Delineation and quantification of water interactions in the hyporheic zone

摘要

Despite the mushrooming research related to the hyporheic zone, a clear framework of water and solute interchanges is still needed. Water exchange in the hyporheic zone at three scales was reviewed and relevant quantitative methods were classified into four categories. The result shows that scale provides an ideal perspective to analyze hyporheic processes while scaling is still an important issue for practical management. Moreover, different categories of methods were compared. Each of them presents its unique strength and weakness. Environmental tracer method was expected to be a promising approach for its accuracy and cross-scale capability. Considering the biogeochemical complexity and ecological significance of the hyporheic zone, collaboration of multidiscipline and integrated use of multiple techniques are very important.