Contribution of saturated areas and hillslopes to the water and element fluxes exported during a storm event: tracing with dissolved organic carbon and silica. The Strengbach catchment case study (Vosges, France)

Abstract

Two contributing areas have been determined in the small forested Strengbach catchment by using dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved silica as the most efficient chemical tracers of stream water origin during a storm event. Dissolved silica represents the deep layers of the hillslopes which contributes 71–75 % of the total storm runoff and 85–99 % of the fluxes of major elements exported by the Strengbach. DOC corresponds to the saturated areas which occupy only 2 % of the total catchment area but which supply 25–29 % of the total streamflow and 56 % of the DOC stream flux. The specific fluxes of water (L·s−1·ha−1) and elements (kg·ha−1) are much more important in the saturared areas than in the rest of the catchment.