You are here:
LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE AND ESTUARINE CONDITION IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION OF THE UNITED STATES: I. DEVELOPING QUANTITATIVE RELATIONSHIPS
Citation:
Paul, J F., R Comeleo, AND J Copeland. LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE AND ESTUARINE CONDITION IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION OF THE UNITED STATES: I. DEVELOPING QUANTITATIVE RELATIONSHIPS. Presented at International Association of Landscape Ecology, Tempe, AZ, April 25-29, 2001.
Description:
In a previously published study, quantitative relationships were developed between landscape metrics and sediment contamination for 25 small estuarine systems within Chesapeake Bay. Nonparametric statistical analysis (rank transformation) was used to develop an empirical relationship between sediment contamination and developed land (positive), herbaceous land (negative), and point source loading (positive). These analyses have been extended to include 75 small estuarine systems across the mid-Atlantic and southern New England region of the U.S. for which USEPA Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (EMAP) data were available. Because of the dramatic differences in characteristics and dynamics of the estuaries across the region, adjustment for differing hydrology, sediment characteristics, and sediment origins were included in the analysis. Multiple linear regression with stepwise selection was used to develop statistical models for sediment metals, organics, and total PAHs with three functional forms (linear, rank, and exponential). The landscape metrics most strongly related with sediment metals levels were the percent area of non-forested wetlands (negative contribution), and percent area of urban land and effluent volume (positive correlations). The metric most strongly related with sediment organics was percent area of urban land, while with total PAHs the metrics were percent area of urban land and percent area of non forested wetlands. The models included silt-clay content or total organic carbon of sediments and categorization by sediment origin or estuarine hydrology, suggesting the importance of sediment characteristics and hydrology in mitigating the influence of the landscape metrics on sediment contamination levels. The results suggest the possibility of developing predictive models of estuarine sediment contamination for various distributions of land cover and point source discharges.