Groundwater & Surface-Water Interactions in Riparian and Lake-Dominated Systems
John F. Walker and David P. Krabbenhoft
Abstract: This chapter presents an overview of the application of isotope tracers (primarily the isotopes of water) to further the understanding of hydrologic processes occurring in riparian areas contiguous with stream systems and in hydrologic systems dominated by lakes. The chapter begins with a discussion of the spatial distribution of lake-dominated systems and a general discussion of the dominant hydrological processes occurring in these systems. Next, a brief overview of previous research in this area is presented, which focuses on research regarding recharge processes in riparian areas and studies examining the hydrologic components of lake systems. A more detailed quantitative discussion of groundwater/lake interactions follows, including the application of stable isotopes for estimating groundwater/lake exchange and the development of an index-lake method for simplifying estimates of groundwater/lake exchange. Finally, we present a qualitative case study describing current research being conducted in a small forested catchment in northern Wisconsin and focuses on research related to the use of multiple isotopic tracers to examine hydrologic processes as the stream flows from the headwaters to its confluence with a large lake. We conclude with suggestions for future directions in applying stable-isotope tracers to understanding hydrologic processes in riparian areas and lake-dominated systems, including the importance of spatial and temporal heterogeneity, the importance of groundwater flow and reaction paths for understanding these complex systems, and the use of multiple isotopic tracers.
Isotope Tracers in Catchment Hydrology, J.J. McDonnell and C. Kendall (eds), Elsevier, 1998, p. 467-488.
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Last modified: 25 January 1999