A large-scale study of hyporheic nitrate dynamics in a semi-arid catchment, the Tafna River, in Northwest Algeria

Very few studies have evaluated the role of the hyporheic zone (HZ) in aquatic ecosystem functioning or the factors driving hyporheic exchange flows on a large scale, especially in a semi-arid environment such as the Tafna watershed in Algeria. To understand this role through time and space, hydrogeochemical parameters, particularly nitrate concentrations (NO3–N), were measured monthly between February 2013 and April 2014 in surface water (SW), interstitial water (IW) and groundwater (GW) along a 170-km stretch from the river’s source to the outlet into the main stream of the Tafna River and its Isser and Chouly tributaries. The significant longitudinal evolution of NO3–N in the HZ was related to stream order and distance from the source. Moreover, the study indicated a significant difference between nitrate concentrations in the riffles (R) and pools (P) of the Tafna wadi. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed the considerable impact of agriculture on nitrate concentrations. This study indicated on a large scale that nitrate-rich HZ contributed to increasing surface nitrate concentrations in upwelling sites and could be an important nitrate source for downstream SW, particularly during low-water (LW) periods when the Tafna can run dry on the surface. Thus, these results underline the importance of hyporheic zones functioning to the water quality of the watershed (process of enrichment and retention of nitrogen).