%AHammond, John [U.S. Geological Survey MD‐DE‐DC Water Science Center Baltimore MD USA]%AZimmer, Margaret [Earth and Planetary Sciences University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA]%AShanafield, Margaret [College of Science and Engineering Flinders University Adelaide Australia]%AKaiser, Kendra [Geosciences Department Boise State University Boise ID USA]%AGodsey, Sarah [Department of Geosciences Idaho State University Pocatello ID USA]%AMims, Meryl [Department of Biological Sciences Virginia Tech Blacksburg VA USA]%AZipper, Samuel [Kansas Geological Survey University of Kansas Lawrence KS USA]%ABurrows, Ryan [School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences The University of Melbourne Burnley Campus Victoria Australia]%AKampf, Stephanie [Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability Colorado State University Fort Collins CO USA]%ADodds, Walter [Division of Biology Kansas State University Manhattan KS USA]%AJones, C. [Department of Biological Sciences University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL USA]%AKrabbenhoft, Corey [College of Arts and Sciences and Research and Education in Energy Environment and Water (RENEW) Institute University at Buffalo Buffalo NY USA]%ABoersma, Kate [Department of Biology University of San Diego San Diego CA USA]%ADatry, Thibault [Centre de Lyon‐Villeurbanne Villeurbanne CEDEX France]%AOlden, Julian [School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle WA USA]%AAllen, George [Department of Geography Texas A&,M University College Station TX USA]%APrice, Adam [Earth and Planetary Sciences University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA]%ACostigan, Katie [School of Geosciences University of Louisiana Lafayette LA USA]%AHale, Rebecca [Department of Biological Sciences Idaho State University Pocatello ID USA]%AWard, Adam [O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs Indiana University Bloomington IN USA]%AAllen, Daniel [Department of Biology University of Oklahoma Norman OK USA]%BJournal Name: Geophysical Research Letters; Journal Volume: 48; Journal Issue: 2; Related Information: CHORUS Timestamp: 2023-08-21 23:41:31 %D2021%IDOI PREFIX: 10.1029 %JJournal Name: Geophysical Research Letters; Journal Volume: 48; Journal Issue: 2; Related Information: CHORUS Timestamp: 2023-08-21 23:41:31 %K %MOSTI ID: 10372822 %PMedium: X %TSpatial Patterns and Drivers of Nonperennial Flow Regimes in the Contiguous United States %XAbstract

Over half of global rivers and streams lack perennial flow, and understanding the distribution and drivers of their flow regimes is critical for understanding their hydrologic, biogeochemical, and ecological functions. We analyzed nonperennial flow regimes using 540 U.S. Geological Survey watersheds across the contiguous United States from 1979 to 2018. Multivariate analyses revealed regional differences in no‐flow fraction, date of first no flow, and duration of the dry‐down period, with further divergence between natural and human‐altered watersheds. Aridity was a primary driver of no‐flow metrics at the continental scale, while unique combinations of climatic, physiographic and anthropogenic drivers emerged at regional scales. Dry‐down duration showed stronger associations with nonclimate drivers compared to no‐flow fraction and timing. Although the sparse distribution of nonperennial gages limits our understanding of such streams, the watersheds examined here suggest the important role of aridity and land cover change in modulating future stream drying.

%0Journal Article