Evapotranspiration and groundwater inputs control the timing of diel cycling of stream drying during low-flow periods

Abstract

Geologic, geomorphic, and climatic factors have been hypothesized to influence where streams dry, but hydrologists struggle to explain the temporal drivers of drying. Few hydrologists have isolated the role that vegetation plays in controlling the timing and location of stream drying in headwater streams. We present a distributed, fine-scale water balance through the seasonal recession and onset of stream drying by combining spatiotemporal observations and modeling of flow presence/absence, evapotranspiration, and groundwater inputs. Surface flow presence/absence was collected at fine spatial (~80 m) and temporal (15-min) scales at 25 locations in a headwater stream in southwestern Idaho, USA. Evapotranspiration losses were modeled at the same locations using the Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model. Groundwater inputs were estimated at four of the locations using a mixing model approach. In addition, we compared high-frequency, fine-resolution riparian normalized vegetation difference index (NDVI) with stream flow status. We found that the stream wetted and dried on a daily basis before seasonally drying, and daily drying occurred when evapotranspiration outputs exceeded groundwater inputs, typically during the hours of peak evapotranspiration. Riparian NDVI decreased when the stream dried, with a ~2-week lag between stream drying and response. Stream diel drying cycles reflect the groundwater and evapotranspiration balance, and riparian NDVI may improve stream drying predictions for groundwater-supported headwater streams.