Estimation of vertical exchange velocity through the sediment-water interface (Case study: Ziarat River in Golestan province)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

2 Water Engineering, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

3 Associate professor in Water Engineering, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural, Golestan, Iran.

4 Gorgan University

Abstract

Precise estimation of water exchange between surface and subsurface flow in the hyporheic zone which is the habitat of microorganisms, is vital. The temperature can be used as a tracer for the estimation of water exchange through sediment-water interphase. In this study, an instrument was designed and constructed to make the measurement and recording of sediment temperature in the depth of the hyporheic zone possible. In this regard, measurements were made in the Ziarat River of Golestan Province by the aforementioned instrument, and vertical exchange velocity through the sediment-water interface was calculated using an extended conceptual model of heat transfer. For this purpose, in a 40 m interval of the river, 10 cross-sections were selected at 4 m intervals, and at each cross-section, the temperature of four different depths of the riverbed (just below the bed, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 m) was recorded during July and December 2018. The results showed that in all seasons, there is a continuous vertical exchange through the sediment-water interface, which can be obtained from the difference of thermal potential between the surface and subsurface of the river flow. The average of vertical exchange velocity for July and December was 59.3 mm/day and 284.3 mm/day, respectively.

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