The
Ecohydrology
Research
Group
is
collaborating
with
scientists
at
the
University
of
Wisconsin-Madison
(UWM)
and
the
Pacific
Northwest
National
Laboratory
(PNNL,
in
Richland,
Washington)
to
study
the
transport
and
degradation
of
Particulate
Organic
Matter
(POM)
in
hyporheic
zones.
Hyporheic
zones
are
areas
within
riverbed
sediments
where
river
water
and
groundwater
are
mixed
and
exchanged
between
a
river
and
its
bed.
POM
has
an
important
role
in
river
corridor
ecosystems
because
microbial
communities
in
riverbed
sediments
can
break
down
POM
and
use
it
in
reactions
that
generate
energy,
build
biomass,
and
drive
biogeochemical
nutrient
cycles.
The
field
site
for
this
project
is
located
near
PNNL,
within
the
‘Hanford
Reach’
of
the
Columbia
River.
The
Hanford
Reach
is
uninterrupted
by
dams,
but
upstream
dam
operations
cause
large
river
level
fluctuations
that
result
in
frequent
reversals
in
the
direction
of
hyporheic
exchanges.
This
collaborative
research
project
aims
to
combine
field,
laboratory,
and
modelling
approaches
to
develop
a
quantitative
and
predictive
understanding
of
POM
transport
and
degradation
in
hyporheic
zones,
and
investigate
how
these
processes
are
influenced
by
dam
operations.
Experiments
conducted
by
MSc
student
Riley
Mills
(under
the
supervision
of
Co-Principal
Investigators
Dr.
Philippe
Van
Cappellen
and
Dr.
Fereidoun
Rezanezhad)
in
the
Ecohydrology
Research
Group
at
the
University
of
Waterloo
will
simulate
POM
transport
in
riverbed
sediments
to
inform
modelling
efforts.
Collaborators
at
UWM
are
Dr.
Matthew
Ginder-Vogel
(Principal
Investigator),
Dr.
Eric
Roden
(Co-Principal
Investigator),
Dr.
Steven
P.
Loheide
(Co-Principal
Investigator),
Stephanie
Napieralski
(Postdoctoral
Fellow),
and
Ecenur
Bulur
(MSc
student).
At PNNL site, Evan Van Arntzen (Co-Principal Investigator) is leading the project field work and the method for measuring POM deposition in the hyporheic zone is shown in video below.
This
project
is
funded
by
the
US
Department
of
Energy
-
Biological
and
Environmental
Research.
The
project
public
abstract
can
be
found
here.