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FACTORS CONTROLLING THE HYDROLOGIC PERMANENCE OF HEADWATER STREAMS
Citation:
FRITZ, K. M., B. R. JOHNSON, AND DAVID M. WALTERS. FACTORS CONTROLLING THE HYDROLOGIC PERMANENCE OF HEADWATER STREAMS. Presented at Mid-Atlantic Aquatic Biologists Workshop, Berkeley Springs, WV, March 24 - 25, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
Headwater streams are vital linkages between upland land use/cover and downstream water bodies. They are prone to natural drying, which confounds our ability to use traditional assessment tools. Recognizing the hydrologic permanence (duration and frequency of flowing conditions) of headwater streams is the critical first step in condition assessment. Our objective is to identify physical characteristics that are indicators of the headwater stream permanence.