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Exploring the Complex Effects of Wildfire on Stream Water Chemistry: Insights From Concentration‐Discharge Relationships [Dataset]


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Created: Mar 21, 2023 at 4:09 p.m.
Last updated: Jan 30, 2024 at 5:55 p.m.
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Abstract

Wildfires are a worldwide disturbance with unclear implications for stream water quality. We examined stream water chemistry responses immediately (<1 month) following a wildfire by measuring over 40 constituents in four gauged coastal watersheds that burned at low to moderate severity. Three of the four watersheds also had pre‐fire concentration‐discharge data for 14 constituents: suspended sediment (SSfine), dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC, DIC), specific UV absorbance (SUVA), major ions (Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, Na+, Cl−, , , F−), and select trace elements (total dissolved Mn, Fe). In all watersheds, post‐fire stream water concentrations of SSfine, DOC, Ca2+, Cl−, and changed when compared to pre‐fire data. Post‐fire changes in , K+, Na+, Mg2+, DIC, SUVA, and total dissolved Fe were also found for at least two of the three streams. For constituents with detectable responses to wildfire, post‐fire changes in the slopes of concentration‐discharge relationships commonly resulted in stronger enrichment trends or weaker dilution trends, suggesting that new contributing sources were surficial or near the surface. However, a few geogenic solutes, Ca2+, Mg2+, and DIC, displayed stronger dilution trends at nearly all sites post‐fire. Moreover, fire‐induced constituent concentration changes were highly discharge and site‐dependent. These similarities and differences in across‐site stream water chemistry responses to wildfire emphasize the need for a deeper understanding of landscape‐scale changes to solute sources and pathways. Our findings also highlight the importance of being explicit about reference points for both stream discharge and pre‐fire stream water chemistry in post‐fire assessment of concentration changes.

Subject Keywords

Coverage

Spatial

Coordinate System/Geographic Projection:
WGS 84 EPSG:4326
Coordinate Units:
Decimal degrees
Place/Area Name:
Santa Cruz County, California
North Latitude
37.2686°
East Longitude
-121.9318°
South Latitude
36.9214°
West Longitude
-122.2861°

Content

Credits

Funding Agencies

This resource was created using funding from the following sources:
Agency Name Award Title Award Number
NSF RAPID: The impact of headwater wildfire burns on the export of materials to the coast 2101885

How to Cite

Richardson, C., M. Montalvo, S. Wagner, R. Barton, M. Redmond, A. Paytan, M. Zimmer (2024). Exploring the Complex Effects of Wildfire on Stream Water Chemistry: Insights From Concentration‐Discharge Relationships [Dataset], HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/ccbaedcab7dc47c8a565511795e444ac

This resource is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
CC-BY

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