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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
USGS2024

Use of Doppler velocity radars to monitor and predict debris and flood wave velocities and travel times in post-wildfire basins

The magnitude and timing of extreme events such as debris and floodflows (collectively referred to as floodflows) in post-wildfire basins are difficult to measure and are even more difficult to predict. To address this challenge, a sensor ensemble consisting of noncontact, ground-based (near-field), Doppler velocity (velocity) and pulsed (stage or gage height) radars, rain gages, and a redundant radio communication network was leveraged to monitor flood wave velocities, to validate travel times, and to compliment observations from NEXRAD weather radar. The sensor ensemble (DEbris and Floodflow Early warNing System, DEFENS) was deployed in Waldo Canyon, Pike National Forest, Colorado, USA, which was burned entirely (100 percent burned) by the Waldo Canyon fire during the summer of 2012 ( MTBS, 2020 ). Surface velocity, stage, and precipitation time series collected during the DEFENS deployment on 10 August 2015 were used to monitor and predict flood wave velocities and travel times as a function of stream discharge (discharge; streamflow). The 10 August 2015 event exhibited spatial and temporal variations in rainfall intensity and duration that resulted in a discharge equal to 5.01 cubic meters per second (m 3 /s). Discharge was estimated post-event using a slope-conveyance indirect discharge method and was verified using velocity radars and the probability concept algorithm. Mean flood wave velocities – represented by the kinematic celerity ( c k = 2.619 m e t e r s p e r s e c o n d , m / s ± 0.556 p e r c e n t "> 𝑐 𝑘 = 2.619 𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑, m/s ± 0.556 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡) and dynamic celerity ( c d = 3.533 m / s ± 0.181 p e r c e n t a n d t h e i r u n c e r t a i n t i e s "> 𝑐 𝑑 = 3.533 m/s ± 0.181 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡) and their uncertainties were computed. L-moments were computed to establish probability density functions (PDFs) and associated statistics for each of the at-a-section hydraulic parameters to serve as a workflow for implementing alert networks in hydrologically similar basins that lack data. Measured flood wave velocities and travel times agreed well with predicted values. Absolute percent differences between predicted and measured flood wave velocities ranged from 1.6 percent to 49 percent and varied with water slope, hydraulic radius, and depth. The kinematic celerity was a better predictor for steep slopes and wide flood plains associated with the Upper Waldo and Middle Waldo radar streamgages; whereas, the dynamic celerity was a better surrogate for shallow slopes and incised channels such as the Lower Waldo radar streamgage. The method demonstrates the potential extensibility of a post-wildfire warning system by (1) leveraging multiple systems (i.e., weather radar, near-field velocity and stage radars, and rain gages) for accurate and timely warnings of debris and floodflows, (2) establishing an order of operations to site, install, and operate near-field radars and conventional rain gages to record floodflows, forecast travel times, and document geomorphic change in this basin and hydrologically similar basins that lack data, and (3) communicating data operationally with the Colorado Department of Transportation engineering staff, National Weather Service forecasters, and emergency managers.

Colorado↗
USGS2014

The value of geophysical methods in ground‐water studies

Two meanings are unfortunately given to the term geophysics. In the broad sense, based on the etymology of the term, geophysics means the physics of the Earth. This is its significance in the names “Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington,” “International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics,” and “American Geophysical Union.” In this sense the sciences of geology and hydrology are largely geophysics, although in part they are geochemistry or biology. Geologists and hydraulic engineers who are elected to membership in the American Geophysical Union are, however, often surprised to find that they are regarded as “geophysicists.” I hope that when the Union establisnes a journal, its name will include the expression “Earth physics” or “Physics of the Earth,” in order that there will be no misunderstanding as to its scope.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2026

Assessing environmental drivers of denitrification in restored riverine floodplains

Restoration of impaired floodplains is an increasingly prevalent strategy for alleviating water quality concerns and reducing downstream flooding at watershed scales. Floodplains temporarily store water and slow flow velocity to promote sedimentation during overbank flooding and remove inorganic nitrogen from floodwater and groundwater via denitrification. Evaluating the impacts of different restoration strategies on denitrification can inform more strategic investments into floodplain modifications that improve water quality outcomes. Our research investigates how denitrification rates in floodplains respond to environmental factors that are actionable from an engineering perspective through design and water resources management. We seasonally measured soil denitrification enzyme activity and various environmental characteristics in 4 floodplains with different restoration design and management approaches at the confluence of the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers in Indiana, United States. Our results showed that denitrification rates in an agricultural floodplain were significantly lower than in restored floodplains with native vegetation. Certain soil conditions characteristic of floodplain wetlands were associated with higher denitrification, particularly elevated total nitrogen, moisture, silt, and organic matter contents. Vegetation species composition was correlated with denitrification rates. This link may reflect the direct effects of vegetation on soil conditions, such as supplying labile organic carbon, or indirect effects, such as vegetation acting as an indicator of hydrologic regime and land use. Denitrification seasonally varied, peaking in winter when nitrate supply from rivers draining agricultural watersheds in the region is also high. Substrate limitation of soil denitrification enzyme activity was most significant during the summer when overbank flooding, which replenishes soil nitrogen stocks, rarely occurs. Our findings indicate that denitrification capacity will likely be maximized in riverine floodplains that are restored as wetlands with diverse native vegetation and enhanced hydrologic connectivity. Such restoration activities promote higher denitrification rates via elevated moisture, fine sediment deposition, and soil organic matter.

Tippecanoe River, Wabash River↗
USGS1981

Geological considerations in hazardous waste disposal

Present regulations assume that long-term isolation of hazardous wastes - including toxic chemical, biological, radioactive, flammable and explosive wastes - may be effected by disposal in landfills that have liners of very low hydraulic conductivity. In reality, total isolation of wastes in humid areas is not possible; some migration of leachate from wastes buried in the gound will always occur. Regulations should provide performance standards applicable on a site-by-site basis rather than rigid criteria for site selection and design. The performance standards should take into account several factors: (1) the categories, segregation, degradation and toxicity of the wastes; (2) the site hydrogeology, which governs the direction and rate of contaminant transport; (3) the attenuation of contaminants by geochemical interactions with geologic materials; and (4) the release rate of unattenuated pollutants to surface or groundwater. An adequate monitoring system is essential. The system should both test the extent to which the operation of the site meets performance standards and provide sufficient warning of pollution problems to allow implementation of remedial measures. In recent years there has been a trend away from numerous, small disposal sites toward fewer and larger sites. The size of a disposal site should be based on the attenuation capacity of the geologic material, which has a finite, though generally not well-defined, limit. For slowly degradable wastes, engineered sites with leachate-collection systems appear to be only a temporary solution since the leachate collected will also require final disposal.

Journal of Hydrology↗
USGS1996

Bibliography of selected water-resources publications on Nevada by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1885 through 1995

References to 898 water-resources publications are listed alphabetically by senior author and indexed by hydrographic-area name or other geographic features. Most of the publications were written between 1960 and 1995 by U.S. Geological Survey scientists and engineers of the Water Resources Division, Nevada District. Also included are references to publications by other Water Resources Division authors that deal with Nevada hydrology. References to publications written before 1960 are included to provide a historical perspective. The references include several types of Geological Survey book and map publications, as well as State-series reports, journal articles, conference and symposium papers, abstracts, and graduate- degree theses. Information on publication availability is provided also.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

Defining restoration targets for water depth and salinity in wind-dominated Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl. coastal marshes

Coastal wetlands provide valued ecosystem functions but the sustainability of those functions often is threatened by artificial hydrologic conditions. It is widely recognized that increased flooding and salinity can stress emergent plants, but there are few measurements to guide restoration, management, and mitigation. Marsh flooding can be estimated over large areas with few data where winds have little effect on water levels, but quantifying flooding requires hourly measurements over long time periods where tides are wind-dominated such as the northern Gulf of Mexico. Estimating salinity of flood water requires direct daily measurements because coastal marshes are characterized by dynamic salinity gradients. We analyzed 399,772 hourly observations of water depth and 521,561 hourly observations of water salinity from 14 sites in Louisiana coastal marshes dominated by Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl. Unlike predicted water levels, observed water levels varied monthly and annually. We attributed those observed variations to variations in river runoff and winds. In stable marshes with slow wetland loss rates, we found that marsh elevation averaged 1 cm above mean high water, 15 cm above mean water, and 32 cm above mean low water levels. Water salinity averaged 3.7 ppt during April, May, and June, and 5.4 ppt during July, August, and September. The daily, seasonal, and annual variation in water levels and salinity that were evident would support the contention that such variation be retained when designing and operating coastal wetland management and restoration projects. Our findings might be of interest to scientists, engineers, and managers involved in restoration, management, and restoration in other regions where S. patens or similar species are common but local data are unavailable.

Journal of Hydrology↗
USGS2013

Hysteresis of unsaturated hydromechanical properties of a silty soil

Laboratory tests to examine hysteresis in the hydrologic and mechanical properties of partially saturated soils were conducted on six intact specimens collected from a landslide-prone area of Alameda County, California. The results reveal that the pore-size distribution parameter remains statistically unchanged between the wetting and drying paths; however, the wetting or drying state has a pronounced influence on the water-entry pressure, the water-filled porosity at zero suction, and the saturated hydraulic conductivity. The suction stress values obtained from the shear-strength tests under both natural moisture and resaturated conditions were mostly bounded by the suction stress characteristic curves (SSCCs) obtained from the hydrologic tests. This finding experimentally confirms that the soil-water retention curve, hydraulic conductivity function, and SSCC are intrinsically related.

Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engin↗
USGS1967

Serial publications commonly cited in technical bibliographies of the United States Geological Survey

This compilation is a listing of the serial publications cited in the following publications of the United States Geological Survey: Geophysical Abstracts, Abstracts of North American Geology, Bibliography of North American Geology, and Bibliography of Hydrology of the United States. A supplement of publications added since the main list was compiled begins on page 83. New journals cited in Geophysical . Abstracts are listed in each monthly issue. Serial publications cited in each annual bibliography are listed in that volume.

Report↗
USGS2021

Capturing the transient hydrological response in sandy soils during a rare cloudburst associated with shallow slope failures; A case study in the Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, USA

A cloudburst on 7 August 2018 in the coastal bluffs of the Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, induced flooding, erosion and multiple shallow slope failures that adversely affected the surrounding hillside residential area. Historically, short-duration deluges are rare in the New York Bay region, with only eight cloudbursts of greater magnitude documented since 1948. The coastal bluffs consist of a variably thick, sandy surficial material overlying flat-lying, mostly non-indurated Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments, including some low-permeability glauconitic units. The bluffs have been affected by both historical deep-seated and shallow landslide movement, the latter typically related to heavy, relatively long-duration rainfall associated with tropical cyclones and nor'easters. The shallow hydrological response during the rare cloudburst was captured at two hydrological monitoring sites and yielded insights into rapidly changing moisture conditions resulting in slope failure. Additional information is provided on historical cloudbursts that have affected the region, antecedent moisture conditions, and documented landslide types and processes.

New Jersey↗
USGS1996

Hydrologic impact of Great Flood of 1993 in south-central Kansas

The writers analyze the hydrologic budget and quantify the ground-water recharge impact of the Great Flood of 1993 on the Great Bend Prairie aquifer of south-central Kansas. During the summer of 1993, rainfall totals exceeded normal levels by 200% in the northern portion of the study area, while air temperature and evapotranspiration were below normal levels. This extreme event provided the opportunity to revisit previously developed recharge-estimation algorithms. Average ground-water recharge for 1993 at four index sites was estimated at 178 mm using the hybrid water-fluctuation method of Sophocleous. Employing the recharge-estimation multiple-regression methodology of Sophocleous for the area, the writers estimated the 1993 recharge to be 145 mm. Both estimates are higher than the maximum annual recharge observed at the index sites during the 1985–1992 period. A January–July 1993 hydrologic balance analysis resulted in 130 mm of recharge. The recharge caused by the flood was three to more than four times the average annual recharge of the previous eight years. The regression-based recharge-estimation methodology proved to be generally reliable, even under extreme conditions.

Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering↗
USGS2011

Critical steps for the continuing advancement of hydrogeophysics

Special hydrogeophysics issues published by hydrology and geophysics journals, special sessions and workshops at conferences, and an increasing number of short courses demonstrate the growing interest in the use of geophysics for hydrologic investigations. The formation of the hydrogeophysics technical subcommittee of AGU's Hydrology section adds further evidence of the recognized significance of this growing interdisciplinary field. Given the clear value of nondestructive and nonintrusive imaging for subsurface investigations, we believe the advances in the adoption of existing geophysical methods, the development of novel methods, and the merging of geophysical and other data made in hydrogeophysics could be applied to a wide range of geological, environmental, and engineering applications.

Eos Science News↗
USGS2008

Selecting remediation goals by assessing the natural attenuation capacity of groundwater systems

Remediation goals for the source areas of a chlorinated ethene‐contaminated groundwater plume were identified by assessing the natural attenuation capacity of the aquifer system. The redox chemistry of the site indicates that sulfate‐reducing (H 2 ∼ 2 nanomoles [nM]) per liter conditions near the contaminant source grade to Fe(III)‐reducing conditions (H 2 ∼ 0.5 nM) downgradient of the source. Sulfate‐reducing conditions facilitate the initial reduction of perchloroethene (PCE) to trichloroethene (TCE), cis ‐dichloroethene ( cis ‐DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC). Subsequently, the Fe(III)‐reducing conditions drive the oxidation of cis ‐DCE and VC to carbon dioxide and chloride. This sequence gives the aquifer a substantial capacity for biodegrading chlorinated ethenes. Natural attenuation capacity (the slope of the steady‐state contaminant concentration profile along a groundwater flowpath) is a function of biodegradation rates, aquifer dispersive characteristics, and groundwater flow velocity. The natural attenuation capacity at the Kings Bay, Georgia site was assessed by estimating groundwater flowrates (∼0.23 ± 0.12 m/d) and aquifer dispersivity (∼1 m) from hydrologic and scale considerations. Apparent biodegradation rate constants (PCE and TCE ∼ 0.01 d −1 ; cis ‐DCE and VC ∼ 0.025 d −1 ) were estimated from observed contaminant concentration changes along aquifer flowpaths. A boundary‐value problem approach was used to estimate levels to which contaminant concentrations in the source areas must be lowered (by engineered removal), or groundwater flow velocities lowered (by pumping) for the natural attenuation capacity to achieve maximum concentration limits (MCLs) prior to reaching a predetermined regulatory point of compliance.

Bioremediation Journal↗
USGS2018

Biocrusts: The living skin of the Earth

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) form a “living skin” at the soil surface in many low productivity ecosystems around the world including water- and cold-limited environments, and early successional seres (Belnap et al. 2003). They may be composed of any configuration of soil surface-dwelling cyanobacteria, eukaryotic algae, lichens, mosses or liverworts, and support assemblages of decomposers and a faunal food web (Belnap et al. 2003). These soil surface communities have global relevance, as it has been recently estimated that they cover about 12% of the terrestrial surface currently (Rodriguez-Caballero et al. 2018). Biocrust communities are perhaps an ideal subject for the journal Plant and Soil, because they are simultaneously plant-like, due to their dominance by autotrophs, yet biocrusts are also clearly a physical feature of the soil given that component organisms are enmeshed in, adherent to, or otherwise in direct contact with the soil surface. The activity of the organisms is what engineers the well-aggregated thin layer at the soil surface that we recognize as a biocrust (Belnap et al. 2003). The contributions of biocrusts to ecosystem function has fueled much research interest, initially in the observation of biocrusts’ soil aggregating and erosion-resisting nature, and later as a multifunctional, globally-relevant ecosystem element instrumental in: 1. building or otherwise altering soil nutrient stocks through N-fixation (Elbert et al. 2012), dust trapping (Reynolds et al. 2001) and nutrient cycling (Strauss et al. 2012), 2. influencing hydrological properties of soil such as the water balance (Chamizo et al. 2016), and 3. The thermal energy balance of the ecosystem (Coradeau et al. 2016, Rutherford et al. 2017).

Plant and Soil↗
USGS2016

Groundwater

Introduction Groundwater represents the terrestrial subsurface component of the hydrologic cycle. As such, groundwater is generally in motion, moving from elevated areas of recharge to lower areas of discharge. Groundwater usually moves in accordance with Darcy’s law (Dalmont, Paris: Les Fontaines Publiques de la Ville de Dijon, 1856). Groundwater residence times can be under a day in small upland catchments to over a million years in subcontinental-sized desert basins. The broadest definition of groundwater includes water in the unsaturated zone, considered briefly here. Water chemically bound to minerals, as in gypsum (CaSO 4 • 2H 2 O) or hydrated clays, cannot flow in response to gradients in total hydraulic head (pressure head plus elevation head); such water is thus usually excluded from consideration as groundwater. In 1940, M. King Hubbert showed Darcy’s law to be a special case of thermodynamically based potential field equations governing fluid motion, thereby establishing groundwater hydraulics as a rigorous engineering science ( Journal of Geology 48, pp. 785–944). The development of computer-enabled numerical methods for solving the field equations with real-world approximating geometries and boundary conditions in the mid-1960s ushered in the era of digital groundwater modeling. An estimated 30 percent of global fresh water is groundwater, compared to 0.3 percent that is surface water, 0.04 percent atmospheric water, and 70 percent that exists as ice, including permafrost ( Shiklomanov and Rodda 2004 , cited under Groundwater Occurrence ). Groundwater thus constitutes the vast majority—over 98 percent—of the unfrozen fresh-water resources of the planet, excluding surface-water reservoirs. Environmental dimensions of groundwater are equally large, receiving attention on multiple disciplinary fronts. Riparian, streambed, and spring-pool habitats can be sensitively dependent on the amount and quality of groundwater inputs that modulate temperature and solutes, including nutrients and dissolved oxygen. Groundwater withdrawals can negatively impact riparian habitats by depriving ecosystems of adequate fresh water and fragmenting communities when streams go dry. Biochemical reactions in shallow groundwater can remove anthropogenically elevated nitrogen compounds and reduce—but only to a point—the greening of waterways and shorelines with periphyton and harmful algal blooms. Groundwater extraction for beneficial use is increasingly limited by water-quality constraints imposed by naturally occurring and introduced substances. Overdrafting can cause land-surface subsidence, damaging buildings and roads and disrupting canals, sewers, and other gravity-flow conveyances. Increases in groundwater levels can cause soil salinization in dry regions and erosive sapping and flooding in wet regions. Coastal saltwater intrusion, groundwater flooding, salinization associated with groundwater-irrigated agriculture, induced seismicity from injected wastes, and the detrimental impacts of groundwater depletion are among the major environmental challenges of our time.

Book chapter↗
USGS2002

A bibliography of terrain modeling (geomorphometry), the quantitative representation of topography: Supplement 4.0

Terrain modeling, the practice of ground-surface quantification, is an amalgam of Earth science, mathematics, engineering, and computer science. The discipline is known variously as geomorphometry (or simply morphometry), terrain analysis, and quantitative geomorphology. It continues to grow through myriad applications to hydrology, geohazards mapping, tectonics, sea-floor and planetary exploration, and other fields. Dating nominally to the co-founders of academic geography, Alexander von Humboldt (1808, 1817) and Carl Ritter (1826, 1828), the field was revolutionized late in the 20th Century by the computer manipulation of spatial arrays of terrain heights, or digital elevation models (DEMs), which can quantify and portray ground-surface form over large areas (Maune, 2001). Morphometric procedures are implemented routinely by commercial geographic information systems (GIS) as well as specialized software (Harvey and Eash, 1996; Köthe and others, 1996; ESRI, 1997; Drzewiecki et al., 1999; Dikau and Saurer, 1999; Djokic and Maidment, 2000; Wilson and Gallant, 2000; Breuer, 2001; Guth, 2001; Eastman, 2002). The new Earth Surface edition of the Journal of Geophysical Research, specializing in surficial processes, is the latest of many publication venues for terrain modeling. This is the fourth update of a bibliography and introduction to terrain modeling (Pike, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999) designed to collect the diverse, scattered literature on surface measurement as a resource for the research community. The use of DEMs in science and technology continues to accelerate and diversify (Pike, 2000a). New work appears so frequently that a sampling must suffice to represent the vast literature. This report adds 1636 entries to the 4374 in the four earlier publications1. Forty-eight additional entries correct dead Internet links and other errors found in the prior listings. Chronicling the history of terrain modeling, many entries in this report predate the 1999 supplement. Coverage is representative from about 1800 through early–mid 2002. Papers increasingly are published exclusively or in duplicate on the Internet's World Wide Web; the dates given here for Web addresses (URLs) that lack a print publication indicate a Web site's last update or my last access of it. The bibliography is arranged alphabetically and thus is not readily summarized. This introduction cites about 500 entries, a third of them grouped under 24 morphometric topics, as a guide to the listing's contents. Continuing the practice of previous bibliographies in the series to provide more information on a few applications (see summary of past topics in Pike, 2000a), this report elaborates further on topographic data, putative new parameters, tectonic geomorphology/neo-orometry, biogeography, ice-cap morphometry, results from the Mars Global DEM, landslide-hazard mapping, terrain modeling as physics, Hack's law, and broad-scale computer visualization. The literature of some of these subjects is large, and none of the summaries is intended to more than introduce the topic and comment on some of the current contributions of terrain modeling. Closing the essay is a discussion of pre-1900 papers that trace the evolution of ridge-line and watercourse quantification by descriptive geometry, as well as comments on some new books and an on-line bulletin board.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2018

Storm surge propagation and flooding in small tidal rivers during events of mixed coastal and fluvial influence

The highly urbanized estuary of San Francisco Bay is an excellent example of a location susceptible to flooding from both coastal and fluvial influences. As part of developing a forecast model that integrates fluvial and oceanic drivers, a case study of the Napa River and its interactions with the San Francisco Bay was performed. For this application we utilize Delft3D-FM, a hydrodynamic model that computes conservation of mass and momentum on a flexible mesh grid, to calculate water levels that account for tidal forcing, storm surge generated by wind and pressure fields, and river flows. We simulated storms with realistic atmospheric pressure, river discharge, and tidal forcing to represent a realistic joint fluvial and coastal storm event. Storm conditions were applied to both a realistic field-scale Napa river drainage as well as an idealized geometry. With these scenarios, we determine how the extent, level, and duration of flooding is dependent on these atmospheric and hydrologic parameters. Unsurprisingly, the model indicates that maximal water levels will occur in a tidal river when high tides, storm surge, and large fluvial discharge events are coincident. Model results also show that large tidal amplitudes diminish storm surge propagation upstream and that phasing between peak fluvial discharges and high tide is important for predicting when and where the highest water levels will occur. The interactions between tides, river discharge, and storm surge are not simple, indicating the need for more integrated flood forecasting models in the future.

California↗
USGS1992

Groundwater use: Equilibrium between social benefits and potential environmental costs

In many countries groundwater resources are under-appreciated and, therefore, underutilizied; whereas, in some areas they are inappropriately exploited and, therefore, over-utilized. “Over utilization” can lead to depletion in quantity or a degradation in quality or both. Obstacles to effective management include: (1) lack of knowledge of basic principles of groundwater science among water planners, (2) in many, if not in most countries, ownership of groundwater is in the private domain with the result that codependence is unrecognized, and (3) a misunderstanding by water planners of the concepts of “overexploitation%rdquo; and conjunctive use. The economic, social, and hydrologic constraints and procedures for management for sustainable development of groundwater are significantly different from those for surface water because these differences result from such things as (1) groundwater development is not dependent on large scale collective projects (unlike the utilization of surface water that requires engineering structures for diverting, regulating and transporting water), (2) the activities of many different groups can affect the quality of water, and (3) users of groundwater often are not aware of their co-dependence on the groundwater heritage in which each participates. Hydrogeologists should try to identify those governmental policies that have a detrimental environmental effect, promote those policies that are beneficial, and demonstrate the need for a policy in matters where a policy is lacking.

Hydrogeology Journal↗
USGS2016

Validation of a stream and riparian habitat assessment protocol using stream salamanders in the southwest Virginia coalfields

Within the central Appalachia Coalfields, the aquatic impacts of large-scale land uses, such as surface mining, are of particular ecological concern. Identification and quantification of land use impacts to aquatic ecosystems are a necessary first step to aid in mitigation of negative consequences to biota. However, quantifying physical environmental quality such as stream and riparian habitat often can be quite difficult, particularly when there is time or fiscal limitations. As such, standard protocols such as the U.S. EPA’s Stream Habitat Rapid Bioassessment Protocol have been established to be cost- and time-effective. This protocol estimates ten different stream and riparian conditions on a scale of 0 to 20. Unfortunately, using estimations can be problematic because of large potential variation in the scoring depending on differences in training, experience, and opinion of the personnel doing the estimations. In order to help negate these biases and provide a simplified process, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) developed a functional assessment for streams that measures 11 stream and riparian variables along with watershed land use to calculate three different scores, a hydrology score, biogeochemical score, and habitat score. In our study, we examined the correlation of stream salamander presence and abundance to the three USACE scores. In the summer of 2013, we visited 70 sites in the southwest Virginia Coalfields multiple times to collect salamanders and quantify stream and riparian microhabitat parameters. Using occupancy and abundance analyses, we found strong relationships among three Desmognathus spp. and the USACE Habitat FCI score. Accordingly, the Habitat FCI score provides a reasonable assessment of physical instream and riparian conditions that may serve as a surrogate for understanding the community composition and integrity of aquatic salamander in the region.

Virginia↗