Geochemical evidence for peat bog contribution to the streamflow generation process: case study of the Vltava River headwaters, Czech Republic

A geochemical approach using stable oxygen isotopes was used to understand streamflow generation processes in the highly peaty catchment of the Rokytka Brook in the headwaters of the Vltava River, Czech Republic. The contribution of water from peat bog areas to the total surface runoff was assessed using a hydrological time series, as well as geochemical, hydrochemical and isotope-hydrological approaches for unit hydrogram separation by means of anion deficiency. Using data from the hydrological year 2008, the role of an existing peat bog in the runoff formation dynamics of the Rokytka Brook catchment was determined, and the hydrological cycle was described and assessed using stable 18 O/ 16 O isotopes. The research findings strongly support the fact that peatland areas within the studied catchment do not significantly communicate hydraulically with surface streams, and their hydrological function in this region is insignificant. Editor M. C. Acreman; Associate editor not assigned