Obtain 2 bonus credits on the written exam in Applied Hydrology

(AE2610) Wednesday 14th March 2018

Retention of solute contaminants in streams by instantaneous exchange between

stream water and the hyporheiz zone and instantaneous sorption

Hand in solution to the problem below before 2nd of March.

In a stream the dissolved solute transport can be described by the following system of
continuity equations:

∂A1C1 ∂Q C
= −q1,3 + q3,1 − 1 1
∂t ∂x
∂A3C3
= q1,3 − q3,1 + q4,3 − q3,4
∂t
∂A4C4
= q3,4 − q4,3
∂t

where C1 = dissolved phase concentration in the flowing stream water, C3 = dissolved

phase concentration in the hyporheic (below the stream) zone, C4 = adsorbed phase
concentration in the hyporheic zone, A1 = cross sectional area of flowing stream
water, A3 = A4 = cross sectional area of the hyporheic zone, Q = discharge in the
stream water and qi,j is the exchange flux from phase i to phase j. In principle, there is
also a particulate phase in the stream water, but this is neglected here because of its
often-minor importance in streams and for simplicity of the exercise.

The above system of continuity equations can be significantly simplified if we assume

instantaneous equilibration between the concentrations appearing in the different
phases, such that e.g. C4/C3 = constant (= Kd) and C1 = C3. The latter equality must
prevail at equilibrium since both phase 1 (in the stream water) and phase 3 (in the
hyporheic zone) are dissolved. Make a summation of all three differential equations,
so as to obtain a common continuity equation.
a) Prove that

∂A1C1 1 ∂Q1C1
=−
∂t (1+ R) ∂x
where the retardation factor

A3
R= (1+ K d )
A1

All flow properties, like the discharge Q1 and the cross-sectional areas Ai, are
constants. The dissolved and sorbed phases has the same cross-sectional area in the
hyporheic zone i.e. A3 = A4.

b) Explain/Interpret in words what the retardation factor R represents for a solute

undergoing sorption represented by the equilibrium coefficient Kd.