Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems
Map of Study Location
- Objectives:
Determine the physical, chemical, and biological
responses of stream systems to a gradient of increasing urban intensity.
Determine the most important landscape features
driving hydrologic, chemical, geomorphic, habitat, and ecological
responses to urbanization.
Determine the physical and chemical factors associated with biological
responses and compare these physical and chemical factors across environmental
settings.
Compare these responses among a range of environmental settings located
across the United States
- Approach:
Locate sites with minimal natural variability distributed
throughout a broad range of urban intensity. Examine hydrologic, geomorphic,
chemical, habitat, and biological characteristics of the streams at
these sites.
- Timing:
Site selection in 2002; data collection from summer
2002 to fall 2003.
- Targeted Constituents:
Nutrients, pesticides, fecal coliform bacteria,
organic carbon, semi-volatile organic compounds, suspended sediment,
sulfate, chloride, isotopes, water temperature, dissolved oxygen,
pH, specific conductance, invertebrates, algae, chlorophyll a, fish
communities, habitat, stream stage, organics and metals in suspended
and bed sediments.
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