Estimating the timescale of fluvial response to anthropogenic disturbance using two generations of dams on the South River, Massachusetts, USA

Dow, Samantha; Snyder, Noah P.; Ouimet, William B.; Martini, Anna M.; Yellen, Brian; Woodruff, Jonathan D.; Newton, Robert M.; Merritts, Dorothy J.; Walter, Robert C.

doi:10.1002/esp.4886

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 56 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Breached dams may contain legacy sediments (e.g., Walter and Merritts 2008), but we did not observe these deposits in the field. Further, after the initial pulse of sediment from dam breaching, inputs of legacy sediment quickly diminish (Dow et al 2020;Pizzuto 2002).…”

Section: Geophysical Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Watershed Suspended Sediment Supply and Potential Impacts of Dam Removals for an Estuary

Ralston

Yellen

Woodruff

2021

Estuaries and Coasts

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Observations and modeling are used to assess potential impacts of sediment releases due to dam removals on the Hudson River estuary. Watershed sediment loads are calculated based on sediment-discharge rating curves for gauges covering 80% of the watershed area. The annual average sediment load to the estuary is 1.2 Mt, of which about 0.6 Mt comes from side tributaries. Sediment yield varies inversely with watershed area, with regional trends that are consistent with substrate erodibility. Geophysical and sedimentological surveys in seven subwatersheds of the Lower Hudson were conducted to estimate the mass and composition of sediment trapped behind dams. Impoundments were classified as (1) active sediment traps, (2) run-of-river sites not actively trapping sediment, and (3) dammed natural lakes and spring-fed ponds. Based on this categorization and impoundment attributes from a dam inventory database, the total mass of impounded sediment in the Lower Hudson watershed is estimated as 4.9 ± 1.9 Mt. This represents about 4 years of annual watershed supply, which is small compared with some individual dam removals and is not practically available given current dam removal rates. More than half of dams impound drainage areas less than 1 km2, and play little role in downstream sediment supply. In modeling of a simulated dam removal, suspended sediment in the estuary increases modestly near the source during discharge events, but otherwise effects on suspended sediment are minimal. Fine-grained sediment deposits broadly along the estuary and coarser sediment deposits near the source, with transport distance inversely related to settling velocity.

show abstract

Section: Geophysical Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Watershed Suspended Sediment Supply and Potential Impacts of Dam Removals for an Estuary

Ralston

Yellen

Woodruff

2021

Estuaries and Coasts

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Channel incision can result from a change in transport capacity relative to sediment supply due to sediment capture behind dams (Heine & Lant, 2009; Jacobson et al., 2009), large flood events (Brogan et al., 2019), or instream gravel mining (Comiti et al., 2011). Incision can also occur due to increased shear stress caused by logging activities (Chapman et al., 2021), or following aggradation caused by increased sediment supply due to land use change within watersheds (Baena‐Escudero et al., 2019; Dearman & James, 2019; Dow et al., 2020; Merritts et al., 2011). Although our study highlights an understudied interaction between geomorphic change and riparian vegetation because it explores the impact of knickpoint evolution on incision and subsequent changes to vegetation, our results can inform the influence of incision on riparian vegetation regardless of the underlying cause.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Knickpoint Development and Channel Incision on Riparian Vegetation in Semi‐Arid River Corridors

Johaneman,

Lininger,

Schook

et al. 2023

Water Resources Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hydrogeomorphic processes strongly influence riparian vegetation, but few studies have determined the influence of knickpoint development on these processes. We investigate the influence of knickpoint development and channel incision on flood inundation, channel morphology, and riparian vegetation on the Fremont River in Utah. We conducted topographic surveys (n = 30 transects) and plot‐based vegetation surveys (n = 336) in three 1 km‐long reaches with varying proximities to a human‐created knickpoint. We also developed 1D hydraulic models to assess flood inundation patterns. Our data indicate that knickpoint development affects riparian vegetation composition and abundance through its influence on geomorphic and hydrologic processes. The study reach located just upstream of the knickpoint (R2) had a deeper channel, flooded less frequently, and required higher flows to inundate the floodplain compared to the study reach located 5 km upstream of the knickpoint (R1). Overall mean vegetation abundance (percent cover) was higher in R1 (55.7%) than in R2 (30.1%), and R1 had more occurrences of wet‐adapted (facultative wetland and obligate) species than R2 (198 and 79, respectively). Vegetation in the human‐created abandoned meander reach near the knickpoint (R4) was predominantly dry‐adapted (upland) species. Cross‐reach comparisons and more than 3 m of incision in the knickzone since knickpoint creation indicate that knickpoint development has resulted in channel incision in R2, shifting its vegetation toward more dry‐adapted species reminiscent of the surrounding uplands. This work informs natural resource management practices for habitat in riparian ecosystems and can be applied to rivers in drier regions.

show abstract

“…In the late 18 th century and early 19 th century, rivers in Massachusetts were intensely dammed to power machinery in mills (Graf, 1999; Stevenson, 2017) and 45%–65% of the New England region was cleared for agriculture (Foster et al, 1998). Remanent and intact dams formed during this period still influence the river landscape today, partly through impacts on sediment transport (Dow et al, 2020; Magilligan et al, 2021), temperature (Zaidel et al, 2021), and connectivity (Magilligan et al, 2016). This history of intense industrial and agricultural practices in Massachusetts is typical of New England and offers a critical backdrop for understanding present day mussel distributions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance of five sympatric stream dwelling mussels varies with physical habitat

Skorupa,

Roy,

Hazelton

et al. 2024

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Freshwater mussel species regularly co‐occur in streams forming assemblages, but the extent of shared versus unique instream habitat features that contribute to their distribution and abundance is poorly understood. In Massachusetts, a rare species, Alasmidonta varicosa, is often found with four other species: Alasmidonta undulata, Strophitus undulatus, Margaritifera margaritifera, and Elliptio complanata, yet variation in species composition within assemblages raises questions of potential species‐specific habitat associations. Identifying species‐level habitat information is critical at a spatial scale that malacologists can use to identify translocation or restoration areas. This study investigated whether species abundance varied by mesohabitat type (riffle, run, dam pool, scour pool), instream habitat characteristics, and within‐reach location (centre versus edge). From 2016 to 2019, freshwater mussel surveys were conducted in nine streams across Massachusetts and associated habitat information was collected. Species abundances were similar across mesohabitat types. Elliptio complanata was the exception, whereby higher abundances occurred in runs and dammed pools than in riffles. Unique species relationships with habitat existed for M. margaritifera with macroalgae and emergent vegetation, and A. varicosa with heterogeneous substrate. Flow transitions, such as depositional areas that create heterogeneous substrates, may provide habitats for A. varicosa. Most mussel species were distributed with higher abundance in the river centre than the edge; E. complanata was the only species with a higher abundance at the river edge. Locations with high abundance varied based on unique relationships with pebble heterogeneity (A. varicosa), depth (A. undulata), large wood (A. undulata), and canopy closure (E. complanata). Including physical characteristics in a holistic assessment of habitat that incorporates fish and landscape attributes may further an understanding of river reaches that best support translocated and propagated freshwater mussels.

show abstract

Estimating the timescale of fluvial response to anthropogenic disturbance using two generations of dams on the South River, Massachusetts, USA

Abstract: This is the author manuscript accepted for publication and has undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as

Cited by 12 publications

References 56 publications

Watershed Suspended Sediment Supply and Potential Impacts of Dam Removals for an Estuary

Watershed Suspended Sediment Supply and Potential Impacts of Dam Removals for an Estuary

The Influence of Knickpoint Development and Channel Incision on Riparian Vegetation in Semi‐Arid River Corridors

Abundance of five sympatric stream dwelling mussels varies with physical habitat

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About