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Variability of Water Flow in the Hyporheic Corridor: A Case Study of the Warta Valley in Poznań

Monika Okońska

Monika Okońska

Institute of Physical Geography and Environmental Planning, Adam Mickiewicz University in PoznańPoznań, Poland
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Okońska, Monika
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Filip Wolny

Filip Wolny

Institute of Physical Geography and Environmental Planning, Adam Mickiewicz University in PoznańPoznań, Poland
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Wolny, Filip
  
Jul 25, 2025
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Published Online: Jul 25, 2025
Received: Feb 06, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/quageo-2025-0030
Keywords
© 2025 Monika Okońska et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Fig. 1.

Groundwater flow directions in a river valley for a straight section of the stream: gaining stream – A, equilibrium conditions – B and losing stream – C (based on Bajkiewicz-Grabowska 2020).
Groundwater flow directions in a river valley for a straight section of the stream: gaining stream – A, equilibrium conditions – B and losing stream – C (based on Bajkiewicz-Grabowska 2020).

Fig. 2.

Concept of the hyporheic zone and hyporheic flow in the corridor of a meandering river valley (modified scheme based on Williams (1986), Winter et al. (1998), and Alley et al. (2002).
Concept of the hyporheic zone and hyporheic flow in the corridor of a meandering river valley (modified scheme based on Williams (1986), Winter et al. (1998), and Alley et al. (2002).

Fig. 3.

Location of the study area (based on an orthophotomap from www.geoportal.gov.pl).
Location of the study area (based on an orthophotomap from www.geoportal.gov.pl).

Fig. 4.

Hydrogeological cross-section through the sediments of the Warta River meander. Dashed lines indicate profiles (borehole number in parentheses) that are located near the cross-sectional line and were used to interpret the geological structure.
Hydrogeological cross-section through the sediments of the Warta River meander. Dashed lines indicate profiles (borehole number in parentheses) that are located near the cross-sectional line and were used to interpret the geological structure.

Fig. 5.

Water flow in the hyporheic corridor within the meander bend.
Water flow in the hyporheic corridor within the meander bend.

Fig. 6.

River and groundwater levels (H) in the hydrological years 2022–2024 against the background of precipitation (P).
River and groundwater levels (H) in the hydrological years 2022–2024 against the background of precipitation (P).

Fig. 7.

Direction of groundwater flow in the hyporheic corridor of the Warta River during losing stream conditions – A, the transition from losing stream to gaining stream conditions – B and gaining stream conditions – C.
Direction of groundwater flow in the hyporheic corridor of the Warta River during losing stream conditions – A, the transition from losing stream to gaining stream conditions – B and gaining stream conditions – C.

Fig. 8.

Direction of groundwater flow in the hyporheic corridor of the Warta River during a rise in river water levels due to precipitation.
Direction of groundwater flow in the hyporheic corridor of the Warta River during a rise in river water levels due to precipitation.

Granulometric and hydraulic characteristics of meander sediments_

No. Depth Grain uniformity index U Hydraulic conductivity k Clay + Silt (<0.063 mm) Sand (0.063–2 mm) Gravel (2–63 mm) Type*
Fine sand Medium sand Coarse sand PN-EN ISO 14688 PN-B-02480
[m] [–] [m · h−1] [%] [–]
P1
P1/4 2.2 1.78 0.81 1.5 81.1 17.0 0.4 0.0 FSa SiSa
P1/5 3.0 2.11 0.99 1.7 58.7 27.5 12.1 0.0 FSa FSa
P1/7 4.3 1.53 0.65 2.4 93.8 3.6 0.2 0.0 FSa SiSa
P2
P2/2 1.6 1.64 1.91 0.4 39.9 59.3 0.4 0.0 MSa FSa
P2/3 3.0 1.54 1.65 0.6 59.1 39.6 0.7 0.0 FSa FSa
P2/4 3.7 2.00 5.85 0.2 8.9 83.2 7.3 0.4 MSa MSa
P3
P3/3 2.0 2.18 1.19 1.4 47.0 43.8 7.8 0.0 FSa/MSa FSa
P3/5 2.7 2.00 1.41 1.0 45.7 45.1 8.2 0.0 FSa/MSa FSa
P3/8 3.4 2.00 0.99 1.6 59.1 25.6 12.8 0.9 FSa FSa
P3/10 4.1 2.79 1.91 0.4 32.4 55.4 10.9 0.9 MSa MSa
P3/12 4.5 2.00 3.98 0.6 14.8 76.7 7.4 0.5 MSa MSa

Changes in the position of the water table/river water level in the study area in 2024_

Object Distance from river Depth to the water table Amplitude
Min Max
[m]
Warta – – – 2.86
P1 400 1.96 4.43 2.47
P2 100 1.45 4.11 2.66
P3 400 1.88 4.38 2.50
Language:
English
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Journal Subjects:
Geosciences, Geography
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