Grantee Research Project Results
2007 Progress Report: Nonlinear Response of Pacific Northwest Estuaries to Changing Hydroclimatic Conditions: Flood Frequency, Recovery Time and Resilience
EPA Grant Number: R833015Title: Nonlinear Response of Pacific Northwest Estuaries to Changing Hydroclimatic Conditions: Flood Frequency, Recovery Time and Resilience
Investigators: D'Andrea, Anthony F. , Wheatcroft, Robert A.
Current Investigators: Wheatcroft, Robert A. , D'Andrea, Anthony F.
Institution: Oregon State University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2010
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2006 through June 30,2007
Project Amount: $620,182
RFA: Nonlinear Responses to Global Change in Linked Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems and Effects of Multiple Factors on Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Joint Research Solicitation- EPA, DOE (2005) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Climate Change , Aquatic Ecosystems
Objective:
Progress Summary:
This grant award was made on July 30, 2007. The project period predated the award and was July 1, 2006 - June 30, 2010. This progress summary for the project period before the award date was made by EPA based on the preaward justification statements made by the PI. Pre-award costs were incurred in response to spring 2007 flood events along the Oregon coast to track the deposition of a real flood sedimentation event and subsequent fate of that material. These data will be used to further develop the methods that will be used in the field work starting this summer, particularly the depth and composition of sediment deposits in real flood events, to ensure the flood events in our field experiments simulate natural events that occur in Pacific estuaries.
Future Activities:
This study will develop an empirical and theoretical framework for predicting the effects of flood sedimentation events on sand flat macrobenthic communities in PNW estuaries and how these changes impact ecologically and economically important biotic resources and ecosystem services. This study will be used to quantify the resilience of intertidal benthic communities and identify important structural changes that may indicate a threshold or catastrophic shift in the benthic ecosystem in response to increasingly frequent sedimentation events. Because neither sufficient data nor models currently exist to conduct risk analyses, these data sets will significantly improve our ability to perform ecorisk assessments in PNW estuaries. In addition, the information obtained in this study can be used by watershed and coastal resource managers to make better informed decisions regarding actions (e.g., restoration) to minimize or eliminate the risks to these systems.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 4 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Coastal ecosystem, biodiversity, ecosystem assessment, environmental measurement, meteorology, global change, anthropogenic, greenhouse gases, climate models, UV radiation, environmental stress, water quality, ecological models, flood trends, atmospheric chemistry, climate variability, global climate change, land use, regional anthropogenic stresses, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Air, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Hydrology, climate change, Air Pollution Effects, Monitoring/Modeling, Regional/Scaling, Environmental Monitoring, Ecological Risk Assessment, Atmosphere, coastal ecosystem, biodiversity, environmental measurement, ecosystem assessment, meteorology, global change, greenhouse gases, anthropogenic, climate models, UV radiation, water quality, environmental stress, coastal ecosystems, flood trends, ecological models, climate model, Global Climate Change, land use, regional anthropogenic stresses, atmospheric chemistry, stressor response modelProgress 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.