Fundamental concepts

1
Fundamental concepts

• Biology, Hydrology, and Social Science

2
Setting the context What is a watershed?

• 4 dimensional process
• Longitudinal upstream/downstream
• Lateral floodplain, upland
• Vertical groundwater zone/stream channel
• Time seasonality, diurnal fluctuations

• System of intergration
• - Network of streams
• - Integrated systems and cycles
• - Movement of flows surface
• and subsurface
• - Mosaic of landcover, landscapes
  
• and habitats

3
Watershed as a unit of analysis

• Basic water planning and management unit
• Understand existing conditions
• Historical range of variability (HRV)
• International water law
• New Zealand, South Africa
• Nested spatial hierarchy
• Scale
• Situational backdrop for analysis, cultural
  meaning, experience, history, future
• Place-based values and meaning
• Problemshed
• Defines both physical and social environment
• Goods, services, sinks, pathways, buffers, sense
  of place

4
Integrated, individual based modeling framework
Integrated models
5
The Physical Setting

• Climate
• Geomorphology
• Hydrology

Provides the template on which all life is
ultimately based.
6
Climate

• Measured over an extended period of time
• Looks at averages, maximums, and minimums
• Refers to the aggregate of temperature, humidity,
  precipitation, winds, and cloud cover
• Climate Influences
• Watershed vegetation
• Communities
• Stream flow magnitude and timing
• Water temperature

7
Geomorphology

• Study of landforms on the earth and processes
  that change them over time
• Fluvial Geomorphology
• Refers to the structure and dynamics of stream
  and river corridors

8
Hydrology

• The science of water (in all its forms) as it
  relates to the hydrologic cycle
• Distribution
• Circulation and behavior
• Chemical and physical properties
• The hydrologic cycle is a life-sustaining cycle
  that is a natural solar driven process of
  evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and
  runoff.

9
Hydrologic Cycle
10
Physical Models of the Luquillo Experimental
Forest (LEF)

• GIS based geomorphic model of LEF streams
• Rainfall, stream flow, channel attributes
• Riparian vegetation flow frequency Analysis
• - Relate streamside vegetation to the frequency
  of flooding

11
GIS and GEOMORPHOLOGY
240 Sites
Grain Size
240 Sites
Slope
Cross-Section
12
Note the type of output that is typically used to
understand the physical settings. We tend to use
graphs to communicate what is happening within an
ecosystem.
Mean Annual
Rainfall (mm/yr)
Runoff (mm/yr)
Discharge (m3/s)
Modified from Garcia-Martino et al. (1996)
Precip 2300 3.8Elev .0016Elev2 n 17, r2
0.91, p lt0.001 (1) Runoff 4.26WAE 360
n 9, r2 0.77, p 0.002 (2) Discharge is
estimated from runoff by multiplying by the
drainage area Q 3.17 ? 10-5 A(4.26WAE 360)
n 9, r2 0.97, p lt0.001 (3)
13
Grain size given drainage and slope Channel
Morphology
Headwaters - Volcaniclastic
Headwaters - Granodiorite
Downstream - Alluvium
Developing models of Channel habitat Identify
critical habitats, barriers etc.
14
Elevation Profile
Channel Width, Depth, Velocity
Grain Size
15
Channel Features
Rainfall Runoff
Stream Energy
16
Riparian Vegetation and Bankfull Discharge
USGS Gage Surveys
-Transect from channel to banks -Noted first
occurrence of vegetation type and corresponding
environmental variables Substrate Soil
Litter Canopy Cover Vegetation Height
Substrate fining Soil development Litter
presence Canopy shading Vegetation height
17
Biological models
18
The Biological/Ecological Setting

• Becomes established upon and integrated with
  physical setting
• Consists of all living organisms and their
  interactions

19
Field Sampling
Trapping
Snorkeling
Electrofishing
Sampled 90 pools and associated
riffles
20
The output typically used to show species
distribution is much more easily communicated
using maps.
21
What factors influence the distribution of each
species?

• Natural factors predict species distributions
• distance from ocean
• location of waterfalls
• pool complexity
• percent fine sediments

22
(No Transcript)
23
Social models
Physical models
Integrated models
Biological models
24
The Social Setting

• The template upon which people interact with the
  natural environment is made up of the physical
  and biological settings, both of which influence
  how human and natural communities coexist.

25
Social Models of Luquillo Experimental Forest
(LEF)

• Seasonal Visitor estimates
• In and out of water recreation activities

26
Visitor Sampling Sites

• July and August 2005
• weekdays, weekends, and holidays
• On-site interviews at 11 sites
• Visitor counts in and outside of rivers

27
Seasonal Visitor Estimates (Espíritu Santo River)
Day of the week Visitors Weekday 2973 Weekends
705 Holidays 1646 Total 5324
Note that different types of graphs are used to
communicate the social setting. In addition,
predictor tables are used to show factors
influencing site visits and return visitation
28
Seasonal Visitor Estimates (Espíritu Santo
River)
29
Seasonal Visitor Estimates (Mameyes River)
Day of the week Visitors Weekday 6666 Weekends
2255 Holidays 3806 Total 12727
30
Seasonal Visitors Recreating in the Water by Day
of the Week Espíritu Santo River (May-August 2005)
31
Seasonal Visitors Recreating out of the Water by
Day of the Week Mameyes River (May-August 2005)
32
Predictor Variables of Repeat Visitor Use on the
Rio Mameyes Espíritu Santo
Factors influencing Repeat Visits
33

• Any Questions?

34
Characteristics of Complexity

• Nonlinear or chaotic behavior
• Interactions that span multiple spatial and
  temporal scales or levels
• Unpredictable behavior (hard to predict)
• Hierarchical structure, scalable
• Self organization
• Emergent properties
• Adaptive Behavior
• Cascading effects
• Must be studied as a whole, as well as piece by
  piece
• Relevant for all kinds of organisms in all kinds
  of environments
• Surprise Natural Disasters unintended
  consequences of human behavior