Temporary streams in a peatland catchment : pattern, timing, and controls on stream network expansion and contraction

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
Electrical resistance (ER) technology has been used to create sensors capable of detecting the presence and absence of flow in ephemeral portions of the channel network, in the Upper North Grain research catchment, a small peatland headwater in the South Pennines, UK. Networks of around 40 sensors were deployed in autumn 2007 and summer 2008. Water table depth was identified as the key factor determining the temporal pattern of streamflow at both the site- and catchment-wide scales. Spatially, network expansion and contraction occurred in a disjointed manner, following a similar pattern between events, suggesting that localized controls are important for flow generation. Spatial controls on flow generation relate to local water table levels, and include drainage area, local dissection, channel slope and gully morphology. These results suggest that potential future change in catchment water tables, associated with projected climate change or with peatland restoration by rewetting, will modify the frequency of full catchment connectivity.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Earth surface processes and landforms, issn : 0197-9337, 2014, vol. 39, n°. 6, p. 790-803, nombre de pages : 14, Références bibliographiques : 1 p.

Date :
2014

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Chichester, Wiley