Headwater streams – what are they and what do they do?Ken Fritz and Brent Johnson

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Office of Research and DevelopmentNational Exposure Research Laboratory, Ecological Exposure Research Division May 24, 2011

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Outline of presentation• What are headwater streams?

- Where are they?C t f h d t- Components of headwater catchments

- Longitudinal transitions• Hydrology of headwater streams

- Major flowpaths- Expansion – contractionExpansion contraction- How to characterize permanence

• Headwater stream functionsSt t d f ti- Structure and function

- What are the vitals and how to measure them

1

What are headwater streams?

• Subjective term for a small tributarytributary– depends on context and scale

• Tributaries are permanent longitudinal features (bed g (& banks) where water & associated materials from surface runoff and/or

Bank

Bank

Streambed

surface runoff and/or ground water are concentrated & mixed at

2

the land-atmosphere interface.

Stream classification• Exterior or most upland tributaries in

river networks• Typically considered to be 1st & 2nd

order streams, but depends on map

1 1

stream order link magnitude

1 1

1 1

12

2

1 1

12

21

1

1

2

2

31

1

1

2

25

3

123

7

12

Extent of headwater streams

1500000osed

) Stream numberTotal length

headwaters: 94.9% of streams & 73.2% of total lengthto

tal m

iles

(clo

1500

mi)

ota e gtAverage length

1000000

er (o

pen)

and

1000

rage

leng

th (m

500000

Stre

am n

umbe

500

Aver

0 0

2 4 6 8 10

Order3 5 91 7

4 (from Leopold et al. 1964)

Headwater streams: a national picturepicture

Headwater Stream Length as a Percentage of Total Stream Length% Headwater Streams% Headwater Streams

01-1920 -3637-4849-5758-100

State boundary

5 (from Nadeau and Rains 2007)

Map scale & headwater streams

C – 1st

B – 2nd

A – 3rd

1:24K1:100K

A 3

# 1st = 5CB A C – 0

B 1st

B

A

C

1 km

B – 1st

A – 2nd

# 1st = 21 km

1:15.8K

c C – 2nd

dC

6 a

b B – 3rd A – 4th

# 1st = 41A

B

0.8 km

Extent of headwater streams

National Field surveying the position Hydrographic Database (NHD) total stream length : 233 km

y g pof channel origins & hydrologic transition zones

length : 233 kmEstimate extent of headwater streams within surrounding HUC based on

Generated prediction total

surrounding HUC based on field determined Flow Accumulation Coefficients.

stream length: 527 km

Comparisons to existing resource databases.

7

NHD coming up short?Total stream length (km)Location HUC drainage

area (km2) NHD 1 24 K

Generated Percent

additional l th1:24 K length

Robinson Forest, KY 7.5 12 28 +133.3 Wayne N.F., OH 45.4 17 49 +188.2 Dodge Brook, NH 76.3 151 317 +109.9Dodge Brook, NH 76.3 151 317 109.9Edge of Appalachia, OH 77.5 2 28 +1300.0 Hoosier N.F., IN 91.4 39 49 +25.6 Lower Big Sandy, WV 104.3 114 299 +162.3 Shawnee N F IL 128 7 233 527 +125 9Shawnee N.F., IL 128.7 233 527 +125.9Silver Creek, WA 131.4 242 511 +111.4 Cheat River, WV 158.4 179 454 +153.6 Huntington River, VT 172.3 276 508 +84.1g ,Beaverkill, NY 251.3 255 481 +88.8 Fir Brook, NY 342.8 438 701 +60.0

n = 12 X = +114.4

8

Headwater catchment componentscomponents

A

B

C Transitional channel

A – valley head or swaleB – gradual channel headC – abrupt channel head

9

C – abrupt channel head

(based on Dietrich & Dunne 1993)

A longitudinal tour

10

Drainage area: 1.9 haSlope: 46.3%D : 128 mm (cobble boulder)D50: 128 mm (cobble-boulder)Steep sideslopes Colluvial/cascade

11

Drainage area: 9.6 haSlope: 9%D : 64 mm (pebble cobble)D50: 64 mm (pebble-cobble)Steep sideslopesCascade/step-pool

12

Drainage area: 18.5 haSlope: 3.3%D : 64 mm (pebble cobble)D50: 64 mm (pebble-cobble)Less constrainedRiffle-pool

13

Drainage area: 89.4 haSlope: 2.3%D : 64 mm (pebble cobble)D50: 64 mm (pebble-cobble)UnconstrainedRiffle-pool

14

PrecipitationHydrologic flowpaths

Soils

Overland flow

EvapotranspirationBedrock

Deep groundwater recharge and flow

ChannelHyporheic exchange

All i

15 Transmission

Alluvium

Expansion-contraction

Gray = ground water contributing zonecontributing zone

PerennialIntermittentEphemeralSeep spring

Isolated wetland

16

Adjacent wetland

Expansion-contraction

Hydrograph mapped w/ extent of flowing channelchannel.

Southwestern British Columbia, ,drainage area : 300 ha (~1 mi2)

17(from Cheng 1988)

Hydrologic Permanence• Ephemeral, intermittent & perennial• But permanence varies continuously(rather than categorically) in frequency, duration & timing

• Interannual variation• Interannual variation• Longitudinal gradient, but can be discontinuous over space

• Surface and subsurface• Direct and indirect methods to

h t i18

characterize

Electrical resistance data

(168.3 ha)

(46.7 ha)

3 (18.6 ha)3

(8 1 ha)19

(8.1 ha)

Structural Measures of Stream Condition

Woody debris

Canopy cover

Woody debris

Geomorphology

Streambed particle

Pools

Algal

Riparian vegetation

Streambed particle size

Current velocity Riffles

Algal biomass RBPs

Current velocity Riffles

Invertebrate diversity

Salamander abundance

Functional Measures of Stream Condition

Organic matter retention

Organic matter inputLeaf decomposition

Organic matter retention

Energy management

Hydrologic exchangeColonization

Primary production

Nutrient uptake

Benthic metabolism

p

Secondary productionOrganic matter export

Sediment retention

g p

What do Appalachian headwater t d ?streams do?

Intimately linked to hillslopesRepresent sources to the network

• Supply water• Store transform and transport

Represent sources to the network

• Store, transform and transport organic matter/energy (metabolism & production)

• Store and transport sediment• Store, transform & transport

nutrientsnutrients• Buffer water temperature

Not necessarily continuously

22

y yCumulatively over time & space

How to measure the vitals?

23

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

David WaltersDavid WaltersAllison RoyKaren BlocksomM i PMaggie PassmoreGreg PondJim WigingtonStephanie FultonRoger BurkeChris BartonChris BartonJeff JackDavid WordVT St T

24

VT Stream Team