Using high-frequency data and concentration-discharge relationships to describe solute mobilization and transport in suburban and urban watersheds
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Author/Creator ORCID
Date
2023-03-24
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Program
Towson University. Environmental Science and Studies Program
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There are no restrictions on access to this document. An internet release form signed by the author to display this document online is on file with Towson University Special Collections and Archives.
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Abstract
Event-scale and long-term C-Q patterns of multiple dissolved constituents were examined for three small watersheds—one mostly forested suburban and two urban—in Maryland using discrete sampling and high-frequency specific conductance data. Despite differences in land use and hydrology, the watersheds exhibited remarkably similar behavior for individual solutes across timescales, albeit with higher concentrations and fluxes for the urban watersheds. Geogenic and exogenous solutes exhibited dilution, while biologically associated solutes showed enrichment with increasing discharge. Concentrations showed much less variability than discharge, suggesting near-chemostatic behavior may be characteristic of urbanized watersheds, similar to forested/agricultural watersheds. Regardless of dilution or enrichment in event concentrations, solute fluxes increased during all storm events and were substantially higher at the urban sites. Baseflow was a significant contributor to event flow at the suburban site, while quickflow contributions dominated at the urban sites. Across all sites, most of the solute load was exported during baseflow.