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Modeling the Effects of Turbulence on Hyporheic Exchange and Local‐to‐Global Nutrient Processing in Streams
Author(s) -
Grant Stanley B.,
GomezVelez Jesus D.,
Ghisalberti Marco
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/2018wr023078
Subject(s) - streams , turbulence , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , ecosystem , ecology , geology , computer science , geography , meteorology , geotechnical engineering , computer network , biology
New experimental techniques are allowing, for the first time, direct visualization of mass and momentum transport across the sediment‐water interface in streams. These experimental insights are catalyzing a renaissance in our understanding of the role stream turbulence plays in a host of critical ecosystem services, including nutrient cycling. In this commentary, we briefly review the nature of stream turbulence and its role in hyporheic exchange and nutrient cycling in streams. A simple process‐based model, borrowed from biochemical engineering, provides the link between empirical relationships for grain‐scale turbulent mixing and nutrient processing at reach, catchment, continental, and global scales.