Download Inland Lakes and Tributaries

Inland Lakes and Tributaries
Scudder D. Mackey, Ph.D.
University of Windsor
Inland Lakes and Tributaries
• Inland Lakes and Tributaries are critical and essential
to the Great Lakes ecosystem.
• Anthropogenic impacts alter substrate characteristics,
water depth, water quality, connectivity, and flow
regime of inland lakes and tributaries.
• Anthropogenic impacts have both a direct and an
indirect impact on the Lake Erie ecosystem.
Structural Habitat
• Created by the dynamic interaction of geological,
hydrological, and biological processes
• Formed by features and conditions that exhibit an
organizational pattern that persists and are
“repeatable” in a system – elements that are
essential to maintain a renewable resource
• The Lake Erie ecosystem co-evolved and has
adapted to these structural habitats
Peters and Cross (1992)
Fundamentals - Aquatic Habitat
• Combination of a range of physical characteristics
and energy conditions that can be delineated
geographically that meet the needs of a specific
species and/or biological community for a specific life
stage.
• Created and maintained by physical processes
acting along hydrogeomorphic pathways that convey
energy, water, and materials to, and through, the
lakes (landscape – water linkages).
Abiotic (Physical) Characteristics
•
(Climate)
Energy
•
“Habitat”
•
Substrate
Water Mass
(Geology)
(Hydrology)
•
Energy – oscillatory and
unidirectional flows, shear
stress, turbulence.
Substrate – bedrock,
composition, texture,
hardness, stability,
porosity, permeability,
roughness.
Water Mass – depth,
temperature, turbidity,
nutrients, contaminants,
and dissolved oxygen.
Habitat – when physical
characteristics meet the
needs of a specific species
or biological community for
a given life stage
Inland Lakes and Riverine
Boundaries
• Zone limits:
– Streams included are those marked as blue lines
on a 1:100,000
– Nearshore Detroit River possibly included within
this habitat zone
• Polygon bounds:
– Watersheds
Inland Lakes and Riverine
Available Information
• United States:
– IBI stream classification (Ohio)
– Substrate mapping and characterization (ODNR,
Case Western Reserve University, The Ohio State
University, TNC, other NGO’s)
– QHEI information (OEPA)
– USGS NAQWA, Terrestrial and Aquatic GAP
programs
– MDNR/IFR Valley Segment analyses
• Canada:
– I don’t have a clue…
River Mile 36
N
Flow
Riverine Substrate Mapping
Abbotts Island Area
Seneca County, OH
Silt/Clay
Sand
Gravel/Pebble
Boulder/Cobble
Limestone Bedrock/Bedrock Slab
River Mile 35
Information Required
• Important variables include
–
–
–
–
–
Substrate characteristics (distribution, stability)
Hydrology and flow regime
Water mass characteristics (water quality, thermal regime)
Connectivity and flow paths (surface water, ground water)
Biota-specific habitat variables (function, life stage)
• Discrete habitat classes are possible
– Adapt classes to specific needs (species, communities, life
stage)
– Aquatic environmental template
Inland Lake and Tributary
• Identify and map substrate distributions
–
–
–
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Acoustic/direct sampling
Hydraulic modeling (flow and sediment routing models)
Geomorphic (valley segment)
Remote sensing
• Hydrology and flow regime (natural flow regime)
–
–
–
–
Hydrographs from gage data (direct measurement)
Groundwater-surface water interactions
Hydraulic modeling – watershed flows
Remote sensing
• Evaluate environmental characteristics
–
–
–
Water mass characteristics (water quality, thermal regime)
Connectivity (dams, floodplain-tributary, tributary-lake connections)
Riparian characteristics
Aquatic Environmental Template
•
•
•
Requires a dynamic classification system
Multiple geospatial data layers
3-Dimensional
What are the
characteristics
or variables that
define habitat?
(habitat suitability
analyses)
Water Mass
Energy
Substrate
Summary
• Regional scale
– Exhibit an organizational pattern, persist, and are
“repeatable” in a system – elements that are
essential to maintain a renewable resource
– Many habitat impacts are cumulative, slow acting,
and show effects on a scale not easily detected by
the casual observer
• Local scale
– Tributaries are dynamic, vary seasonally and with
climate
• Flow regime
• Substrate
• Water mass characteristics