Download or read book The Influence of Season Flow Regime and Watershed Land Use and Land Cover on Nutrient Delivery to Two Rapidly Urbanizing Watersheds in Central Indiana USA written by Leda René Casey and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study explores relationships between temperate stream geochemistry and watershed land cover in two temperate streams, Fishback Creek and School Branch Creek, located in a rapidly urbanizing area on the northwest side of Indianapolis in Eagle Creek Watershed, Indiana. The temporal and spatial patterns of NO3-N, PO4, DOC, SiO2, Cl-, and Na+ were assessed to understand the influence of land cover on the magnitude and timing of water, chemical, and nutrient delivery to streams. Results of the study indicate that the influences of different land cover types on water delivery to streams and in-stream water quality vary seasonally and with respect to flow regime, that urbanization may result in decreased nitrate input, and that phosphate and dissolved organic carbon concentrations will likely remain constant as the watershed is developed. Results also indicate that riparian buffer downstream of intense agriculture lands dilutes high agricultural NO3-N concentrations, but not enough to return in-stream concentrations to natural levels.
Download or read book The Impact of Storm Characteristics and Land Use on Nutrient Export in Two Glaciated Watersheds in Central Indiana USA written by Laura E. Wagner and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Characterizing the Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Change on Freshwater Inflows written by Teuku Ferijal and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Freshwater inflows are a crucial component for maintaining estuarine health, function and productivity. Streamflows, the primary source of freshwater inflows, have been modified and altered from their natural flow by population growth and anthropogenic impacts on the contributing watersheds. The Guadalupe Estuary is a primary habitat for many endangered species. The Guadalupe River Watershed, which supplies 70% of freshwater inflows, experiences rapid urbanization and agricultural development. This study proposed to characterize the impact of land use/cover change in the Guadalupe River Watershed on freshwater inflows to the Guadalupe Estuary. Pre-whitening, Mann-Kendall and bootstrap techniques were used to test for significant trends on streamflow and precipitation. Analyses suggested more trends in annual and seasonal minimum and mean streamflow than would be expected to occur by chance in the periods of 1930-2005 and 1950-2005. No significant trends were found in the period of 1970-2005. Significant trends were more prominent in the upper watershed and decreased as analysis moved downstream in the period of 1950-2005. Trend tests on precipitation data in the period of 1950-2005 revealed more significant trends than would be expected by chance in mean annual and winter precipitation. Analyses of Landsat images of the watershed using an unsupervised classification method showed an increase in forest, urban and irrigated land by 13, 42 and 7%, respectively, from 1987 to 2002. Urbanized areas were mostly found in the middle part of watershed surrounding the I-35 corridor. More than 80% of irrigated lands are distributed over the San Marcos and Middle Guadalupe River Watersheds. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was applied for the Guadalupe River Watershed. Calibration and validation using data recorded at USGS 08176500 indicated the model performed well to simulate streamflow. The coefficient of Nash- Sutcliffe, determination and percent bias were 0.83, 0.96 and 3.81, respectively, for calibration and 0.68, 0.75 and 29.38 for validation period. SWAT predicted a 2% decrease in annual freshwater inflow rates from the effect of land use/cover change from 1987 to 2002. Reservoirs increased freshwater inflows during low flow months and decreased the inflows during high flow months. Precipitation variability changed characteristics of monthly freshwater inflows.
Download or read book Research and Cumulative Watershed Effects written by Leslie M. Reid and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Effects of urban development on stream ecosystems in nine metropolitan study areas across the United States written by James F. Coles and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Environmental Impact of Land Use on Water Quality a Work Plan written by and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Assessing the Impact of Land Use and Climate Change on Streamflow and Nutrient Delivery to the New River Estuary NC written by Shanna Williamson and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Freshwater inflow influences numerous physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of estuaries. The influx of freshwater to an estuary typically serves as an important source of allochthonous material from which primary producers derive their energy and transfer this energy to higher trophic levels. Any changes to freshwater flow subsequently impacts nutrient delivery and indirectly impacts organisms across multiple trophic levels. Anthropogenic changes to coastal land use and climate both act to threaten the integrity of estuarine systems by influencing freshwater inflow and dissolved nutrient input. Watershed loading models such as the Regional Nutrient Management (ReNuMa) model offer the ability to estimate freshwater inputs and dissolved nutrient loads to estuaries under current and future conditions. This tracking is important because it allows scientists to better understand how watershed delivery is currently impacted by anthropogenic activities and natural environmental variability, which allows for a better understanding of how watershed delivery is likely to be affected by anthropogenic changes in land use and climate. This research aims to assess how changes in climate and coastal land cover will impact streamflow and loads of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) to the New River Estuary (NRE), NC. We applied the ReNuMa model to the NRE watershed to estimate streamflow, TDN, and TDP loads. We used in situ data to calibrate (2009-2011) and validate (2012-2014) modeled streamflow and dissolved nutrient loads within 10 subwatersheds located on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune (MCBCL), which surrounds the estuary, and one subwatershed in the off-base portion of the NRE watershed. Following model calibration and validation, model parameters were scaled up from these subwatersheds to estimate loads from the entire NRE watershed. Model results confirm the ability of ReNuMa to capture seasonal variability in streamflow, TDN, and TDP for >50% of the subwatersheds. Under current conditions, most (71-98%) streamflow and dissolved nutrient loads are sourced from the off-base portion of the NRE watershed, while a smaller percentage of loads (2-29%) are sourced from MCBCL. Projected changes in climate revealed that changes in precipitation, even when compounded with changes in temperature, will have the greatest impact on resulting streamflow, TDN, and TDP. Streamflow and dissolved nutrient loads generally increased under anticipated climate projections through the year 2100 and such increases were further amplified under hypothetical increases in land use, especially agricultural land. Watershed delivery patterns for the NRE may therefore be substantially altered under projected changes in climate and land use. The potential impacts of changes in these loads on estuarine physical, chemical, and biological processes highlights the necessity for research assessing the impacts of land use and climate changes on watershed delivery.
Download or read book Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams written by Thibault Datry and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2017-07-11 with total page 624 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams: Ecology and Management takes an internationally broad approach, seeking to compare and contrast findings across multiple continents, climates, flow regimes, and land uses to provide a complete and integrated perspective on the ecology of these ecosystems. Coupled with this, users will find a discussion of management approaches applicable in different regions that are illustrated with relevant case studies. In a readable and technically accurate style, the book utilizes logically framed chapters authored by experts in the field, allowing managers and policymakers to readily grasp ecological concepts and their application to specific situations. Provides up-to-date reviews of research findings and management strategies using international examples Explores themes and parallels across diverse sub-disciplines in ecology and water resource management utilizing a multidisciplinary and integrative approach Reveals the relevance of this scientific understanding to managers and policymakers
Download or read book Nutrient and Contaminant Export Dynamics in a Larger order Midwestern Watershed written by Michael David Wayne Stouder and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The transport of excess nutrients, sediment, and other contaminants to surface waters has been shown to cause a number of environmental and human health concerns. An understanding of the export pathways that these contaminants follow to surrounding water bodies is crucial to the anticipation and management of peak concentration events. Several studies have demonstrated that the majority of annual contaminant loading in the Midwest occurs during periods of elevated discharge. However, many studies use a limited number of sampling points to determine concentration patterns, loadings, and fluxes which decreases accuracy. Through high-resolution storm sampling conducted in a 2945 km2 (1137 mi2) area of central Indiana's Upper White River Watershed, this research has documented the complex concentration signals and fluxes associated with a suite of cations, nutrients, and contaminants and isolated their primary transport pathways. Additionally, by comparing the results of similar studies conducted on smaller areas within this watershed, differences in concentration patterns and fluxes, as they relate to drainage area, have also been documented. Similar to the results of previous studies, NO3- concentrations lacked a well-defined relationship relative to discharge and was attributed to primarily subsurface contribution. DOC was exported along a shallow, lateral subsurface pathway, TP and TSS via overland flow, and TKN through a combination of both. Near or in-channel scouring of sediment increased DOC, TKN, TP, and TSS concentrations during Storm 2. Atrazine export was attributed to a combination of overland and subsurface pathways. 2-MIB and geosmin derived from different sources and pathways despite being produced by similar organisms. 2-MIB concentration patterns were characterized by dilution of an in-stream source during Storm 1 and potential sediment export during Storm 2 while in-stream concentrations or a sediment source of geosmin was rapidly exhausted during Storm 1. Many of the concentration patterns were subject to an exaggerated averaging effect due to the mixing of several larger watersheds, especially during Storm 1. This research illustrates the need for high-frequency sampling to accurately quantify contaminant loads for total maximum daily load (TMDL) values, developing best management practices (BMPs), and confronting the challenges associated with modeling increasingly larger-scale watersheds.
Download or read book Riparian Areas written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2002-10-10 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that wetlands be protected from degradation because of their important ecological functions including maintenance of high water quality and provision of fish and wildlife habitat. However, this protection generally does not encompass riparian areasâ€"the lands bordering rivers and lakesâ€"even though they often provide the same functions as wetlands. Growing recognition of the similarities in wetland and riparian area functioning and the differences in their legal protection led the NRC in 1999 to undertake a study of riparian areas, which has culminated in Riparian Areas: Functioning and Strategies for Management. The report is intended to heighten awareness of riparian areas commensurate with their ecological and societal values. The primary conclusion is that, because riparian areas perform a disproportionate number of biological and physical functions on a unit area basis, restoration of riparian functions along America's waterbodies should be a national goal.
Download or read book The Influence of Spatial Heterogeneity Hydrologic Variability and Scale on Nitrogen and Water Export in Urban Residential Ecosystems written by James Brian McConaghie and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urban ecosystems are a major source of non-point source (NPS) nitrogen (N) pollution to aquatic and coastal ecosystems. It is well established that N export from urban watersheds is both greater than that from undeveloped watersheds and approaches the level of exports from agriculture. In addition, high variation in N export among urban watersheds has been found. Understanding this variation is an important question for urban landscape ecology and for improving management of NPS pollution. Two factors that may contribute to this variability are: 1) the heterogeneous distribution of sources and sinks of N among different elements of the landscape, and 2) hydrologic variability induced by changes in runoff volumes and flow paths as a result of urbanization. Our current understanding of the relationship between landscape heterogeneity and variation in N export is mixed. The studies that establish urban watersheds as N sources relative to natural watersheds are typically conducted at coarse spatial scales and describe landscape heterogeneity in terms of land use. Land use refers to the human activity taking place in these landscapes and may not be related to the ecological processes governing N and water dynamics. Land cover, on the other hand, refers to the physical elements that make up the landscape. Consequently, land cover can vary widely within a given land use. Therefore, variation in N export from residential watersheds may be better assessed using land cover to describe landscape heterogeneity and this dictates analysis at finer scales. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to determine the relationships among N export, land cover heterogeneity, and hydrologic variability in urban residential watersheds. We used a fine scale spatial approach and quantified variation in land cover to determine what, if any, elements of land cover act as sources and sinks for N in the landscape, and how this land cover interacts with hydrology to explain variability in urban N exports. We measured N export in 2 urban ecosystems: Baltimore, MD and Sacramento, CA, using a land cover classification to quantify the amount of building, pavement, herbaceous vegetation, woody vegetation, and bare soil in each watershed. The land cover classification was developed in Baltimore as part of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study-LTER. We applied it to Sacramento where we divided hydrologic and spatial variability along two axes -- at the watershed scale during storm events and at the sub-watershed scale during both dry and wet season baseflow. We also mapped waste water and storm drainage infrastructure that may affect N export dynamics in each system. We found that, in Baltimore, septic infrastructure was tightly linked to high proportions of herbaceous land cover and high N exports. Because septic infrastructure and herbaceous vegetation occurred together, it was not possible to determine whether either of them was independently related to high N levels. However, the presence of septic systems may potentially override any land cover signal. In Sacramento the effect of infrastructure on N export was also significant and, although expected to coincide with high proportions of impervious cover, was not statistically related to land cover. During base flow conditions, water yield was highly correlated with N yield. Water yield was also correlated to high proportions of building cover, establishing an indirect relationship between building cover and N yield. The correlation between building cover and higher water yield, especially during dry summer months, indicated a water subsidy from residential landscape irrigation that increased N export -- fundamentally altering the hydrology of the system by creating perennial flows in what would ordinarily be intermittent streams. Nitrogen export was significantly correlated with the amount of runoff generated during storm events and the density of drainage infrastructure in each watershed. Therefore, land cover heterogeneity did not directly predict N export during storms or base flows. Our research demonstrates how septic system infrastructure that contains major N sources and drainage infrastructure that modifies hydrology affect landscape controls on N dynamics in urban systems. These findings highlight the complex, multiple dimensional changes to ecosystem processes incurred by patterns of urbanization. Increasing the retention of water on urban landscapes, restoring biological sinks such as sediment and vegetation, and buffering the input of storm water may be the most immediately effective approaches for reducing urban NPS nitrogen pollution in urban ecosystems.
Download or read book Modeling Phosphorus Loading and Lake Response Under Uncertainty written by and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Nutrient Dynamics in Base Flow and Episodic Runoff in a Multi land Use Watershed written by Randall Semagin and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Impacts of Urbanization and Climate Change on the Hydrological Cycle written by Lele Shu and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The past one hundred years have seen a tremendous migration to towns and cities worldwide. This population movement exerts serious impacts on surface and ground- water supplies, soil health, and the sustainability of ecosystems. At the same time, climate change has become a decisive influence on water systems as land conversion continues. Historically, urbanization and climate change were two important determinants in the sustainability of water, food and energy supplies, as well as the increasing risk of environmental hazards.At the watershed scale the evolving land use change in urban areas does not only change the flood risk because of increasing impervious areas or by directly reducing the consumption of water by trees and plants, but also fundamentally alters the local water balance and the partitioning of water within the land-atmosphere- ecological system. Both land use change and climate change may influence the urban watershed in ways that reinforce or compensate sustainable management.In this study we applied two spatially explicit models to the problem. One is the Penn State Integrated Hydrologic Model (PIHM), a hydrologic model that partitions the water balance in space and time over the urban catchment. The other is the Cellular Automata Land Use Change Model (CALUC), a land use change model, which simulates the evolution of land use classes based on physical measures associated with population change and land use demand factors.We selected two study sites, one modern and one ancient, to highlight the capability of coupling catchment hydrology with land use change models. The goal is to assess the role of hydrologic change in urbanizing watersheds and to evaluate the contemporaneous impacts of climate change. The modern sites are the Conestoga watershed and the Lancaster PA urban center; the historical site is the ancient Maya city of Tikal in Peten region of Guatemala. In each setting, the essential data was developed and the models were used to evaluate how urbanization and land use change gradually altered the entire water balance often in unexpected ways.Chapter 1 introduces the overall problem and carries out a comprehensive literature review for each of the following chapters. Chapter 2 discusses the relevant models used in the study, and the role of model parameterization, particularly the important role that macropores have on maintaining a healthy soil and supporting soil moisture and recharge to groundwater. Chapter 2 also describes the Cellular Automata Land Use Change model, which is adopted here to simulate land use conditions. Chapter 3 then evaluates the past, present and future land use conditions in the Conestoga watershed and develops quantitative metrics of evaluation. Chapter 4 extends the Conestoga case study to evaluate hydrologic performance when dynamic land use and future climate change scenarios from IPCC are the drivers. An evaluation of the relative importance of land use and climate to hydrologic change is presented. Chapter 5 implements the models in a retrospective scenario of the water history of the ancient Maya city of Tikal and discusses the problem of urbanization-deforestation-agriculture land conversion, and the likely sensitivity of their water supply to extreme climate events. Chapter 6 summarizes the two case studies and makes inferences on the resilience and elasticity of the two study sites to climate and land use change.
Download or read book Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1992-01-01 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aldo Leopold, father of the "land ethic," once said, "The time has come for science to busy itself with the earth itself. The first step is to reconstruct a sample of what we had to begin with." The concept he expressedâ€"restorationâ€"is defined in this comprehensive new volume that examines the prospects for repairing the damage society has done to the nation's aquatic resources: lakes, rivers and streams, and wetlands. Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems outlines a national strategy for aquatic restoration, with practical recommendations, and features case studies of aquatic restoration activities around the country. The committee examines: Key concepts and techniques used in restoration. Common factors in successful restoration efforts. Threats to the health of the nation's aquatic ecosystems. Approaches to evaluation before, during, and after a restoration project. The emerging specialties of restoration and landscape ecology.
Download or read book Hydrologic Effects from Urbanization of Forested Watersheds in the Northeast written by Northeastern Forest Experiment Station (U.S.) and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: S2Urbanization, particularly in the crowded Northeast, has created a new environment. Asphalt and concrete have replaced hundreds of square miles of soil, buildings have replaced trees on much of the land, and sewers have replaced streambeds in many areas. As a result, the hydrology of this land is changing rapidly. To determine the effects of this expanding urbanization on forested watersheds, the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station has studied streamflow records of forested and urbanized watersheds. This paper is a report of that study. We consider first the urban and forest environments in relation to their differing effects on several hydrologic processes and on water quality. Second, we estimate the effects of urbanization on evapotranspiration and runoff by theoretically imposing urban conditions on a forested watershed for which climatic and streamflow records are available. Third, we describe the effects of actual progressive urbanization on peak flows, stormflows, and annual runoff of three Northeastern watersheds; and we compare peak flows, percentage of runoff, high- and low-flow intervals, and hydrologic responses between four partially urbanized and nine mostly forested watersheds. S3.
Download or read book Stream Corridor Restoration written by and published by National Technical Info Svc. This book was released on 1998 with total page 648 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This document is a cooperative effort among fifteen Federal agencies and partners to produce a common reference on stream corridor restoration. It responds to a growing national and international interest in restoring stream corridors.
