Journal
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 12, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21651-0
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Funding
- NSF-DEB [1655790]
- NSF-EAR grant [1824820]
- USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Division Of Environmental Biology [1655790] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Directorate For Geosciences
- Division Of Earth Sciences [1824820] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Groundwater discharge has a significant impact on streamflow and thermal regimes, with the vulnerability of streams to stressors depending on the aquifer source-depth of groundwater discharge. Shallow groundwater is more susceptible to temperature increase and depletion, while streams in areas with greater human disturbance show reduced stream-groundwater connectivity.
Groundwater discharge generates streamflow and influences stream thermal regimes. However, the water quality and thermal buffering capacity of groundwater depends on the aquifer source-depth. Here, we pair multi-year air and stream temperature signals to categorize 1729 sites across the continental United States as having major dam influence, shallow or deep groundwater signatures, or lack of pronounced groundwater (atmospheric) signatures. Approximately 40% of non-dam stream sites have substantial groundwater contributions as indicated by characteristic paired air and stream temperature signal metrics. Streams with shallow groundwater signatures account for half of all groundwater signature sites and show reduced baseflow and a higher proportion of warming trends compared to sites with deep groundwater signatures. These findings align with theory that shallow groundwater is more vulnerable to temperature increase and depletion. Streams with atmospheric signatures tend to drain watersheds with low slope and greater human disturbance, indicating reduced stream-groundwater connectivity in populated valley settings. Groundwater discharge generates streamflow and influences stream thermal regimes. Classifying more than 1700 streams across the US by using an empirically-based approach the study shows that the vulnerability of streams to stressors depends on the aquifer source-depth of groundwater discharge
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