An investigation of transient storage mechanisms in a small stream in the Sierra Nevadas

An investigation into the transient storage solute dynamics of a small mountain stream was conducted in Franktown Creek in the Sierra Nevada. Three dye tracer experiments and two quasi-continuous solute load experiments were conducted in an attempt to characterize and model two distinct storage zones along Franktown Creek: one historically grazed, the other not. It was found that including transient storage in calibration did improve the overall model fit, and that those parameters describing transient storage were different between land uses. However, when the model was verified, it was found that including transient storage resulted in a worse fit in one of the zones than if no storage were assumed. Well data collected but not calibrated to also suggest the model does not accurately represent solute behavior in the monitored streambanks.