Impacts of Land-Cover Change on Suspended Sediment Transport in Two Agricultural Watersheds1

Schilling, Keith E.; Isenhart, Thomas M.; Palmer, Jason A.; Wolter, Calvin F.; Spooner, Jean

doi:10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00533.x

Cited by 53 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Mean TSS concentrations were highest in Honey Creek (site M) and lowest in West Jackson Creek (site H), but variability at each site during the sampling period was significant (Table 2). Total suspended sediment concentrations at these four sites were much higher than those reported in a 10-year study by Schilling et al (2011) for two watersheds in central Iowa in which the highest TSS concentration recorded was 167 mg L −1…”

Section: Surface Water Characteristics In the Watershedcontrasting

confidence: 38%

Phosphorus source—sink relationships of stream sediments in the Rathbun Lake watershed in southern Iowa, USA

Hongthanat

Kovar

Thompson

et al. 2016

Environ Monit Assess

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The surface waters of Rathbun Lake watershed in southern Iowa are impacted by agricultural sources of sediments and nutrients, including phosphorus (P). Because stream sediments often play an important role in regulating P concentrations in stream water, we investigated sediment-water column P relationships in four creeks within the watershed and then evaluated the relationship between sediment properties and indicators of the risk of P loss. Based on Mehlich-3-extractable P (17 to 68 mg kg -1) and degree of P saturation (2 to 12 %), stream bank and bed sediments at the four sites were unlikely to serve as major sources of P. However, equilibrium P concentrations, which ranged from 0.02 to 0.12 mg L-1, indicated that bed sediments could release P to the water column depending on dissolved P (DP) concentrations in the stream water and the time of year. The likelihood of P desorption from the sediments increased with increasing pH (r=0.92, p < 0.01) and sand content (r = 0.78, p < 0.05), but decreased with clay content (r = −0.72, p < 0.05) and iron (Fe) (r = −0.93, p < 0.001) associated with organic matter. From these results, we speculate that changes in land use within the riparian areas may, at least initially, have little effect on P concentrations in the streams. Low concentrations of DP relative to total P (TP) in these streams, however, suggest that P loads to Rathbun Lake can be reduced if P inputs from eroded bank sediments are controlled. KeywordsStream sediments, Riparian pastures, Phosphorus losses, Degree of P saturation, equilibrium P concentration Abstract The surface waters of Rathbun Lake watershed in southern Iowa are impacted by agricultural sources of sediments and nutrients, including phosphorus (P). Because stream sediments often play an important role in regulating P concentrations in stream water, we investigated sediment-water column P relationships in four creeks within the watershed and then evaluated the relationship between sediment properties and indicators of the risk of P loss. Based on Mehlich-3-extractable P (17 to 68 mg kg −1) and degree of P saturation (2 to 12 %), stream bank and bed sediments at the four sites were unlikely to serve as major sources of P. However, equilibrium P concentrations, which ranged from 0.02 to 0.12 mg L −1 , indicated that bed sediments could release P to the water column depending on dissolved P (DP) concentrations in the stream water and the time of year. The likelihood of P desorption from the sediments increased with increasing pH (r = 0.92, p < 0.01) and sand content (r = 0.78, p < 0.05), but decreased with clay content (r = −0.72, p < 0.05) and iron (Fe) (r = −0.93, p < 0.001) associated with organic matter. From these results, we speculate that changes in land use within the riparian areas may, at least initially, have little effect on P concentrations in the streams. Low concentrations of DP relative to total P (TP) in these streams, however, suggest that P loads to Rathbun Lake can be reduced if P inputs from eroded bank sediments ar...

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Section: Surface Water Characteristics In the Watershedcontrasting

confidence: 38%

Phosphorus source—sink relationships of stream sediments in the Rathbun Lake watershed in southern Iowa, USA

Hongthanat

Kovar

Thompson

et al. 2016

Environ Monit Assess

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“…Walnut Creek is incised more than 3 m into its floodplain due to effects of historical agricultural practices, such as channelization, removal of riparian vegetation and increased drainage from tiles and ditches (Schilling and Wolter, 2000;Schilling et al, 2011). Several stages of channel evolution (Simon, 1989) were identified along the length of Walnut Creek, with areas of Stage III (degradation), Stage IV (degradation and widening), and Stage V (aggradation and widening) generally in the middle to lower stream reaches.…”

Section: Site Description and Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Annual suspended sediment loads for the Walnut Creek watershed determined for water years 1995 to 2005 were previously reported (Schilling et al, 2006;Schilling et al, 2011). Monitoring of daily discharge, suspended sediment concentration and load was performed by the USGS using standard methods, and these data are publically available from the USGS in their annual water data reports (http:// wdr.water.usgs.gov/).…”

Section: Estimation Of Suspended Sediment Loadsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent study of individual storm event sediment budgets on five Midwestern watersheds found that channel derived sediments totaled between roughly 50 and 80% of total sediment load (Wilson et al, 2008). Schilling et al (2011) estimated that 38-64% of the annual suspended sediment load in Walnut Creek in south central Iowa could be explained by streambank erosion. Channel-derived sediment can also be an important source of downstream nutrient flux, with recent studies in Iowa finding that streambank erosion from riparian zones consisting of crop fields and continuously grazed pastures contributed up to 17 times more phosphorus to streams than riparian forested areas (Zaimes et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Streambank erosion rates and loads within a single watershed: Bridging the gap between temporal and spatial scales

et al. 2014

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The importance of streambank erosion to watershed-scale sediment export is being increasingly recognized. However few studies have quantified bank erosion and watershed sediment flux at the basin scale across temporal and spatial scales. In this study we evaluated the spatial distribution, extent, and temporal frequency of bank erosion in the 5218 ha Walnut Creek watershed in Iowa across a seven year period. We inventoried severely eroding streambanks along over 10 km of stream and monitored erosion pins at 20 sites within the watershed. Annual streambank recession rates ranged from 0.6 cm/yr during years of hydrological inactivity to 28.2 cm/yr during seasons with high discharge rates, with an overall average of 18.8 cm/yr. The percentage of total basin export attributed to streambank erosion along the main stem of Walnut Creek ranged from 23 to 53%. Large variations in individual site, annual rates and percentage of annual load suggested that developing direct relationships between streambank erosion rates and total sediment discharge may be confounded by the timing and magnitude of discharge events, storage of sediments within channel system and the remobilization of eroded material. RightsWorks produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted. The importance of streambank erosion to watershed-scale sediment export is being increasingly recognized. However few studies have quantified bank erosion and watershed sediment flux at the basin scale across temporal and spatial scales. In this study we evaluated the spatial distribution, extent, and temporal frequency of bank erosion in the 5218 ha Walnut Creek watershed in Iowa across a seven year period. We inventoried severely eroding streambanks along over 10 km of stream and monitored erosion pins at 20 sites within the watershed. Annual streambank recession rates ranged from 0.6 cm/yr during years of hydrological inactivity to 28.2 cm/yr during seasons with high discharge rates, with an overall average of 18.8 cm/yr. The percentage of total basin export attributed to streambank erosion along the main stem of Walnut Creek ranged from 23 to 53%. Large variations in individual site, annual rates and percentage of annual load suggested that developing direct relationships between streambank erosion rates and total sediment discharge may be confounded by the timing and magnitude of discharge events, storage of sediments within channel system and the remobilization of eroded material.

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“…The reasons are twofold. First, most studies only consider one-or at most two-of the "three pieces of information" mentioned above [6,7]. Second, the required data to capture these phenomena are usually not available at the appropriate spatio-temporal resolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonlinear Changes in Land Cover and Sediment Runoff in a New Zealand Catchment Dominated by Plantation Forestry and Livestock Grazing

Kamarinas

Julian

Hughes

et al. 2016

Water

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Land cover can change frequently on intensively managed landscapes, affecting water quality across different spatiotemporal scales. Multi-resolution datasets are necessary in order to assess the extent and trends of these changes, as well as potential cross-scale interactions. In this study, both spatial and temporal analyses of land disturbance (i.e., soil exposure from vegetation removal) and water quality were performed on datasets ranging from daily to yearly time scales. Time-series analyses of land disturbance were compared against the water quality variables of total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, and visual clarity for the Hoteo River catchment on the North Island of New Zealand for the 2000-2013 period. During forest harvest and recovery phases, exotic forests were the dominant disturbance, up to five times the area of grassland disturbance; while after recovery, grasslands assumed the dominant role, for up to 16 times the area of forest disturbance. Time-series of TSS from field sampling (2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013) and TSS-event analyses (2012-2014) displayed distinct nonlinear patterns, suggesting that after major events, sediment that is stored in the landscape is exhausted and a period of sediment build-up follows until the next major event. Time-series analyses also showed a connection between trends in connected land disturbance and visual water clarity, with connected disturbance having the potential to be a water quality indicator. Future research should be conducted at even finer spatiotemporal scales over longer periods in order to identify effects of localized land disturbances on downstream water quality.

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Impacts of Land-Cover Change on Suspended Sediment Transport in Two Agricultural Watersheds1

Cited by 53 publications

References 41 publications

Phosphorus source—sink relationships of stream sediments in the Rathbun Lake watershed in southern Iowa, USA

Phosphorus source—sink relationships of stream sediments in the Rathbun Lake watershed in southern Iowa, USA

Streambank erosion rates and loads within a single watershed: Bridging the gap between temporal and spatial scales

Nonlinear Changes in Land Cover and Sediment Runoff in a New Zealand Catchment Dominated by Plantation Forestry and Livestock Grazing

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