Grantee Research Project Results
1999 Progress Report: Modeling Effects of Alternative Landscape Design and Management on Water Quality and Biodiversity in Midwest Agricultural Watersheds
EPA Grant Number: R825335Title: Modeling Effects of Alternative Landscape Design and Management on Water Quality and Biodiversity in Midwest Agricultural Watersheds
Investigators: Santelmann, Mary
Institution: Oregon State University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: January 1, 1997 through December 31, 1999 (Extended to December 31, 2000)
Project Period Covered by this Report: January 1, 1998 through December 31, 1999
Project Amount: $1,228,521
RFA: Water and Watersheds Research (1996) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Watersheds , Water
Objective:
The major goals of this 3- year project are to: (1) generate designed alternative future scenarios that explore a range of human land use and management choices for watersheds in the Corn Belt region of the United States; (2) develop and calibrate models to evaluate the alternative scenarios and compare potential impacts of future change on water quality, biodiversity, and human perceptions of the landscape; (3) evaluate the scenarios using models developed and/or calibrated for these watersheds; and (4) summarize these results in an integrative assessment and publication of individual results in peer-reviewed literature appropriate to each field.Progress Summary:
In 1997, we accomplished the first goal (scenario development); in 1998 and 1999, we accomplished the second (model development and calibration). Also in 1998, scenario designs were translated into digital data consisting of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) coverages for the watersheds, which were then overlain into the three primary future scenarios for each watershed. Each team worked to evaluate the scenarios during 1999. Research results were presented in contributed paper and poster sessions at the World Congress of the International Association for Landscape Ecology meeting (Snowmass, Colorado, July 29 - August 3, 1999) and were the topic of two symposium presentations at that meeting.
Species-habitat association matrices for non-fish vertebrates, butterflies, and plants have been completed and sent out for expert review. Two Spatially Explicit Population Models (SEPMs) have been developed by the Iowa State University biodiversity team; one that models single species response to changes in land cover and management, the other which models response of all mammal species found in the watershed, including effects of interspecific interactions, to landscape change. The water quality team finished calibration of the water quality model SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool; Arnold, et al. , 1997) for the study watersheds and completed model runs for evaluation of the alternative futures. In addition, the economics team was able to calibrate and run the EPIC model for simulation of crop yields and estimation of the economic profitability of the alternative futures for producers in these watersheds.
At our all-project meeting (July 1999), we shared results of preliminary model runs on current land cover, the historic past, and the future scenarios. Methods and comparability of modeled results were discussed, collaboration was facilitated among investigators, and plans for publications from the project were outlined. Communication is being maintained among investigators with an electronic newsletter, project meetings (Ann Arbor/Lansing, MI, in April 1998 and Corvallis, OR, in July 1998), and onsite visits by Santelmann and Freemark to Minnesota, Michigan, Oregon, and Iowa.
Future Activities:
Modeling of the future alternative scenarios in contrast to the current land use and management practices in these watersheds will continue in 1999 with sensitivity analyses or in some cases (e.g., plant diversity) preliminary runs will be redone using the final versions of the expert-reviewed data base. Publications and presentations stemming from this research will be a continued focus of our efforts in the coming year.Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 23 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
future scenarios, agricultural watersheds, spatially-explicit models, biodiversity, water quality., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Water, Geographic Area, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Water & Watershed, Midwest, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Ecosystem Protection, exploratory research environmental biology, Chemical Mixtures - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Economics, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Monitoring/Modeling, Environmental Monitoring, Ecological Effects - Human Health, Ecological Risk Assessment, Ecological Indicators, Watersheds, ecological exposure, risk assessment, aquatic, water resources, Iowa, biodiversity, alternative urbanization scenarios, landscape units, predictive understanding, soil sediment, valuation of watersheds, ecological modeling, agricultural watershed, runoff, sediment transport, terrestrial ecosystems, modeling, agricultural watersheds, availability of water resources, biota diversity, transport models, water quality, alternative landscape design, aquatic ecosystems, lawn care practices, IA, species habitat matrices, design criteria, ecology assessment models, water management options, aquatic biota, forecasting, land useRelevant Websites:
http://bufo.geo.orst.edu/tc/firma/ip/
Progress 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.