head have recently been highlighted in the Bengal Aquifer System, however, driven by terrestrial water loading across the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna floodplains. Groundwater management in this strategically important fluvio-deltaic aquifer, the largest in south Asia, requires a coupled hydro-mechanical approach which acknowledges poro-elasticity. We present a simple partially-coupled, one-dimensional poro-elastic model of the Bengal Aquifer System, and explore the poro-mechanical responses of the aquifer to surface boundary conditions representing hydraulic head and mechanical load under three modes of terrestrial water variation. The characteristic responses, shown as amplitude and phase of hydraulic head in depth profile and of ground surface deflection, demonstrate (i) the limits to using water levels in piezometers to indicate groundwater recharge, as conventionally applied in groundwater resources management; (ii) the conditions under which piezometer water levels respond primarily to changes in the mass of terrestrial water storage, as applied in geological weighing lysimetry; (iii) the relationship of ground surface vertical deflection to changes in groundwater storage; and (iv) errors of attribution that could result from ignoring the poroelastic behaviour of the aquifer. These concepts are illustrated through application of the partially-coupled model to interpret multi-level piezometer data at two sites in southern Bangladesh. There is a need for further research into the coupled responses of the aquifer due to more complex forms of surface loading, particularly from rivers.

scholarly journals Determination of diurnal water level fluctuations in headwaters

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 888-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Marciniak ◽  
Anna Szczucińska
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Hyporheic Zone ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Diurnal Changes ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Diurnal Fluctuations

The aim of this paper is to study diurnal fluctuations of the water level in streams draining headwaters and to identify the controlling factors. The fieldwork was carried out in the Gryżynka River catchment, western Poland. The water levels of three streams draining into the headwaters via a group of springs were monitored in the years 2011–2014. Changes in the water pressure and water temperature were recorded by automatic sensors – Schlumberger MiniDiver type. Simultaneously, Barodiver type sensors were used to record air temperature and atmospheric pressure, as it was necessary to adjust the data collected by the MiniDivers calculate the water level. The results showed that diurnal fluctuations in water level of the streams ranged from 2 to 4 cm (approximately 10% of total water depth) and were well correlated with the changes in evapotranspiration as well as air temperature. The observed water level fluctuations likely have resulted from processes occurring in the headwaters. Good correlation with atmospheric conditions indicates control by daily variations of the local climate. However, the relationship with water temperature suggests that fluctuations are also caused by changes in the temperature-dependent water viscosity and, consequently, by diurnal changes in the hydraulic conductivity of the hyporheic zone.

Rapid morphological evolution during beach breaching and closure at a bar-built estuary

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara Orescanin ◽  
Tyonna McPherson ◽  
Paul Jessen
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
River Discharge ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Discharge Rates ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Elevated Water

<p>The Carmel River runs 58 km from the Santa Lucia Mountains through the Carmel Valley eventually entering a lagoon at Carmel River State Beach near Carmel, California, USA. During the dry summer months, the lagoon is closed, with no connection to the coastal ocean.  However, during the wet winter months, the river often breaches through the lagoon allowing water to freely flow between the river and Carmel Bay. Sediment transport, in part owing to river discharge and in part owing to ocean forcing (tides and waves), contributes heavily to whether the lagoon is open or closed: when there are low flow conditions, waves and tides can decrease flow rates in the breach, allowing sediment to settle. The sediment budget is expected to be a closed system, owing to the rocky headlands and long-term stability (no yearly regression or transgression) of the shoreline, despite managed attempts to control breach and closure timing. However, it is currently unknown 1) how velocity profiles evolve during breaching, and 2) how much sediment moves during such an event. The hypothesis is that the breach mouth can completely disappear and re-emerge over a single breach-closure cycle, leading to meter-scale daily accretion and erosion rates of berm height if berm elevation is significantly lower than the expected steady-state berm height. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that during active breaching, discharge rates through the breach channel are larger than upstream river discharge rates owing to elevated water levels within the back lagoon. This study uses a RiverSurveyor M9 Acoustic Doppler Profiler to measure outflow discharge and GPS topographic surveys to quantify elevation changes. A velocity profile can be built which will estimate the sediment transport potential within the breach. The information obtained will help identify and better understand the river discharge thresholds which contribute to frequent breaching as well as estimates of morphological evolution during breaching, which are currently unknown, and can assist in determining likelihood of successful managed breaching and closure events. </p>

Lake water level response to drought in a lake-rich region explained by lake and landscape characteristics

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 1836-1845
Author(s):  
K. Martin Perales ◽  
Catherine L. Hein ◽  
Noah R. Lottig ◽  
M. Jake Vander Zanden
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Lake Water ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Lake Water Level ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Lake Ecology ◽  
Coarse Woody Habitat

Climate change is altering hydrologic regimes, with implications for lake water levels. While lakes within lake districts experience the same climate, lakes may exhibit differential climate vulnerability regarding water level response to drought. We took advantage of a recent drought (∼2005–2010) and estimated changes in lake area, water level, and shoreline position on 47 lakes in northern Wisconsin using high-resolution orthoimagery and hypsographic curves. We developed a model predicting water level response to drought to identify characteristics of the most vulnerable lakes in the region, which indicated that low-conductivity seepage lakes found high in the landscape, with little surrounding wetland and highly permeable soils, showed the greatest water level declines. To explore potential changes in the littoral zone, we estimated coarse woody habitat (CWH) loss during the drought and found that drainage lakes lost 0.8% CWH while seepage lakes were disproportionately impacted, with a mean loss of 40% CWH. Characterizing how lakes and lake districts respond to drought will further our understanding of how climate change may alter lake ecology via water level fluctuations.

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