AQUATIC HABITAT CONDITION INDEX,STREAM TYPE,AND LWESTOCK BANK DAMAGE IN NORTHERN NEVADA1

ABSTRACT: The quality of stream habitat varies for a variety of natural and anthropogenic reasons not identified by a condition index. However, many people use condition indices to indicate management needs or even direction. To better sort natural from livestock influences, stream types and levels of ungulate bank damage were regulated to estimates of aquatic habitat condition index and stream width parameters in a large existing stream inventory data base. Pool/riffle ratio, pool structure, stream bottom materials, soil stability, and vegetation type varied significantly with stream type. Pool/riffle ratio, soil and vegetation stability varied significantly with ungulate bank damage level. Soil and vegetation stability were highly cross-correlated. Riparian area width did not vary significantly with either stream type or ungulate bank damage. Variation among stream types indicates that riparian management and monitoring should be stream type and reach specific.     

TIMBER HARVEST IMPACTS ON SMALL HEADWATER STREAM CHANNELS IN THE COAST RANGES OF WASHINGTON1

ABSTRACT: We evaluated changes in channel habitat distributions, particle‐size distributions of bed material, and stream temperatures in a total of 15 first‐or second‐order streams within and nearby four planned commercial timber harvest units prior to and following timber harvest. Four of the 15 stream basins were not harvested, and these streams served as references. Three streams were cut with unthinned riparian buffers; one was cut with a partial buffer; one was cut with a buffer of non‐merchantable trees; and the remaining six basins were clearcut to the channel edge. In the clearcut streams, logging debris covered or buried 98 percent of the channel length to an average depth of 0.94 meters. The slash trapped fine sediment in the channel by inhibiting fluvial transport, and the average percentage of fines increased from 12 percent to 44 percent. The trees along buffered streams served as a fence to keep out logging debris during the first summer following timber harvest. Particle size distributions and habitat distributions in the buffered and reference streams were largely unchanged from the pre‐harvest to post‐harvest surveys. The debris that buried the clearcut streams effectively shaded most of these streams and protected them from temperature increases. These surveys have documented immediate channel changes due to timber harvest, but channel conditions will evolve over time as the slash decays and becomes redistributed and as new vegetation develops on the channel margins.     

CHANGING NEAR‐STREAM LAND USE AND RWER CHANNEL MORPHOLOGY IN THE VENEZUELAN ANDES1

ABSTRACT: The shape of a river channel is linked to surrounding land use through interacting hydrologic and geologic processes. This study analyzes the relationship between the change in near‐stream land use and the shape of the adjacent river channel over time. Three watersheds in the foothills of the Venezuelan Andes that have experienced differing degrees of development were studied to determine river channel width, sinuosity, and position relative to surrounding land use. Change in land use over time was obtained from multiple‐date aerial photographs (1946 and 1980) referenced to 1996 Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite imagery, and verified by field inspection. Measurements of land‐use type and amount and river channel morphology from the two dates were made using geographic information system (GIS) methods. The three watersheds differed in the extent of deforestation, the location of remaining forested land, and how much land‐use change had already occurred by 1946. Change in river channel morphology was greatest at the most deforested sites. Valley shape and channel constraint also had a discernible effect on change in channel morphology. This study introduces a method for analyzing change in coupled terrestrial‐aquatic systems based on multiple‐date, remotely sensed data and GIS analysis of spatial properties. The results document human impacts on river channels through a comparison of multiple watersheds over a 35‐year time interval.     

ANALYZIIG RIPARIAN SITE CAPABILITY AND MANAGEMENT OPTIONS1

ABSTRACT: Riparian areas interact with aquatic and upland conditions and therefore help determine the degree of functionality (streambank stability, shade, sediment, and debris filtering) found in a watershed or catchment. Thus, conditions in riparian areas exert significant influence on water quality. Physical and biological factors (biophysical determinants) that influence these conditions and determine long‐term site ecology include topographic variables, geology, climate, soil texture, and others. These conditions are further modified by management infrastructure (roads, dikes, etc.). Our objective was to develop a system for evaluating site condition in relation to site capability. Since biophysical determinants and infrastructure interact with water quality, our first task was to acquire data concerning the spatial distribution of biophysical determinants and infrastructure constraints and to import them into a GIS system where they could be managed and processed. To expedite analysis, determinants and infrastructure constraints were placed into a hierarchy capable of isolating various site capability types. The hierarchy was designed to incorporate multiscale effects. Site capability areas are georeferenced in this process thereby enabling efficient monitoring and providing a way to focus management on those areas needing improvement. Study tasks included: (1) landscape characterization and hierarchy selection, (2) field assessment, (3) information management and data mining, and (4) information interpretation and adaptive management. This approach appears to be an effective way to isolate general ripananstandardsmaycon site conditions, to provide indications about water quality, and to create strategies necessary for alleviating water quality problems.     

GRASS VERSUS TREES: MANAGING RIPARIAN AREAS TO BENEFIT STREAMS OF CENTRAL NORTH AMERICA1

ABSTRACT: Forestation of riparian areas has long been promoted to restore stream ecosystems degraded by agriculture in central North America. Although trees and shrubs in the riparian zone can provide many benefits to streams, grassy or herbaceous riparian vegetation can also provide benefits and may be more appropriate in some situations. Here we review some of the positive and negative implications of grassy versus wooded riparian zones and discuss potential management outcomes. Compared to wooded areas, grassy riparian areas result in stream reaches with different patterns of bank stability, erosion, channel morphology, cover for fish, terrestrial runoff, hydrology, water temperature, organic matter inputs, primary production, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and fish. Of particular relevance in agricultural regions, grassy riparian areas may be more effective in reducing bank erosion and trapping suspended sediments than wooded areas. Maintenance of grassy riparian vegetation usually requires active management (e.g., mowing, burning, herbicide treatments, and grazing), as successional processes will tend ultimately to favor woody vegetation. Riparian agricultural practices that promote a dense, healthy, grassy turf, such as certain types of intensively managed livestock grazing, have potential to restore degraded stream ecosystems.     

Spatial variations in the N2O emissions and denitrification potential of riparian buffer strips in a contaminated urban river

Spatial variations in the N₂O emissions and denitrification potential of riparian buffer strips (RBS) in a polluted river were examined. The river received large pollutant inputs from urban runoff and wastewater discharge, resulting in impaired water quality in the river and downstream reservoir. The potential for nitrogen removal by RBS was evaluated by measuring in situ N₂O emission fluxes in static closed chambers and sediment denitrification potentials with acetylene inhibition techniques. The results showed that N₂O emission fluxes decreased from the upstream (16.39 μg/(m²·h)) to downstream (0.30 μg/(m²·h)) sites and from the water body to upland sites. The trend in decreasing N₂O emission fluxes in the downstream direction was mainly associated with sediment/soil textures (clay loam→sandy soil) and sediment/soil water contents and was also related to the vegetation along the RBS and nutrients in the sediments/soils. The correlation coefficient was highest (r=0.769) between the N₂O emission flux and sediment/soil water content. Sediment/soil denitrification potentials under N-amended and ambient conditions were higher (highest 32.86 mg/(kg·h)) for the upstream sites, which were consistent with in situ N₂O flux rates.     

STREAM CHANNEL ADJUSTMENTS FOLLOWING ELIMINATION OF CAVFLE GRAZING1

ABSTRACT: Cattle grazing practices in the western United States have contributed to widespread riparian degradation resulting in unstable channel morphologies and the loss of fish habitat. Because of prolonged disturbance, numerous riparian areas on both public and private lands have been fenced to exclude cattle in order to promote vegetation establishment and riparian improvement. We selected four gravel-bedded, steep alluvial streams in eastern Oregon with cattle exclosures greater than 14 years old for an analysis of geomorphic adjustments following the removal of cattle grazing. We compare channels inside exclosures and in adjacent grazed reaches to identify the salient stream channel properties that respond to the removal of riparian stresses and to document the magnitude of these changes. Results indicate that significant changes occur, with reductions in bankfull dimensions and increases in pool area being the most common and identifiable changes. At all four sites, bankfull widths are narrower by 10 to 20 percent, and the percentage of channel area occupied by pools is higher in the exclosure by 8 to 15 percent. The increase in pool area is primarily offset by a reduction in the percent glide area. Not all of the channel properties demonstrate adjustment, indicating that perhaps 14 years is an insufficient duration for these variables to adjust.     

The Role of Ground Water in Generating Streamflow in Headwater Areas and in Maintaining Base Flow1

Abstract: The volume and sustainability of streamflow from headwaters to downstream reaches commonly depend on contributions from ground water. Streams that begin in extensive aquifers generally have a stable point of origin and substantial discharge in their headwaters. In contrast, streams that begin as discharge from rocks or sediments having low permeability have a point of origin that moves up and down the channel seasonally, have small incipient discharge, and commonly go dry. Nearly all streams need to have some contribution from ground water in order to provide reliable habitat for aquatic organisms. Natural processes and human activities can have a substantial effect on the flow of streams between their headwaters and downstream reaches. Streams lose water to ground water when and where their head is higher than the contiguous water table. Although very common in arid regions, loss of stream water to ground water also is relatively common in humid regions. Evaporation, as well as transpiration from riparian vegetation, causing ground‐water levels to decline also can cause loss of stream water. Human withdrawal of ground water commonly causes streamflow to decline, and in some regions has caused streams to cease flowing.     

Visualizing riparian ecotone fragmentation in urbanizing watersheds: A case study of upper Hickory Creek,north‐Central Texas

Many pollution sources and heavy runoff often plague urbanizing watersheds. Riparian ecotones can filter pollutants and attenuate runoff; however, changing land cover tends to diminish this buffering capacity. Visualizing riparian ecotone fragmentation at the watershed scale can help prioritize management efforts. A geographic information systems approach was developed to illustrate land cover and soil properties affecting buffering potential along riparian corridors. An application to the Hickory Creek watershed in north‐central Texas shows significant riparian ecotone fragmentation, suggesting high‐priority areas for preservation and restoration.     

洱海西部雨季地表径流氮磷污染特征及受土地利用类型的影响

云南高原平坝区地表径流是湖泊氮、磷的主要来源之一.为研究高原平坝区雨季地表径流氮、磷污染特征及受土地利用类型的影响,调查了洱海西部平坝区雨季的径流氮、磷形态特征,并结合遥感影像空间分析与SPSS等统计分析,从汇水区尺度和缓冲区尺度上研究土地利用类型与地表径流水质的关系.结果表明:①研究区雨季地表径流氮、磷质量浓度较高,ρ（TP）为0.16~0.77 mg/L,且以DIP（溶解性无机磷）为主（63.01%）;ρ（TN）为1.75~14.86 mg/L,且以NO₃--N为主（78.15%）.②汇水区尺度上城镇用地对ρ（TP）影响突出.环湖农村居民点对ρ（NH₄+-N）影响突出,耕地中的高施肥种植区对ρ（TN）、ρ（NO₃--N）影响突出;③在缓冲区500、1 000和2 000 m尺度下,随缓冲区距离增加,土地利用类型对地表径流水质的影响减小.研究显示,城镇用地与高施肥种植区对洱海西部雨季地表径流氮、磷质量浓度影响最大,土地利用类型随缓冲区距离增加对水质的影响逐渐减小.