The Natural Sediment Regime in Rivers: Broadening the Foundation for Ecosystem Management

Wohl, Ellen; Bledsoe, Brian P.; Jacobson, Robert B.; Poff, N. LeRoy; Rathburn, Sara L.; Walters, David; Wilcox, Andrew C.

doi:10.1093/biosci/biv002

Cited by 397 publications

(324 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Flow, sediment, and nutrient loading regimes shape aquatic communities [10,14,58], as long-term patterns of water, sediment, and nutrient availability facilitate the spatial arrangement of soils, microclimate, and hillslope hydraulic flow paths [58]. In the current work, pre-development conditions were associated with increased retention and decreased export of flow, sediment, and nutrients when compared to developed watersheds.…”

Section: Loading Targetsmentioning

confidence: 60%

Assessing the Difference between Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Simulated Pre-Development and Observed Developed Loading Regimes

Zeiger

Hubbart

2018

Hydrology

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Abstract:The purpose of this research was to assess the difference between Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) simulated pre-development and contemporary developed loading regimes in a mixed-land-use watershed of the central United States (US). Native land cover based on soil characteristics was used to simulate pre-development loading regimes using The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Loading targets were calculated for each major element of a pre-development loading regime. Simulated pre-development conditions were associated with increased retention and decreased export of sediment and nutrients when compared to observed developed conditions. Differences between simulated pre-development and observed developed maximum daily yields (loads per unit area) of suspended sediment (SS), total phosphorus (TP), and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) ranged from 35.7 to 59.6 Mg km −2 (SS); 23.3 to 52.5 kg km −2 (TP); and, 113.2 to 200.8 kg km −2 (TIN), respectively. Average annual maximum daily load was less during simulated pre-development conditions when compared to observed developed conditions by ranges of 1307 to 6452 Mg day −1 (SS), 0.8 to 5.4 kg day −1 (TP), and 4.9 to 26.9 kg day −1 (TIN), respectively. Hydrologic modeling results indicated that the differences in annual maximum daily load were causally linked to land use and land cover influence on sediment and nutrient loading. The differences between SWAT simulated pre-development and observed contemporary loading regimes from this study point to a need for practical loading targets that support contemporary management and integrated flow and pollutant loading regimes.

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Section: Loading Targetsmentioning

confidence: 60%

Assessing the Difference between Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Simulated Pre-Development and Observed Developed Loading Regimes

Zeiger

Hubbart

2018

Hydrology

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“…Sediment regime also sustains riverine ecosystems [8], driving channel morphology and riverbed heterogeneity, and structuring aquatic and riparian communities [9][10][11][12]. Flow and sediment regimes mutually interact, as streamflow transports sediment, and river morphology formed by sediment transport determines hydrodynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, both regimes and their interaction play a decisive role in maintaining habitat structure and ecosystem heterogeneity. Until recently, and rather surprisingly, flow and sediment regimes have been studied separately [13,14], especially in the context of river management [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Restoration and Flow Interactions on River Structure and Function: Channel Widening of the Thur River, Switzerland

Martín

Ryo

Doering

et al. 2018

Water

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Abstract:Removal of lateral constraints to restore rivers has become increasingly common in river resource management, but little is known how the interaction of de-channelization with flow influences ecosystem structure and function. We evaluated the ecosystem effects of river widening to improve sediment relations in the Thur River, Switzerland, 12 years after implementation. We tested if restored and non-restored reaches differed in water physico-chemistry, hyporheic function, primary production, and macroinvertebrate density and composition in relation to the flow regime. Our results showed that (i) spatio-temporal variation in sediment respiration and macroinvertebrate taxonomic richness were driven by interactions between restoration and flow; (ii) riverbed conditions including substrate size, organic matter content, and groundwater-surface water exchange changed due to restoration, but (iii) physico-chemistry, hydraulic conditions, and primary production were not altered by restoration. Importantly, our study revealed that abiotic conditions, except channel morphology, changed only marginally, whereas other ecosystem attributes responded markedly to changes in flow-restoration interactions. These results highlight integrating a more holistic ecosystem perspective in the design and monitoring of restoration projects such as river widening in resource management, preferably in relation to flow-sediment regimes and interactions with the biotic components of the ecosystem.

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“…Although understanding the significance of (dis)connectivity in sediment transfer through the fluvial system is an enduring focus of geomorphological research (e.g., [14,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]), the throughput of sediment remains poorly accounted for in the assessment and management of flood risk [4] and integration into river management practices remains challenging [32]. One reason for this is the limited availability of practical tools that flood risk managers can apply routinely at the basin scale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying River Channel Stability at the Basin Scale

Soar

Wallerstein

Thorne

2017

Water

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This paper examines the feasibility of a basin-scale scheme for characterising and quantifying river reaches in terms of their geomorphological stability status and potential for morphological adjustment based on auditing stream energy. A River Energy Audit Scheme (REAS) is explored, which involves integrating stream power with flow duration to investigate the downstream distribution of Annual Geomorphic Energy (AGE). This measure represents the average annual energy available with which to perform geomorphological work in reshaping the channel boundary. Changes in AGE between successive reaches might indicate whether adjustments are likely to be led by erosion or deposition at the channel perimeter. A case study of the River Kent in Cumbria, UK, demonstrates that basin-wide application is achievable without excessive field work and data processing. However, in addressing the basin scale, the research found that this is inevitably at the cost of a number of assumptions and limitations, which are discussed herein. Technological advances in remotely sensed data capture, developments in image processing and emerging GIS tools provide the near-term prospect of fully quantifying river channel stability at the basin scale, although as yet not fully realized. Potential applications of this type of approach include system-wide assessment of river channel stability and sensitivity to land-use or climate change, and informing strategic planning for river channel and flood risk management.

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The Natural Sediment Regime in Rivers: Broadening the Foundation for Ecosystem Management

Cited by 397 publications

References 63 publications

Assessing the Difference between Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Simulated Pre-Development and Observed Developed Loading Regimes

Assessing the Difference between Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Simulated Pre-Development and Observed Developed Loading Regimes

Evaluation of Restoration and Flow Interactions on River Structure and Function: Channel Widening of the Thur River, Switzerland

Quantifying River Channel Stability at the Basin Scale

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