Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Adam S. Wymore, Anna Bourakovsky, Hannah M. Fazekas, Jane C. Marks, William H. McDowell
Summary: Urbanization can lead to various stressors on freshwater ecosystems, such as altered flow regimes, higher sediment loads, and increased inorganic nutrient supply. The response of maple to suburbanization was stronger than oak, and leaf species effects drove microbial activity, indicating that multiple stressors may interact to create muted signals of suburbanization.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jungjin Kim, Younggu Her, Rabin Bhattarai, Hanseok Jeong
Summary: Subsurface drainage systems have both positive and negative impacts on soil and water quality. The current SWAT model oversimplifies nitrate transport processes, but the revised approach in this study improves the accuracy of nitrate load prediction.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Dongyang Ren, Bernard Engel, Mitchell R. Tuinstra
Summary: The changes in field crop traits due to genetic and agronomic improvements have significant implications for regional water quantity and quality processes. This study conducted a case study in the St. Joseph River Watershed in the U.S. Corn Belt, analyzing the sensitivities of crop traits to various water and nutrient-related factors. The results highlight the importance of considering crop improvements in long-term studies of hydrology and nutrient cycles in agricultural watersheds.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiaxin Xie, Xiaomang Liu, Peng Bai, Changming Liu
Summary: In this study, an automatic outlet relocation (AOR) algorithm was proposed for rapid watershed delineation. The experiment showed that the AOR algorithm outperformed the ArcGIS algorithm in terms of accuracy and efficiency. The AOR algorithm offers an opportunity for automatic delineation of a large number of watersheds in the big data era.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xihua Wang, Shunqing Jia, Zejun Liu, Boyang Mao
Summary: Nitrate pollution in groundwater has become a global concern. This study traced the nitrate pollution sources in the Yiluo River watershed in China and calculated the total nitrogen loading and assessed the contamination. The results showed that nitrate mainly came from agricultural fertilizer and sediment nitrogen input. Nitrite pollution was more severe in the wet season than in the dry season.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hui Yang, Jiansheng Cao
Summary: This study utilized ArcGIS to extract the drainage networks and watersheds of the Daqing River, analyzing basin characteristics, the influence of drainage density on surface conditions, and the relationship between water yield and drainage density. Results showed that the mountain watersheds in the Daqing River were narrow and predisposed to flooding, with stream orders ranging from five to seven. Drainage density was higher in the north and lower in the south, negatively correlated with rainfall. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between channel slope and water yield but the impact of watershed area, elongation ratio and drainage density on water yield was not significant.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stephanie Figary, Naomi Detenbeck, Cara O'Donnell
Summary: The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians collaborated to build a stream temperature model for the Meduxnekeag Watershed, using a high-resolution hydrology dataset. The model predicted stream temperatures at different time periods, guiding riparian restoration projects to expand habitat for cold water fishes.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Brian Saccardi, Matthew Winnick
Summary: Inland waters are crucial for the global carbon budget, but predicting carbon fluxes in streams has been challenging due to variability in pCO(2) at different scales. A new stream network model incorporating CO2 input and output fluxes provides a process-based representation of stream CO2 dynamics, outperforming traditional statistical methods. This model reveals the transition of CO2 sources in streams and shows that atmospheric CO2 fluxes may be significantly underestimated on regional and global scales.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Caroline Martin, Stephanie K. Kampf, John C. Hammond, Codie Wilson, Suzanne P. Anderson
Summary: This study investigated streamflow locations in three semiarid catchments across an elevation gradient in the Colorado Front Range. Field surveys were conducted and compared to existing data sets, revealing that active drainage densities declined with elevation and snow persistence. Geologic structures influenced flow locations, with multiple flow heads initiated along faults and some tributaries following fault lines or lithologic contacts.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Se Jong Cho, Christian A. Braudrick, Christine L. Dolph, Stephanie S. Day, Brent J. Dalzell, Peter R. Wilcock
Summary: The study developed a methodological framework for estimating watershed-scale near-channel sediment loading using stream gaging data, providing a predictive basis for evaluating the impacts of runoff and river discharge increases on near-channel sediment supply. Application of this method includes evaluating conservation trade-offs, measuring benefits of landscape management practices in terms of reduction in downstream near-channel sediment loading in incised river corridors.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bryan M. Maxwell, Richard A. Cooke, Laura E. Christianson
Summary: Denitrifying bioreactors are an effective way to reduce nitrate loads in subsurface agricultural drainage. The study examined the performance of paired bioreactors in a large field in Illinois, USA and found that increasing the cross-sectional area improved flow capture, while short hydraulic retention times (HRTs) limited nitrate removal efficiency.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bryan M. Maxwell, Richard A. Cooke, Laura E. Christianson
Summary: The study found that increasing the cross-sectional area of the bioreactor can improve flow capture capacity, but the removal efficiency of nitrogen loads is not significant for large drainage areas. The paired bioreactor design operated as intended, but short hydraulic retention times ultimately limited nitrate removal efficiency.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Li Li, Mark A. Nearing, Philip Heilman, Mary H. Nichols, D. P. Guertin, C. J. Williams
Summary: Rangeland hillslope lengths play a fundamental role in hillslope diffusive processes, but there is limited information on their lengths and how to estimate them accurately. This study investigated different methods to calculate hillslope lengths and found that the flow routing algorithm provided the most accurate estimates. The results also showed variations in hillslope lengths among different groups of watersheds and their relationships with watershed characteristics.
INTERNATIONAL SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tony Vinicius Moreira Sampaio, Jorge Rocha
Summary: This study evaluates the quality of stream network representation in the official topographic maps of Brazil and Portugal. The maps were produced using different scales and methods, and completeness and positional quality were assessed. The results reveal that completeness and positional errors can vary in location, intensity, and scale, leading to changes in mapped watercourses, drainage density, and watershed size.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Taylor Maavara, Craig Brinkerhoff, Jacob Hosen, Kelly Aho, Laura Logozzo, James Saiers, Aron Stubbins, Peter Raymond
Summary: River networks play an important role in transporting dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from land to the coastal ocean. The uptake of DOC in a river network is influenced by factors such as stream order, seasonal conditions, and flow. However, the dominance of biological or abiotic processes in DOC uptake and the partitioning of uptake between lakes and rivers are still unclear. In this study, a new model named CUPS-OF-DOC is presented to quantify DOC cycling in a river network, taking into account river-lake connectivity. The model is applied to the Connecticut River Watershed, revealing that the proportion of DOC uptake from photomineralization varies across different flow conditions and stream orders.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bianca M. Rodriguez-Cardona, Adam S. Wymore, Alba Argerich, Rebecca T. Barnes, Susana Bernal, E. N. Jack Brookshire, Ashley A. Coble, Walter K. Dodds, Hannah M. Fazekas, Ashley M. Helton, Penny J. Johnes, Sherri L. Johnson, Jeremy B. Jones, Sujay S. Kaushal, Pirkko Kortelainen, Carla Lopez-Lloreda, Robert G. M. Spencer, William H. McDowell
Summary: DOC and DON concentrations in streams show different trends in various biomes and the DOC:DON molar ratios increase over time. The recovery from atmospheric acid deposition leads to fundamental changes in the DOM pool, affecting biogeochemical processes and food webs in streams.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
L. E. Bertassello, J. W. Jawitz, E. Bertuzzo, G. Botter, A. Rinaldo, A. F. Aubeneau, J. T. Hoverman, P. S. C. Rao
Summary: This study aims to investigate how the combination of dynamic patch habitat attributes, hydroclimatic variability, and species traits influence the long-term spatiotemporal patterns of amphibian metapopulations in wetland habitats.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emily S. Bernhardt, Phil Savoy, Michael J. Vlah, Alison P. Appling, Lauren E. Koenig, Robert O. Hall, Maite Arroita, Joanna R. Blaszczak, Alice M. Carter, Matt Cohen, Judson W. Harvey, James B. Heffernan, Ashley M. Helton, Jacob D. Hosen, Lily Kirk, William H. McDowell, Emily H. Stanley, Charles B. Yackulic, Nancy B. Grimm
Summary: Mean annual temperature and precipitation do not explain variation in gross primary productivity (GPP) or ecosystem respiration (ER) in rivers. There is significant variation in the magnitude and seasonality of GPP and ER across US rivers. Rivers respire more carbon than they fix and have less consistent seasonality compared to terrestrial ecosystems. Variation in annual solar energy inputs and flow stability drive GPP and ER in rivers.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Davide Tognin, Alvise Finotello, Andrea D'Alpaos, Daniele P. Viero, Mattia Pivato, Riccardo A. Mel, Andrea Defina, Enrico Bertuzzo, Marco Marani, Luca Carniello
Summary: Coastal flooding prevention measures, such as storm-surge barriers, are widely adopted globally due to rising sea levels. However, their effects on shallow tidal embayment morphodynamics are poorly understood. Field data and modeling results from the microtidal Venice Lagoon reveal that artificial reduction of water levels leads to increased sediment resuspension and decreased salt marsh accretion.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alvise Finotello, Andrea D'Alpaos, Marco Marani, Enrico Bertuzzo
Summary: This article presents a new ecological model that describes the dynamics of halophytic vegetation in tidal saline wetlands. The model takes into account factors such as dispersal and competition among species, and is able to predict realistic vegetation distributions and species-richness patterns.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Joseph Chadi Lemaitre, Damiano Pasetto, Mario Zanon, Enrico Bertuzzo, Lorenzo Mari, Stefano Miccoli, Renato Casagrandi, Marino Gatto, Andrea Rinaldo
Summary: This study explores spatial allocation strategies for COVID-19 vaccine distribution and proposes a novel optimal control framework to determine the best allocation. By optimizing the vaccine allocation for each scenario in Italy, the study demonstrates that the optimal solution outperforms alternative strategies based on different criteria. The results reveal the complex impact of spatial heterogeneities on prioritization strategies in vaccination campaigns.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Enrico Bertuzzo, Erin R. Hotchkiss, Alba Argerich, John S. Kominoski, Diana Oviedo-Vargas, Philip Savoy, Rachel Scarlett, Daniel von Schiller, James B. Heffernan
Summary: This study used an inverse modeling framework to estimate the contribution of different organic matter sources to stream ecosystem respiration and found that respiration of autochthonous organic matter was correlated with seasonal peaks in gross primary production, while respiration associated with litter inputs was larger in smaller streams.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Nuria Catalan, Ruben del Campo, Matthew Talluto, Clara Mendoza-Lera, Giulia Grandi, Susana Bernal, Daniel von Schiller, Gabriel Singer, Enrico Bertuzzo
Summary: Streams and rivers act as bioreactors processing large quantities of particulate organic matter. Climate change impacts the flow regime, affecting the decomposition and transport of organic matter. This study explored the consequences of lateral hydrological contraction on the decomposition and transport of organic matter in river networks.
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tom J. Battin, Ronny Lauerwald, Emily S. Bernhardt, Enrico Bertuzzo, Lluis Gomez Gener, Robert O. Hall Jr, Erin R. Hotchkiss, Taylor Maavara, Tamlin M. Pavelsky, Lishan Ran, Peter Raymond, Judith A. Rosentreter, Pierre Regnier
Summary: River networks are the largest biogeochemical connection between land, ocean and atmosphere. Our understanding of the role of rivers in the global carbon cycle is limited, making it difficult to predict how global change will affect riverine carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions. This review summarizes the current state of river ecosystem metabolism research and provides estimates of carbon flux from land to rivers. The study highlights the importance of a global river observing system in understanding river networks and their future evolution in the context of the global carbon budget.
Article
Limnology
Joanna R. Blaszczak, Lauren E. Koenig, Francine H. Mejia, Lluis Gomez-Gener, Christopher L. Dutton, Alice M. Carter, Nancy B. Grimm, Judson W. Harvey, Ashley M. Helton, Matthew J. Cohen
Summary: This study reveals that hypoxia is a global issue in rivers, with a prevalence of 12.6% in sampled sites. Hypoxic events are more likely to occur at night and are influenced by river attributes rather than watershed characteristics. Warmer, smaller, and lower-gradient rivers with urban or wetland land cover show a higher likelihood of hypoxia.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cristiano Trevisin, Enrico Bertuzzo, Damiano Pasetto, Lorenzo Mari, Stefano Miccoli, Renato Casagrandi, Marino Gatto, Andrea Rinaldo
Summary: Current methods for estimating effective reproduction numbers overlook mobility fluxes in a spatially connected network. This study proposes equations that include spatially explicit effective reproduction numbers, 9Zk(t), for different communities and a tool to estimate these values using a Bayesian framework. The results suggest that current standards may underestimate disease transmission over time based on differences between connected and disconnected reproduction numbers.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alvise Finotello, Davide Tognin, Luca Carniello, Massimiliano Ghinassi, Enrico Bertuzzo, Andrea D'Alpaos
Summary: The loss of salt marshes in back-barrier tidal embayments is causing significant changes in hydrodynamics, including higher water levels and reduced wave energy dissipation. Restoration projects and manmade protection of marsh margins have limited the negative effects of marsh loss, but the risk of flooding in urban settlements remains unchanged. The hydrodynamic response to salt-marsh erosion is highly site-specific, depending on embayment morphology and external tidal and wind forcings.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pier Luigi Segatto, Tom J. Battin, Enrico Bertuzzo
Summary: Climate change and predicted warmer temperatures and more extreme hydrological regimes have the potential to affect freshwater ecosystems and their energy pathways. A meta-ecosystem framework was proposed to study carbon cycling in flowing waters at the scale of a river network, taking into account light and temperature regimes, network structure, land cover, and the hydrologic regime. The model successfully simulated the metabolism of the Ybbs River network in Austria and the effects of altered thermal and hydrologic regimes on metabolism and ecosystem efficiency were investigated. The analysis reveals the complex interactions between environmental conditions and biota in shaping stream metabolism and highlights the need for further research on the effects of climate change in these ecosystems.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elisa Stella, Roberto Pastres, Damiano Pasetto, Matko Kolega, Danijel Mejdandzic, Slavica Colak, Antares Musmanno, Andrea Gustinelli, Lorenzo Mari, Enrico Bertuzzo
Summary: Intensive fish farming has led to the spread of parasites like Sparicotyle chrysophrii, which can cause epizootics in gilthead seabream. A new model was developed to simulate the transmission dynamics of the parasite and successfully replicated its distribution within fish hosts as well as the effects of environmental factors.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Water Resources
Adam B. Haynes, Martin A. Briggs, Eric Moore, Kevin Jackson, James Knighton, David M. Rey, Ashley M. Helton
Summary: Riverbank groundwater discharge faces are areas of preferential seepage exposed to air at low river flow. They represent the convergence of highly variable age and length groundwater flowpaths, with some consistency in source groundwater characteristics. A field investigation was conducted on the Farmington River, CT, using temperature-based models and multi-parameter classification to assess discharge patterns and flowpath characteristics. Shallow, local sources were found at upstream discharge faces, while downstream faces exhibited deeper and regional flowpath characteristics. Local flowpath heterogeneity also influenced larger scale flowpath characteristics.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2023)