Influence of a large fluvial island, streambed, and stream bank on surface water‐groundwater fluxes and water table dynamics

Abstract

Substantial research on how hydraulic and geomorphologic factors control hyporheic exchange has resulted in reasonable process understanding; however, the role of fluvial islands on the transient nature of spatial flux patterns remains elusive. We used detailed field observations of the Truckee River, Nevada from 2003 to 2009 to quantify fluid flux between the river and a fluvial island, the streambed, and the adjacent stream bank. We constructed a 3‐D numerical flow and heat transport model to further quantify the complex flow paths. Our study expands on previous research typically confined to less comprehensive scales and dimensions, and highlights the transient multidimensionality of the flow field. In fact, 1‐D vertical streambed flux estimates indicated that the channel bar tail displayed the highest upward flux throughout the summer; however, 3‐D model results indicated that the horizontal contribution was two orders of magnitude higher than the vertical contribution. The channel bar net flux is typically 1.5 orders of magnitude greater than the adjacent stream banks and an order of magnitude less than net streambed fluxes, indicating significant differences in river‐aquifer interactions between each of the geomorphic units. Modeling simulations further indicated that the channel bar induces 6 times more fluid flux than an identical location without a fluvial island, consistent with flux estimates from a nearby river restoration location. Moreover, event‐based and seasonal transient antecedent moisture and near‐stream storage conditions contribute to multidimensional river‐groundwater interactions. These results suggest that fluvial islands are a key driver and significant component of river‐groundwater interactions and hyporheic flow.