Significance of streambed hydraulic conductivity in stream-aquifer interaction - A systematic review of fundamentals and recent research

Abstract

Sustainable planning and management of water resources is necessary to address the issue of fresh water scarcity all around the globe. Modeling the dynamics of stream-aquifer interaction is essential for formulating management strategies related to quantification of solute transport and exchange processes in the riparian zones within a watershed. Uncertainty in stream-aquifer interactions arises from the inherent complex-nested flow paths and spatio-temporal variability of streambed hydraulic properties. The streambed hydraulic conductivity (K) is a key factor controlling the water fluxes across the stream-aquifer interface which is dependent on the extent and interconnection of void spaces within the streambed that may occur as a consequence of factors such as intergranular porosity, fracture and bed planes. In the recent years, the spatio-temporal variability of streambed hydraulic conductivity is also accounted during the modeling of stream-aquifer interaction studies for achieving more accurate and reliable prediction models. This article discusses about various geological, hydrological, anthropogenic and biological factors that influence streambed hydraulic conductivity and evaluates several laboratory and in-situ methods of estimating streambed hydraulic conductivity. An overview of the statistical and Geo-statistical methods employed for spatial interpolation of streambed hydraulic conductivity are being presented. The article also addresses the effects of engineering structures across a river/stream on the variability of streambed hydraulic properties. 2016 Elsevier B.V.