Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Nutrient dynamics in a hyporheic zone in response to a severe and prolonged dry period in a semi-arid river (Tafna wadi)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

    We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.

    Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.

Abstract

Against the backdrop of recent climate change issues, the intensity of dry periods is increasing in semi-arid environments due to high temperatures, evaporation and a shortage of precipitation in summer. The Tafna catchment, which is located in north-western Algeria and is characterised by a Mediterranean climate with a sub-dry tendency, has been subject to severe and prolonged dry periods. In order to understand the impact of prolonged dry periods on biogeochemical processes and nutrient exchange between surface water (SW) and hyporheic water (HW) within the (study) catchment, four sets of samples were taken upstream of the Tafna wadi during low-water (LW) periods over two years (2014–2015). Nitrate, nitrite, ammonium and chloride were measured in surface water (SW) and hyporheic water (HW) at depths of 30, 60 and 100 cm. The results showed a significant loss of nitrate and a considerable increase in ammonium in the hyporheic zone (HZ) during these severe conditions. This could be related to (i) high rates of denitrification and (ii) the process of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). This study indicated that a severe drought directly affects the nitrogen cycle that occurs in a hyporheic zone (HZ), and thus affects the functioning of this area relative to the wadi system as a whole.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baldwin DS, Mitchell AM (2000) The effects of drying and re-flooding on the sediment and soil nutrient dynamics of lowland river–floodplain systems: a synthesis. Regul River Res Manag Int J Devot River Res Manag 16(5):457–467

    Google Scholar 

  • Baxter C, Hauer FR, Woessner WW (2003) Measuring groundwater–stream water exchange: new techniques for installing minipiezometers and estimating hydraulic conductivity. Trans Am Fish Soc 132(3):493–502

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellmore RA, Compton JE, Brooks JR et al (2018) Nitrogen inputs drive nitrogen concentrations in US streams and rivers during summer low flow conditions. Sci Total Environ 639:1349–1359

    Google Scholar 

  • Benabdelkader A, Taleb A, Probst JL, Belaidi N, Probst A (2018) Anthropogenic contribution and influencing factors on metal features in fluvial sediments from a semi-arid Mediterranean river basin (Tafna River, Algeria): a multi-indices approach. Sci Total Environ 626:899–914

    Google Scholar 

  • Bencala KE (1993) A perspective on stream-catchment connections. J N Am Benthol Soc 12(1):44–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Bou C (1974) Les méthodes de récolte dans les eaux souterraines interstitielles. Ann Spéléol 29(4):611–619

    Google Scholar 

  • Bou C, Rouch R (1967) Un nouveau champ de recherches sur la faune aquatique souterraine. CR Acad Sci Paris 265(4):369–370

    Google Scholar 

  • Butturini, A, Sabater, F (2002) Nitrogen concentrations in a small Mediterranean stream: 1. Nitrate 2. Ammonium. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 6(3):539–550

    Google Scholar 

  • Claret C, Boulton AJ (2009) Integrating hydraulic conductivity with biogeochemical gradients and microbial activity along river–groundwater exchange zones in a subtropical stream. Hydrogeol J 17(1):151

    Google Scholar 

  • Constantz J, Thomas CL, Zellweger G (1994) Influence of diurnal variations in stream temperature on streamflow loss and groundwater recharge. Water Resour Res 30(12):3253–3264

    Google Scholar 

  • Crimo CP, McDonnell JJ (1997) Linking the hydrological and biogeochemical controls of nitrogen transport in near-stream zones of temperate-forested catchments: a review. J Hydrol 199:88–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Dahm CN, Trotter EH, Sedell JR (1987) Role of anaerobic zones and processes in stream ecosystem productivity. Chem Qual Water Hydrol Cycle 157–178

  • Dahm CN, Baker MA, Moore DI, Thibault JR (2003) Coupled biogeochemical and hydrological responses of streams and rivers to drought. Freshw Biol 48(7):1219–1231

    Google Scholar 

  • Danielopol DL (1989) Groundwater fauna associated with riverine aquifers. J N Am Benthol Soc 8(1):18–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Datry T, Foulquier A, Corti R et al (2018) A global analysis of terrestrial plant litter dynamics in non-perennial waterways. Nat Geosci 1

  • Davies BE (1974) Loss-on-ignition as an estimate of soil organic matter 1. Soil Sci Soc Am J 38(1):150–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Descloux S, Datry T, Philippe M, Marmonier P (2010) Comparison of different techniques to assess surface and subsurface streambed colmation with fine sediments. Int Rev Hydrobiol 95(6):520–540

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher SG, Likens GE (1973) Energy flow in Bear Brook, New Hampshire: an integrative approach to stream ecosystem metabolism. Ecol Monogr 43(4):421–439

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher SG, Grimm NB, Martí E, Gómez R (1998) Hierarchy, spatial configuration, and nutrient cycling in a desert stream. Aust J Ecol 23(1):41–52

    Google Scholar 

  • García-García V, Gómez R, Vidal-Abarca MR, Suárez ML (2013) Subsurface N retention in two Mediterranean wetland-streams affected by agricultural runoff. Wetlands 33(4):597–608

    Google Scholar 

  • Giorgi F (2006) Climate change hot-spots. Geophys Res Lett 33(8):L08707

    Google Scholar 

  • Giorgi F, Lionello P (2008) Climate change projections for the Mediterranean region. Glob Planet Chang 63(2–3):90–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomez JD, Wilson JL, Cardenas MB (2012) Residence time distributions in sinuosity-driven hyporheic zones and their biogeochemical effects. Water Resour Res 48(9):W09533

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomez-Velez JD, Krause S, Wilson JL (2014) Effect of low-permeability layers on spatial patterns of hyporheic exchange and groundwater upwelling. Water Resour Res 50(6):5196–5215

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregory SV, Swanson FJ, McKee WA, Cummins KW (1991) An ecosystem perspective of riparian zones. Bioscience 41(8):540–551

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimm NB, Fisher SG (1984) Exchange between interstitial and surface water: implications for stream metabolism and nutrient cycling. Hydrobiologia 111(3):219–228

    Google Scholar 

  • Haddou K, Bendaoud A, Belaidi N, Taleb A (2018) A large-scale study of hyporheic nitrate dynamics in a semi-arid catchment, the Tafna River, Northwest Algeria. Environ Earth Sci 77(13):520

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes RM, Fisher SG, Grimm NB (1994) Parafluvial nitrogen dynamics in a desert stream ecosystem. J N Am Benthol Soc 13(4):468–478

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes RM, Jones JB, Fisher SG, Grimm NB (1996) Denitrification in a nitrogen-limited stream ecosystem. Biogeochemistry 33(2):125–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Humphries P, Baldwin DS (2003) Drought and aquatic ecosystems: an introduction. Freshw Biol 48(7):1141–1146

    Google Scholar 

  • Hynes HBN, Hynes HBN (1970) The ecology of running waters, vol 555. Liverpool University Press, Liverpool

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones JB (2002) Groundwater controls on nutrient cycling in a Mojave desert stream. Freshw Biol 47(5):971–983

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones JB Jr, Holmes RM (1996) Surface-subsurface interactions in stream ecosystems. Trends Ecol Evol 11(6):239–242

    Google Scholar 

  • Käser DH, Binley A, Heathwaite AL, Krause S (2009) Spatio-temporal variations of hyporheic flow in a riffle-step-pool sequence. Hydrol Process Int J 23(15):2138–2149

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelso BH, Smith RV, Laughlin RJ (1999) Effects of carbon substrates on nitrite accumulation in freshwater sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol 65(1):61–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemp MJ, Dodds WK (2001) Centimeter-scale patterns in dissolved oxygen and nitrification rates in a prairie stream. J N Am Benthol Soc 20(3):347–357

    Google Scholar 

  • Lange J, Haensler A (2012) Runoff generation following a prolonged dry period. J Hydrol 464:157–164

    Google Scholar 

  • Larned ST, Datry T, Arscott DB, Tockner K (2010) Emerging concepts in temporary-river ecology. Freshw Biol 55(4):717–738

    Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre S, Marmonier P, Pinay G (2004) Stream regulation and nitrogen dynamics in sediment interstices: comparison of natural and straightened sectors of a third-order stream. River Res Appl 20(5):499–512

    Google Scholar 

  • Marmonier P, Des Châtelliers MC (1991) Effects of spates on interstitial assemblages of the Rhône River, Importance of spatial heterogeneity. Hydrobiologia 210(3):243–251

    Google Scholar 

  • McClain ME, Boyer EW, Dent CL et al (2003) Biogeochemical hot spots and hot moments at the interface of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Ecosystems 6(4):301–312

    Google Scholar 

  • Megnounif A, Terfous A, Ghenaim A, Poulet JB (2007) Key processes influencing erosion and sediment transport in a semi-arid Mediterranean area: the Upper Tafna catchment, Algeria/Processus clefs influençant l'érosion et le transport des sédiments dans une région semi-aride Méditerranéenne: le bassin versant de la Haute Tafna, Algérie. Hydrol Sci J J Sci Hydrol 52(6):1271–1284

    Google Scholar 

  • Mora-Gómez J, Duarte S, Cássio F, Pascoal C, Romaní AM (2018) Microbial decomposition is highly sensitive to leaf litter emersion in a permanent temperate stream. Sci Total Environ 621:486–496

    Google Scholar 

  • Poff NL, Ward JV (1989) Implications of streamflow variability and predictability for lotic community structure: a regional analysis of streamflow patterns. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 46(10):1805–1818

    Google Scholar 

  • Resh VH, Brown AV, Covich AP et al (1988) The role of disturbance in stream ecology. J N Am Benthol Soc 7(4):433–455

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabater S, Tockner K (2009) Effects of hydrologic alterations on the ecological quality of river ecosystems. Water scarcity in the Mediterranean. Springer, Berlin, pp 15–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Skoulikidis NT, Sabater S, Datry T et al (2017) Non-perennial Mediterranean rivers in Europe: status, pressures, and challenges for research and management. Sci Total Environ 577:1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanley EH, Valett HM (1992) Interactions between drying and the hyporheic zone of a desert stream. Global climate change and freshwater ecosystems. Springer, New York, pp 234–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewardson MJ, Datry T, Lamouroux N, Pella H, Thommeret N, Valette L, Grant SB (2016) Variation in reach-scale hydraulic conductivity of streambeds. Geomorphology 259:70–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Storey RG, Howard KW, Williams DD (2003) Factors controlling riffle-scale hyporheic exchange flows and their seasonal changes in a gaining stream: a three-dimensional groundwater flow model. Water Resour Res 39(2):1034

    Google Scholar 

  • Storey RG, Williams DD, Fulthorpe RR (2004) Nitrogen processing in the hyporheic zone of a pastoral stream. Biogeochemistry 69(3):285–313

    Google Scholar 

  • Taleb A, Belaidi N, Sanchez-Pérez JM, Vervier P, Sauvage S, Gagneur J (2008) Retention of nitrogen within a semi-arid gravel bed stream located downstream to a heavy polluted reservoir (Tafna River, Algeria): role of the hyporheic zone. River Res Appl 24:183–196

    Google Scholar 

  • Triska FJ, Duff JH, Avanzino RJ (1993) The role of water exchange between a stream channel and its hyporheic zone in nitrogen cycling at the terrestrial—aquatic interface. Nutrient dynamics and retention in land/water ecotones of Lowland, Temperate Lakes and Rivers. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 167–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Triska FJ, Jackman AP, Duff JH, Avanzino RJ (1994) Ammonium sorption to channel and riparian sediments: a transient storage pool for dissolved inorganic nitrogen. Biogeochemistry 26(2):67–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Vannote RL, Minshall GW, Cummins KW, Sedell JR, Cushing CE (1980) The river continuum concept. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 37(1):130–137

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilhite DA (2000) Drought as a natural hazard: concepts and definitions. In: Drought: a global assessment. Routledge, London, pp 3–18

  • Williams DD (1993) Nutrient and flow vector dynamics at the hyporheic/groundwater interface and their effects on the interstitial fauna. Nutrient dynamics and retention in land/water ecotones of Lowland, Temperate Lakes and Rivers. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 185–198

    Google Scholar 

  • Zettam A, Taleb A, Sauvage S, Boithias L, Belaidi N, Sánchez-Pérez JM (2017) Modelling hydrology and sediment transport in a semi-arid and anthropized catchment using the SWAT model: the case of the Tafna river (northwest Algeria). Water 9(3):216

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the laboratory staff at LECGEN for their help with laboratory analysis and the National Agency of Hydrologic Resources (ANRH) in Oran for providing data on the Tafna’s discharge. We are particularly grateful to Amina Rezougui and Amine Benabedlkader for their help with field sampling and to Amine Zettam for his help with producing the map.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Écologie et Gestion des Ecosystèmes Naturels (LECGEN), University of Tlemcen, BP 119, 13000, Tlemcen, Algeria

    Ibrahim Zenagui, Nouria Belaidi, Zeyneb Benkebil & Amina Taleb

Authors
  1. Ibrahim Zenagui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nouria Belaidi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zeyneb Benkebil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Amina Taleb
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ibrahim Zenagui.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zenagui, I., Belaidi, N., Benkebil, Z. et al. Nutrient dynamics in a hyporheic zone in response to a severe and prolonged dry period in a semi-arid river (Tafna wadi). Environ Earth Sci 79, 35 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8780-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8780-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation