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LARGE AND GREAT RIVERS: NEW ASSESSMENT TOOLS
Citation:
Flotemersch, J E. LARGE AND GREAT RIVERS: NEW ASSESSMENT TOOLS. Presented at Southeastern Water Pollution Biologists Association, Opelika, AL, November 01 - 04, 2004.
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:
The Ecological Exposure Research Division has been conducting research to support the development of the next generation of bioassessment and monitoring tools for large and great rivers. Focus has largely been on the development of standardized protocols for the traditional indicators: algae, benthic macroinvertebrates, fish assemblages, and physical habitat. Several projects are currently underway using and refining the protocols across the nation. Research is also in progress for several novel indicators. Tissue samples are being collected in numerous studies to develop indicators for endocrine disruptors. Multiple projects have also been conducted using remotely sensed data collected via airplane and satellite-based spectrographic imagers. Efforts have been focused on correlating water quality spectral signatures for chlorophyll-a, turbidity, total suspended solids and phosphorus with land use and ecological condition of large rivers. Goals of this work include development of spectral tools for a suite of water quality parameters that can be used to assess entire rivers in near real time for pennies on the dollar and more frequently and at less cost then currently possible.