Water Stewardship Information Sources
| ID | 919 |
|---|---|
| Citation | Hudson, RO and Golding, DL. 1997. Controls on groundwater chemistry in subalpine catchments in the southern interior of British Columbia. Journal of Hydrology 201:1-20. |
| Organization | UBC |
| URL | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169497000292 |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords | The chemistry of groundwater was studied in small subalpine watersheds under different forest cover types at Upper Penticton Creek (UPC). The purpose of the research was to derive a model to predict chemical concentrations of cations, bicarbonate, sulphate and silica in groundwater on the basis of fixed site parameters and seasonally variable parameters. It was shown that sulphate was largely of atmospheric origin, whereas the other chemical species were controlled primarily by mineral weathering. It was found that hydraulic conductivity was the most important site parameter that governed the weathering process. Hydrologic zone, describing whether the site was a hillslope site, streamside site or seepage site, and forest cover type were also important site parameters. Within sites, seasonal variability can be best described by head, a measure of groundwater storage. The range of within-site chemical variability was generally less than that attributable to between-site factors; notable exceptions are sulphate and potassium, both of which are controlled significantly by plant uptake. In the hillslope zone, forest cover was the primary factor controlling seasonal variability due to the relative homogeneity of hydraulic conductivity among the sites tested within that zone. A general site-specific model to predict groundwater chemistry as a function of hydraulic conductivity, forest cover, hydrologic zone and groundwater head is proposed. Keywords Groundwater chemistry; Subalpine watersheds; Mineral weathering; Site-specific model; Predict |
| Information Type | article |
| Regional Watershed | Okanagan |
| Sub-watershed if known | Penticton Creek |
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| Project status | complete |
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