Evaluating a Great Lakes scale landscape stressor index to assess water quality in the St. Louis River Area of Concern

Bartsch, Will; Axler, Richard P; Host, George E

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2014.11.031

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Monitoring studies have quantified microscopic plastics debris, so-called microplastics (MPs), in freshwater systems, including riverine beaches, surface waters and sediments of rivers, lake, and reservoirs [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Although far less data is available compared to marine systems, these studies highlight that MP is ubiquitous and concentrations are comparable [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

Lambert

Wagner

2017

The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry

220

137

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In recent years, interest in the environmental occurrence and effects of microplastics (MPs) has shifted towards our inland waters, and in this chapter we provide an overview of the issues that may be of concern for freshwater environments. The term 'contaminant of emerging concern' does not only apply to chemical pollutants but to MPs as well because it has been detected ubiquitously in freshwater systems. The environmental release of MPs will occur from a wide variety of sources, including emissions from wastewater treatment plants and from the degradation of larger plastic debris items. Due to the chemical makeup of plastic materials, receiving environments are potentially exposed to a mixture of microand nano-sized particles, leached additives, and subsequent degradation products, which will become bioavailable for a range of biota. The ingestion of MPs by aquatic organisms has been demonstrated, but the long-term effects of continuous exposures are less well understood. Technological developments and changes in demographics will influence the types of MPs and environmental concentrations in the future, and it will be important to develop approaches to mitigate the input of synthetic polymers to freshwater ecosystems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

Lambert

Wagner

2017

The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry

220

137

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“…These differences were not specifically captured by any of the five original components of the stressor index. A subsequent analysis of these particulate-related parameters (i.e., turbidity, total suspended sediment, water clarity, and total phosphorus) indicated strong associations with soil K-factor, a measure of soil erodibility used by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for its national county-level soil surveys (NRCS SSURGO 2012), which clearly distinguished these soil differences (Bartsch et al 2015). More accurate predictions of landscape effects on tributary runoff in the SLRE need to incorporate these types of data into a revised stressor index.…”

Section: Results and Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The 17 water quality parameters we measured included five usually associated with suspended particulates and the rest with the dissolved fraction of the water. Dissolved bioavailable nitrogen (ammonium-N and nitrate/nitrite-N), chloride, and specific electrical conductivity (a measure of total dissolved salts) were positively correlated with increased environmental stress, with r ranging from 0.43 to 0.85 during spring runoff (Bartsch 2012;Bartsch et al 2015). These associations were evident for multiple combinations of flow regime and location in tributaries and at near-shore locations within the estuary.…”

Section: Results and Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the present study we used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to summarize these impacts for the individual watersheds of the streams and rivers that enter the estuary. The five stressors were scaled from 0.0 to 1.0 based on their respective minimum and maximum values (0=best condition or lowest stress; 1=worst condition or highest stress), and all stressors were summed and rescaled to create a single index, SumRel, that reflects the relative amount of environmental stress within each watershed (Bartsch et al 2015). In general, low values are found in the relatively undeveloped forested watersheds of the upper estuary, while the high values correspond to the heavily industrialized areas of the Duluth-Superior Harbor.…”

Section: Sample Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Estuary data were classified by flow regime and location combinations (baseflow, spring runoff, storm events, St. Louis River nearshore, and above the mouths of St. Louis River tributaries; details in Bartsch 2012). Relationships between stressor indices and the many water quality parameters were examined using bivariate plots, Pearson correlations, and least squares linear regressions (JMP 2011; details in Bartsch 2012 andBartsch et al 2015). In addition, the individual components of the stressor gradient, alternative stressor indices based on subsets of the five components, percent impervious surface area, and the soil K-factor were analyzed for relationships with water quality parameters.…”

Section: Field Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Linking place-based science to people through spatial narratives of coastal stewardship

et al. 2015

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Stressor gradients and spatial narratives of the St. Louis River Estuary, a joint Minnesota and Wisconsin Sea Grant study, connected aquatic science research with spatially-explicit stories of local resource issues and place-based geo-quests to enhance spatial awareness and stewardship of the estuary. The goal of this paper is to report and reflect on an integrated study that combined environmental humanities and technology with aquatic science in a spatial context. Our study was organized into three objectives around research, outreach, and evaluation. First, we summarized anthropogenic stressors within high resolution watersheds and linked the watershed stress estimates to aquatic habitats within the estuary. Second, we designed tools to deliver place-based environmental science and technology to targeted users to increase awareness, learning, and the potential for long-term stewardship. And third, we evaluated the responses of targeted end users to their interaction with the project's integrated science and innovative delivery methods. Finally, central to all three objectives, we created a dynamic website to facilitate regional to national coastal outreach and education goals. We found significant correlations between the stressor index and the water quality and biotic data, along with variability attributed to landscape elements. Connecting this science with the place-based experiences we collected is expected to expand the scope and reach of state, bi-national and non-governmental outreach programs. The project also has direct applications to classroom science education. Developing this integrated proj e c t c o n t r i b u t e d t o o u r s h a r e d environmental and cultural aspects of the estuary for place-based education, and offers several lessons for future work of this nature.

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Landscape- and climate change-induced hydrological alterations in the typically urbanized Beiyun River basin, Beijing, China

Zhang

Liu

Hou

et al. 2018

Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess

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Evaluating a Great Lakes scale landscape stressor index to assess water quality in the St. Louis River Area of Concern

Cited by 8 publications

References 46 publications

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

Linking place-based science to people through spatial narratives of coastal stewardship

Landscape- and climate change-induced hydrological alterations in the typically urbanized Beiyun River basin, Beijing, China

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