Part 1 – Isotope Hydrograph Separation

Introduction

This exercise focuses on a 24-ha, mostly forested experimental Swiss catchment. Both hydrometric and
isotopic data are available for a single summer rainfall event that followed a relatively dry period (see
excel file). The objectives of the exercise are to:

Perform an isotope hydrograph separation (2-component separation, between old and new water) for a
single event under the study period.

Interpret hydrograph separation results.

Infer the dominant runoff generation processes driving the catchment’s response to the studied summer
storm event.

Data (excel file)

Rainfall, stream discharge, average depth to the water table and tracer data pertaining to the summer
rainfall event under consideration are provided in the attached Excel file.

Q1. Using the oxygen data (δ18O) provided, perform an isotope hydrograph separation using rainfall
(new water), stream water (stream) and baseflow (old water).

a) What did your analysis tell you (i.e., percentage of old versus new water)? What is the primary
source contributing to streamflow generation?

b) Make sure to provide graphs illustrating the results of your computations (20 Marks).

Q2. Researchers have previously hypothesized saturation-excess overland flow to be a dominant

runoff process in the considered catchment.

a) Do the data available to you and the results obtained under Q1 support that hypothesis?

b) Justify your answer using graphs if possible (tip: plot rainfall data on y-axis 1 and water table depth
on y-axis 2 – dual y-axis plot; x-axis = Date).

Q3. In a paper published in 2009 entitled ‘A tale of two isotopes’, Steve Lyon and colleagues
highlighted the very different results obtained through hydrograph separation depending on the
tracer used. Using deuterium (δ2H) data this time, perform the same isotope hydrograph separation
using rainwater (i.e., new water) and stream water (i.e., stream) at baseflow (i.e., old water) as end-
members. Discuss the results of this new hydrograph separation and contrast them to those obtained
under Q1.
a) Do Q1 and Q3 provide the same answers (i.e., percentage of new vs old water)?

b) Justify your answer with a plot showing the isotope hydrograph separation.

Part 2 – Manning’s Equation (Empirical estimation of discharge).

Q4. Use Manning’s equation to determine the volumetric flow rate (i.e., discharge) and average
velocity of a small stream in a mountain range (i.e., steep, with normal flows), with no vegetation in
the stream and the stream bottom is covered in gravels, cobles, and large boulders. Use this
information to find your manning’s n coefficient (consider normal ranges). The slope of the stream is
approximately 0.035 m/m. You can approximate the stream to a rectangular open channel, with 0.5 m
deep and 1.5 m wide.