Developing Delaware River Ecosystem Assessment ModelDREAM

A new technique for analyzing stream reaches and archiving stream data for an entire river basin.

Jerry V. Mead, Ph.D.

Assistant professor and Leader of Watershed and Systems Ecology Section

Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

Planning and Science

Draft web interface

Web-served geodatabase

Archive baseline and project data;

Archive modeling and associated metadata;

Allow users to access and assess information quickly.

Water temperature

Storm water

Carbon storage

Total phosphorus

Brook trout growth potential

Atrazine

1:1 (no change)1:2 (worst than reference)

Stream order

7-9

4-6

1-3

Evaluating multiple-environmental targets

How will the tool work?

Problem! So many streams!

?~29,000 km2

+

Generalized stream reachNHD data base

30 m riparian zone

Split into 120 m long reaches

Channel width

%Forest cover (30 meter resolution)

®1:1,966,745

% Forest cover

0

15

25

35

45

55

65

75

85

95

%Forest cover (1 meter resolution)

impervious

grass/herb

forest

Field measurements of forest cover

30 meters30 meters

120 meterreach

= point survey of land cover = 120 per reach X 33 reaches

% Forest cover (measured)

# C

ases

Error in model estimates of riparian forest cover

1 meter 30 meterResolution of forest map

100

50

25

75

Indicator Description Source Total PhosphorusE Land use in the watershed McNair unpublished;

Fischer et al. 2008 Total Suspended Solids E Land use in the watershed McNair unpublished;

Fischer et al. 2008

Carbon stocksX Based on forest inventory (good for climate-change mgt.) Murdoch et al. 2007

Forest litter inputsX Riparian vegetation and litter inputs to stream Mead et al. 2009

Stream channel widthX Developed using 190 locations in the basin Mead et al. 2009

Water temperatureX Developed using 101 gages in basin Mead et al. 2009

Richness of MacroinvertbratesX # of mayfly (E), stonefly (P) , caddisfly (T) taxa in a stream reach Fischer et al. 2008

Stream fish growth potentialX Non-native/native X (cold, cool, and warm water species) Mead et al. 2009

Intolerant stream fish diversity Major determinant of native fish biodiversity; sensitive to variety of disturbances,

Horwitz et al. 2008

NJ Fish IBI program

Stream salamander abundance and diversity

Sensitive to variety of disturbances. Horwitz et al 2009; Flinders et al. 2008

Louisiana Waterthrush (Seiurus motacilla) habitat

Riparian quality indicator and areas at risk (Figure 3) Prosser and Brooks 1998

Known sites of Species of special concern

Factor in site prioritization Natural Heritage Programs & unpub. data

Models or environmental indicators included

Fish bioenergetics models

• Brook trout Hartman et al. 2008 • Yellow perch Kitchell et al. 1977 • Juvenile American shad Limburg 1995

• Brown trout Dieterman et al. 2004

• Smallmouth bass Shuter and Post 1990

• Common carp Opuszynski et al. 1989,

Specziar 2002, Stecyk and Farrell 2002

Native fishes

Non-native fishes

Climate change

With high carbon emissions scenario

Brook Trout

(Savelinus fontinalus)juvenile Am

erican shad

(Alosa sapidissima)

Yellow Perch

(Perca flavescens)

Smallm

outh bass

(Salmolnus m

icroptera)Com

mon carp

(Cyprinus carpio)

Brown Trout

(Salmo trutta)

% C

hang

e in

gro

wth

fro

m c

urre

nt c

ondi

tion

Conclusions• Technique assessed riparian zones rapidly. ~3hrs for

~340,000 stream reaches;

• 30 meter maps not accurate enough for riparian assessment (under-estimated). 1 meter resolution maps over estimated forest cover by 15%;

• Delaware has heavily deforested coastal zone (average 28% forest cover). Increasing forest cover from south to north.

• The Environmental Planning Tool approach is extremely effective at estimating riparian forest cover for an entire river basin at the reach (120 m long) scale.

Developing the Tool

•Watershed groups help develop tool;

•Watershed groups use tool as demo;

•Tool disseminated and put online;

•Form a review board for tool expansion.

Thank you!