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Bieroza M, Acharya S, Benisch J, ter Borg RN, Hallberg L, Negri C, Pruitt A, Pucher M, Saavedra F, Staniszewska K, van’t Veen SGM, Vincent A, Winter C, Basu NB, Jarvie HP, Kirchner JW. Advances in Catchment Science, Hydrochemistry, and Aquatic Ecology Enabled by High-Frequency Water Quality Measurements. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:4701-4719. [PMID: 36912874 PMCID: PMC10061935 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
High-frequency water quality measurements in streams and rivers have expanded in scope and sophistication during the last two decades. Existing technology allows in situ automated measurements of water quality constituents, including both solutes and particulates, at unprecedented frequencies from seconds to subdaily sampling intervals. This detailed chemical information can be combined with measurements of hydrological and biogeochemical processes, bringing new insights into the sources, transport pathways, and transformation processes of solutes and particulates in complex catchments and along the aquatic continuum. Here, we summarize established and emerging high-frequency water quality technologies, outline key high-frequency hydrochemical data sets, and review scientific advances in key focus areas enabled by the rapid development of high-frequency water quality measurements in streams and rivers. Finally, we discuss future directions and challenges for using high-frequency water quality measurements to bridge scientific and management gaps by promoting a holistic understanding of freshwater systems and catchment status, health, and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Bieroza
- Department
of Soil and Environment, SLU, Box 7014, Uppsala 750
07 Sweden
| | - Suman Acharya
- Department
of Environment and Genetics, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and
Environment, La Trobe University, Albury/Wodonga Campus, Victoria 3690, Australia
| | - Jakob Benisch
- Institute
for Urban Water Management, TU Dresden, Bergstrasse 66, Dresden 01068, Germany
| | | | - Lukas Hallberg
- Department
of Soil and Environment, SLU, Box 7014, Uppsala 750
07 Sweden
| | - Camilla Negri
- Environment
Research Centre, Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Wexford Y35 Y521, Ireland
- The
James
Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, United Kingdom
- School
of
Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AB, United Kingdom
| | - Abagael Pruitt
- Department
of Biological Sciences, University of Notre
Dame, Notre
Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Matthias Pucher
- Institute
of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, Vienna University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel Straße 33, Vienna 1180, Austria
| | - Felipe Saavedra
- Department
for Catchment Hydrology, Helmholtz Centre
for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, Halle (Saale) 06120, Germany
| | - Kasia Staniszewska
- Department
of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E3, Canada
| | - Sofie G. M. van’t Veen
- Department
of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
- Envidan
A/S, Silkeborg 8600, Denmark
| | - Anna Vincent
- Department
of Biological Sciences, University of Notre
Dame, Notre
Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Carolin Winter
- Environmental
Hydrological Systems, University of Freiburg, Friedrichstraße 39, Freiburg 79098, Germany
- Department
of Hydrogeology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental
Research - UFZ, Permoserstr.
15, Leipzig 04318, Germany
| | - Nandita B. Basu
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Earth and
Environmental Sciences, and Water Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Helen P. Jarvie
- Water Institute
and Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - James W. Kirchner
- Department
of Environmental System Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich CH-8092, Switzerland
- Swiss
Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf CH-8903, Switzerland
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2
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Jarvie HP, Macrae ML, Anderson M, Celmer-Repin D, Plach J, King SM. River metabolic fingerprints and regimes reveal ecosystem responses to enhanced wastewater treatment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 2022; 51:811-825. [PMID: 35980320 DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.20401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although many studies have examined how improvements in wastewater treatment impact river nutrient concentrations and loads, there has been much less focus on measuring river metabolism to evaluate the wider aquatic ecosystem benefits of reducing nutrient inputs to rivers. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of enhanced wastewater treatment (nitrification) on river metabolism in the Grand River, Canada's largest river draining into Lake Erie. Metabolic fingerprints and regimes (calculated from high-frequency dissolved oxygen [DO] measurements) were used to visualize whole-river ecosystem functional responses to these wastewater treatment upgrades. There was a 60% reduction in ecosystem respiration during summer, in response to reductions in effluent total ammonia inputs, causing a shift from net heterotrophy to net autotrophy, and contraction of river metabolic fingerprints. This resulted in major improvements in summer DO concentrations, with reductions in the percentage of days during summer that DO minima fell below water-quality guidelines for protection of aquatic early life stages, from 88% to ≤16%. The results also point to potential cascading impacts on coupled phosphorus and nitrogen cycles, which may generate further improvements in river water quality. During the summer, high rates of river metabolism and nutrient retention may result in measured water-column nutrient concentrations potentially underestimating nutrient pressures. This study also demonstrates the value of combining river metabolism with nutrient monitoring for a more holistic understanding of the role of nutrients in river ecosystem health and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen P Jarvie
- Dep. of Geography and Environmental Management, Univ. of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
- Water Institute, Univ. of Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Merrin L Macrae
- Dep. of Geography and Environmental Management, Univ. of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
- Water Institute, Univ. of Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Mark Anderson
- Grand River Conservation Authority, 400 Clyde Rd., Cambridge, ON, N1R 5W6, Canada
| | - Dominika Celmer-Repin
- Water Services Division, Wastewater Operations, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 4J3, Canada
| | - Janina Plach
- Dep. of Geography and Environmental Management, Univ. of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Stephen M King
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK
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Rosero-López D, Todd Walter M, Flecker AS, De Bièvre B, Osorio R, González-Zeas D, Cauvy-Fraunié S, Dangles O. A whole-ecosystem experiment reveals flow-induced shifts in a stream community. Commun Biol 2022; 5:420. [PMID: 35513491 PMCID: PMC9072309 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03345-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The growing threat of abrupt and irreversible changes to the functioning of freshwater ecosystems compels robust measures of tipping point thresholds. To determine benthic cyanobacteria regime shifts in a potable water supply system in the tropical Andes, we conducted a whole ecosystem-scale experiment in which we systematically diverted 20 to 90% of streamflow and measured ecological responses. Benthic cyanobacteria greatly increased with a 60% flow reduction and this tipping point was related to water temperature and nitrate concentration increases, both known to boost algal productivity. We supplemented our experiment with a regional survey collecting > 1450 flow-benthic algal measurements at streams varying in water abstraction levels. We confirmed the tipping point flow value, albeit at a slightly lower threshold (40-50%). A global literature review broadly confirmed our results with a mean tipping point at 58% of flow reduction. Our study provides robust in situ demonstrations of regime shift thresholds in running waters with potentially strong implications for environmental flows management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Rosero-López
- Soil and Water Lab, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. .,Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto Biósfera, Laboratorio de Ecología Acuática, Calle Diego de Robles y Pampite, Quito, Ecuador.
| | - M Todd Walter
- Soil and Water Lab, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Alexander S Flecker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Rafael Osorio
- Gerencia de Ambiente e Hidrología, Empresa Pública de Agua Potable y Saneamiento EPMAPS, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Dunia González-Zeas
- Université de Montpellier, Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Olivier Dangles
- Université de Montpellier, Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175, CNRS, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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Chen X, Wang K, Li X, Qiao Y, Dong K, Yang L. Microcystis blooms aggravate the diurnal alternation of nitrification and nitrate reduction in the water column in Lake Taihu. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 767:144884. [PMID: 33636785 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
To explore the effects of Microcystis blooms on nitrogen (N) cycling in the water column, the community structures of the Microcystis-attached and free-living bacteria in Lake Taihu were assessed and a mesocosm experiment was further conducted on the shore of Lake Taihu. The bacterial communities of Microcystis-attached and free-living bacteria were dominated by heterotrophic bacteria, such as Pseudomonas and Massilia, while the relative abundances of the genera related to traditional autotrophic nitrification were surprisingly low. However, the dramatic increase in nitrate (NO3-) levels at the daytime suggested that in the mesocosms nitrification did occur, during which the heterotrophic nitrifiers played a predominant role as revealed by the acetylene inhibition experiment. The ammonium (NH4+) concentrations were always maintained at a low level, indicating that most of the substrates for daytime nitrification originated from organic N. The total N being removed during the experiment was much less than the sum of daily NO3- reduction, while the decrease in NO3- concentration was much higher than the increase in NH4+ concentration during the night, indicating that assimilation was the main explanation for nocturnal NO3- reduction. Thus, the cycling of organic N (remineralization) - heterotrophic nitrification - NO3- assimilation (reduction) promoted by Microcystis blooms aggravates the diurnal variation of NO3- in the water column.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Chen
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, West Huayang Road 196, Yangzhou 225127, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Xianlin Road 163, Nanjing 210146, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kun Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, West Huayang Road 196, Yangzhou 225127, People's Republic of China
| | - Xing Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, West Huayang Road 196, Yangzhou 225127, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuqi Qiao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, West Huayang Road 196, Yangzhou 225127, People's Republic of China
| | - Kunming Dong
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, West Huayang Road 196, Yangzhou 225127, People's Republic of China
| | - Liuyan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Xianlin Road 163, Nanjing 210146, People's Republic of China
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5
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Espinoza-Toledo A, Mendoza-Carranza M, Castillo MM, Barba-Macías E, Capps KA. Taxonomic and functional responses of macroinvertebrates to riparian forest conversion in tropical streams. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 757:143972. [PMID: 33321337 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Land use change threatens the ecological integrity of tropical rivers and streams; however, few studies have simultaneously analyzed the taxonomic and functional responses of tropical macroinvertebrates to riparian forest conversion. Here, we used community structure, functional diversity, and stable isotope analyses to assess the impacts of riparian deforestation on macroinvertebrate communities of streams in southern Mexico. Monthly sampling during the dry season was conducted in streams with riparian forest (forest streams), and in streams with pasture dominating the riparian vegetation (pasture streams). Samples were collected for water quality (physical-chemical variables, nutrient concentrations, and total suspended solids), organic matter (leaf litter abundance and algal biomass), and macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity. Higher temperature, conductivity, suspended solids, and chlorophyll a were detected in pasture streams, while nitrate concentrations and leaf litter biomass were greater in forest streams. Macroinvertebrate density was higher in pasture sites, while no differences in taxonomic diversity and richness were found between land uses. Functional evenness was greater in forest streams, while richness and divergence were similar between land uses, despite differences in taxonomic composition. Environmental variables were associated with taxa distribution but not with functional traits, suggesting current conditions still promote redundancy in ecological function. Isotopic analyses indicated consumers in pasture streams were enriched in 13C and 15N relative to forest streams, potentially reflecting the higher algal biomass documented in pasture systems. Isotopic niches were broader and more overlapped in pasture streams, indicating more generalist feeding habits. No significant losses of taxonomic or functional diversity were detected in pasture streams. However, changes in trophic ecology suggest landscape-level processes are altering macroinvertebrate feeding habits in streams. The changes we observed in habitat, water quality, and macroinvertebrate community were related to the removal of the riparian vegetation, suggesting the structure and function of the focal systems would benefit from riparian restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Espinoza-Toledo
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Sustentabilidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Villahermosa, Carretera Villahermosa-Reforma Km 15.5, Ranchería Guineo, 2da. Sección, CP 86280 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Manuel Mendoza-Carranza
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Sustentabilidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Villahermosa, Carretera Villahermosa-Reforma Km 15.5, Ranchería Guineo, 2da. Sección, CP 86280 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - María M Castillo
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Sustentabilidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Villahermosa, Carretera Villahermosa-Reforma Km 15.5, Ranchería Guineo, 2da. Sección, CP 86280 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico.
| | - Everardo Barba-Macías
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Sustentabilidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Villahermosa, Carretera Villahermosa-Reforma Km 15.5, Ranchería Guineo, 2da. Sección, CP 86280 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Krista A Capps
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA
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6
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Combining Tools from Edge-of-Field to In-Stream to Attenuate Reactive Nitrogen along Small Agricultural Waterways. WATER 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/w12020383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Reducing excessive reactive nitrogen (N) in agricultural waterways is a major challenge for freshwater managers and landowners. Effective solutions require the use of multiple and combined N attenuation tools, targeted along small ditches and streams. We present a visual framework to guide novel applications of ‘tool stacking’ that include edge-of-field and waterway-based options targeting N delivery pathways, timing, and impacts in the receiving environment (i.e., changes in concentration or load). Implementing tools at multiple locations and scales using a ‘toolbox’ approach will better leverage key hydrological and biogeochemical processes for N attenuation (e.g., water retention, infiltration and filtering, contact with organic soils and microbes, and denitrification), in addition to enhancing ecological benefits to waterways. Our framework applies primarily to temperate or warmer climates, since cold temperatures and freeze–thaw-related processes limit biologically mediated N attenuation in cold climates. Moreover, we encourage scientists and managers to codevelop N attenuation toolboxes with farmers, since implementation will require tailored fits to local hydrological, social, and productive landscapes. Generating further knowledge around N attenuation tool stacking in different climates and landscape contexts will advance management actions to attenuate agricultural catchment N. Understanding how different tools can be best combined to target key contaminant transport pathways and create activated zones of attenuation along and within small agricultural waterways will be essential.
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7
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Bachiller-Jareno N, Hutchins MG, Bowes MJ, Charlton MB, Orr HG. A novel application of remote sensing for modelling impacts of tree shading on water quality. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 230:33-42. [PMID: 30265914 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.09.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Uncertainty in capturing the effects of riparian tree shade for assessment of algal growth rates and water temperature hinders the predictive capability of models applied for river basin management. Using photogrammetry-derived tree canopy data, we quantified hourly shade along the River Thames (UK) and used it to estimate the reduction in the amount of direct radiation reaching the water surface. In addition we tested the suitability of freely-available LIDAR data to map ground elevation. Following removal of buildings and objects other than trees from the LIDAR dataset, results revealed considerable differences between photogrammetry- and LIDAR-derived methods in variables including mean canopy height (10.5 m and 4.0 m respectively), percentage occupancy of riparian zones by trees (45% and 16% respectively) and mid-summer fractional penetration of direct radiation (65% and 76% respectively). The generated data on daily direct radiation for 2010 were used as input to a river network water quality model (QUESTOR). Impacts of tree shading were assessed in terms of upper quartile levels, revealing substantial differences in indicators such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (1.58-2.19 mg L-1 respectively) and water temperature (20.1 and 21.2 °C respectively) between 'shaded' and 'non-shaded' radiation inputs. Whilst the differences in canopy height and extent derived by the two methods are appreciable they only make small differences to water quality in the Thames. However such differences may prove more critical in smaller rivers. We highlight the importance of accurate estimation of shading in water quality modelling and recommend use of high resolution remotely sensed spatial data to characterise riparian canopies. Our paper illustrates how it is now possible to make better reach scale estimates of shade and make aggregations of these for use at river basin scale. This will allow provision of more effective guidance for riparian management programmes than currently possible. This is important to support adaptation to future warming and maintenance of water quality standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Bachiller-Jareno
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK.
| | - M G Hutchins
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - M J Bowes
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - M B Charlton
- Environment Agency, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5AH, UK
| | - H G Orr
- Environment Agency, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5AH, UK
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8
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Jarvie HP, Sharpley AN, Kresse T, Hays PD, Williams RJ, King SM, Berry LG. Coupling High-Frequency Stream Metabolism and Nutrient Monitoring to Explore Biogeochemical Controls on Downstream Nitrate Delivery. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:13708-13717. [PMID: 30376311 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b03074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Instream biogeochemical process measurements are often short-term and localized. Here we use in situ sensors to quantify the net effects of biogeochemical processes on seasonal patterns in baseflow nitrate retention at the river-reach scale. Dual-station high-frequency in situ nitrate measurements, were coupled with high-frequency measurements of stream metabolism and dissolved inorganic carbon, in a tributary of the Buffalo National River, Arkansas. Nitrate assimilation was calculated from net primary production, and combined with mass-balance measurements, to estimate net nitrification and denitrification. The combined net effects of these instream processes (assimilation, denitrification, and nitrification) removed >30-90% of the baseflow nitrate load along a 6.5 km reach. Assimilation of nitrate by photoautotrophs during spring and early summer was buffered by net nitrification. Net nitrification peaked during the spring. After midsummer, there was a pronounced switch from assimilatory nitrate uptake to denitrification. There was clear synchronicity between the switch from nitrate assimilation to denitrification, a reduction in river baseflows, and a shift in stream metabolism from autotrophy to heterotrophy. The results show how instream nitrate retention and downstream delivery is driven by seasonal shifts in metabolic pathways; and how continuous in situ stream sensor networks offer new opportunities for quantifying the role of stream biota in the dynamics, fate, and transport of nitrogen in fluvial systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen P Jarvie
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology , Wallingford , OX10 8BB , United Kingdom
| | - Andrew N Sharpley
- Department of Crop Soil and Environmental Sciences , University of Arkansas , Fayetteville , Arkansas 72701 , United States
| | - Timothy Kresse
- U.S. Geological Survey , Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center , 401 Hardin Road , Little Rock , Arkansas 72211 , United States
| | - Phillip D Hays
- U.S. Geological Survey , Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center/University of Arkansas, Department of Geosciences , 216 Gearhart Hall , Fayetteville , Arkansas 72701 , United States
| | - Richard J Williams
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology , Wallingford , OX10 8BB , United Kingdom
| | - Stephen M King
- STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory , Harwell Campus , Didcot , Oxfordshire OX11 0QX , United Kingdom
| | - Lawrence G Berry
- Department of Crop Soil and Environmental Sciences , University of Arkansas , Fayetteville , Arkansas 72701 , United States
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9
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de Sosa LL, Glanville HC, Marshall MR, Prysor Williams A, Jones DL. Quantifying the contribution of riparian soils to the provision of ecosystem services. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 624:807-819. [PMID: 29272849 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2017] [Revised: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Riparian areas, the interface between land and freshwater ecosystems, are considered to play a pivotal role in the supply of regulating, provisioning, cultural and supporting services. Most previous studies, however, have tended to focus on intensive agricultural systems and only on a single ecosystem function. Here, we present the first study which attempts to assess a wide range of ecological processes involved in the provision of the ecosystem service of water quality regulation across a diverse range of riparian typologies. Specifically, we focus on 1) evaluating the spatial variation in riparian soils properties with respect to distance with the river and soil depth in contrasting habitat types; 2) gaining further insights into the underlying mechanisms of pollutant removal (i.e. pesticide sorption/degradation, denitrification, etc.) by riparian soils; and 3) quantify and evaluate how riparian vegetation across different habitat types contribute to the provision of watercourse shading. All the habitats were present within a single large catchment and included: (i) improved grassland, (ii) unimproved (semi-natural) grassland, (iii) broadleaf woodland, (iv) coniferous woodland, and (iv) mountain, heath and bog. Taking all the data together, the riparian soils could be statistically separated by habitat type, providing evidence that they deliver ecosystem services to differing extents. Overall, however, our findings seem to contradict the general assumption that soils in riparian area are different from neighbouring (non-riparian) areas and that they possess extra functionality in terms of ecosystem service provision. Watercourse shading was highly habitat specific and was maximal in forests (ca. 52% shade cover) in comparison to the other habitat types (7-17%). Our data suggest that the functioning of riparian areas in less intensive agricultural areas, such as those studied here, may be broadly predicted from the surrounding land use, however, further research is required to critically test this across a wider range of ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L de Sosa
- School of Environment, Natural Resources & Geography, Bangor University, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK.
| | - Helen C Glanville
- School of Environment, Natural Resources & Geography, Bangor University, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK; School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Miles R Marshall
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - A Prysor Williams
- School of Environment, Natural Resources & Geography, Bangor University, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Davey L Jones
- School of Environment, Natural Resources & Geography, Bangor University, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
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10
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Rode M, Wade AJ, Cohen MJ, Hensley RT, Bowes MJ, Kirchner JW, Arhonditsis GB, Jordan P, Kronvang B, Halliday SJ, Skeffington RA, Rozemeijer JC, Aubert AH, Rinke K, Jomaa S. Sensors in the Stream: The High-Frequency Wave of the Present. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:10297-10307. [PMID: 27570873 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b02155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
New scientific understanding is catalyzed by novel technologies that enhance measurement precision, resolution or type, and that provide new tools to test and develop theory. Over the last 50 years, technology has transformed the hydrologic sciences by enabling direct measurements of watershed fluxes (evapotranspiration, streamflow) at time scales and spatial extents aligned with variation in physical drivers. High frequency water quality measurements, increasingly obtained by in situ water quality sensors, are extending that transformation. Widely available sensors for some physical (temperature) and chemical (conductivity, dissolved oxygen) attributes have become integral to aquatic science, and emerging sensors for nutrients, dissolved CO2, turbidity, algal pigments, and dissolved organic matter are now enabling observations of watersheds and streams at time scales commensurate with their fundamental hydrological, energetic, elemental, and biological drivers. Here we synthesize insights from emerging technologies across a suite of applications, and envision future advances, enabled by sensors, in our ability to understand, predict, and restore watershed and stream systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Rode
- Department of Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis and Management, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ , Brueckstrasse 3a, D-39114 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Andrew J Wade
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading , Whiteknights, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J Cohen
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Robert T Hensley
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida , Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Michael J Bowes
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxon. OX10 8BB, United Kingdom
| | - James W Kirchner
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology-ETH , Zürich, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Research Institute, WSL , Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - George B Arhonditsis
- Ecological Modelling Laboratory, Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario Canada
| | - Phil Jordan
- School of Environmental Sciences, Ulster University , Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Brian Kronvang
- Department of Bioscience and DCE-National Centre of Environment and Energy, Aarhus University , Vejlsøvej 25, DK-8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Sarah J Halliday
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading , Whiteknights, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Richard A Skeffington
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading , Whiteknights, Reading, United Kingdom
| | | | - Alice H Aubert
- Department of Environmental Social Sciences, Eawag, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Karsten Rinke
- Department of Lake Research, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ , Brueckstrasse 3a, D-39114 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Seifeddine Jomaa
- Department of Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis and Management, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ , Brueckstrasse 3a, D-39114 Magdeburg, Germany
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