Journal Article

Flow or No‐Flow: Does Discharge Regulate Water Chemistry in Intermittent Streams?

Seybold, Erin C, Puthalalth, Saranya, Li, Li, Nippert, Jesse B, Jarecke, Karla M, Keen, Rachel M, Dodds, Walter K, Kirk, Matthew F, Sadayappan, Kayalvizhi, Sullivan, Pamela L

2026

Overview

Intermittent streams that regularly dry up constitute over half of the world's river network. They exhibit biogeochemical processes distinct from those of continuously flowing perennial rivers. In perennial rivers, discharge is often perceived as predominantly driving water chemistry, as demonstrated by the widespread use of concentration–discharge (CQ) relationships. Does discharge similarly drive water chemistry in intermittent streams? Given its extended periods of no flow, we hypothesized that stream chemistry depends less on discharge alone but more on the granularity of dry‐wet transitions, including their direction (drying or rewetting), history (antecedent conditions), and intermittency. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing three decades of streamflow and solute chemistry data from an intermittent stream (N04D) in the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a Long‐Term Ecological Research site in Kansas, USA. Results showed that concentrations are generally higher at no flow compared to flow conditions and depend on dry‐wet transitions. Geogenic solutes were predominantly chemostatic (relatively constant C without Q dependence), contrasting primarily dilution patterns (decreasing C with Q) in perennial rivers. Biogenic solutes did not exhibit pronounced discharge‐dependent patterns commonly observed in perennial rivers at decadal scale; at monthly scale, however, they exhibited a transition from highly variable CQ patterns at low flows to consistent flushing patterns (increasing C with Q) at flows higher than 2.5–5 mm/day. These observations support our hypothesis of weaker chemistry dependence on discharge in intermittent streams. We further hypothesize that the emerging discharge thresholds signal a tipping point at which intermittent streams switch from a dry state governed by intermittency‐driven biogeochemistry to a wet, discharge‐driven state resembling perennial rivers. The hypothesis calls for intensive data collection at dry‐wet transitions to develop theories and models for intermittent streams that have become increasingly prevalent globally.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subject: Bats / Biogeochemistry / Climate change / Creeks & streams / Data collection / Dilution / Drying / Ecological research / Hydrology / Hypotheses / Intermittency / Intermittent streams / Land use / Low flow / Nitrates / Perennial streams / Precipitation / River networks / Rivers / Solutes / Stream discharge / Stream flow / Water chemistry / Water discharge