Laboratory studies of the temporal evolution process of the riparian groundwater flow system related to rainfall

•Water table in the riparian slope rose quickly with a small amount of infiltration.•The capillary fringe induced groundwater ridging and variable flow direction.•Initial water table depth affected the evolution of groundwater flow pattern. Comprehensive investigations of the riparian groundwater flow system response to rainfall based on laboratory experiments and numerical simulation are presented and discussed. The 1D sand column experiment results showed that the capillary fringe of the sand sample was 25 cm, and the supporting capillary water height was about 65 cm. The 2D sandbox was constructed to investigate the changes of hydraulic heads and groundwater flow system in the hypothetical riparian zone under different initial water tables and rainfall intensities. When the initial water table was shallow, a small amount of rainfall infiltration resulted in a rapid and large rise of the water table due to the effect of capillary fringe. When the initial water table was equal to the riverbed elevation, groundwater flow pattern changed once after the rainfall infiltration. In the early rainfall period, a groundwater divide and two opposite local flow systems occurred; one flowed to the upslope unsaturated zone (counter directional local flow system), the other flowed to the river (codirectional local flow system). As the rain continued, the groundwater divide kept moving to the upslope and finally disappeared by forming a stable codirectional regional flow system. When the initial water table was lower than the riverbed, groundwater flow pattern was more complex and changed twice. At the beginning, all the rainfall infiltration recharged the thick unsaturated zone and there was only a counter directional regional flow system. When the water table rose to the riverbed, a groundwater divide and two opposite local flow systems were formed. The groundwater divide was moving to the upland and finally formed a steady codirectional regional flow system. More fine characterization of hydrological variation in a short-time scale in the riparian zone is necessary in the future.