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Groundwater-Driven Wetland-Stream Connectivity in the Prairie Pothole Region: Inferences Based on Electrical Conductivity Data

Wetlands volume 37, pages 773–785 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

This study examined the potential for electrical conductivity (EC) to serve as an indicator of groundwater-driven wetland-stream connectivity in the Prairie Pothole Region. Focus was on the Broughton’s Creek Watershed (Manitoba, Canada) where thirteen wetlands and a creek were monitored in 2013–2014. A connectivity index (CI), computed by incorporating EC data in a hyperbolic solute export model, identified a potential for both shallow and deep groundwater-driven wetland-stream connectivity to occur, although shallower connections were rarer. Both raw EC and CI values were strongly correlated to wetland volume capacity, indicating the importance of storage and flow generation processes for wetland-stream connectivity potential. The proposed CI was instrumental in reaching that conclusion, making it a simple yet physically-based metric of wetland behavior that should be tested in multiple environments to confirm or infirm its validity.

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Notes

  1. Specific conductance, electrical conductance and electrical conductivity are terms that are functionally synonymous and often used interchangeably. Here we decided to use the term electrical conductivity for measures that were corrected to constant temperature of 20°C for comparison across seasons.

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Acknowledgements

Special funding was provided by Manitoba’s Water Stewardship Fund and Environment Canada’s Lake Winnipeg Basin Stewardship Fund. We acknowledge Mike Chiasson, Halya Petzold, Cody Ross, Samuel Bansah, Adrienne Schmall and Lauren Timlick for technical help. We are also grateful to Lyle Boychuk and Bryan Page for providing spatial data for the Broughton’s Creek Watershed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 125 Dysart Road (Wallace Building), Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada

    Genevieve Ali & Aminul Haque

  2. Manitoba’s Watershed Systems Research Program, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada

    Genevieve Ali & Aminul Haque

  3. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Nandita B. Basu

  4. Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research, Ducks Unlimited Canada, P.O. Box 1160, Stonewall, MB, R0C 2Z0, Canada

    Pascal Badiou

  5. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Brandon Research Centre, Brandon, MB, R7A 5Y3, Canada

    Henry Wilson

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  1. Genevieve Ali
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Correspondence to Genevieve Ali.

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Ali, G., Haque, A., Basu, N.B. et al. Groundwater-Driven Wetland-Stream Connectivity in the Prairie Pothole Region: Inferences Based on Electrical Conductivity Data. Wetlands 37, 773–785 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-017-0913-5

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Keywords

  • Wetland-stream connectivity
  • Prairie Pothole Region
  • Groundwater
  • Electrical conductivity