Human impacts to mountain streams

Wohl, Ellen

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.06.020

Cited by 210 publications

(141 citation statements)

References 174 publications

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“…Consequently, the amount of carbon stored in living and dead biomass declines. The net effect of diverse resource uses, including beaver trapping, timber harvest, log floating and flow regulation in western North America and other mountainous regions around the world 33,34 , has been reduction in the extent of old-growth forest and, in North America and Eurasia, the abundance and distribution of beavers (Castor canadensis and Castor fiber, respectively) 35 . The loss of these biotic drivers, along with channelization of multi-thread channels into single channels, levees that reduce or eliminate overbank flooding and removal of instream wood, has substantially reduced the physical complexity of mountainous headwater rivers 16 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms of carbon storage in mountainous headwater rivers

et al. 2012

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Published research emphasizes rapid downstream export of terrestrial carbon from mountainous headwater rivers, but little work focuses on mechanisms that create carbon storage along these rivers, or on the volume of carbon storage. Here we estimate organic carbon stored in diverse valley types of headwater rivers in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, USA. We show that low-gradient, broad valley bottoms with old-growth forest or active beaver colonies store the great majority of above-and below-ground carbon. These laterally unconfined valley segments constitute o25% of total river length, but store B75% of the carbon. Floodplain sediment and coarse wood dominate carbon storage. Our estimates of riverine carbon storage represent a previously undocumented but important carbon sink. Our results indicate that: not all mountainous rivers rapidly export carbon; not all valley segments are equally important in carbon storage; and historical changes in riverine complexity have likely reduced carbon storage.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms of carbon storage in mountainous headwater rivers

et al. 2012

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“…The high-gradient rivers where most RoR hydropower projects are located are also often the well-oxygenated, clear, and cold river habitat favored by many anadromous and resident salmonids (subfamilies Salmoninae) (Shaw 2004;Wohl 2006). Salmonid fishes exhibit a wide range of life history strategies, some of which are more likely than others to be sensitive to the effects of RoR hydropower (Table 2).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Flow Diversion For Ror Hydropower and Intmentioning

confidence: 99%

Run-of-River hydropower and salmonids: potential effects and perspective on future research

Gibeau

Connors

Palen

2017

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

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Abstract:The spatial footprint of individual run-of-river (RoR) hydropower facilities is smaller than reservoir-storage hydroelectric projects and their impacts to aquatic ecosystems are often assumed to be negligible. However, these effects are poorly understood, especially for salmonids whose freshwater habitat often overlaps with RoR hydropower potential. Flow regulation for RoR hydropower is unique in how it influences the seasonality and magnitude of flow diversion and because low-head dams can be overtopped at high flows. Based on a review of the primary literature, we identified three pathways of effects by which RoR hydropower may influence salmonids: reduction of flow, presence of low-head dams impounding rivers, and anthropogenic flow fluctuations. We synthesized empirical evidence of effects of RoR hydropower on river ecosystems from 31 papers, of which only 10 explicitly considered salmonids. We identified key research gaps including impacts of extended low-flow periods, anthropogenic flow fluctuations, and cumulative effects of multiple RoR projects. Filling these gaps is necessary to help manage and conserve salmonid populations in the face of the growing global demand for small-scale hydropower.Résumé : L'empreinte spatiale individuelle des centrales hydroélectriques au fil de l'eau est moindre que celle des centrales hydroélectriques avec réservoirs de retenue et, en conséquence, leurs impacts sur les écosystèmes aquatiques sont souvent jugés négligeables. Par contre, leurs effets écologiques sont peu connus, particulièrement pour les salmonidés dont l'habitat en eau douce coïncide souvent avec le potentiel hydroélectrique des centrales au fil de l'eau. La régulation des eaux par les centrales au fil de l'eau se distingue par son influence sur la saisonnalité et l'ampleur de la déviation des eaux, et parce que les barrages de basse-chute peuvent être submergés lors des crues. À la lumière d'un examen des sources documentaires primaires, nous avons cerné trois voies principales par lesquelles la production d'électricité des centrales au fil de l'eau peut influencer les salmonidés, soit la réduction des débits, la présence de barrages de basse-chute sur les rivières et des fluctuations d'origine humaine des débits. Nous avons produit une synthèse des résultats empiriques de 31 études portant sur les effets de la production d'hydroélectricité des centrales au fil de l'eau sur les écosystèmes lentiques, dont seulement dix s'intéressaient explicitement aux salmonidés. Nous avons cerné d'importantes lacunes dans les connaissances actuelles, dont l'impact de périodes prolongées de faible débit, des fluctuations d'origine humaine des débits et des effets cumulatifs de plusieurs centrales au fil de l'eau. Il est nécessaire de combler ces lacunes pour soutenir la gestion et la conservation durables des populations de salmonidés dans un contexte de demande mondiale croissante pour la production d'hydroélectricité à petite échelle.

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“…Este mismo caso ha sido reportado por Baillie & Davies (2002), quienes proponen que el uso del suelo puede afectar la morfología del canal en quebradas pequeñas en Nueva Zelanda. Para la zona de estudio se pudo observar un impacto importante de la ganadería por erosión de los taludes o por perturbación del canal, tal y como lo reporta Wohl (2006) en otras zonas del mundo.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…El aporte de hojarasca y ramas de la vegetación de esta zona, se constituyen en elementos muy importantes para la colonización de nuevos organismos. La eliminación de los árboles del área ribereña por la deforestación, agricultura y entrada del ganado reduce la profundidad, los sustrato gruesos y piscinas dentro del cauce (Wohl, 2006;Baillie & Davies, 2002). La heterogeneidad y disponibilidad del sustrato es uno de los parámetros más relacionados con la variación en la composición de comunidades acuáticas (Richards & Host, 1994;Collier, Wilcock & Meredith, 1998;Bücker, Sondermann, Frede & Breuer, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Impacto del uso del suelo agropecuario sobre macroinvertebrados acuáticos en pequeñas quebradas de la cuenca del río La Vieja (Valle del Cauca, Colombia)

Giraldo

Chará

Zúñiga

et al. 2014

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Impacto del uso del suelo agropecuario sobre macroinvertebrados acuáticos en pequeñas quebradas de la cuenca del río La Vieja (Valle del Cauca, Colombia) Abstract: Agricultural land use impacts on aquatic macroinvertebrates in small streams from La Vieja river (Valle del Cauca, Colombia). The expansion of the agricultural frontier in Colombia has exerted significant pressure on its aquatic ecosystems during the last few decades. In order to determine the impacts of different agricultural land uses on the biotic and abiotic characteristics of first and second order streams of La Vieja river watershed, we evaluated 21 streams located between 1 060 and 1 534 m asl in the municipalities of Alcalá, Ulloa, and Cartago (Valle del Cauca, Colombia). Seven streams were protected by native vegetation buffers, eight had influence of coffee and plantain crops, and six were influenced by cattle ranching. Habitat conditions, channel dimensions, water quality, and aquatic macroinvertebrates were studied in each stream. Streams draining cattle ranching areas had significantly higher dissolved solids, higher phosphorus, higher alkalinity, higher conductivity, and lower dissolved oxygen than those covered by cropland and forests. Coarse substrates and diversity of flow regimes were significantly higher in cropland and protected streams when compared to streams affected by cattle ranching, whereas the percent of silt and slow currents was significantly higher in the latter. A total of 26 777 macroinvertebrates belonging to 17 orders, 72 families and 95 genera were collected. The most abundant groups were Diptera 62.8%, (Chironomidae 49.6%, Ceratopogonidae 6.7%), Mollusca 18.8% (Hydrobiidae 7.2%, Sphaeriidae 9.6%) and Trichoptera 5.7% (Hydropsychidae 3.7%). The Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Plecoptera orders, known for their low tolerance to habitat perturbation, had high abundance in cropland and forested streams, whereas Diptera and Mollusca were more abundant in those impacted by cattle ranching. Results indicate that streams draining forests and croplands have better physical and biological conditions than those draining pastures, and highlight the need to implement protective measures to restore the latter. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (Suppl. 2): 203-219. Epub 2014 April 01.

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Human impacts to mountain streams

Cited by 210 publications

References 174 publications

Mechanisms of carbon storage in mountainous headwater rivers

Mechanisms of carbon storage in mountainous headwater rivers

Run-of-River hydropower and salmonids: potential effects and perspective on future research

Impacto del uso del suelo agropecuario sobre macroinvertebrados acuáticos en pequeñas quebradas de la cuenca del río La Vieja (Valle del Cauca, Colombia)

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