The Selwyn River/Waikirikiri

Post on 12-Sep-2021

5 views 0 download

transcript

The Selwyn River/Waikirikiri

Living Lake Symposium

Scott Larned &

NIWA research team

Waikirikiri

Waikirikiri

Overarching question:

What are the ecological effects of flow variability?

•Perennial, intermittent, ephemeral reaches

•Run-off dominated, groundwater-dominated reaches

•Floods & droughts

•Effects of long-term water use

Complex hydrology:

Intermittence

Mid-range flow pulses

Longitudinal flow variability

Bed-moving floods

Flow variability:

Groundwater-surface exchange

Connection & disconnection

Historical trends

Variable aquifer & runoff input

Gaining river

GW discharge

Losing river

GW recharge

Hydrogeology framework

~ Neutral

Foothills Central Plains

- 4

00

m

+ 3

00

m

Mean sea level

Poorly-confined aquifers Confined aquifers

Waihora Kaitorete

Spit

Aquitards

Pacific Ocean

Coes Ford (since 1984)

Whitecliffs(since 1964)

Spot gauging sites

19 sites, 132 dates

2003 - 2008

Scott’s Rd (2005-2009)

Hydrological framework based on flow time series &

spot gauging

Well L36/0092

Well M36/0599

Flow permanence

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0

20

40

60

80

100

Flo

w p

erm

an

en

ce

(%

)

Distance downstream (km)

Losing section Runoff & trib dominated

Gaining section Groundwater dominated

Hororata R confluence Selwyn R mouth

Hydrological framework – ELFMOD

ELFMOD for predicting flow time series at all points on rivers

Albarine River,

France

Orari River,

New Zealand

Methow River,

USA

ELFMOD

Longitudinal flow frequency profile

Longitudinal flow variability

Temporal variation in intermittence

Date

Flow-ecology relationships:

hydrological variables

Flow-ecology relationships:

ecological variables

Flow ecology relationships

Total Richness

0

5

10

15

20

EPT Richness

Taxa +

/- 1

SE

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Diptera

Flow Permanence

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Flow - ecology relationships

0 . 2 0 . 4 0 . 6 0 . 8 1 . 0 1 . 2

0 . 0

0 . 1

0 . 2

0 . 3

0 . 4

0 . 5

0 . 6

0 . 7 M

ean tota

l fish d

ensity (

m-2

)

Flow permanence

Rarely used

by fish

R2 = 0.744

P < 0.001

Flow-ecology relationships (a sample)

Hydrological variable Ecological response Reference

Dry duration (d)

Dry duration (d)

Dry duration (d)

Dry duration (d)

Flow permanence (%)

Flow permanence (%)

Flow permanence (%)

Flow duration (d)

Flow permanence (%)

Flow permanence (%)

Dry reach length (m)

Flow rate (m3s-1)

Flow duration (d)

Flow duration (d)

Flow permanence (%)

Flow permanence (%)

Aquatic invertebrate richness

Aquatic invertebrate density

Sediment respiration

Esterase activity

Hyporheic invertebrate density

Hyporheic taxon richness

% Hypogean taxa

Fish species densities

Fish species richness

Total fish density

N & P retention

N & P retention

Aquatic invertebrate richness

Aquatic invertebrate density

Aquatic invertebrate richness

Aquatic invertebrate density

Larned et al. 2007.

Aq Sci 69: 554.

Datry et al. 2007.

Freshwat Bio 52:1452.

Davey & Kelly 2007.

Freshwat Bio 52:1719.

Datry & Larned 2008

CJFAS 65:1532.

Arscott et al. 2010

JNABS 29:530

Surface-groundwater interactions

Surface-subsurface interactions

Roles of shallow groundwater systems in water purification and other ecosystem services

Effects of river flow and river management on groundwater ecosystems and their services

Flow requirements for groundwater ecosystems and their services

Experimental river ecology

Nutrient additions to experimental gravel bars

Experimental river ecology

Invertebrate & fish responses to river drying

For more information

Scott Larned 03-348-8987 scott.larned@niwa.co.nz

Water quality & periphyton

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Nit

rate

(m

g/L

)

0

2

4

6

8

10

Distance downstream (km)0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

DR

P (

mg

/L)

0.00

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

DS

iR (

mg

/L)

0

5

10

15

20

25

Distance downstream (km)0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Ele

ctr

ical co

nd

uciv

ity (

mS

/m)

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

Water quality changes with distance downstream

Losing

Losing Losing

Losing Gaining

Gaining Gaining

Gaining

Nitrate = 0.04(Dist) – 0.12 R2 = 0.76

Differences betw. Selwyn sections & flow states

DisC-L = disconnected, losing (u/s)

DisC-G = disconnected, gaining (d/s)

C-L = connected, losing (u/s)

C-G = connected, gaining (d/s)

Median

Outlier

95% CI

DisC-L DisC-G C - L C-G

Nit

rate

(m

g/L

)

0

2

4

6

8

10

ANZECC

DisC-L DisC-G C - L C-G

DR

P (

mg/L

)

0.00

0.01

0.02

0.03

ANZECC

Differences betw. Selwyn sections & flow states

DisC-L = disconnected, losing (u/s)

DisC-G = disconnected, gaining (d/s)

C-L = connected, losing (u/s)

C-G = connected, gaining (d/s)

DisC-L DisC-G C - L C-G

Inorg

an

ic N

:P

0

500

1000

1500

2000

29503000

Periphyton biomass

MfE guideline:

for biodiversity

MfE guideline

for trout fishing

Nutrient-limited periphyton

Sites

Flagpole Whitecliffs Scotts Rd Chamberlains Upper Huts

Peri

phyto

n b

iom

ass (

mg c

hl a

/m2)

0

100

200

300

Control

N

P

N&P

Intermittence trends

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

19

85

19

86

19

87

19

88

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

Year

Le

ng

th o

f w

ette

d r

ive

r (k

m)

Mean Minimum Series3 Series4

slope = -0.55 km yr-1

slope = -0.32 km yr-1

Experimental river ecology

Invertebrate dispersal and colonisation