Urban stream deserts: Mapping a legacy of urbanization in the United States

Napieralski, Jacob; Carvalhaes, Thomaz

doi:10.1016/j.apgeog.2015.12.008

Cited by 55 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The river density and water surface rate decreased by 71% and 89%, respectively, compared to that of undeveloped land; however, urbanization has increased the occurrence of surface water in drier landscapes [9]. A sharp decrease in river channels has led to an increase in the number of urban river deserts (i.e., areas within a watershed that exhibit no surface river channels due to the effects of human development and population growth) [7,10] and a heavy dependence on engineered subsurface water conveyance systems, creating what has been referred to as urban karst [11]. However, as time goes on, aging and poorly maintained underground pipes are no longer able to function, inflicting more pressure on the already reduced river systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Land Use Change on River Systems for a River Network Plain

Yuan

et al. 2018

Water

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River systems are crucial for the Earth system. However, they are profoundly impacted by human activities, especially land use change. To reveal the impact of land use change on river systems, river system data and land use data in Suzhou City from the 1960s to 2010s were analyzed through grid river density on a 3 km × 3 km scale. The spatial-temporal variation was very different for different river orders. The lower the river order, the larger was the variation in the accumulated length (including both an increase and a decrease). The river systems were modified to meet the needs of human development in different social development stages. During the period of agricultural modification, undeveloped land was reclaimed to increase the amount of arable land available, but when the proportion of cultivated land exceeded a threshold level, higher order rivers were invaded, cut off and even buried, which forced a part of the higher order rivers to transform into narrower rivers. During the period of urbanization, higher order rivers were usually dredged, reconstructed and protected to improve the abilities of storage and discharge, and lower order rivers were buried after 40% of the land proportion had been built up. These results provide a reliable foundation on which to formulate policies and manage river systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Land Use Change on River Systems for a River Network Plain

Yuan

et al. 2018

Water

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“…Stream burial is an emerging environmental issue associated with urbanization locally, regionally, and globally [2][3][4]. This paper suggests that headwater stream burial is strongly related to watershed characteristics including topography, catchment area, and impervious surface cover, with repeated, consistent patterns developing across both space and time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stream burial-the routing of streams through culverts, pipes, and concrete lined channels, or simply paving them over-is common in urbanized areas [1][2][3][4][5]. In many regions, the majority of buried reaches are headwater (1st and 2nd order) streams, including ephemeral and intermittent reaches, with removal of up to 70% of headwater stream length in some areas [1,3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extent of Stream Burial and Relationships to Watershed Area, Topography, and Impervious Surface Area

Weitzell

Kaushal

Lynch

et al. 2016

Water

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Stream burial-the routing of streams through culverts, pipes, and concrete lined channels, or simply paving them over-is common during urbanization, and disproportionately affects small, headwater streams. Burial undermines the physical and chemical processes governing life in streams, with consequences for water quality and quantity that may amplify from headwaters to downstream receiving waters. Knowledge of the extent of stream burial is critical for understanding cumulative impacts to stream networks, and for future decision-making allowing for urban development while protecting ecosystem function. We predicted stream burial across the urbanizing Potomac River Basin (USA) for each 10-m stream segment in the basin from medium-resolution impervious cover data and training observations obtained from high-resolution aerial photography in a GIS. Results were analyzed across a range in spatial aggregation, including counties and independent cities, small watersheds, and regular spatial grids. Stream burial was generally correlated with total impervious surface area (ISA), with areas exhibiting ISA above 30% often subject to elevated ratios of stream burial. Recurring patterns in burial predictions related to catchment area and topographic slope were also detected. We discuss these results in the context of physiographic constraints on stream location and urban development, including implications for environmental management of aquatic resources.

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“…Historically, as cities continued to densify, headwater streams were often buried, with their flow redirected to drainage sewers to create additional land for development (Elmore & Kaushal, 2008;Napieralski & Carvalhaes, 2016). While the practice of stream burial has been largely discontinued, the legacy of its historic use remains today and many older cities are "stream deserts" (Napieralski et al, 2015), with their drainage and rainfall response dominated by subterranean conveyance infrastructure.…”

Section: Pluvial Flooding In Contemporary Citiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pluvial flood risk and opportunities for resilience

et al. 2018

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The risk presented by pluvial flooding has emerged as a critical issue in urban water management. Pluvial flooding occurs when precipitation intensity exceeds the capacity of natural and engineered drainage systems, and it is expected to increase in frequency, severity and impact through the 21st century due to the combined effects of climate change and urbanization. Although there have been recent advances in approaches to assess the risk presented pluvial flooding and to enhance the resilience of cities to its impacts, they have not been broadly implemented and there are many opportunities for additional research. We provide case studies of pluvial flooding in six cities in the continental United States, which serve as examples of the current vulnerability of cities that have not developed comprehensive pluvial flood management plans and the challenges in conducting pluvial flood research in light of existing data gaps. We also identify key research challenges that should be prioritized by the interdisciplinary water research community to better support urban resilience practice. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water Science of Water > Water Quality Engineering Water > Planning Water

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Urban stream deserts: Mapping a legacy of urbanization in the United States

Cited by 55 publications

References 26 publications

Impacts of Land Use Change on River Systems for a River Network Plain

Impacts of Land Use Change on River Systems for a River Network Plain

Extent of Stream Burial and Relationships to Watershed Area, Topography, and Impervious Surface Area

Pluvial flood risk and opportunities for resilience

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