Geology topics

Britta Bierwagen

Publications and source records attributed to Britta Bierwagen.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2023

Indicators of the effects of climate change on freshwater ecosystems

Freshwater ecosystems, including lakes, streams, and wetlands, are responsive to climate change and other natural and anthropogenic stresses. These ecosystems are frequently hydrologically and ecologically connected with one another and their surrounding landscapes, thereby integrating changes throughout their watersheds. The responses of any given freshwater ecosystem to climate change depend on the magnitude of climate forcing, interactions with other anthropogenic and natural changes, and the characteristics of the ecosystem itself. Therefore, the magnitude and manner in which freshwater ecosystems respond to climate change are difficult to predict a priori. We present a conceptual model to elucidate how freshwater ecosystems are altered by climate change. We identify eleven indicators that describe the response of freshwater ecosystems to climate change, discuss their potential value and limitations, and describe supporting measurements. Indicators are organized in three interrelated categories: hydrologic, water quality, and ecosystem structure and function. The indicators are supported by data sets with a wide range of temporal and spatial coverage, and they inform important scientific and management needs. Together, these indicators improve the understanding and management of the effects of climate change on freshwater ecosystems.

Climate Change↗

USGS2014

Best practices for continuous monitoring of temperature and flow in wadeable streams

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) is working with its regional offices, states, tribes, river basin commissions and other entities to establish Regional Monitoring Networks (RMNs) for freshwater wadeable streams. To the extent possible, uninterrupted, biological, temperature and hydrologic data will be collected on an ongoing basis at RMN sites, which are primarily located on smaller, minimally disturbed forested streams. The primary purpose of this document is to provide guidance on how to collect accurate, year-round temperature and hydrologic data at ungaged wadeable stream sites. It addresses questions related to equipment needs, sensor configuration, sensor placement, installation techniques, data retrieval, and data processing. This guidance is intended to increase comparability of continuous temperature and hydrologic data collection at RMN sites and to ensure that the data are of sufficient quality to be used in future analyses. It also addresses challenges posed by year-round deployments. These data will be used for detecting temporal trends; providing information that will allow for a better understanding of relationships between biological, thermal, and hydrologic data; predicting and analyzing climate change impacts and quantifying natural variability.

Report↗