High-frequency field measurements
We developed a “lab in the field” to study streamflow generation mechanisms in steep mountainous catchments, which are often characterized by rapid changes in their hydrological regime and streamwater hydrochemistry. Our lab consists of Picarro, Inc.'s (Santa Clara, CA, USA) newly developed Continuous Water Sampler Module coupled to their L2130i Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometer, to measure stable water isotopes (δ18O, δ2H) in precipitation and streamwater on-site at 30 min temporal resolution. Additionally, water quality is monitored with a dual-channel ion chromatograph (Metrohm AG, Herisau, Switzerland) for analysis of major cations and anions. Since its installation in summer 2016, the lab in the field is capturing the hydrochemical variations of streamwater during both low- and high-intensity storm events, providing valuable insights into catchment hydrological behavior.
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von Freyberg, J., Studer, B., and J. W. Kirchner (2017), external pageA lab in the field: high-frequency analysis of water quality and stable isotopes in stream water and precipitation, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1721-1739.
Knapp, J. L. A., von Freyberg, J., Studer, B., Kiewiet, L., & Kirchner, J. W. (2020), external pageConcentration-discharge relationships vary among hydrological events, reflecting differences in event characteristics, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-684, in review, 2020.
von Freyberg, J., Studer, B., Rinderer, M., and Kirchner, J. W. (2018), external pageStudying catchment storm response using event- and pre-event-water volumes as fractions of precipitation rather than discharge, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5847–5865, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5847-2018.