HR: 11:00h
AN: NB22B-03    [Abstracts]
TI: Factors Controlling Hydrologic Permanence of Headwater Streams
AU: * Fritz, K M
EM: fritz.ken@epa.gov
AF: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Ecological Exposure Research Division, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Mailstop 642, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
AU: Johnson, B R
EM: johnson.brent@epa.gov
AF: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Ecological Exposure Research Division, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Mailstop 642, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
AU: Walters, D M
EM: walters.davidm@epa.gov
AF: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Ecological Exposure Research Division, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Mailstop 642, Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States
AB: Headwater streams compose the majority of stream miles within most drainages. Interest in monitoring headwater streams is increasing because these streams are vital linkages between upland land use and downstream water bodies. However, traditional stream assessment tools are often unsuitable because many headwater streams are prone to natural drying. Our objective was to identify physical characteristics of headwater reaches that are indicative of hydrologic permanence, a critical first step in applying a stream assessment. We surveyed 61 reaches along 17 headwater streams (< 2.6 km²) across 4 forests in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Reaches varied in hydrologic permanence over the 2-year study. Exploratory data analysis (CART and discriminant analysis) was used to identify physical parameters for classifying reaches by hydrologic permanence. Drainage area was a consistent parameter discriminating permanence categories and consistently separated ephemeral from perennial and intermittent reaches. Secondary parameters that distinguished intermittent from ephemeral and perennial reaches included bankfull width, maximum pool depth, and channel entrenchment. These factors represent basin and reach scales, suggesting that hydrologic permanence in stream networks should be investigated in a hierarchical context. Although this work was reviewed by EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy.
DE: 1812 Drought
DE: 1824 Geomorphology (1625)
DE: 1848 Networks
DE: 1860 Runoff and streamflow
DE: 6600 PUBLIC ISSUES
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly