BIOCOMPLEXITY -- INCUBATION ACTIVITY: Dynamic Controls on Emergent Properties of River Flood Plains

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0083884StanfordRivers are currently viewed as linear segments where materials spiral downstream in relation to catchment setting and water yield. This project is designed to shift science toward a non-linear, more dynamic view that emphasizes energy dispersion and materials retention as the primary organizing elements of river ecosystems. This research is conceptually based on the view that alluvial flood plains are regional centers of ecological organization, owing to dynamic, non-linear processes linking water and materials flux and retention to interactive landscape-forming processes. This interaction creates a complex, dynamic array of resource patches and interfaces, thereby producing a regional hot spot of biodiversity (including a very wide array of migratory species). Important modifiers of system dynamics include drought, wildfire, flow and geomorphic regulation (dams and revetments) and invasions of nonnative species. The interdisciplinary team will develop an expert system derived from available empirical data describing the structure and function of alluvial flood plains. The team will use an existing, novel simulator that routes water during specified flows through a large flood plain in western Montana. A primary task is to develop a tactical plan for refining the model to allow it to be driven by remotely sensed data.