Responses in Streams and Groundwater
Responses in Streams and Groundwater
This chapter covers streams and groundwater, discussing their interconnection with wetlands and riparian systems. Groundwater recharge occurs across an entire watershed depending on precipitation and many factors geology, soil types, and urbanization. As this infiltrated water reappears in the low spots, streams emerge from the soils. Also discussed is the biology that takes place throughout streams and groundwater, with microbial action dependent on factors such as oxygen levels, the amount of organic matter in the water and soils, and nutrient availability. Groundwater also carries chemicals such as gasoline additives that infiltrate with the recharging precipitation. This chapters explains how these chemicals identify when stream contaminants originated as surface applications and can age groundwater recharge times. This chapter also describes the influence of sticks, branches and stumps that enter streams from the riparian areas alongside rivers. This natural material structure rivers, slow down erosive forces of stormwater, and provide a variety of biological habitats for many types of organisms. With land use changes like logging and urbanization, this large woody debris is lost, and streams lose a stabilizing force.
Keywords: headwater streams, groundwater, sedimentation, large woody debris
Chicago Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
