Journal article

Flipping the thin film model: Mass transfer by hyporheic exchange in gaining and losing streams

AH McCluskey, SB Grant, MJ Stewardson

Water Resources Research | AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION | Published : 2016

Abstract

The exchange of mass between a stream and its hyporheic zone, or “hyporheic exchange,” is central to many important ecosystem services. In this paper we show that mass transfer across the streambed by linear mechanisms of hyporheic exchange in a gaining or losing stream can be represented by a thin film model in which (a) the mass transfer coefficient is replaced with the average Darcy flux of water downwelling into the sediment and (b) the driving force for mass transfer is “flipped” from normal to the surface (concentration difference across a boundary layer) to parallel to the surface (concentration difference across downwelling and upwelling zones). Our analysis is consistent with previo..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by National Science Foundation


Funding Acknowledgements

Data presented in Figures 4 and 5 is either properly cited and referred to in the reference list, or was calculated from data kindly provided by A. Fox and N. Trauth. We also thank B. Cardenas, A. Sawyer, S. Stonedahl, J. Harvey and the following individuals for their detailed review of the manuscript: M. Azizian, C. Berni, R. Casas-Mulet, E. Gee, A. Herrero, D. O'Shea, and M. Rippy. Financial support was provided by the Australian Government through an Australian Postgraduate Award, the Australian Research Council Development Project grant (DP-130103619), and the U.S. National Science Foundation Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) (OISE-1243543).