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Permanence of Flow
Perennial streams sustained flow throughout year except in extreme droughts Groundwater maintains base flow Intermittent streams flow some of the time (seasonal drying) Groundwater fed; subsurface flow possible Ephemeral streams flow rarely; no groundwater connection

Hydrograph Discharge gainst !ime

Plot of discharge against time
Discharge at different time frames" #nstantaneous$ daily$ monthly$ annual

%ide range of annual pattern

&aries with geology$ climate and land use
Fairly constant in streams fed by groundwater #ntermittent in headwater streams; dry periods 'teep watersheds with punctuated precipitation can lead to great (ariability in discharge

Niobrara R., Nebraska

Kings Cr., Kansas

FIGURE 6.6

Slaty R., New Zealand

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%alnut )i(er * yr Hydrograph

Discharge +ffects by Dams

!end to moderate floods and ma,e low discharge periods more rare )emo(e-reduce the seasonal (ariations of flow that ha(e shaped the ecology and biology within streams and ri(ers

Before Dams

Before Dams

After Dams

FIGURE 6.7 Discharge of the lower Missouri River. Prior to the 1950s, discharge was more variable than after dams were installed (A). A typical year before regulation (B) reveals a period of very low discharge in the winter, a spring peak, and a gradual decrease after early summer. After regulation (C), discharge is about the same throughout much of the year, except in winter when it is allowed to decrease after barge traffic halts. (Data courtesy of the US Geological Survey).

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Fi(e .ey &ariables of Discharge Patterns Pertinent to 'tream /iology

1. Magnitude of discharge
%ater (olume mo(ing past a fixed location per unit time )ange of extremes max (s0 min discharge
2. Frequency of occurrence How often a flow of a gi(en magnitude recurs o(er some specified time period Fre1uency of occurrence is in(ersely related to flow magnitude; i0e0 233 year flood (2 in 233 chance for e(ery year) Drying fre1uency in intermittent streams

Fi(e .ey &ariables of Discharge Patterns Pertinent to 'tream /iology

3.

uration of a specific flow e(ent or condition

Period of time associated with a specific flow condition

!. "iming or Predictability of flows with a defined

magnitude
)egularity with which they occur$ i0e0 low or high seasonal predictability
#. $ate of change or %flashiness& How 1uic,ly flow changes from one magnitude to another Flashy (fast rate) (s0 stable (slow rate) streams

Discharge Pattern 'hapes 'tream /iology

!he biological composition of a stream is shaped by its discharge pattern
To what degree can (ary

How might the influence of the discharge pattern on stream biota vary among different streams?
&aries with magnitude; predictability in the discharge pattern; and fre1uency of drying out and flooding )ange of hydrologic disturbance

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Defining 'treams by &egetation !ype

+ffects of &egetation on 'tream Processes

How can the amount of vegetation cover affect stream biology?
mount of shading 'ediment inputs Determines what forms the food base
'utochthonous biomass formed in stream 'llochthonous biomass inputs from landscape

4arge woody debris habitat complexity; alter hydrology; refuge in high flows