Review
Engineering, Civil
Claire J. Oswald, Christa Kelleher, Sarah H. Ledford, Kristina G. Hopkins, Anneliese Sytsma, Doerthe Tetzlaff, Laura Toran, Carolyn Voter
Summary: Although urban areas occupy a small proportion of global land cover, their impact on hydrological processes is significant. The disturbance caused by urbanization transforms the pathways of water flow. Despite progress in understanding the interactions between hydrological processes and the urban environment, there are still many unanswered questions.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kayla M. Hess, James S. Sinclair, Alexander J. Reisinger, Eban Z. Bean, Basil V. Iannone
Summary: This study evaluated the effectiveness of detention ponds in mitigating the impacts of urban stormwater runoff on downstream waterbodies. The findings suggest the need to improve detention pond efficiency or identify alternative strategies for protecting waterbodies from the effects of urbanization.
Article
Water Resources
Gerhard Schoener
Summary: This study evaluated the impacts of urbanization and stormwater infrastructure on ephemeral channel transmission loss (TL), an important source of groundwater recharge in dryland basins. The results showed that both runoff and TL increased with urbanization, while stormwater detention ponds had minimal impact on TL. Lining the ephemeral streams reduced TL significantly.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY-REGIONAL STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sujay S. S. Kaushal, Carly M. M. Maas, Paul M. M. Mayer, Tammy A. A. Newcomer-Johnson, Stanley B. B. Grant, Megan A. A. Rippy, Ruth R. R. Shatkay, Jonathan Leathers, Arthur J. J. Gold, Cassandra Smith, Evan C. C. McMullen, Shahan Haq, Rose Smith, Shuiwang Duan, Joseph Malin, Alexis Yaculak, Jenna E. E. Reimer, Katie Delaney Newcomb, Ashley Sides Raley, Daniel C. C. Collison, Joseph G. G. Galella, Melissa Grese, Gwendolyn Sivirichi, Thomas R. R. Doody, Peter Vikesland, Shantanu V. V. Bhide, Lauren Krauss, Madeline Daugherty, Christina Stavrou, MaKayla Etheredge, Jillian Ziegler, Andrew Kirschnick, William England, Kenneth T. T. Belt
Summary: There are challenges in monitoring and managing water quality due to spatial and temporal heterogeneity in contaminant sources, transport, and transformations. We demonstrate the importance of longitudinal stream synoptic (LSS) monitoring, which can track combinations of water quality parameters along flowpaths across space and time.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Haishun Xu, Tongxin Zhong, Yugang Chen, Jinguang Zhang
Summary: Climate change, urbanization, and green stormwater infrastructure planning policies create uncertainties in future urban sustainability. This study proposes a framework for simulating future urban stormwater scenarios by considering multiple factors. The study compares and analyzes changes in surface runoff and runoff pollutants in Shanghai's new and old urban areas under different scenarios. The findings highlight the importance of considering the characteristics of different urban regions, maintaining and managing green stormwater infrastructure, and developing adaptive strategies to cope with climate change, urbanization, and infrastructure destruction.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Desmond Ofosu Anim, Patrick Banahene
Summary: Urbanization in catchment areas is a major driver of stream degradation, with the restoration of natural hydrogeomorphic conditions being crucial for successful and sustainable restoration actions. Management measures should take a broader approach that considers the anticipated hydraulic condition effects to achieve better urban stream restoration goals.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Roger Glick, Jaehak Jeong, Raghavan Srinivasan, Jeffrey G. Arnold, Younggu Her
Summary: Computer simulation models are a useful tool for planning, allowing for reliable and affordable analysis of what-if scenarios. This study focuses on the potential of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) as a modeling tool for urban stormwater planning and management. The results demonstrate that SWAT, along with recent enhancements, can help develop effective measures for solving urban stormwater issues.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Chunli Li, Jun Yang, Yuqing Zhang
Summary: This study analyzed the spatial and temporal changes of the urban ecological environment in Dalian, China from 2010 to 2022 using remote sensing data. It found that urbanization has had a substantial impact on the urban natural environment and has altered the urban land use structure.
IEEE JOURNAL OF SELECTED TOPICS IN APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATIONS AND REMOTE SENSING
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Natalie C. Hall, Masoumeh Sikaroodi, Dianna Hogan, R. Christian Jones, Patrick M. Gillevet
Summary: This study assessed bacterial community composition in different types of stormwater BMP soils, revealing high bacterial diversity and abundance of denitrifiers in all BMP types sampled. Denitrification potential could occur in all types of BMP, including surface sand filters, under appropriate conditions.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Rebecca Forgrave, Emily M. Elliott, Daniel J. Bain
Summary: The fast hydrologic responses to storms in urban areas are not only due to high percentages of impervious surfaces, but also because of buried streams. This study categorizes storm event responses in a heavily buried stream in an urban watershed in Pittsburgh using 6.5 years of precipitation and discharge data. The extensive stream burial led to lower watershed retention capacity and resulted in faster storm event responses compared to other urban streams with similar imperviousness.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Claire Welty, Joel Moore, Daniel J. Bain, Mahdad Talebpour, John T. Kemper, Peter M. Groffman, Jonathan M. Duncan
Summary: Synoptic sampling provides insights into spatial distribution of dissolved constituents in urban watersheds. This study conducted six surveys in a highly developed Piedmont watershed using baseflow stream sampling, revealing spatially heterogeneous patterns of groundwater contaminant zones contributing to high stream concentrations. Sparse groundwater measurements were found to be a poor predictor of stream chemistry in this geologic setting. Cross-covariance analysis suggested that urban features drive spatial changes in baseflow solute concentrations. Legacy solute sources were identified as the main drivers of baseflow stream chemistry in the urban critical zone.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Thomas D. Shahady, Wrenn C. Cleary
Summary: The removal of dams in highly urbanized watersheds must be carefully considered, as reservoirs may serve as critical structures for improving water quality. Data comparisons suggest that reservoirs in urbanized watersheds can have a significant impact on water quality, with removal potentially leading to degraded conditions and increased flooding risks.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Elisa Leite Costa, Daniela Junqueira Carvalho, Sergio Koide
Summary: Urban stormwater runoff is a significant source of pollution in receiving water bodies, requiring monitoring studies to deal with its impacts. High urban growth rates in Brasilia have led to substantial impacts on urban water resources, with diffuse pollution generated by new unregulated urban developments.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Robert J. Hawley, Kathryn Russell, Kristine Taniguchi-Quan
Summary: Stream channel erosion is a common problem in urban watersheds due to conventional stormwater management practices. Hydrologic-based restoration seeks to replicate natural flow conditions, but the success of these interventions in promoting geomorphic recovery depends on their ability to reduce sediment transport capacity. This paper compiles five years of data from three different settings to demonstrate how erosion potential can elucidate the role of stormwater interventions in facilitating geomorphic recovery.
Article
Environmental Studies
Valter M. Azevedo-Santos, Vanessa S. Daga, Livia H. Tonella, Renata Ruaro, Marlene S. Arcifa, Philip M. Fearnside, Tommaso Giarrizzo
Summary: Brazil's Forest Code requires the preservation of Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) along watercourses. However, a recently approved law undermines this requirement by allowing municipalities to define APP widths and potentially eliminate urban APPs. This is problematic as it would result in negative effects on aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity in cities. Repealing the law and prioritizing the conservation of urban terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are necessary.
Article
Ecology
Nathan J. Smucker, Erik M. Pilgrim, Christopher T. Nietch, John A. Darling, Brent R. Johnson
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Jonathan W. Lopez, Thomas B. Parr, Daniel C. Allen, Caryn C. Vaughn
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tingting Xu, Giovanni Coco, Martin Neale
Article
Ecology
Andrea Buresova, Vaclav Tejnecky, Jan Kopecky, Ondrej Drabek, Pavla Madrova, Nada Rerichova, Marek Omelka, Petra Krizova, Karel Nemecek, Thomas B. Parr, Tsutomu Ohno, Marketa Sagova-Mareckova
Summary: The study compared the soil forming processes and microbial community structures under beech and spruce forests, finding higher litter decomposition rates in beech forests and lower rates in spruce forests.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nathan J. Smucker, Jake J. Beaulieu, Christopher T. Nietch, Jade L. Young
Summary: The study found that cyanobacteria cell densities in temperate reservoirs in the USA began to rapidly increase after 2003-2005, with some watersheds posing high human health risks due to these increases. This trend seems to be associated with warmer climate conditions, impacting even watersheds mostly covered by forests.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Caryn C. Vaughn, Thomas B. Parr, Traci P. DuBose, Kiza K. Gates, Garrett W. Hopper, Keith B. Gido
Summary: In streams, the interaction between fish and mussels was studied to understand how they influence nutrient recycling and resource distribution. Fish were found to control the abundance and productivity of algae, while mussel beds did not have a strong impact on nutrient concentration and spatial distribution.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Lester L. L. Yuan, Nathan J. J. Smucker, Christopher T. T. Nietch, Erik M. M. Pilgrim
Summary: This study proposes a new approach to analyze the effects of nutrient concentrations by comparing changes in time and space. The results suggest a causal effect of increased P on diatom composition, with consistent associations in both time and space.
FRESHWATER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Matthew T. Heberling, James I. Price, Christopher T. Nietch, Michael Elovitz, Nathan J. Smucker, Donald A. Schupp, Amr Safwat, Tim Neyer
Summary: This study estimates a cost function for a water treatment plant in Ohio to evaluate the costs saved by improving source water quality. The findings show that changes in source water quality resulted in a different cost model and highlight the significance of total organic carbon and algal toxins on treatment costs. Additionally, the study explores the impact of positive and negative shocks on cost volatility.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nathan J. Smucker, Erik M. Pilgrim, Huiyun Wu, Christopher T. Nietch, John A. Darling, Marirosa Molina, Brent R. Johnson, Lester L. Yuan
Summary: Interest in developing periphytic diatom and bacterial indicators of nutrient effects is growing, but temporal variability can complicate relationships between indicators and nutrients. This study found that while nutrient concentrations varied with agriculture in watersheds, the variability of diatom and bacterial assemblages within sites remained consistent. Weekly low and high nutrient diatom and bacterial metrics were more strongly correlated with site mean nutrient concentrations over the sampling period, and correlations with TP concentrations were consistently strong throughout the study.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Mateo Scoggins, Derek B. Booth, Tim Fletcher, Megan Fork, Ana Gonzalez, Rebecca L. Hale, Robert J. Hawley, Allison H. Roy, Erika E. Bilger, Nick Bond, Matthew James Burns, Kristina G. Hopkins, Kate H. Macneale, Eugenia Marti, S. Kyle McKay, Martin W. Neale, Michael J. Paul, Blanca Rios-Touma, Kathryn L. Russell, Robert F. Smith, Staryn Wagner, Seth Wenger
Summary: Urban streams can provide benefits to city dwellers, but when they become degraded, those benefits are diminished and may even cause harm. To improve the values and services of urban streams, it is important to involve community members in project development and implementation, as their input can help align project objectives with community desires and needs, thus increasing the chances of success.
FRESHWATER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Erik M. Pilgrim, Nathan J. Smucker, Huiyun Wu, John Martinson, Christopher T. Nietch, Marirosa Molina, John A. Darling, Brent R. Johnson
Summary: Indicators based on nutrient-biota relationships in streams can provide information for water quality restoration and protection programs. Bacterial assemblages, as species-rich contributors to stream ecosystem processes, can serve as useful indicators of nutrient effects due to their responsiveness to changing conditions.
Article
Ecology
Lester L. Yuan, Richard M. Mitchell, Amina Pollard, Christopher T. Nietch, Erik M. Pilgrim, Nathan J. Smucker
Summary: Changes in phosphorus concentrations have nuanced effects on periphytic diatom composition in streams, showing weak relationships with diatom richness. On the other hand, conductivity changes strongly influence both diatom composition and richness. By comparing the relationships between phosphorus and taxon occurrence with those between conductivity and taxon occurrence, as well as documenting the effects of niche breadths on richness patterns, a better understanding of the mechanisms controlling the phosphorus-richness relationship can be achieved. The findings contribute to improving the management of phosphorus pollution and describing the contributions of excess phosphorus and specific taxa with their niche breadths to diatom richness patterns.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Chloe A. Price, Kevin S. Simon, Martin Neale
Summary: Biodiversity offsetting aims to address the negative impacts of human development, but it is currently not achieving its goal of No Net Loss due to failures in practice and process.
NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF MARINE AND FRESHWATER RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christopher T. Nietch, Nathan J. Smucker, Leslie Gains-Germain, Christopher P. Peck, Stefania Guglielmi, Susanna DeCelles, James Lazorchak, Brent Johnson, Paul Weaver
Summary: A stream mesocosm dose-response experiment was conducted to assess the impacts of wastewaters from mountaintop mining and deep well brines on stream ecology. Results showed that mountaintop mining wastewaters had a greater negative impact on secondary production and invertebrate taxa compared to deep well brines. However, overall, significant changes in stream ecology were not expected below a specific conductivity of 300 mu S/cm.
Article
Environmental Sciences
James L. Lake, Jonathan R. Serbst, Anne Kuhn, Michael Charpentier, Nathan J. Smucker
Summary: Excessive inputs of nitrogen from human activities can have detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems. This study investigated the use of stable isotopes in benthic organic matter (BOM) as proxies for filter feeding bivalves in lakes and estuaries to assess anthropogenic impacts on aquatic systems and resources. The results showed that stable isotope ratios in BOM can serve as indicators for assessing these impacts.