Simulating the effects of a beaver dam on regional groundwater flow through a wetland
Study Focus: This research examines a wetland environment before and after the construction of a beaver dam to determine the hydrologic impacts on regional groundwater flow and quantify changes to the capture zone of a wetland pond. Increased hydraulic head behind a newly built beaver dam can cause...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2015-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581815001068 |
| _version_ | 1818288255244697600 |
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| author | Kathleen Feiner Christopher S. Lowry |
| author_facet | Kathleen Feiner Christopher S. Lowry |
| author_sort | Kathleen Feiner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Study Focus: This research examines a wetland environment before and after the construction of a beaver dam to determine the hydrologic impacts on regional groundwater flow and quantify changes to the capture zone of a wetland pond. Increased hydraulic head behind a newly built beaver dam can cause shifts in the capture zone of a wetland pond. Changes in groundwater flux, and the extent of both the capture and discharge zones of this wetland were examined with the use of a groundwater flow model, created using MODFLOW.
New hydrological insights for the region: The construction of a beaver dam resulted in minimal changes to regional groundwater flow paths at this site, which is attributed to a clay unit underlying the peat, disconnecting this wetland from regional groundwater flow. However, groundwater discharge from the wetland pond increased by 90%. Simulating a scenario with the numerical model in which the wetland is connected to regional groundwater flow results in a much larger impact on flow paths. In the absence of the clay layer, the simulated construction of a beaver dam causes a 70% increase in groundwater discharge from the wetland pond and increases the surface area of both the capture zone and the discharge zone by 30% and 80%, respectively. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T01:53:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97b511a4724f4039920b3aa0e69b30c2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2214-5818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T01:53:28Z |
| publishDate | 2015-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-97b511a4724f4039920b3aa0e69b30c22022-12-22T00:03:28ZengElsevierJournal of Hydrology: Regional Studies2214-58182015-09-014PB67568510.1016/j.ejrh.2015.10.001Simulating the effects of a beaver dam on regional groundwater flow through a wetlandKathleen FeinerChristopher S. LowryStudy Focus: This research examines a wetland environment before and after the construction of a beaver dam to determine the hydrologic impacts on regional groundwater flow and quantify changes to the capture zone of a wetland pond. Increased hydraulic head behind a newly built beaver dam can cause shifts in the capture zone of a wetland pond. Changes in groundwater flux, and the extent of both the capture and discharge zones of this wetland were examined with the use of a groundwater flow model, created using MODFLOW. New hydrological insights for the region: The construction of a beaver dam resulted in minimal changes to regional groundwater flow paths at this site, which is attributed to a clay unit underlying the peat, disconnecting this wetland from regional groundwater flow. However, groundwater discharge from the wetland pond increased by 90%. Simulating a scenario with the numerical model in which the wetland is connected to regional groundwater flow results in a much larger impact on flow paths. In the absence of the clay layer, the simulated construction of a beaver dam causes a 70% increase in groundwater discharge from the wetland pond and increases the surface area of both the capture zone and the discharge zone by 30% and 80%, respectively.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581815001068Beaver damEcological engineeringCapture zone delineationMODFLOWAnalytic element modeling |
| spellingShingle | Kathleen Feiner Christopher S. Lowry Simulating the effects of a beaver dam on regional groundwater flow through a wetland Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies Beaver dam Ecological engineering Capture zone delineation MODFLOW Analytic element modeling |
| title | Simulating the effects of a beaver dam on regional groundwater flow through a wetland |
| title_full | Simulating the effects of a beaver dam on regional groundwater flow through a wetland |
| title_fullStr | Simulating the effects of a beaver dam on regional groundwater flow through a wetland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Simulating the effects of a beaver dam on regional groundwater flow through a wetland |
| title_short | Simulating the effects of a beaver dam on regional groundwater flow through a wetland |
| title_sort | simulating the effects of a beaver dam on regional groundwater flow through a wetland |
| topic | Beaver dam Ecological engineering Capture zone delineation MODFLOW Analytic element modeling |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581815001068 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kathleenfeiner simulatingtheeffectsofabeaverdamonregionalgroundwaterflowthroughawetland AT christopherslowry simulatingtheeffectsofabeaverdamonregionalgroundwaterflowthroughawetland |