The influence of diurnal temperatures on the hydrochemistry of a tufa-depositing stream

Abstract

At-a-station diurnal variations in carbonate hydrochemistry were measured during four observation periods at Davys Creek, a tufa-depositing stream in central NSW, Australia. Major ion concentrations and continuously logged measurements of specific conductivity, pH and temperature showed that changes in the amount of CaCO deposited upstream of the study reach were directly related to changes in diurnal water temperatures, which control the rate of CO efflux to the atmosphere. The greatest upstream losses occured during the mid-afternoon water temperature peak, whereas the lowest upstream losses occured at sunrise, when water temperatures were at their lowest. Cloudy days at all times of the..