Incorporating hydrologic dynamics into buffer strip design on the sub-humid Boreal Plain of Alberta

Creed, Irena F.; Sass, G. Z.; Wolniewicz, M. B.; Devito, K. J.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2008.07.021

Cited by 26 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…It affects (i) the generation of nutrient supply (e.g., nutrientpoor areas develop if soil conditions are too dry or too wet); (ii) potential expansion versus contraction rates of the VSAs (e.g., catchments with a greater potential for lateral expansion of source areas will have longer flushing times and higher rates of nutrient export, while catchments with less potential for lateral expansion of source areas will have shorter flushing times and lower rates of nutrient export); and (iii) the transport of flushable nutrients to surface waters, which is a function of both the size and configuration of the VSA (e.g., catchments with larger, hydrologically connected VSAs will have larger nutrient export, whereas catchments with smaller or hydrologically disconnected VSAs will have lower nutrient export or more leaching to groundwater) (Creed and Sass 2011). This mechanism, or variations of it, has been used to explain the export of carbon (Hornberger et al 1994;Dillon and Molot 1997;Creed et al 2003Creed et al , 2008Richardson et al 2009;Mengistu et al 2014), nitrogen (Creed et al 1996;Creed and Beall 2009;Mengistu et al 2014), and phosphorus (Mengistu et al 2014).…”

Section: Fig 5 Dominant Hydrologic Flows In (A) Western and (B) Easmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wetlands are unique in that they act as reservoirs of water and bioreactors of nutrients during drier periods and conduits of water and nutrients during wet periods. In particular, there is a strong connection between the presence and extent of wetlands and the concentration of dissolved organic carbon in surface waters (Dillon and Molot 1997;Creed et al 2003Creed et al , 2008. Similarly, wetlands have been shown to have an important role in nitrogen and phosphorus loading to surface waters (e.g., Creed and Beall 2009;Mengistu et al 2014) as well as contributors of mercury to aquatic ecosystems ).…”

Section: Fig 5 Dominant Hydrologic Flows In (A) Western and (B) Easmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Schelker et al (2012) determined that while clearcutting increased DOC concentrations, site preparation (intentional ground disturbance in preparation for planting) had an even more profound effect on DOC concentration. However, since DOC concentrations in undisturbed basins are closely linked to presence and extent of permanently or transiently saturated soils (Dillon and Molot 1997;Creed et al 2003Creed et al , 2008, the presence of these features may confound harvesting effects (Hillman et al 1997).…”

Section: Dissolved Organic Carbon and Nutrientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study of Prepas et al (2001b) within the western boreal forest determined that where climatic and physiographic variability produces complex hydrologic pathways, standard width riparian buffers are not adequate for protecting aquatic systems. In the same region, Creed et al (2008) developed a remote sensing technique where a probability map of wet area formation was calculated from a time series of remotely sensed images and related to the return period of discharges from the basin. The relationship between wet area and return period was proposed as an approach for estimating risk associated with harvesting in these critical areas, enabling land managers to design variable width riparian buffers based on the level of risk they are willing to accept with respect to increasing nutrient loading to surface waters following harvesting .…”

Section: Prognosismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts and prognosis of natural resource development on water and wetlands in Canada’s boreal zone

et al. 2015

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Industrial development within Canada's boreal zone has increased in recent decades. Forest management activities, pulp and paper operations, electric power generation, mining, conventional oil and gas extraction, nonconventional oil sand development, and peat mining occur throughout the boreal zone with varying impacts on water resources. We review impacts of these industries on surface water, groundwater, and wetlands recognizing that heterogeneity in the dominance of different hydrologic processes (i.e., precipitation, evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge, and runoff generation) across the boreal zone influences the degree of impacts on water resources. Through the application of best management practices, forest certification programs, and science-based guidelines, timber, pulp and paper, and peat industries have reduced their impacts on water resources, although uncertainties remain about long-term recovery following disturbance. Hydroelectric power developments have moved toward reducing reservoir size and creating more natural flow regimes, although impacts of aging infrastructure and dam decommissioning is largely unknown. Mineral and metal mining industries have improved regulation and practices, but the legacy of abandoned mines across the boreal zone still presents an ongoing risk to water resources. Oil and gas industries, including non-conventional resources such as oil sands, is one of the largest industrial users of water and, while significant progress has been made in reducing water use, more work is needed to ensure the protection of water resources. All industries contribute to atmospheric deposition of pollutants that may eventually be released to downstream waters. Although most industrial sectors strive to improve their environmental performance with regards to water resources, disruptions to natural flow regimes and risks of degraded water quality exist at local to regional scales in the boreal zone. Addressing the emerging challenge of managing the expanding, intensifying, and cumulative effects of industries in conjunction with other stressors, such as climate change and atmospheric pollution, across the landscape will aid in preserving Canada's rich endowment of water resources.Key words: natural resources, development, hydrology, biogeochemistry, cumulative effects, water quality, water quantity. Résumé :Le développement industriel dans la zone boréale canadienne s'est accru au cours des récentes décades. Les activités en aménagement forestier, les opérations dans les pâtes et papiers, la génération de pouvoir électrique, les mines, l'extraction de l'huile et du gaz conventionnel, le développement non conventionnel des sables bitumineux ainsi que le prélèvement de la tourbe s'effectuent sur l'ensemble de la zone boréale avec divers impacts sur les ressources hydriques. Les auteurs passent en revue les impacts de ces industries sur l'eau de surface, l'eau souterraine et les terrains humides, tout en reconnaissant que l'hétérogénéité de la dominance des différents processus ...

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Section: Fig 5 Dominant Hydrologic Flows In (A) Western and (B) Easmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fig 5 Dominant Hydrologic Flows In (A) Western and (B) Easmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dissolved Organic Carbon and Nutrientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prognosismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts and prognosis of natural resource development on water and wetlands in Canada’s boreal zone

et al. 2015

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“…Recent advances in remote sensing and digital terrain analysis have paved the way for new techniques and better understanding of forest hydrology (Creed, Sass, Wolniewicz, & Devito, ; Murphy, Ogilvie, Castonguay et al, ; Ågren, Lidberg, Strömgren, Ogilvie, & Arp, ; Laudon et al, ). The better understanding of forest hydrology is partly due to the availability of better hydrological maps derived from high‐resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) generated from Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR; Murphy, Ogilvie, Castonguay et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating preprocessing methods of digital elevation models for hydrological modelling

Lidberg

Nilsson

Lundmark

et al. 2017

Hydrological Processes

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With the introduction of high-resolution digital elevation models, it is possible to use digital terrain analysis to extract small streams. In order to map streams correctly, it is necessary to remove errors and artificial sinks in the digital elevation models. This step is known as preprocessing and will allow water to move across a digital landscape. However, new challenges are introduced with increasing resolution because the effect of anthropogenic artefacts such as road embankments and bridges increases with increased resolution. These are problematic during the preprocessing step because they are elevated above the surrounding landscape and act as artificial dams. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of different preprocessing methods such as breaching and filling on digital elevation models with different resolutions (2, 4, 8, and 16 m) and to evaluate which preprocessing methods most accurately route water across road impoundments at actual culvert locations. A unique dataset with over 30,000 field-mapped road culverts was used to assess the accuracy of stream networks derived from digital elevation models using different preprocessing methods. Our results showed that the accuracy of stream networks increases with increasing resolution. Breaching created the most accurate stream networks on all resolutions, whereas filling was the least accurate. Burning streams from the topographic map across roads from the topographic map increased the accuracy for all methods and resolutions. In addition, the impact in terms of change in area and absolute volume between original and preprocessed digital elevation models was smaller for breaching than for filling. With the appropriate methods, it is possible to extract accurate stream networks from high-resolution digital elevation models with extensive road networks, thus providing forest managers with stream networks that can be used when planning operations in wet areas or areas near streams to prevent rutting, sediment transport, and mercury export. In order to facilitate protection of surface waters, the first step is to map streams and lakes so protection can be incorporated in everyday land-use planning and management. Today's maps are often created from aerial photos; therefore, only streams distinguishable from aerial photos are displayed on current maps, which generate a bias towards larger streams. Also, because of canopy cover in forested landscapes, small forest streams are especially poorly mapped (Bishop et al., 2008;Kuglerová, Ågren, Jansson, & Laudon, 2014;Montgomery & Foufoula-Georgiou, 1993). In addition, streams that are present on current maps do not always form an integrated drainage network and do not change with seasons (Ågren, Lidberg, & Ring, 2015). Unless a stream is network based, it is not possible to trace water from each stream segment to the outlet of a catchment, and thus, managers are faced with a puzzle of different stream segments. Seasonal variations ----------------------------------------------------------...

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Cost of riparian buffer zones: A comparison of hydrologically adapted site‐specific riparian buffers with traditional fixed widths

Tiwari

Lundström

Kuglerová

et al. 2016

Water Resources Research

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Traditional approaches aiming at protecting surface waters from the negative impacts of forestry often focus on retaining fixed width buffer zones around waterways. While this method is relatively simple to design and implement, it has been criticized for ignoring the spatial heterogeneity of biogeochemical processes and biodiversity in the riparian zone. Alternatively, a variable width buffer zone adapted to site-specific hydrological conditions has been suggested to improve the protection of biogeochemical and ecological functions of the riparian zone. However, little is known about the monetary value of maintaining hydrologically adapted buffer zones compared to the traditionally used fixed width ones. In this study, we created a hydrologically adapted buffer zone by identifying wet areas and groundwater discharge hotspots in the riparian zone. The opportunity cost of the hydrologically adapted riparian buffer zones was then compared to that of the fixed width zones in a meso-scale boreal catchment to determine the most economical option of designing riparian buffers. The results show that hydrologically adapted buffer zones were cheaper per hectare than the fixed width ones when comparing the total cost. This was because the hydrologically adapted buffers included more wetlands and low productive forest areas than the fixed widths. As such, the hydrologically adapted buffer zones allows more effective protection of the parts of the riparian zones that are ecologically and biogeochemically important and more sensitive to disturbances without forest landowners incurring any additional cost than fixed width buffers.

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Incorporating hydrologic dynamics into buffer strip design on the sub-humid Boreal Plain of Alberta

Cited by 26 publications

References 35 publications

Impacts and prognosis of natural resource development on water and wetlands in Canada’s boreal zone

Impacts and prognosis of natural resource development on water and wetlands in Canada’s boreal zone

Evaluating preprocessing methods of digital elevation models for hydrological modelling

Cost of riparian buffer zones: A comparison of hydrologically adapted site‐specific riparian buffers with traditional fixed widths

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