Grantee Research Project Results
2007 Progress Report: Land Use Land Cover Change Governing Watershed Nitrogen Threshold And Stream Water Quality
EPA Grant Number: R832449Title: Land Use Land Cover Change Governing Watershed Nitrogen Threshold And Stream Water Quality
Investigators: McGlynn, Brian , Patten, Duncan T. , Schmitz, Denine , Shanley, James , Gardner, Kristin
Current Investigators: McGlynn, Brian , Patten, Duncan T. , Shanley, James , Gardner, Kristin , Schmitz, Denine
Institution: Montana State University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: September 1, 2005 through August 31, 2007 (Extended to August 31, 2009)
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2006 through August 31,2007
Project Amount: $293,397
RFA: Exploratory Research: Understanding Ecological Thresholds In Aquatic Systems Through Retrospective Analysis (2004) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Aquatic Ecosystems , Water
Objective:
The objective of this research project is to quantify the impact of recreational and exurban development on streamwater quality in a characteristic mountain west watershed. It will be the first study to integrate terrain analysis and spatial variability of land use/land cover (LULC) change to improve model quantification of past and future nitrogen thresholds and nitrogen saturation status of subwatersheds. Our study site is the Big Sky resort community in southwestern Montana, which is characteristic of early stage resort development in mountainous regions.Progress Summary:
In Year 2 of the project, we continued to collect extensive water quality data in the West Fork watershed, including 3 synoptic sampling events (October 15th, March 25th, and August 8th) and weekly sampling at 9 sites. All samples were analyzed for nitrate and nitrite. Streamflow was measured continuously through the spring, summer and fall on the West Fork and its three main tributaries. We collected tree cores from sites downgradient from wastewater loading and from pristine sites to analyze for 15N to detect change in 15N since resort development. A full time lab tech was hired to analyze water sample chemistry. We conducted terrain analysis on the high-resolution Airborne Laser Swath Mapping data to characterize watershed flowpaths and travel times, which we believe will be a principal control in the timing and amount of nitrogen exported from the West Fork watershed. Land use/land cover delineation has begun from the 2005 QuickBird imagery. Thirty four nutrient additions were conducted across environmental and land use gradients to better understand the role of instream nutrient processing on ambient N concentrations.
Future Activities:
We will continue to collect biweekly water quality samples at 9 sites and streamflow measurements on the West Fork and its three main tributaries. We expect to complete water quality analysis of all synoptic and the weekly samples for NO2-, NO3-, NH4+, and DON, anions, cations, and DOC. Weathering experiments of geologic materials represented in the West Fork watershed will be performed to compare nitrate production. Additional N addition experiments will be performed to determine relationships between nutrient uptakd. Additional N uptake experiments will be performed to characterize patterns of N uptake across environmental and land use gradients. Agar experiments will be conducted to determine N/P limitation across environmental and land use gradients. Geostatistical modeling will be conducted on spatial water chemistry to explore seasonal influences of land use on streamwater chemistry. We expect to complete land use/land cover delineation from the Quickbird imagery.Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 25 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
watersheds, ecological effects, land use, aquatic ecosystem, indicators, hydrology, ecology, biogeochemistry, water quality monitoring, nitrogen, terrain analysis, Northern Rockies, recreation, ecosystem protection/environmental exposure and risk, scientific discipline, ecosystems, environmental monitoring, anthropogenic impact, anthropogenic stress, ecological thresholds, ecosystem indicators, ecosystem response, ecosystem stress, environmental history, estuarine research, land use, landscape change, modeling ecosystem change, nitrogen cycling, riverine ecosystems, trophic interactions, , Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, RFA, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Ecological Risk Assessment, Aquatic Ecosystem, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, water quality, ecosystem indicators, riverine ecosystems, environmental history, estuarine research, land use, anthropogenic impact, trophic interactions, nitrogen cycling, aquatic ecosystems, anthropogenic stress, ecosystem stress, ecosystem response, ecological thresholds, landscape change, RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Aquatic Ecosystem, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Ecological Risk Assessment, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, environmental history, water quality, anthropogenic impact, estuarine research, ecological thresholds, ecosystem indicators, modeling ecosystem change, ecosystem response, ecosystem stress, riverine ecosystems, trophic interactions, land use, nitrogen cycling, aquatic ecosystems, landscape changeRelevant Websites:
http://watershed.montana.edu/hydrology/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.