Grantee Research Project Results
1998 Progress Report: Watersheds and Wetlands: Large Scale Disturbances and Small Scale Responses
EPA Grant Number: R824905Title: Watersheds and Wetlands: Large Scale Disturbances and Small Scale Responses
Investigators: Cole, Charles Andrew , Brooks, Robert P.
Current Investigators: Cole, Charles Andrew , Wardrop, Denice Heller , Brooks, Robert P.
Institution: Pennsylvania State University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: September 1, 1996 through August 31, 1999 (Extended to August 31, 2000)
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 1997 through August 31, 1998
Project Amount: $742,079
RFA: Water and Watersheds Research (1996) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Watersheds , Water
Objective:
Our general objective is to assess the impacts of watershed development upon wetlands within that same basin. We want to assess how a wetland responds to such landscape- level disturbance factors as increasing forest fragmentation, increasing agricultural development, as well as more immediate disturbances such as site-specific sedimentation. We seek to assess these responses within wetland functional groups as described by hydrogeomorphic (HGM) subclass. We also wish to determine better methods for creating wetlands should disturbance factors destroy natural wetlands. Specific objectives include 1) characterization of both natural reference wetlands and created wetlands, 2) assess wetland successional development, both in reference and created wetlands, 3) development of performance criteria matrices (PCM's) that describe wetland characteristics by HGM subclass and disturbance level, and 4) application of disturbance theory to watershed-scale impacts to specific wetlands.Progress Summary:
We are approximately 2/3 of the way through our project with expectations of completion by early fall 1999. During fall 1998 and winter 1999, we will assess historic aerial photographs to analyze landscape-level disturbances that have occurred around our reference sites. These photographs will be digitized and simple landscape metrics (e.g., percent forest cover) determined. The plant and macroinvertebrate community data will be analyzed by HGM subclass, watershed, and disturbance level. These data will prove critical in our assessment of the impacts of watershed change on wetlands. Wetland site characterization will continue for an indefinite period beyond the scope of this grant. However, we will use only the characterization data (hydrology, sediments, soils, plants, biomass) collected through 1998 for this report. Most biomass will be collected by September 1998, but a few sites might have biomass sampled during spring 1999. Seed bank sampling has been completed and analysis will be complete by spring 1999.A large effort has been directed at the characterization of increasing numbers of reference and created wetlands. We now have 69 reference wetlands located throughout Pennsylvania, and 7 created sites under study. Of these 76 sites, 45 have been instrumented with automatic water level recorders, including all of the created sites. This long-term, and widespread, assessment of wetland hydrology is without comparison in the United States. At 27 of the reference and created wetlands we have sampled above- and below-ground biomass, during spring and summer, for almost 2 years. At 11 of the reference wetlands, as well as all of the created sites, we have determined wetland seed bank age classes through analysis of soil Cs137. Assessment of the seed bank communities at those depths is ongoing. At the created sites (which are of known age), seed bank assessment is also underway. These analyses will allow for an evaluation of wetland successional rates in reference sites and for the determination of convergence rates in created wetlands. Wetland macroinvertebrate community structure has been determined for a subset of the reference wetlands as well as for the created sites. We are beginning the measurement of landscape-level disturbance factors through time by assessing historical wetland aerial photographs, some dating to the 1930's.
Future Activities:
We will continue to collect wetland characterization data (i.e., reference site data) for an indefinite period. Hydrologic data will continue to be assessed at 6 hour intervals, and we plan to begin to revisit wetlands for periodic plant community assessment, as some older reference sites have not been sampled for 3-4 years. We will likely expand the historic analysis of wetland seed banks to more reference wetlands across more HGM subclasses. We have an offer from the NRCS to conduct Cs137 analyses for free (a major financial contribution).Journal Articles on this Report : 4 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 34 publications | 14 publications in selected types | All 10 journal articles |
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Type | Citation | ||
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Cole CA, Brooks RP, Wardrop DH. Wetland hydrology as a function of hydrogeomorphic (HGM) subclass. Wetlands 1997;17(4):456-467. |
R824905 (1998) R824905 (1999) R824905 (Final) |
Exit |
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Cole CA, Brooks RP, Wardrop DH. Building a better wetland—a response to Linda Zug. Wetland Journal 1998;10(2):8-11. |
R824905 (1998) R824905 (1999) R824905 (Final) |
not available |
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Reinhardt CH, Cole CA, Brooks RP. Assessing historical wetland seed banks using Cs137: a pilot study. Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 1998;71(3):125-134. |
R824905 (1998) R824905 (1999) R824905 (Final) |
Exit |
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Reinhardt CH, Cole CA, Stover LR. A method for coring inland, freshwater wetland soils. Wetlands 2000;20(2):422-426. |
R824905 (1998) R824905 (1999) R824905 (Final) |
Exit |
Supplemental Keywords:
RFA, Scientific Discipline, Water, Hydrology, Water & Watershed, Ecology and Ecosystems, Watersheds, created wetlands, large scale disturbances, Penn State Cooperative Wetland Center, hydrogeomorphic categories, seed banks, aquatic ecosystems, wildlife habitat, ecology assessment modelsProgress 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.