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Abstract Hydrologic connectivity controls the lateral exchange of water, solids, and solutes between rivers and floodplains, and is critical to ecosystem function, water treatment, flood attenuation, and geomorphic processes. This connectivity has been well‐studied, typically through the lens of fluvial flooding. In regions prone to heavy rainfall, the timing and magnitude of lateral exchange may be altered by pluvial flooding on the floodplain. We collected measurements of flow depth and velocity in the Trinity River floodplain in coastal Texas (USA) during Tropical Storm Imelda (2019), which produced up to 75 cm of rainfall locally. We developed a two‐dimensional hydrodynamic model at high resolution for a section of the Trinity River floodplain inspired by the compound flooding of Imelda. We then employed Lagrangian particle routing to quantify how residence times and particle velocities changed as flooding shifted from rainfall‐driven to river‐driven. Results show that heavy rainfall initiated lateral exchange before river discharge reached flood levels. The presence of rainwater also reduced floodplain storage, causing river water to be confined to a narrow corridor on the floodplain, while rainwater residence times were increased from the effect of high river flow. Finally, we analyzed the role of floodplain channels in facilitating surface‐water connectivity by varying model resolution in the floodplain. While the resolution of floodplain channels was important locally, it did not affect as much the overall floodplain behavior. This study demonstrates the complexity of floodplain hydrodynamics under conditions of heavy rainfall, with implications for sediment deposition and nutrient removal during floods.
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Nitrate Removal Within Heterogeneous Riparian Aquifers Under Tidal Influence
Abstract Tides in coastal rivers drive river‐groundwater (hyporheic) exchange and provide opportunities for nitrate removal that may improve coastal water quality. Silt and sand layers in coastal floodplain sediments can alter the flow and transformation of nitrate. Our goal was to understand how sediment heterogeneity influences nitrogen dynamics near tidal rivers. Numerical simulations show that oxic, variably saturated sand layers and anoxic, organic‐rich silt layers are sites of nitrification and denitrification, respectively. The exchange of river water and nitrate through heterogeneous sediments increases with sand fraction, as sand lenses become longer and more connected. The amount of nitrate removed from river water also increases but represents a smaller portion of total nitrate exchange through the hyporheic zone, causing removal efficiency to decline. Our results suggest that accurate characterization of aquifer heterogeneity leads to an improved understanding of sites of nutrient transformation within floodplain sediments.
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- PAR ID:
- 10447357
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Volume:
- 47
- Issue:
- 10
- ISSN:
- 0094-8276
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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