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Ecosystem Biogeochemistry pp 101–117Cite as

Watershed Hydrology

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Abstract

Watershed hydrology and the influences of hydrologic patterns and processes on element cycling are an integral part of the study of ecosystem biogeochemistry. One of the fundamental challenges in watershed hydrology is to understand the flow paths of water movement within catchments, patterns of streamflow generation that result from moisture inputs to a given watershed, and the interplay of biogeochemical and hydrologic processes within a watershed ecosystem. If water chemistry is sampled along a drainage gradient from precipitation inputs, through soils and surficial deposits, and into a stream channel, it is apparent that the chemistry of water is dynamic and changes dramatically in response to various biogeochemical transformation processes during drainage through the catchment. These spatial changes and seasonal differences in soil and stream water chemistry are determined by interactions between hydrologic flow paths and spatially distributed biogeochemical processes within a drainage basin. Because of this, it is important to understand the hydrologic source compartments and drainage pathways that control runoff patterns and processes in watershed ecosystems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA

    Christopher S. Cronan

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  1. Christopher S. Cronan
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Cronan, C.S. (2018). Watershed Hydrology. In: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry. Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66444-6_8

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