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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Environmental Assessment Of Streams: Linking Land Use, Instream Stressors, And Biological Indices To Infer Likely Causes Of Ecological Impairment, Jacob J. Vander Laan
Environmental Assessment Of Streams: Linking Land Use, Instream Stressors, And Biological Indices To Infer Likely Causes Of Ecological Impairment, Jacob J. Vander Laan
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
To protect and restore stream biota, managers need to be able to both detect biological degradation and infer likely causes of impairment. Managers commonly develop indices based on stream biota to assess the biological condition of streams. However, the performance of these indices dictates the ability to detect degradation, and although index performance varies widely, the sources of this variation are often unclear. In addition, bioassessments do not identify causes of impairment. My thesis research had two general goals: 1) develop indices to measure biological condition in Nevada streams and 2) quantify relationships between land uses, stressors, and biological condition …
Discriminating Between Biological And Hydrological Controls Of Hyporheic Denitrification Across A Land Use Gradient In Nine Western Wyoming Streams, Andrew Kenneth Myers
Discriminating Between Biological And Hydrological Controls Of Hyporheic Denitrification Across A Land Use Gradient In Nine Western Wyoming Streams, Andrew Kenneth Myers
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
I studied nine streams near Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, covering a land use gradient (urban, agricultural, and forested) to assess influences of land use on denitrification rates and hyporheic exchange. I hypothesized denitrification in the hyporheic zone is governed by availability of chemical substrates and hydrologic transport. I tested this hypothesis by coupling measurements of denitrification potentials in hyporheic sediments with a 2-storage zone solute transport model. Denitrification potentials were lowest on average in hyporheic sediments from forested streams and highest from agricultural streams. Modeling results suggest, on average, agricultural sites are transport-limited by having the slowest exchange rate …