Multiple land use activities drive riverine salinization in a large, semi‐arid river basin in western Canada

Kerr, Jason G.

doi:10.1002/lno.10498

Cited by 27 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 57 publications

(107 reference statements)

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“…Using a 12–15‐year record of river solutes we found small multiyear declines in Cl − , K + , and DOC concentrations, a result that is contrary to the increases that we expected based on increases in population density and impervious surfaces that have resulted in stream water quality changes in northeastern U.S. watersheds (Corsi et al, ; Kaushal et al, ; SanClements et al, ). Because these modest declines were of similar magnitude to those observed in other watersheds where extreme flooding events did not occur (Kaushal et al, ; Kerr, ; Lucas et al, ; Navrátil et al, ; Rodríguez‐Murillo et al, ; Stackpoole et al, ), our data suggest that hydrologic extremes have not had a major effect on long‐term trends in solute concentrations and fluxes. These relatively minor changes from within a complex system with extreme variations in discharge and large variability in monthly concentrations and fluxes limit our ability to identify mechanistic drivers, as others have cautioned from similarly small (~1% of mean) annual changes in concentrations (Rodríguez‐Murillo et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…The small negative trends over time that we observed (0.28 mg L −1 yr −1 for Cl − and 0.01 mg L −1 yr −1 for K + ) correspond to declines of 1.2 and 0.9%, respectively. Previous studies have reported much greater increases for Cl − (0.98–369 mg Cl − L −1 yr −1 ; Godwin et al, ; Kerr, ), and K + (3.9 to 23.4 mg·K + L −1 yr −1 ) over 16 to 47 years (Kerr, ). Declines or no change in K + concentrations over multiyear time scales have also been observed in watersheds without repeated extreme flood events (Navrátil et al, ; Lucas et al, ; Kerr, ; Kaushal et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Previous studies have reported much greater increases for Cl − (0.98–369 mg Cl − L −1 yr −1 ; Godwin et al, ; Kerr, ), and K + (3.9 to 23.4 mg·K + L −1 yr −1 ) over 16 to 47 years (Kerr, ). Declines or no change in K + concentrations over multiyear time scales have also been observed in watersheds without repeated extreme flood events (Navrátil et al, ; Lucas et al, ; Kerr, ; Kaushal et al, ). The occurrence of two extreme flood events appears to have had little influence on trends in salts and major ion concentrations over time, and is likely attributed to natural variability over time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Multiyear Trends in Solute Concentrations and Fluxes From a Suburban Watershed: Evaluating Effects of 100‐Year Flood Events

et al. 2018

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Anthropogenic activities have increased solute concentrations and fluxes in rivers globally.Increases in salt, dissolved organic carbon, and inorganic nutrients have been attributed to changes in atmospheric deposition, road salt and fertilizer application, and urbanization. Extremely large flood events, which are increasing in frequency and duration, could also alter river chemistry by flushing various solute reservoirs within watersheds and effectively "resetting" the linkages between land and river. We evaluated changes in concentrations and fluxes of inorganic nutrients, dissolved organic matter, and salts and major ions across 12 to 15 years in a rural-suburban watershed in New Hampshire, USA. During this period, the human imprint on the landscape (impervious surfaces and population density) increased, but two 100-year flood events also occurred. We found that concentrations and fluxes of chloride and potassium, fluxes of all other major ions, and concentrations of dissolved organic carbon declined over time, but concentrations and fluxes of inorganic nutrients and dissolved organic nitrogen were unchanged. The minor declines in concentrations were of similar magnitude to declines previously observed in other watersheds that did not experience extreme flood events. We observed a shift in nitrate (NO 3 À ) concentration-discharge behavior from enrichment in the years prior to and including the floods to chemostasis after the floods, but for both time periods NO 3 À concentrations were weakly related to discharge. Our results suggest a limited role of extreme events in the biogeochemistry of urbanizing watersheds and emphasize the importance of long-term records and multiple analytical approaches to understand the dynamics of complex watersheds. Key Points:• Small decreases in concentrations and fluxes of salts and major ions were observed over 12 years despite an increase in the human footprint • Small (<1% of mean annual) decreases in DOC concentrations were observed over a 15-year period, but DOC did not respond to discharge • Occurrence of two 100-year flood events had little, if any, effect on multiyear trends in concentrations, fluxes, or C-Q relationships Supporting Information:• Figure S1

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Multiyear Trends in Solute Concentrations and Fluxes From a Suburban Watershed: Evaluating Effects of 100‐Year Flood Events

et al. 2018

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“…The primary use of water in both hydrological systems is agriculture [28]. In this sense, Kerr [51] states that crop irrigation with saline waters could induce the precipitation of CaCO 3 , CaSO 4 , and NaCl, among others, resulting in salinization, a condition recognized as one of the major factors limiting the fertility of agricultural fields [52].…”

Section: Wqimentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Quality and Macroinvertebrate Community in Dryland Streams: The Case of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (México) Facing Climate Change

López‐López

Sedeño‐Díaz

Mendoza-Martínez

et al. 2019

Water

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The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (TCBR), the southernmost semi-arid zone of North America, includes two dryland streams, the Río Salado (RS) and Río Grande (RG); it is surrounded by high vegetation diversity, a cacti diversification center, and the densest columnar cacti forest worldwide. However, no scientific knowledge is currently available on these dryland streams. We evaluated water quality, its relationship with the local geological characteristics, land uses, and the composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates (AM), analyzing their bioindicator potential. These results were discussed in relation to climate change predictions. The RS showed higher mineralization, salinity, hardness, water and air temperature, and low water quality index (WQI), relative to the RG. A discriminant analysis showed spatial (mineralization, salinity, and hardness in the RS) and temporal patterns (higher nitrogen compounds and temperature in the rainy season). The RS showed a lower AM diversity (40 taxa) compared to the RG (73 taxa); Ephemeroptera-Plecoptera-Trichoptera reached higher values in the RG. A co-inertia analysis identified five groups of sites with different AM assemblages and water quality characteristics. Climate change predictions for the TCBR suggest increased aridity, higher temperature, and lower rainfall, leading to reduced river flow and increased salinity and mineralization. These could alter habitat features and connectivity, with loss of AM diversity, highlighting the vulnerability of these unique ecosystems to climate change.

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“…Extensive drainage in combination with agricultural activity is known to increase the risk of mobility of agricultural nutrients and minerals (Kerr, 2017) from the landscape to receiving water bodies. Increased connectivity also reduces water residence time and thus tends to decrease wetland nutrient retention (Marton et al, 2015).…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Watershed classification for the Canadian prairie

Wolfe

Shook²,

Spence

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Abstract. Classification and clustering approaches provide a means to group watersheds according to similar attributes, functions, or behaviours, and can aid in managing natural resources within these regions. While widely used, approaches based on hydrological response parameters restrict analyses to regions where well-developed hydrological records exist, and overlook factors contributing to other management concerns, including biogeochemistry and ecology. In the Canadian Prairie, hydrometric gauging is sparse and often seasonal, large areas are endorheic and the landscape is highly modified by human activity, complicating classification based solely on hydrological parameters. We compiled climate, geological, topographical, and land cover data from the Prairie and conducted a classification of watersheds using a hierarchical clustering of principal components. Seven classes were identified based on the clustering of watersheds, including those distinguishing southern Manitoba, the pothole region, river valleys, and grasslands. Important defining variables were climate, elevation, surficial geology, wetland distribution, and land cover. In particular, three classes occur almost exclusively within regions that tend not to contribute to major river systems, and collectively encompass the majority of the study area. The gross difference in key characteristics across the classes suggests that future water management and climate change may carry with them heterogeneous sets of implications for water security across the Prairies. This emphasizes the importance of developing management strategies that target sub-regions expected to behave coherently as current human-induced changes to the landscape will affect how watersheds react to change. This study provides the first classification of watersheds within the Prairie based on climatic and biophysical attributes, and our findings provide a foundation for addressing questions related to hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological behaviours at a regional level.

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Multiple land use activities drive riverine salinization in a large, semi‐arid river basin in western Canada

Abstract: Salinization is increasingly recognized as a global issue. However, the relative importance of different drivers across a broad range of ions and ecosystems is not well understood. This study examined spatial and temporal dynamics in riverine salinity (conductivity, Ca 21

Cited by 27 publications

References 57 publications

Multiyear Trends in Solute Concentrations and Fluxes From a Suburban Watershed: Evaluating Effects of 100‐Year Flood Events

Multiyear Trends in Solute Concentrations and Fluxes From a Suburban Watershed: Evaluating Effects of 100‐Year Flood Events

Water Quality and Macroinvertebrate Community in Dryland Streams: The Case of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (México) Facing Climate Change

Watershed classification for the Canadian prairie

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