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Freshwater Explorer StoryMap: Beta 0.1
Citation:
Cormier, S., C. Wharton, AND J. Olson. Freshwater Explorer StoryMap: Beta 0.1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.
Impact/Purpose:
Fresh water is a valuable asset for drinking water, agriculture, industry, and aquatic life. When mineral or nutrient levels get too high, fish and other aquatic life no longer inhabit streams, and water can become unsuitable for drinking for people and livestock and industrial processes. The Freshwater Explorer provides information on the status of water resources for a network of streams in the contiguous 48 states color-coded for predicted and measured freshness, i.e., low salt and mineral content. Currently, this type of data is stored in EPA’s Water Quality Portal, but is not very accessible or intuitive to users. Intended for federal, state, local agencies and NGO’s, the Freshwater Explorer’s interactive, web-based story map allows users to quickly access information about background and measured conductivity, a measurement of fresh water and water quality. Juxtaposing background and measured conductivity over satellite imagery lets users see patterns and potential factors associated with fresh water conditions. A short explanation describes how the maps and predicted values were estimated and directs users to published papers and datasets. Once final, the Freshwater Explorer will allow users to perform their own geographical searches and down load predicted and measured conductivity data.
Description:
The Freshwater Explorer is an interactive map interface that allows users to compare predicted natural background with measured ambient stream conductivity. It allows users to visualize the relative freshness of streams across the contiguous United States or within a network of streams. The potential impact of salinization of streams can be explored by the relative difference between measured ambient stream conductivity and predicted natural background. The Freshwater Explorer is built upon an empirical model and measured data. A Natural Background Model that predicts natural background conductivity from empirical geology, soil, climate and other parameters. The ambient measured data are from the EPA Water Quality Portal (WQP). This platform is particularly useful for spatially characterizing freshwater and considering potential sources and solutions to mitigate salinization of freshwater.
