Ideas For Use
Public participation in water resource management requires public understanding about how water functions in natural communities, and how human activities affect the distribution and quality of this precious resource. One challenge—a fascinating one—is that just as watersheds do not respect political boundaries, watershed science does not respect disciplinary boundaries. Understanding watersheds from a policy perspective requires understanding biology, chemistry, Earth sciences, mathematics, sociology, economics, politics…the list goes on and on. For that reason, the interdisciplinary study of watersheds is often considered an “advanced” topic. We believe, however, that if it is approached as a foundational topic, it can provide wonderful opportunities for original research—research that matters to communities of all kinds.
Contents
Student Edition
FIGURES AND TABLES IN THE STUDENT EDITION
PREFACE
SciLinks
SECTION 1: UNDERSTANDING WATERSHED DYNAMICS
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION TO WATERSHED DYNAMICS
What Is a Watershed?
• The Water Cycle
• Competing Needs for Water
CHAPTER 2. WHAT’S IN A WATERSHED?
• Classifying Land Uses
• Effects of Land Use on Runoff Quantity
• Effects of Land Use on Water Quality
• Effects of Land Use on Habitat
-Riparian Zones
CHAPTER 3. BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES IN STREAMS
• Food Chains and Webs
• Stream Invertebrates
• Using Invertebrates to Assess Stream Quality
CHAPTER 4. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF STREAMS
• Temperature Turbidity
• Stream Order
• Rates of Flow
-Streamflow Changes over Time
-Impact of Impervious Surfaces
CHAPTER 5. STREAM CHEMISTRY
• Dissolved Oxygen
-Effect of Turbulence on Oxygen
-Effect of Temperature on Oxygen
-Effects of Living Things on Oxygen
-Effects of Organic Pollution on Oxygen
• pH
• Alkalinity
• Phosphorus
-The Phosphorus Cycle
-Effects of Excess Phosphate
• Nitrogen
-The Nitrogen Cycle
-Effects of Excess Nitrate
• Chloride
CHAPTER 6. MODELING AND MANAGEMENT
• Scientific Models
• Using Models to Evaluate Management Options
• A Case Study: Managing New York City’s Water Supply
• Community Action: Making a Difference in Your Own Watershed
SECTION 2. PROTOCOLS: INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
OVERVIEW
• Protocols
• Protocol 1 – Watershed Field Survey
• Protocol 2 – Object Recognition Using Maps and Airphotos
• Protocol 3 – Delineating a Watershed
• Protocol 4 – Analyzing Stream Integrity Using Remote Sensing Data
• Protocol 5 – Collecting Aquatic Invertebrates
• Protocol 6 – Simplified Stream Biota Test (SSBT)
• Protocol 7 – Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Using Aquatic Invertebrates
• Protocol 8 – Measuring Stream Discharge
• Protocol 9 – Aquatic Chemistry
• Protocol 10 – Computer Modeling with STELLA
WORKSHEETS FOR PLANNING PROTOCOLS
• Protocol Planning Form
• Data Analysis Peer Review Form
SECTION 3. INTERACTIVE RESEARCH: FIELD STUDIES AND
EXPERIMENTS
IDEAS FOR WATERSHED DYNAMICS RESEARCH
• Watershed Surveys
-Land use
-WHEBIP
-Invasive Species
• Stream Assessment with Aquatic Macroinvertebrates
-Comparing Assessment Protocols
-Effects of Land Use by People
-Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology
• Flow
-Precipitation and Impervious Surfaces
-Snowmelt
-Invertebrates
-Online Flow Data
• Stream Chemistry
-Point and Non-point Sources
-Nutrient Load
-Dissolved Oxygen
• Modeling
• Online Resources and Long-Term Data
FORMS FOR INTERACTIVE RESEARCH
• Planning Research
-Choosing a Research Topic
-Interactive Research Planning Form 1
-Interactive Research Planning Form 2
• Presenting Research Results
-Research Report Form
-Poster Guidelines
• Peer Review Forms
-Experimental Design Peer Review Form
-Research Report Peer Review Form
-Poster Peer Review Form
SECTION 4. INTERACTIVE RESEARCH: STORMWATER
TREATMENT DESIGN CHALLENGE
STORMWATER TREATMENT DESIGN CHALLENGE
• Materials
• Setting the Scene
• Background
• The Challenge
• Design Criteria and Constraints
• The Design Process
FORMS FOR STORMWATER TREATMENT DESIGN CHALLENGE
• Parts List and Cost Analysis Worksheet
• Design Selection Matrix
• Design Proposal Form
• Team Questions
• Presentation Assessment Form