Predicting effects of hydrologic alteration and climate change on ecosystem metabolism in a western U.S. river

Marcarelli, Amy; Kirk, Robert W. Van; Baxter, Colden V.

doi:10.1890/09-2364.1

Cited by 70 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Ecologically, precipitation is highly relev www.esajournals.org vant, as moisture availability is a critical determinant of terrestrial ecosystem type (Milly et al 2005, Trnka et al 2012). There is a need, therefore, to address hydrologic dynamics under climate change as part of climate impact assessments , Marcarelli et al 2010). This has led to attempts to couple hydrologic models with climate projections, with the goal of simulating future hydroclimatic dynamics.…”

Section: Projections Of Future Climates From Generalmentioning

confidence: 99%

The magnitude and spatial patterns of historical and future hydrologic change in California's watersheds

2015

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Abstract. Process-based models that link climate and hydrology permit improved assessments of climate change impacts among watersheds. We used the Basin Characterization Model (BCM), a regional water balance model to (1) ask what is the magnitude of historical and projected future change in the hydrology of California's watersheds; (2) test the spatial congruence of watersheds with the most historical and future hydrologic change; and (3) identify watersheds with high levels of hydrologic change under drier and wetter future climates. We assessed change for 5135 watersheds over a 60-year historical period and compared it to 90-year future projections. Watershed change was analyzed for climatic water deficit, April 1st snowpack, recharge, and runoff. Watersheds were ranked by change for the historical and two future scenarios. We developed a normalized index of hydrologic change that combined the four variables, and identified which watersheds show the most spatial congruence of large historical change and continued change under the two futures. Of the top 20% of all watersheds (1028), 591 in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Northwestern ecoregions have high spatial congruence across all time periods. Among watersheds where change accelerates in the future, but not historically, a majority are congruent between both climate models, predominantly in the Sierra Nevada, Cascade Ranges and the Northwestern ecoregions. This congruence of impacts in watersheds under drier or wetter scenarios is driven by snowpack, but in areas with low snowpack, hydrologic change varied spatially depending on projected precipitation and temperature, with 151 watersheds in Northwestern California showing high levels of drying under the drier scenario, while 103 watersheds in Central western and Southwestern California show increasing hydrologic activity under the wetter scenario. In some regions, the loss of snowpack allows the cycle of runoff and recharge to function without delay represented by springtime snow melt, causing these watersheds to become more immediately hydrologically responsive to changing climate. The study also found watersheds with low rainfall that have already passed through their highest response to changing climate, and show less future change. The methods used here can also be used to identify watersheds resilient to changing climate.

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Section: Projections Of Future Climates From Generalmentioning

confidence: 99%

The magnitude and spatial patterns of historical and future hydrologic change in California's watersheds

2015

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“…These values are most likely to be related to increases in PAR reaching benthic producers (Young et al 2008, Marcarelli et al 2010, thereby stimulating GPP in small streams (e.g., Mulholland et al 2001, Bernot et al 2010. GPP was modest and decoupled from PAR in the Mississippi, but GPP was strongly influenced by PAR in the substantially shallower Chattahoochee (potentially indicating the importance of benthic primary producers).…”

Section: Metabolism and Seasonalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Abiotic controls and temporal variability of river metabolism: multiyear analyses of Mississippi and Chattahoochee River data

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Whole-ecosystem metabolism is an important indicator of the role of organic matter, C cycling, and trophic structure in rivers. Ecosystem metabolism is well studied in small streams, but less is known about metabolism in large rivers. We estimated daily whole-ecosystem metabolism over 2 y for 1 site each at the Mississippi and Chattahoochee Rivers in the USA to understand factors influencing temporal patterns of ecosystem metabolism. We estimated rates of gross primary production (GPP), community respiration (CR), and net ecosystem production (NEP) with a curve-fitting approach with publicly available discharge (Q), dissolved O 2 , temperature, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) data. Models were run for week-long blocks, and power analyses suggested that rates should be established at least once for each 10-wk period throughout the year to characterize annual rates of metabolism accurately in these 2 rivers. We analyzed weekly rates averaged over

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“…Clearance of riparian vegetation, which often is linked to catchment-scale landuse change, increases light availability and water temperature and subsequently metabolic rates at the reach scale (Fellows et al 2006, Marcarelli et al 2010. Reach-scale physical alteration of stream habitat by earthworks or channelization, for example, also can influence stream metabolism by altering substrate stability, habitat heterogeneity, and susceptibility to flow effects (Gelroth and Marzolf 1978).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reach-scale physical alteration of stream habitat by earthworks or channelization, for example, also can influence stream metabolism by altering substrate stability, habitat heterogeneity, and susceptibility to flow effects (Gelroth and Marzolf 1978). Last, the negative effects of land use on stream metabolism are likely to be further exacerbated by anthropogenic climate-change-driven changes to hydrological and temperature regimes (Marcarelli et al 2010).…”

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confidence: 99%

Land use affects temporal variation in stream metabolism

Clapcott¹,

Young²,

Neale³

et al. 2016

Freshwater Science

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Stream metabolism (gross primary production and ecosystem respiration) is increasingly used to assess waterway health because mean values are responsive to spatial variation in land use, but little is known about how human land use influences the temporal variability of stream metabolism. We investigated daily variation in dissolved O 2 (DO) concentrations and calculated mean and within-season variation in gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) rates at 13 stream sites across a landuse intensity gradient in the Auckland region, New Zealand, over 9 y. Based on generalized linear mixed models, mean daily GPP (0.1-12.6 g O 2 m −2 d ) and seasonal variation in stream metabolism were significantly related to landuse intensity with higher variability associated with higher values of a landuse stress score. Overall, mean daily rates and day-to-day variation in GPP and ER were greatest in summer and least in winter. We recommend summer monitoring over a minimum 5-d period to assess stream health. Our results show that human land use affects the mean and the temporal variability of DO and stream metabolism. This finding has important consequences for characterizing in-stream processes and the resilience of stream ecosystems. Only long-term temporal monitoring provides the data needed to assess fully how streams function.

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Predicting effects of hydrologic alteration and climate change on ecosystem metabolism in a western U.S. river

Cited by 70 publications

References 30 publications

The magnitude and spatial patterns of historical and future hydrologic change in California's watersheds

The magnitude and spatial patterns of historical and future hydrologic change in California's watersheds

Abiotic controls and temporal variability of river metabolism: multiyear analyses of Mississippi and Chattahoochee River data

Land use affects temporal variation in stream metabolism

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