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McManamay RA, George R, Morrison RR, Ruddell BL. Mapping hydrologic alteration and ecological consequences in stream reaches of the conterminous United States. Sci Data 2022; 9:450. [PMID: 35902586 PMCID: PMC9334386 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01566-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental flows are critical for balancing societal water needs with that of riverine ecosystems; however, data limitations often hinder the development of predictive relationships between anthropogenic modifications to streamflow regimes and ecological responses – these relationships are the basis for setting regional water policy standards for rivers. Herein, we present and describe a comprehensive dataset of modeled hydrologic alteration and consequences for native fish biodiversity, both mapped at the stream-reach resolution for the conterminous U.S. Using empirical observations of reference conditions and anthropogenically altered streamflow at over 7000 stream gauges, we developed a predictive model of hydrologic alteration, which was extended to >2.6 million stream reaches. We then used a previous nationwide assessment of ecological responses to hydrologic alteration to predict fish biodiversity loss in stream reaches resulting from streamflow modification. Validation efforts suggested hydrologic alteration models had satisfactory performance, whereas modeled ecological responses were susceptible to compounded errors. The dataset could ameliorate regional data deficits for setting environmental flow standards while providing tools for prioritizing streamflow protection or restoration. Measurement(s) | hydrologic alteration, human alteration of streamflow regimes • fish biodiversity | Technology Type(s) | Random forest • Quantile regression techniques | Factor Type(s) | human disturbances in streams (land use, dam storage, water use) | Sample Characteristic - Organism | Freshwater fish | Sample Characteristic - Environment | stream | Sample Characteristic - Location | contiguous United States of America |
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A McManamay
- Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76798, USA.
| | - Rob George
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - Ryan R Morrison
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Benjamin L Ruddell
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
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Low level of anthropization linked to harsh vertebrate biodiversity declines in Amazonia. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3290. [PMID: 35672313 PMCID: PMC9174194 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30842-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Assessing the impact of human activity on ecosystems often links local biodiversity to disturbances measured within the same locality. However, remote disturbances may also affect local biodiversity. Here, we used environmental DNA metabarcoding to evaluate the relationships between vertebrate biodiversity (fish and mammals) and disturbance intensity in two Amazonian rivers. Measurements of anthropic disturbance -here forest cover losses- were made from the immediate vicinity of the biodiversity sampling sites to up to 90 km upstream. The findings suggest that anthropization had a spatially extended impact on biodiversity. Forest cover losses of <11% in areas up to 30 km upstream from the biodiversity sampling sites were linked to reductions of >22% in taxonomic and functional richness of both terrestrial and aquatic fauna. This underscores the vulnerability of Amazonian biodiversity even to low anthropization levels. The similar responses of aquatic and terrestrial fauna to remote disturbances indicate the need for cross-ecosystem conservation plans that consider the spatially extended effects of anthropization. It is unclear how far the impact of deforestation can spread. Here the authors analyse freshwater eDNA data along two rivers in the Amazon forest, and find that low levels of deforestation are linked to substantial reductions of fish and mammalian diversity downstream.
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A Systems Approach to Municipal Water Portfolio Security: A Case Study of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. WATER 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/w12061663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We present a rigorous quantitative, systems-based model to measure a municipality’s water portfolio security using four objectives: Sustainability, Resilience, Vulnerability, and Cost (SRVC). Water engineers and planners can operationalize this simple model using readily available data to capture dimensions of water security that go far beyond typical reliability and cost analysis. We implement this model for the Phoenix Metropolitan Area under several scenarios to assess multi-objective water security outcomes at the municipal-level and metropolitan area-level to water shocks and drought. We find the benefits of adaptive water security policies are dependent on a municipality’s predominant water source, calling for a variegated approach to water security planning across a tightly interrelated metropolitan area. Additionally, we find little correlation between sustainability, resilience, and vulnerability versus cost. Therefore, municipalities can enhance water security along cost-neutral, adaptive policy pathways. Residential water conservation and upstream flow augmentation are cost-effective policies to improve water security that also improve sustainability, resilience, and vulnerability and are adequate adaptations to a short-term Colorado River shortage. The Phoenix Metropolitan Area’s resilience to drought is higher than that of any of its constituent municipalities, underscoring the benefits of coordinated water planning at the metropolitan area-level.
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Scott DT, Gomez-Velez JD, Jones CN, Harvey JW. Floodplain inundation spectrum across the United States. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5194. [PMID: 31729364 PMCID: PMC6858325 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13184-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Floodplain inundation poses both risks and benefits to society. In this study, we characterize floodplain inundation across the United States using 5800 stream gages. We find that between 4% and 12.6% of a river's annual flow moves through its floodplains. Flood duration and magnitude is greater in large rivers, whereas the frequency of events is greater in small streams. However, the relative exchange of floodwater between the channel and floodplain is similar across small streams and large rivers, with the exception of the water-limited arid river basins. When summed up across the entire river network, 90% of that exchange occurs in small streams on an annual basis. Our detailed characterization of inundation hydrology provides a unique perspective that the regulatory, management, and research communities can use to help balance both the risks and benefits associated with flooding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Durelle T Scott
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, 24061, VA, USA.
| | - Jesus D Gomez-Velez
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 37212, TN, USA
| | - C Nathan Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 35487, AL, USA
| | - Judson W Harvey
- U.S. Geological Survey, Earth System Processes Division, Reston, 20192, VA, USA
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Lant C, Baggio J, Konar M, Mejia A, Ruddell B, Rushforth R, Sabo JL, Troy TJ. The U.S. food-energy-water system: A blueprint to fill the mesoscale gap for science and decision-making. AMBIO 2019; 48:251-263. [PMID: 29981010 PMCID: PMC6374226 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-018-1077-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Food, energy, and water (FEW) are interdependent and must be examined as a coupled natural-human system. This perspective essay defines FEW systems and outlines key findings about them as a blueprint for future models to satisfy six key objectives. The first three focus on linking the FEW production and consumption to impacts on Earth cycles in a spatially specific manner in order to diagnose problems and identify potential solutions. The second three focus on describing the evolution of FEW systems to identify risks, thus empowering the FEW actors to better achieve the goals of resilience and sustainability. Four key findings about the FEW systems that guide future model development are (1) that they engage ecological, carbon, water, and nutrient cycles most powerfully among all human systems; (2) that they operate primarily at a mesoscale best captured by counties, districts, and cities; (3) that cities are hubs within the FEW system; and (4) that the FEW system forms a complex network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Lant
- Department of Environment and Society, Quinney College of Natural Resources, Utah State University, 5215 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5215 USA
| | - Jacopo Baggio
- Department of Environment and Society, Quinney College of Natural Resources, Utah State University, 5215 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5215 USA
| | - Megan Konar
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois, 2525 Hydrosystems Laboratory, 205 N Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61821 USA
| | - Alfonso Mejia
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 215B Sackett Building, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Benjamin Ruddell
- Faculty of the School of Informatics and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, 1295 S. Knoles Dr., Flagstaff, AZ 86011 USA
| | - Richard Rushforth
- School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5693, Building 90, Room 222, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 USA
| | - John L. Sabo
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501 USA
| | - Tara J. Troy
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lehigh University, STEPS 9A, 1 W. Packer Ave, Bethlehem, PA 18015 USA
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McManamay RA, Smith JG, Jett RT, Mathews TJ, Peterson MJ. Identifying non-reference sites to guide stream restoration and long-term monitoring. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 621:1208-1223. [PMID: 29074249 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The reference condition paradigm has served as the standard for assessing the outcomes of restoration projects, particularly their success in meeting project objectives. One limitation of relying solely on the reference condition in designing and monitoring restoration projects is that reference conditions do not necessarily elucidate impairments to effective restoration, especially diagnosing the causal mechanisms behind unsuccessful outcomes. We provide a spatial framework to select both reference and non-reference streams to guide restoration planning and long-term monitoring through reliance on anthropogenically altered ecosystems to understand processes that govern ecosystem biophysical properties and ecosystem responses to restoration practices. We then applied the spatial framework to East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC), Tennessee (USA), a system receiving 30years of remediation and pollution abatement actions from industrialization, pollution, and urbanization. Out of >13,000 stream reaches, we identified anywhere from 4 to 48 reaches, depending on the scenario, that could be used in restoration planning and monitoring for specific sites. Preliminary comparison of fish species composition at these sites compared to EFPC sites were used to identify potential mechanisms limiting the ecological recovery following remediation. We suggest that understanding the relative role of anthropogenic pressures in governing ecosystem responses is required to successful, process-driven restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A McManamay
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States.
| | - John G Smith
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States
| | - Robert T Jett
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States
| | - Teresa J Mathews
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States
| | - Mark J Peterson
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States
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Entrekin S, Trainor A, Saiers J, Patterson L, Maloney K, Fargione J, Kiesecker J, Baruch-Mordo S, Konschnik K, Wiseman H, Nicot JP, Ryan JN. Water Stress from High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Potentially Threatens Aquatic Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Arkansas, United States. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:2349-2358. [PMID: 29383932 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Demand for high-volume, short duration water withdrawals could create water stress to aquatic organisms in Fayetteville Shale streams sourced for hydraulic fracturing fluids. We estimated potential water stress using permitted water withdrawal volumes and actual water withdrawals compared to monthly median, low, and high streamflows. Risk for biological stress was considered at 20% of long-term median and 10% of high- and low-flow thresholds. Future well build-out projections estimated potential for continued stress. Most water was permitted from small, free-flowing streams and "frack" ponds (dammed streams). Permitted 12-h pumping volumes exceeded median streamflow at 50% of withdrawal sites in June, when flows were low. Daily water usage, from operator disclosures, compared to median streamflow showed possible water stress in 7-51% of catchments from June-November, respectively. If 100% of produced water was recycled, per-well water use declined by 25%, reducing threshold exceedance by 10%. Future water stress was predicted to occur in fewer catchments important for drinking water and species of conservation concern due to the decline in new well installations and increased use of recycled water. Accessible and precise withdrawal and streamflow data are critical moving forward to assess and mitigate water stress in streams that experience high-volume withdrawals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Entrekin
- Department of Biology, University of Central Arkansas , 201 Donaghey Avenue, Conway, Arkansas 72035, United States
| | - Anne Trainor
- The Nature Conservancy, African Program, University of Cincinnati , 820G Rieveschl Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220, United States
| | - James Saiers
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University , 195 Prospect St., New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Lauren Patterson
- Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University , 2111 Campus Drive, Durham North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Kelly Maloney
- U.S. Geological Survey, Leetown Science Center , 11649 Leetown Road, Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430, United States
| | - Joseph Fargione
- The Nature Conservancy , 1101 West River Parkway, Suite 200, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415, United States
| | - Joseph Kiesecker
- The Nature Conservancy, Global Lands Team , 117 E. Mountain Avenue, Suite 201, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524, United States
| | - Sharon Baruch-Mordo
- The Nature Conservancy, Global Lands Team , 117 E. Mountain Avenue, Suite 201, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524, United States
| | - Katherine Konschnik
- Environmental Policy Initiative, Harvard Law School , #4123 Wasserstein Hall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Hannah Wiseman
- Florida State University College of Law , 424 West Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, United States
| | - Jean-Philippe Nicot
- Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin , 10100 Burnet Road, Building 130, Austin, Texas 78758, United States
| | - Joseph N Ryan
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
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