Interactive comment on “ Organic matter dynamics and stable isotopes for tracing sources of suspended sediment ” by Y . Schindler Wildhaber
The paper by Schindler Wildhaber et al. uses stable isotopes and other measures of organic components to determine sources of suspended sediment in a small watershed. The questions are of interest, the background laid out and the literature well represented and integrated. The use of the un-mixing model of Phillips and Gregg is not new for characterizing stream suspended sediment, but is a useful way of differentiating sources. The paper goes on to attempt to link the observed changes with the variations in flow regimes which is of interest hydrologically. However, there are a number of problems with the use of statistics in this paper and while I think there may be many significant findings in the data set presented I think the rationale and justification for the use of many of the statistical tests, including the validation of the tests assump-
Export mechanisms for dissolved organic carbon and nitrate during summer storm events in a glaciated forested catchment in New York, USA
Nitrate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations during a summer storm for a forested catchment in the Adirondack Mountains displayed a clear separation in trajectories and timing of maximum values. Nitrate concentrations peaked early on the rising limb of the hydrograph, whereas DOC concentrations gradually increased through the rising limb with maximum concentrations following the discharge peak. Solute data from precipitation, throughfall, soilwater, and ground/till water indicated till water and near‐surface soil waters as the controlling end members for stream NO3− and DOC concentrations respectively. Streamflow concentrations of major base cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+), which were assumed to represent water originating from deep flow paths, matched the NO3− trajectory. These data suggest that streamflow NO3− concentrations are derived from till groundwater and that DOC is derived from near‐surface soil waters. We attributed the early expression of NO3− to the displacement of till waters by infiltrating precipitation. In contrast, we hypothesized that the delayed DOC concentrations occurred with surface and near‐surface runoff from near‐stream wetlands/peatlands and isolated saturated areas that became connected only under conditions of maximum water content in the catchment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Riparian zone flowpath dynamics during snowmelt in a small headwater catchment
The hydrology of the near-stream riparian zone in upland humid catchments is poorly understood. We examined the spatial and temporal aspects of riparian flowpaths during snowmelt in a headwater catchment within the Sleepers River catchment in northern Vermont. A transect of 15 piezometers was sampled for Ca, Si, DOC, other major cations, and d O. Daily piezometric head values reflected variations in the stream hydrograph induced by melt and rainfall. The riparian zone exhibited strong upward discharge gradients. An impeding layer was identified between the till and surficial organic soil. Water solute concentrations increased toward the stream throughout the melt. Ca concentrations increased with depth and DOC concentrations decreased with depth. The concentrations of Ca in all piezometers were lower during active snowmelt than during post-melt low flow. Ca data suggest snowmelt infiltration to depth; however, only upslope piezometers exhibited snowmelt infiltration and consequent lowd O values, whiled O values varied less than 0.5‰ in the deep riparian piezometers throughout the study period. Ca andd O values in upslope piezometers during low streamflow were comparable to Ca and d O in riparian piezometers during high streamflow. The upland water Ca and d O may explain the deep riparian Ca dilution and consistent d O composition. The temporal pattern in Ca and d O indicate that upland water moves to the stream via a lateral displacement mechanism that is enhanced by the presence of distinct soil/textural layers. Snowmelt thus initiates the flux of pre-melt, low Ca upland water to depth in the riparian zone, but itself does not appear at depth in the riparian zone during spring melt. This is despite the coincident response of upland groundwater and stream discharge. q 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.