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1. Flash Flood–Producing Storm Properties in a Small Urban Watershed

   https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-16-0070.1  

   Smith, Brianne K.; Smith, James; Baeck, Mary Lynn (October 2016, Journal of Hydrometeorology)

   The structure and evolution of flash flood–producing storms over a small urban watershed in the mid-Atlantic United States with a prototypical flash flood response is examined. Lagrangian storm properties are investigated through analyses of the 32 storms that produced the largest peak discharges in Moores Run between January 2000 and May 2014. The Thunderstorm Identification, Tracking, Analysis, and Nowcasting (TITAN) algorithm is used to track storm characteristics over their life cycle with a focus on storm size, movement, intensity, and location. First, the 13 June 2003 and 1 June 2006 storms, which produced the two largest peak discharges for the study period, are analyzed. Heavy rainfall for the 13 June 2003 and 1 June 2006 storms were caused by a collapsing thunderstorm cell and a slow-moving, low-echo centroid storm. Analyses of the 32 storms show that collapsing storm cells play an important role in peak rainfall rate production and flash flooding. Storm motion is predominantly southwest-to-northeast, and approximately half of the storms exhibited some linear organization. Mean storm total rainfall for the 32 storms displayed an asymmetric distribution around Moores Run, with sharply decreasing gradients southwest of the watershed (upwind and into the city) and increased rainfall to the northeast (downwind and away from the city). Results indicate urban modification of rainfall in flash flood–producing storms. There was no evidence that the storms split around Baltimore. Flood-producing rainfall was highly concentrated in time; on average, approximately 21% of the storm total rainfall fell within 15 min. 

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2. Dynamics of nitrate concentration-discharge patterns in an urban watershed: DYNAMIC URBAN NITRATE C-Q PATTERNS

   https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020500  

   Duncan, Jonathan M.; Welty, Claire; Kemper, John T.; Groffman, Peter M.; Band, Lawrence E. (August 2017, Water Resources Research)
3. Flash flooding in small urban watersheds: Storm event hydrologic response: STORM EVENT HYDROLOGIC RESPONSE OVER SMALL URBAN WATERSHEDS

   https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR018326  

   Yang, Long; Smith, James A.; Baeck, Mary Lynn; Zhang, Yan (June 2016, Water Resources Research)
4. Effect of legacy on hydric forest structure in a subtropical urban watershed

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-020-01009-y  

   Lagrosa, John J.; Andreu, Michael G.; Friedman, Melissa H.; Zipperer, Wayne C.; Northrop, Robert J. (February 2021, Urban Ecosystems)
5. Long‐term changes in riparian connectivity and groundwater chemistry in an urban watershed

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20654  

   Washington, Brittany_N; Groffman, Peter_M; Duncan, Jonathan_M; Band, Lawrence_E; Miller, Andrew_J (December 2024, Journal of Environmental Quality)

   Abstract Hydrologic alterations associated with urbanization can weaken connections between riparian zones, streams, and uplands, leading to negative effects on the ability of riparian zones to intercept pollutants carried by surface water runoff and groundwater flow such as nitrate (NO₃⁻) and phosphate (PO₄³⁻). We analyzed the monthly water table as an indicator of riparian connectivity, along with groundwater NO₃⁻and PO₄³⁻concentrations, at four riparian sites within and near the Gwynns Falls Watershed in Baltimore, MD, from 1998 to 2018. The sites included one forested reference site (Oregon Ridge), two suburban riparian sites (Glyndon and Gwynnbrook), and one urban riparian site (Cahill) with at least two locations and four monitoring wells, located 5 m from the center of the stream, at each site. Results show an increase in connectivity as indicated by shallower water tables at two of the four sites studied: Glyndon and Cahill. This change in connectivity was associated with decreases in NO₃⁻at Glyndon and increases in PO₄³⁻at Glyndon, Gwynnbrook, and Cahill. These changes are consistent with previous studies showing that shallower water table depths increase anaerobic conditions, which increase NO₃⁻consumption by denitrification and decrease PO₄³⁻retention. The absence of change in the forested reference site, where climate would be expected to be the key driver, suggests that other drivers, including best management practices and stream restoration projects, could be affecting riparian water tables at the two suburban sites and the one urban site. Further research into the mechanisms behind these changes and site‐specific dynamics is needed. 

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