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Earth Sciences Commons

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Environmental Sciences

Portland State University

Theses/Dissertations

Urban runoff

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Earth Sciences

Scenes From The Swale: Investigating Spatial And Temporal Dimensions Of Nitrogen Cycling In Urban Stormwater Bioretention Facilities, Erin Nicole Looper Jun 2019

Scenes From The Swale: Investigating Spatial And Temporal Dimensions Of Nitrogen Cycling In Urban Stormwater Bioretention Facilities, Erin Nicole Looper

Dissertations and Theses

Urban development is transforming landscapes at unprecedented rates. Human activities and landscape modifications associated with urbanization extensively increase hydrologic demands and modify natural hydrologic systems; consequently, population growth occurring in urban areas increases pressure on water resources. Urban aquatic ecosystems are vulnerable to impacts associated with increased connectivity with urban surfaces and hydrologic changes that initiate long-term changes in receiving waterbodies. Nitrogen (N) loading from urban and suburban catchments to receiving surface waters can lead to impairment of aquatic ecosystems and is a concern in many cities with water quality issues. To improve urban water quality, cities are increasingly adopting …


Soil Phosphorus Characterization And Vulnerability To Release In Urban Stormwater Bioretention Facilities, Benjamin James Shetterly Mar 2018

Soil Phosphorus Characterization And Vulnerability To Release In Urban Stormwater Bioretention Facilities, Benjamin James Shetterly

Dissertations and Theses

Modern urban stormwater infrastructure includes vegetated bioretention facilities (BRFs) that are designed to detain water and pollutants. Phosphorus (P) is a pollutant in stormwater which can be retained in BRF soils in mineral, plant, and microbial pools. We explored soil properties and phosphorus forms in the soils of 16 operational BRFs in Portland, OR. Since soil hydrology can significantly impact P retention, we selected BRFs along an infiltration rate (IR) gradient. We conducted sequential fractionation and tests of P pools and measured P release in a subset of soils after drying and flooding samples for ten days. We hypothesized that …