Grantee Research Project Results
2001 Progress Report: Developing Effective Ecological Indicators for Watershed Analysis
EPA Grant Number: R827638Title: Developing Effective Ecological Indicators for Watershed Analysis
Investigators: Patten, Duncan T. , Marcus, Andrew , Lawrence, Rick , Minshall, Wayne
Institution: Yellowstone Ecosystem Studies , Montana State University , Idaho State University
Current Institution: Idaho State University , Montana State University - Bozeman , University of Oregon
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: July 1, 1999 through June 30, 2002
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002
Project Amount: $868,242
RFA: Ecological Indicators (1999) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Aquatic Ecosystems , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration
Objective:
The objectives of this research project are to: (1) test the hypothesis that stream and riparian parameters may be indicators of watershed condition; and (2) bring the power of new technologies of hyperspectral imagery and other forms of remote sensing to bear on identifying these indicators.
Natural resource extraction, as well as other human activities and natural perturbations such as fire, have altered most watersheds throughout the Rocky Mountains. The level of alteration to these watersheds might be an important factor influencing the integrity of streams and associated riparian ecosystems that are affected by the nature of the runoff from the watershed. If stream and riparian systems are altered by watershed outputs, then characteristics of these systems might be useful as indicators of the watershed condition. Research emphasizes both a search for indicators and an understanding of ecosystem processes that result in indicator condition. Several watersheds in the Upper Yellowstone River Basin have been selected to measure stream geomorphology, riparian vegetational communities, and stream macroinvertebrate communities to determine ecosystem conditions that may be associated with watershed changes. Most selected watersheds were altered by timbering, grazing, or fire, but a few were still relatively pristine. Forty-two watershed parameters, including levels of landscape alteration, have been identified with LANDSAT and orthophoto imagery. These parameters are being used to test associations with attributes of stream geomorphology, riparian communities, and aquatic biota. Quantification of these associations will guide which parameters to key into when evaluating hyperspectral imagery of the study sites. Several over-flights are planned for summer 2001, to test different types of remote sensing using both Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and Hyperspectral Mapper (HyMap), which acquires hyperspectral data.
Progress Summary:
Stream geomorphic measurements have included morphological units, determination of woody debris, morphometrics, and bank stability. Stream bank failure, an important process resulting from watershed inputs, at first appeared random. Further analysis demonstrates that there is a pattern and a strong relationship between magnitude of failure and spatial frequency of failure. Large failures are less frequent than small failures. Bank failure data show that there are profound implications for relating stream characteristics to watershed characteristics; however, this relationship is system wide and not site specific. Relationships between stream power and watershed characteristics are in the development stage.
Riparian indicators are being selected through the use of several multivariate analysis techniques. Riparian community factors that are closely related to watershed parameters and that also explain separation of study sites, using detrended correspondence analysis, appear to be closely correlated with watershed disturbance attributes such as fire, amount of modified landscape (e.g., crops and pastureland), and grazing. Riparian factors that may become important response indicators in this analysis are indicative of disturbance along the stream, successional processes, and occurrence of non-native species. Riparian characteristics, such as community structure, do not appear to respond to watershed outputs. A more detailed analysis of riparian community data, especially in concert with stream geomorphological data, will allow for the setting of priorities on riverine indicators.
Aquatic ecological variables are being used to validate the relative pristine or altered nature of the watershed. Variables include water chemistry and physical conditions; a foundation for understanding macroinvertebrate community data is another variable. Chlorophyll a, a measure of algal development, tended to be highest in streams from watersheds that have been designated "grazed" for purposes of this study. Aquatic data from other watersheds, especially those within Yellowstone National Park, tend to indicate little alteration from a pristine condition, although some factors appear to be related to extensive fire damage in that area.
Remote sensing hyperspectral imagery data have been made available to this project from a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) project in Yellowstone National Park to allow early evaluation of its potential for identifying possible indicators. Initial analysis showed that it can distinguish between several stream physical parameters, such as pools, riffles, and glides, as well as chemical parameters such as temperature. Riparian vegetation can be identified by woody plant species and general herbaceous cover types. This remote sensing background will be used extensively when interpreting imagery to be obtained in summer 2002.
Future Activities:
Future work on this project will include limited collection of field data to fill in data gaps identified during early data analysis. More comprehensive, integrated forms of multivariate analyses will be used with combined stream and riparian data. Hyperspectral imagery flights in summer 2002, will generate images to evaluate the potential of remotely sensing indicators identified through multivariate analysis. Aquatic samples collected in summer 2001, will continue to be analyzed, along with limited summer 2002 samples, to designate levels of significance of alteration of project watersheds.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 14 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
sediments, aquatic, habitat, integrated, assessment, Northwest., RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Geographic Area, Ecological Indicators, Ecological Risk Assessment, Ecosystem Protection, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Northwest, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Hydrology, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, agriculture ecosystems, stream ecosystems, ecosystem indicators, multiscale assessment, biological activity, remote sensing, scaling, ecological exposure, anthropogenic stresses, sediment, survey, logging, recreational home developmentProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.