Effects of Mountain Resort Development on Water Quality: Importance of Spatial Location of Landuse / Land Cover Change

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Human alteration of the patterns of land use/land cover (LULC) on the earths surface is one of the most profound impacts on the functioning of natural ecosystems. Understanding the consequences of LULC change is a critical issue at multiple scales. At the watershed scale, this research will examine the impact of the spatial organization and geographic location of human development on the spatial, seasonal and temporal patterns of streamwater quality. The study site located in Southwestern Montana was the focus of a 1970s National Science Foundation (NSF) study presenting a detailed assessment of watershed characteristics and condition prior to extensive resort development. The pre-development NSF study and proceeding widespread LULC change sets the stage for new research exploring the importance of spatial location LULC on streamwater quality in a developing mountain watershed. This study will employ high-resolution topographic Airborne LaSer Mapping (ALSM) data to map watershed characteristics and flowpaths. ALSM makes it possible to delineate the physical features of the earth's surface on spatial scales as fine as a few decimeters horizontally and a few centimeters vertically to develop a high-resolutionDEM (2m) of the West Fork watershed. Accurate topographic information is essential to delineating watershed characteristics and flowpaths and thus will be critical to elucidating the impact of spatial location and pattern of LULC on streamwater quality. The ALSM data will be combined with high-resolution satellite imagery to create LULC maps, and allow for exploration of the potential accuracy of these LULC maps created from high-resolution data sets. Acquisition of ALSM data of the study area will provide educational opportunities for the PIS to take part in data collection and processing and provide an important data set for scientific researchers and land managers involved in the study area.