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Connectivity of River Flow

Connectivity of River Flow. Marisa Hendron Limnology 475/575 Presented November 25, 2009 Prof. Mark Sytsma. Flow Characteristics. Vertical Nutrient Cycling Longitudinal Navigation Lateral Floodplain Interaction. Figure from Alley et al., 2002, Science. The Hyporheos.

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Connectivity of River Flow

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  1. Connectivity of River Flow Marisa Hendron Limnology 475/575 Presented November 25, 2009 Prof. Mark Sytsma

  2. Flow Characteristics • Vertical • Nutrient Cycling • Longitudinal • Navigation • Lateral • Floodplain Interaction Figure from Alley et al., 2002, Science

  3. The Hyporheos • Defined by saturated sediments experiencing flow surrounding riverbed • Nitrification • High Phosphate Concentration • - Oxidation of Methane, Sulfides • - Respiration, turnover of OC • - Contains dissolved O from surface water • Denitrification, Ammoniafication • Reduction of sulfate • Methanogenesis • Low Dissolved Oxygen • High Silica Concentration

  4. Flow & River Health • Natural flow develops heterogeneous patches and supports biodiversity • Upwelling aerates fish eggs in sediment • Groundwater is loaded with bio-available solutes • Longitudinal flow regulates transport of sediment and organic matter http://www.treehugger.com/salmon-snake-river-photo.jpg

  5. Flow, Hyporheic Ecology & Lake Nutrients • Function of hyporheos influences amount and type of nutrients that reach lakes • Chemical processes in rivers differ greatly between low and high flow periods http://waterontheweb.org/under/lakeecology/06_watershed.html

  6. Disturbances in Flow Above: Green River, Kentucky Right: San Joaquin River, California Richter, et al. Restoring Environmental Flow by Modifying Dam Operations, Figures 1 & 3

  7. Consequences of Flow Disturbance • Reduction of natural flood cycles reduces biodiversity long-term • Natural geomorphological processes are diminished • Nutrient cycles are disrupted

  8. Restoration Efforts Case Study: Merced River, CA • Initial restoration did not account for three dimensional flow dynamics • Flow variation across time is important for shaping river morphology and species composition http://merced.stillwatersci.com/pdf/6/vol1/Figures.pdf

  9. Conclusions • Maintenance of all dimensions of flow in lotic systems is important for proper nutrient cycling and biological function. • Riverine ecology will affect the quality of water and nutrients received by lentic systems within the watershed. • Connectivity is a key dimension of river flow and should be emphasized in the development of restoration plans.

  10. Bibliography • Hendricks, Susan. Microbial ecology of the hyporheic zone: a perspective integrating hydrology and biology. The North American Benthological Society, Vol 12, No. 1 (Mar., 1993), pp. 70-78. • Howard, K. W. F. et al. Ground-Surface Water Interactions and the Role of the Hyporheic Zone in Groundwater and Ecosystems. Ed. Alper Baba et al. Nato Science Series, Vol. 70, 2005. • Kondolf, Mathias G. et al. Process-Based Ecological River Restoration: Visualizing Three-Dimensional Connectivity and Dynamic Vectors to Recover Lost Linkages. 2006. Ecology and Society Vol. 11, No. 2. • Nilsson, Christer and Birgitta Malm Renofalt. Linking Flow Regime and Water Quality in Rivers: A Challenge to Adaptive Catchmetn Management. 2008. Ecology and Society, Vol 13, No. 2, pp. 18-38. • Richter, Brian D. and Gregory A. Thomas. Restoring Environmental Flows by Modifying Dam Operations. 2007. Ecology and Society Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 12. • Stanford, Jack and J. V. Ward. An Ecosystem Perspective of Alluvial Rivers: Connectivity and the Hyporheic Corridor. The North American Benthological Society, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Mar., 1993), pp. 48-60. • Thomaz, Sidinei et al. Floods increase similarity among aquatic habitats in river-floodplain systems. Hyperbiologia (2007) 579: 1-13. • Thorp, James H. et al. The Riverine Ecosystem Synthesis. Elsevier Inc, 2008.

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