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Wetlands and Water Quality at Watershed Scales: Research Statuses and Trajectories
Citation:
Golden, H., G. Evenson, J. Christensen, C. Lane, A. Rajib, AND Q. Wu. Wetlands and Water Quality at Watershed Scales: Research Statuses and Trajectories. 2022 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Grand Rapids, MI, May 14 - 20, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
Research within the past five years has begun to reveal the effects of wetland restoration on downstream water quality, i.e., their watershed-scale impacts. However, this narrow window of time limits extensive characterization and quantification of how wetlands mediate downstream water quality. Questions in this research area remain, such as: What are the appropriate spatial distributions and physical characteristics of restored wetlands for the most effective downstream water quality improvements? How do the hydrological and biogeochemical processes of restored wetlands interact with that of other conservation practices, climate change, and hydrological modifications in agricultural (e.g., tiles, drainage ditches) and urban (stream channelization and ditching) settings to influence a watershed’s water quality? How far downstream are wetlands water quality effects maintained? In this presentation, we explore the state of the science regarding wetland restoration effects on downstream water quality. We present a conceptual model of how wetlands mediate water quality at watershed scales and provide examples of recent research interrogating different components of the wetland-to-downstream water quality continuum. We conclude with new research directions to support improved targeting of wetland restoration for mediating water quality across multi-scale watersheds.
Description:
Decades of research support the use of individual wetlands as biogeochemical processors to improve water quality. Yet studies examining the extent to which their effects are realized in downstream waters – and cumulatively across the landscape – have been limited. Research within the past five years has begun to reveal the effects of wetland restoration on downstream water quality, i.e., their watershed-scale impacts. However, this narrow window of time limits extensive characterization and quantification of how wetlands mediate downstream water quality. Questions in this research area remain, such as: What are the appropriate spatial distributions and physical characteristics of restored wetlands for the most effective downstream water quality improvements? How do the hydrological and biogeochemical processes of restored wetlands interact with that of other conservation practices, climate change, and hydrological modifications in agricultural (e.g., tiles, drainage ditches) and urban (stream channelization and ditching) settings to influence a watershed’s water quality? How far downstream are wetlands water quality effects maintained? In this presentation, we explore the state of the science regarding wetland restoration effects on downstream water quality. We present a conceptual model of how wetlands mediate water quality at watershed scales and provide examples of recent research interrogating different components of the wetland-to-downstream water quality continuum. We conclude with new research directions to support improved targeting of wetland restoration for mediating water quality across multi-scale watersheds.
