Understanding controls on flow permanence in intermittent rivers to aid ecological research: integrating meteorology, geology and land cover

Abstract

Intermittent rivers, those channels that periodically cease to flow, constitute over half of the total discharge of the global river network and will likely increase in their extent owing to climatic shifts and/or water resources development. Burgeoning research on intermittent river ecology has documented the importance of the meteorologic, geologic and land-cover components of these ecosystems on structuring ecological communities, but mechanisms controlling flow permanence remain poorly understood. Here, we provide a framework of the meteorologic, geologic and land-cover controls on intermittent streamflow across different spatio-temporal scales and identify key research priorities to improve our understanding of intermittent systems so that we are better able to conserve, manage and protect them. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.