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Meanders of the Colorado River Shown Beneficial to Water Quality

by Christina Procopiou on October 19, 2018

GC-Future Water Publication Research Highlight

 

Intrameander hyporheic zones display distinct anoxic and suboxic regions, suboxic regions being localized along sides of the meander bend.

 

Scientists who study the exchange of chemicals in rivers and streams examine activity taking place within the nutrient-rich portions of streambeds, floodplains, and riverbanks known as hyporheic zones – which provide habitat for various aquatic organisms. Berkeley Lab researchers investigating hyporheic exchange have now shown that meanders near the headwaters of the Colorado River absorb metals and excess nutrients during certain river conditions, thus helping sustain river water quality.

A recent paper published in the journal Water Resources Research, and of which EESA research scientist Dipankar Dwivedi is lead author, describes discoveries made by the Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA) program team at Berkeley Lab. The researchers conducted their study in an area along the East River catchment near the Upper Colorado River headwaters. 

Hyporheic zones perform important ecological functions by linking terrestrial and aquatic systems within watersheds. Composed of nutrient-rich sediment, these water-filled spaces between grains of unconsolidated sediment can act as a source or sink for various metals and nutrients. Dwivedi and his team explored the influence of factors such as groundwater flow dynamics, river-stage fluctuations, and rainfall or snowfall on interactions between nutrient-rich groundwater and oxygen-rich river water in the hyporheic zone.

The study is the first of its kind to apply data from field observations to research into the influence of transient hydrological conditions on the hyporheic biogeochemistry. Using high-resolution hydrodynamic assessments of the hyporheic zone combined with detailed pore-water sampling, the researchers sought to quantify subsurface exports of carbon, iron, and other geochemical species from a single meander to the river under these changing conditions.

Simulation results demonstrated that intra-meander hyporheic zones display distinct anoxic and suboxic regions, the latter localized along sides of the meander bend. The work also showed that permeability has a more significant impact on biogeochemical zonation compared to the reaction pathways for transient hydrologic conditions, and that micro-topographic features such as gullies have outsized influence over chemical reactions that involve the transfer of electrons between two species, or redox processes.

News & Events

Carl Steefel Named 2019 American Geophysical Union Fellow

August 14, 2019

  Carl Steefel, a senior scientist in the Earth & Environmental Sciences Area at Berkeley Lab, has been named by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) as a 2019 AGU Fellow. Every year, the AGU Fellows program recognizes members who have made exceptional contributions to the Earth and Space sciences. Vetted by a committee of AGU Fellows,…

Climate Change Expected to Shift Location of East Asian Monsoons

November 25, 2019

Berkeley Lab climate scientists studied how the Hadley cell, a tropical air flow closely linked to monsoons, will change as the climate warms. (Credit: iStockphoto) More than a billion people in Asia depend on seasonal monsoons for their water needs. The Asian monsoon is closely linked to a planetary-scale tropical air flow which, according to a…

Charlie Koven Named One of 2019’s Most Influential Researchers

November 23, 2019

For the second consecutive year, Charlie Koven, a staff scientist in the Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, has been named among the world’s most cited research scientists. Since 2002, the Highly Cited Researchers list has identified global research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence – reflected through their publication of multiple papers…

EGD Hosts Symposium on Coupled Processes in Radioactive Waste Disposal and Subsurface Engineering Applications

On November 4-5, 2019, the Environmental Geosciences Division co-hosted the DECOVALEX 2019 Symposium on “Coupled Processes in Radioactive Waste Disposal and Subsurface Engineering Applications” in Brugg, Switzerland. Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in geological systems are critically important to the performance and safety assessment of geologic disposal systems for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. Understanding…

Romy Chakraborty and Boris Faybishenko Honored with 2019 Directors’ Awards

Two EESA scientists were honored with Berkeley Lab Director’s Awards at a ceremony on November 15 in Building 50. Romy Chakraborty, Ecology Department head, and EESA Staff Scientist Boris Faybishenko, are among 15 individuals who received this year’s awards from Lab Director Mike Witherell. The Director’s Awards program recognizes Lab employees each year for exemplary…

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