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Downstream Dissipation of Storm Flow Heat Pulses: A Case Study and its Landscape-Level Implications

Publication ,  Journal Article
Somers, KA; Bernhardt, ES; Mcglynn, BL; Urban, DL
Published in: Journal of the American Water Resources Association
April 1, 2016

Storms in urban areas route heat and other pollutants from impervious surfaces, via drainage networks, into streams with well-described negative consequences on physical structure and biological integrity. We used heat pulses associated with urban storms as a tracer for pavement-derived stormwater inputs, providing a conservative estimate of the frequency with which these pollutants are transported into and through protected stream reaches. Our study was conducted within a 1.5-km reach in Durham, North Carolina, whose headwaters begin in suburban stormwater pipes before flowing through 1 km of protected, 100-year-old forest. We recorded heat-pulse magnitudes and distances travelled downstream, analyzing how they varied with storm and antecedent flow conditions. We found heat pulses >1°C traveled more than 1 km downstream of urban inputs in 11 storms over one year. This best-case management scenario of a reach within a protected forest shows that urban impacts can travel far downstream of inputs. Air temperature and flow intensity controlled heat-pulse magnitude, while heat-pulse size, mean flow, and total precipitation controlled dissipation distance. As temperatures and sudden storms intensify with climate change, heat-pulse magnitude and dissipation distance will likely increase. Streams in urbanized landscapes, such as Durham municipality, where 98.9% of streams are within 1 downstream km of stormwater outfalls, will be increasingly impacted by urban stormwaters.

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Published In

Journal of the American Water Resources Association

DOI

EISSN

1752-1688

ISSN

1093-474X

Publication Date

April 1, 2016

Volume

52

Issue

2

Start / End Page

281 / 297

Related Subject Headings

  • Environmental Engineering
  • 40 Engineering
  • 37 Earth sciences
  • 0907 Environmental Engineering
  • 0905 Civil Engineering
  • 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
 

Citation

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Somers, K. A., Bernhardt, E. S., Mcglynn, B. L., & Urban, D. L. (2016). Downstream Dissipation of Storm Flow Heat Pulses: A Case Study and its Landscape-Level Implications. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 52(2), 281–297. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12382
Somers, K. A., E. S. Bernhardt, B. L. Mcglynn, and D. L. Urban. “Downstream Dissipation of Storm Flow Heat Pulses: A Case Study and its Landscape-Level Implications.” Journal of the American Water Resources Association 52, no. 2 (April 1, 2016): 281–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12382.
Somers KA, Bernhardt ES, Mcglynn BL, Urban DL. Downstream Dissipation of Storm Flow Heat Pulses: A Case Study and its Landscape-Level Implications. Journal of the American Water Resources Association. 2016 Apr 1;52(2):281–97.
Somers, K. A., et al. “Downstream Dissipation of Storm Flow Heat Pulses: A Case Study and its Landscape-Level Implications.” Journal of the American Water Resources Association, vol. 52, no. 2, Apr. 2016, pp. 281–97. Scopus, doi:10.1111/1752-1688.12382.
Somers KA, Bernhardt ES, Mcglynn BL, Urban DL. Downstream Dissipation of Storm Flow Heat Pulses: A Case Study and its Landscape-Level Implications. Journal of the American Water Resources Association. 2016 Apr 1;52(2):281–297.
Journal cover image

Published In

Journal of the American Water Resources Association

DOI

EISSN

1752-1688

ISSN

1093-474X

Publication Date

April 1, 2016

Volume

52

Issue

2

Start / End Page

281 / 297

Related Subject Headings

  • Environmental Engineering
  • 40 Engineering
  • 37 Earth sciences
  • 0907 Environmental Engineering
  • 0905 Civil Engineering
  • 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience