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Geology topics

Kenneth E. Bencala

Publications and source records attributed to Kenneth E. Bencala.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2013

Mercury and methylmercury dynamics in the hyporheic zone of an Oregon stream

The role of the hyporheic zone in mercury (Hg) cycling has received limited attention despite the biogeochemically active nature of this zone and, thus, its potential to influence Hg behavior in streams. An assessment of Hg geochemistry in the hyporheic zone of a coarse-grained island in the Coast Fork Willamette River in Oregon, USA, illustrates the spatially dynamic nature of this region of the stream channel for Hg mobilization and attenuation. Hyporheic flow through the island was evident from the water-table geometry and supported by hyporheic-zone chemistry distinct from that of the bounding groundwater system. Redox-indicator species changed abruptly along a transect through the hyporheic zone, indicating a biogeochemically reactive stream/hyporheic-zone continuum. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total Hg, and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations increased in the upgradient portion of the hyporheic zone and decreased in the downgradient region. Total Hg (collected in 2002 and 2003) and MeHg (collected in 2003) were correlated with DOC in hyporheic-zone samples: r 2 =0.63 (total Hg-DOC, 2002), 0.73 (total Hg-DOC, 2003), and 0.94 (MeHg-DOC, 2003). Weaker Hg/DOC association in late summer 2002 than in early summer 2003 may reflect seasonal differences in DOC reactivity. Observed correlations between DOC and both total Hg and MeHg reflect the importance of DOC for Hg mobilization, transport, and fate in this hyporheic zone. Correlations with DOC provide a framework for conceptualizing and quantifying Hg and MeHg dynamics in this region of the stream channel, and provide a refined conceptual model of the role hyporheic zones may play in aquatic ecosystems.

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution↗
USGS2013

The influence of stream thermal regimes and preferential flow paths on hyporheic exchange in a glacial meltwater stream

Given projected increases in stream temperatures attributable to global change, improved understanding of relationships between stream temperatures and hyporheic exchange would be useful. We conducted two conservative tracer injection experiments in a glacial meltwater stream, to evaluate the effects of hyporheic thermal gradients on exchange processes, including preferential flow paths (PFPs). The experiments were conducted on the same day, the first (a stream injection) during a cool, morning period and the second (dual stream and hyporheic injections) during a warm, afternoon period. In the morning, the hyporheic zone was thermally uniform at 4°C, whereas by the afternoon the upper 10 cm had warmed to 6–12°C and exhibited greater temperature heterogeneity. Solute transport modeling showed that hyporheic cross-sectional areas (A s ) at two downstream sites were two and seven times lower during the warm experiment. Exchange metrics indicated that the hyporheic zone had less influence on downstream solute transport during the warm, afternoon experiment. Calculated hyporheic depths were less than 5 cm, contrasting with tracer detection at 10 and 25 cm depths. The hyporheic tracer arrival at one downstream site was rapid, comparable to the in-stream tracer arrival, providing evidence for PFPs. We thus propose a conceptual view of the hyporheic zone in this reach as being dominated by discrete PFPs weaving through hydraulically isolated areas. One explanation for the simultaneous increase in temperature heterogeneity and A s decrease in a warmer hyporheic zone may be a flow path preferentiality feedback mechanism resulting from a combination of temperature-related viscosity decreases and streambed heterogeneity.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2013

Variations in surface water-ground water interactions along a headwater mountain stream : comparisons between transient storage and water balance analyses

The accumulation of discharge along a stream valley is frequently assumed to be the primary control on solute transport processes. Relationships of both increasing and decreasing transient storage, and decreased gross losses of stream water have been reported with increasing discharge; however, we have yet to validate these relationships with extensive field study. We conducted transient storage and mass recovery analyses of artificial tracer studies completed for 28 contiguous 100 m reaches along a stream valley, repeated under four base-flow conditions. We calculated net and gross gains and losses, temporal moments of tracer breakthrough curves, and best fit transient storage model parameters (with uncertainty estimates) for 106 individual tracer injections. Results supported predictions that gross loss of channel water would decrease with increased discharge. However, results showed no clear relationship between discharge and transient storage, and further analysis of solute tracer methods demonstrated that the lack of this relation may be explained by uncertainty and equifinality in the transient storage model framework. Furthermore, comparison of water balance and transient storage approaches reveals complications in clear interpretation of either method due to changes in advective transport time, which sets a the temporal boundary separating transient storage and channel water balance. We have little ability to parse this limitation of solute tracer methods from the physical processes we seek to study. We suggest the combined analysis of both transient storage and channel water balance more completely characterizes transport of solutes in stream networks than can be inferred from either method alone.

Montana↗
USGS2011

Rethinking hyporheic flow and transient storage to advance understanding of stream-catchment connections

Although surface water and groundwater are increasingly referred to as one resource, there remain environmental and ecosystem needs to study the 10 m to 1 km reach scale as one hydrologic system. Streams gain and lose water over a range of spatial and temporal scales. Large spatial scales (kilometers) have traditionally been recognized and studied as river-aquifer connections. Over the last 25 years hyporheic exchange flows (1-10 m) have been studied extensively. Often a transient storage model has been used to quantify the physical solute transport setting in which biogeochemical processes occur. At the longer 10 m to 1 km scale of stream reaches it is now clear that streams which gain water overall can coincidentally lose water to the subsurface. At this scale, the amounts of water transferred are not necessarily significant but the exchanges can, however, influence solute transport. The interpretation of seemingly straightforward questions about water, contaminant, and nutrient fluxes into and along a stream can be confounded by flow losses which are too small to be apparent in stream gauging and along flow paths too long to be detected in tracer experiments. We suggest basic hydrologic approaches, e.g., measurement of flow along the channel, surface and subsurface solute sampling, and routine measurements of the water table that, in our opinion, can be used to extend simple exchange concepts from the hyporheic exchange scale to a scale of stream-catchment connection.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2011

Stream-groundwater interactions

Streams and their surrounding catchments exchange water and solutes on a range of physical scales. Exchange with the stream may extend into the interstitial areas of the streambed, the hyporheic zone, the riparian area, or the catchment's groundwater flow system. Even at the smaller scales, the exchanges significantly influence solute transport, nutrient cycling, and the aquatic ecosystem. Over the recent decades, considerable attention has been given to the solute transport aspects of stream–groundwater interactions. Stream–groundwater interactions are now being recognized as practical matters to be considered in environmental issues, such as stream restoration and fish habitat. In this chapter, the emphasis is on introducing (1) the breadth of hydrologic interactions between streams and groundwater and (2) the importance of interpreting these interactions to understanding stream chemistry and ecology.

Book chapter↗
USGS2010

Hillslope hydrologic connectivity controls riparian groundwater turnover: Implications of catchment structure for riparian buffering and stream water sources

Hydrologic connectivity between catchment upland and near stream areas is essential for the transmission of water, solutes, and nutrients to streams. However, our current understanding of the role of riparian zones in mediating landscape hydrologic connectivity and the catchment scale export of water and solutes is limited. We tested the relationship between the duration of hillslope‐riparian‐stream (HRS) hydrologic connectivity and the rate and degree of riparian shallow groundwater turnover along four HRS well transects within a set of nested mountain catchments (Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest, MT). Transect HRS water table connectivity ranged from 9 to 123 days during the annual snowmelt hydrograph. Hillslope water was always characterized by low specific conductance (∼27 μ S cm −1 ). In transects with transient hillslope water tables, riparian groundwater specific conductance was elevated during base flow conditions (∼127 μ S cm −1 ) but shifted toward hillslope signatures once a HRS groundwater connection was established. The degree of riparian groundwater turnover was proportional to the duration of HRS connectivity and inversely related to the riparian: hillslope area ratios (buffer ratio; r 2 = 0.95). We applied this relationship to the stream network in seven subcatchments within the Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest and compared their turnover distributions to source water contributions measured at each catchment outlet. The amount of riparian groundwater exiting each of the seven catchments was linearly related ( r 2 = 0.92) to their median riparian turnover time. Our observations suggest that the size and spatial arrangement of hillslope and riparian zones along a stream network and the timing and duration of groundwater connectivity between them is a first‐order control on the magnitude and timing of water and solutes observed at the catchment outlet.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2010

The effect of streambed topography on surface-subsurface water exchange in mountain catchments

A numerical hydrological simulation suggested that water exchange between stream channels and adjacent aquifers is enhanced by convexities and concavities in streambed topography. At St. Kevin Gulch, an effluent stream in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, subsurface hydraulic gradients and movement of ionic tracers indicated that stream water was locally recharged into well-defined flow paths through the alluvium. Stream water-filled flow paths in the alluvium (referred to as substream flow paths) returned to the stream a short distance downstream (1 to 10 m). Recharge to the substream flow paths occurred where stream water slope increased, at the transition from pools (<1%) to steeper channel units (5–20%). Return of substream flow paths to the stream occurred where stream water slope decreased, at the transition from steeper channel units to pools. A net water flux calculation is typically used to characterize water and solute fluxes between surface and subsurface zones of catchments. Along our study reach at St. Kevin Gulch the net inflow of water from subsurface to stream (1.6 mL s −1 m −1 ) underestimated the gross inflow (2.7 mL s −1 m −1 ) by 40%. The influence of streambed topography is to enhance hydrological fluxes between stream water and subsurface zones and to prolong water-sediment contact times; these effects could have important consequences for solute transport, retention, and transformation in catchments.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2010

Simulation of solute transport in a mountain pool-and-riffle stream: A transient storage model

The physical characteristics of mountain streams differ from the uniform and conceptually well- defined open channels for which the analysis of solute transport has been oriented in the past and is now well understood. These physical conditions significantly influence solute transport behavior, as demonstrated by a transient storage model simulation of solute transport in a very small (0.0125 m 3 s −1 ) mountain pool-and-riffle stream. The application is to a carefully controlled and intensively monitored chloride injection experiment. The data from the experiment are not explained by the standard convection-dispersion mechanisms alone. A transient storage model, which couples dead zones with the one-dimensional convection-dispersion equation, simulates the general characteristics of the solute transport behavior and a set of simulation parameters were determined that yield an adequate fit to the data. However, considerable uncertainty remains in determining physically realistic values of these parameters. The values of the simulation parameters used are compared to values used by other authors for other streams. The comparison supports, at least qualitatively, the determined parameter values.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2010

Kinetic analysis of strontium and potassium sorption onto sands and gravels in a natural channel

A kinetic, first-order mass transfer model was used to describe the sorption of strontium onto sand- and gravel-sized streambed sediments. Rate parameters, empirically determined for strontium, allowed for the prediction of potassium sorption with moderate success. The model parameters varied significantly with particle size. The sorption data were collected during an experimental injection of several elements into a small mountain pool-and-riffle stream. The sorption process onto sand- and gravel-sized sediment was relatively slow compared to changes in the dissolved concentrations.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2010

Interactions of solutes and streambed sediment: 1. An experimental analysis of cation and anion transport in a mountain stream

An experimental injection was performed to study the transport of stream water solutes under conditions of significant interaction with streambed sediments in a mountain pool-and-riffle stream. Experiments were conducted in Little Lost Man Creek, Humboldt County, California, in a period of low flow duringwhich only a part of the bank-full channel held active surface flow. The injection of chloride and several trace cations lasted 20 days. In this report we discuss the results of the first 24 hours of the injection and survey the results of the first 10 days. Solute-streambed interactions of two types were observed. First, the physical transport of the conservative tracer, chloride, was affected by intergravel flow and stagnant watt, zones created by the bed relief. Second, the transport of the cations (strontium, potassium, and lithium) was appreciably modified by sorption onto streambed sediment. In the stream the readily observable consequence of the solute-streambed interactions was an attenuation of the dissolved concentration of each of the tracers. The attenuation in the stream channel occurred concurrently with the storage of tracers in the streambed via both physical and chemical processes. All tracers were subsequently present in shallow wells dug several meters from the wetted part of the channel. Sediment samples collected approximately 3 weeks after the start of the injection contained increased concentrations of the injected cations.

California↗
USGS2010

Interactions of solutes and streambed sediment: 2. A dynamic analysis of coupled hydrologic and chemical processes that determine solute transport

Solute transport in streams is determined by the interaction of physical and chemical processes. Data from an injection experiment for chloride and several cations indicate significant influence of solutestreambed processes on transport in a mountain stream. These data are interpreted in terms of transient storage processes for all tracers and sorption processes for the cations. Process parameter values are estimated with simulations based on coupled quasi-two-dimensional transport and first-order mass transfer sorption. Comparative simulations demonstrate the relative roles of the physical and chemical processes in determining solute transport. During the first 24 hours of the experiment, chloride concentrations were attenuated relative to expected plateau levels. Additional attenuation occurred for the sorbing cation strontium. The simulations account for these storage processes. Parameter values determined by calibration compare favorably with estimates from other studies in mountain streams. Without further calibration, the transport of potassium and lithium is adequately simulated using parameters determined in the chloride-strontium simulation and with measured cation distribution coefficients.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2010

Characterization of transport in an acidic and metal-rich mountain stream based on a lithium tracer injection and simulations of transient storage

Physical parameters characterizing solute transport in the Snake River (an acidic and metal-rich mountain stream near Montezuma, Colorado) were variable along a 5.2-km study reach. Stream cross-sectional area and volumetric inflow each varied by a factor of 3. Because of transient storage, the residence time of injected tracers in the Snake River was longer than would be calculated by consideration of convective travel time alone. Distributed inflows along the stream were a significant source of in-stream chemical variations. These transport characteristics of the Snake River were established on the basis of the assumption of lithium as an ideally conservative tracer and use of simulations of advection, dispersion, and transient storage. Evaluations of the validity of this combined tracer and simulation approach lend confidence to the estimation of the physical transport parameters, but further development is warranted for methods of onsite transport experimentation in hydrologically complex, chemically reactive environments.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2010

The chemistry of iron, aluminum, and dissolved organic material in three acidic, metal-enriched, mountain streams, as controlled by watershed and in-stream processes

Several studies were conducted in three acidic, metal-enriched, mountain streams, and the results are discussed together in this paper to provide a synthesis of watershed and in-stream processes controlling Fe, Al, and DOC (dissolved organic carbon) concentrations. One of the streams, the Snake River, is naturally acidic; the other two, Peru Creek and St. Kevin Gulch, receive acid mine drainage. Analysis of stream water chemistry data for the acidic headwaters of the Snake River shows that some trace metal solutes (Al, Mn, Zn) are correlated with major ions, indicating that watershed processes control their concentrations. Once in the stream, biogeochemical processes can control transport if they occur over time scales comparable to those for hydrologic transport. Examples of the following in-stream reactions are presented: (1) photoreduction and dissolution of hydrous iron oxides in response to an experimental decrease in stream p H, (2) precipitation of Al at three stream confluences, and (3) sorption of dissolved organic material by hydrous iron and aluminum oxides in a stream confluence. The extent of these reactions is evaluated using conservative tracers and a transport model that includes storage in the substream zone.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS2008

Solute transport along stream and river networks

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Review of current knowledge Linking transport processes with the fluvial geomorphic template Forward-looking perspective Acknowledgements References

Book chapter↗
USGS2008

Metals fate and transport modelling in streams and watersheds: state of the science and USEPA workshop review

Metals pollution in surface waters from point and non-point sources (NPS) is a widespread problem in the United States and worldwide (Lofts et al. , 2007; USEPA, 2007). In the western United States, metals associated with acid mine drainage (AMD) from hardrock mines in mountainous areas impact aquatic ecosystems and human health (USEPA, 1997a; Caruso and Ward, 1998; Church et al. , 2007). Metals fate and transport modelling in streams and watersheds is sometimes needed for assessment and restoration of surface waters, including mining-impacted streams (Runkel and Kimball, 2002; Caruso, 2003; Velleux et al. , 2006). The Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP; Wool et al. , 2001), developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), is an example of a model used for such analyses. Other approaches exist and appropriate model selection depends on site characteristics, data availability and modelling objectives. However, there are a wide range of assumptions, input parameters, data requirements and gaps, and calibration and validation issues that must be addressed by model developers, users and decision makers. Despite substantial work on model development, their successful application has been more limited because they are not often used by decision makers for stream and watershed assessment and restoration. Bringing together scientists, model developers, users and decision makers should stimulate the development of appropriate models and improve the applicability of their results. To address these issues, the USEPA Office of Research and Development and Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming) hosted a workshop in Denver, Colorado on February 13–14, 2007. The workshop brought together approximately 35 experts from government, academia and consulting to address the state of the art for modelling metals fate and transport, knowledge gaps and future directions in metals modelling. It focused on modelling metals in high-altitude streams, rivers and watersheds impacted by mine waste that are common in the western United States and require remediation. For example, there are over 100 000 abandoned or inactive mining sites across the United States, encompassing over 500 000 acres of land that may eventually require characterization and remediation, including the possible application of stream or watershed metals fate and transport modelling (USEPA, 1997a). This article provides a general overview of the state of the science on modelling metals fate and transport in streams and watersheds, including a review of presentations and discussions at the USEPA workshop. It builds on previous summaries of metals fate and transport models in aquatic systems, including USEPA (1997b, 2007), Allen (2002), Paquin et al. (2003), Nordstrom (2004) and Maest et al. (2005).

Colorado↗
USGS2007

Rhodamine-WT dye losses in a mountain stream environment

A significant fraction of rhodamine WT dye was lost during a short term multitracer injection experiment in a mountain stream environment. The conservative anion chloride and the sorbing cation lithium were concurrently injected. In-stream rhodamine WT concentrations were as low as 45 percent of that expected, based on chloride data. Concentration data were available from shallow‘wells’dug near the stream course and from a seep of suspected return flow. Both rhodamine WT dye and lithium were nonconservative with respect to the conservative chloride, with rhodamine WT dye closely following the behavior of the sorbing lithium. Nonsorption and sorption mechanisms for rhodamine WT loss in a mountain stream were evaluated in laboratory experiments. Experiments evaluating nonsorption losses indicated minimal losses by such mechanisms. Laboratory experiments using sand and gravel size streambed sediments show an appreciable capacity for rhodamine WT sorption. The detection of tracers in the shallow wells and seep indicates interaction between the stream and the flow in the surrounding subsurface, intergravel water, system. The injected tracers had ample opportunity for intimate contact with materials shown in the laboratory experiments to be potentially sorptive. It is suggested that in the study stream system, interaction with streambed gravel was a significant mechanism for the attenuation of rhodamine WT dye (relative to chloride).

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗
USGS2006

Science for maintaining riverine ecosystems: Actions for the USGS identified in the workshop "Analysis of Flow and Habitat for Aquatic Communities"

Federal and state agencies need improved scientific analysis to support riverine ecosystem management. The ability of the USGS to integrate geologic, hydrologic, chemical, geographic, and biological data into new tools and models provides unparalleled opportunities to translate the best riverine science into useful approaches and usable information to address issues faced by river managers. In addition to this capability to provide integrated science, the USGS has a long history of providing long-term and nationwide information about natural resources. The USGS is now in a position to advance its ability to provide the scientific support for the management of riverine ecosystems. To address this need, the USGS held a listening session in Fort Collins, Colorado in April 2006. Goals of the workshop were to: 1) learn about the key resource issues facing DOI, other Federal, and state resource management agencies; 2) discuss new approaches and information needs for addressing these issues; and 3) outline a strategy for the USGS role in supporting riverine ecosystem management. Workshop discussions focused on key components of a USGS strategy: Communications, Synthesis, and Research. The workshop identified 3 priority actions the USGS can initiate now to advance its capabilities to support integrated science for resource managers in partner government agencies and non-governmental organizations: 1) Synthesize the existing science of riverine ecosystem processes to produce broadly applicable conceptual models, 2) Enhance selected ongoing instream flow projects with complementary interdisciplinary studies, and 3) Design a long-term, watershed-scale research program that will substantively reinvent riverine ecosystem science. In addition, topical discussion groups on hydrology, geomorphology, aquatic habitat and populations, and socio-economic analysis and negotiation identified eleven important complementary actions required to advance the state of the science and to develop the tools for supporting decisions on riverine ecosystem management. These eleven actions lie within the continuum of Communications, Synthesis, and Research.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2003

Editorial

In our 3 years serving as editors, we have learned to our delight that Water Resources Research is truly the journal of the hydrologic community. Many individuals have expressed to us their sense of ownership of the journal and their passion for the sustained excellence of the journal. This is extremely healthy as it leads to productive discussions in which varying points of view are put forward, all for the purpose of making the journal better. The community decides the future of its journal. For WRR to be strong the community must be engaged, committed, and willing to discuss matters in a way that will enhance the journal. At this time, there are a number of challenges that face Water Resources Research . These are challenges for each member of the hydrologic community to consider.

Water Resources Research↗