Concepts

Major form of organic carbon across aquatic ecosystems, fueling stream metabolism and mediating key biogeochemical processes

Mechanisms by which organic carbon is protected from decomposition in soils through physical, chemical, and biological processes

The study of water cycling processes in mountainous terrain, including complex interactions between snowpack dynamics, topography, vegetation, and subsurface water storage

The degree to which water movement is facilitated or impeded through connected flow paths in subsurface sediments

The effects of long-term warming on hydrological processes, including changes in snowpack dynamics, growing season length, and water demand by vegetation

Mineral formation from ascending hydrothermal solutions

Shallow subsurface zone where river and groundwater mix, serving as a source or sink of reactive nitrogen depending on water residence times and nitrogen transformation rates

Coupled modeling approach simulating surface and subsurface hydrologic processes including groundwater flow and particle tracking

Removal of nitrate from porewater through denitrification and other biogeochemical processes

Accounting framework where annual discharge equals precipitation minus evapotranspiration minus storage changes

Organic carbon derived from sedimentary rocks that is often poorly quantified and influences soil organic carbon composition, age, and stability

Modeling approach that couples transport processes with geochemical reactions to understand subsurface flow and chemical interactions

Spatial variability in biogeochemical processes and solute sources within watersheds, particularly between shallow soil zones and deeper groundwater zones

Oxidative dissolution of pyrite mineral producing sulfuric acid and iron oxides under oxic conditions

October through September annual cycle used for water resource analysis

Microbial process where methane is oxidized under anoxic conditions, often coupled to reduction of alternative electron acceptors

An approximation of non-water stressed evapotranspiration calculated using energy-only methods from net radiation estimates

Naturally occurring isotopes of hydrogen (²H) and oxygen (¹⁸O) in water molecules used to trace water sources and movement through soil-plant systems

The relationship between solute concentrations and discharge in streams, widely used as a metric for interpreting interaction of hydrological processes, chemical transport, and mineral reactions in wa...

The oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via nitrite, linking nitrogenous organic matter remineralization to nitrogen loss processes in the microbial N-cycle

Chemical and physical breakdown of sedimentary shale rocks through interactions with water, atmospheric gases, and biological processes