EAGER: Understanding the Role of Turbulent Eddy Composition in Stream Ecosystem Services: Application of in-situ PIV to Habitat Selection Studies

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Proposal Title: Understanding the Role of Turbulent Eddy Composition in Stream Ecosystem Services: Application of in-situ PIV to Habitat Selection StudiesPrincipal Investigator: Hans TriticoInstitution: Youngstown state UniversityProposal No: 1102088The objective of this EAGER proposal is to demonstrate the applicability of in-situ particle image velocimetry (PIV) technology to addressing fluid mechanics questions that are difficult to answer in the laboratory. This applicability will be demonstrated by linking eddy composition to fish habitat selection. Despite the ubiquity and importance of turbulence in the fluvial environment, accurate measures of turbulent eddy composition (eddy diameter, vorticity, and orientation) in rivers are lacking. In-situ PIV extends laboratory particle image velocimetry to the field by using synchronized portable laser and imaging systems. The result is a temporal series of two-dimensional vector fields that can then be used to describe the size, orientation, distribution, and rotational strength of eddies in a river. These turbulent eddy metrics will be collected at locations where brown trout are observed station holding in a river. The results will, for the first time, describe the eddy characteristics of habitat selected by brown trout. The eddy characteristics of trout habitat will be compared to regions not occupied by the fish in order to also describe the habitat the fish are actively choosing against. The benefits of this project will be: (1) demonstration of the applicability of a new technology to fluvial research, (2) increased understanding of the interaction between turbulence and fish habitat selection, and (3) improved stream restoration designs that increase biodiversity. The proposed work will provide researchers with a novel method for understanding fluvial processes. While the specific process to be investigated is fish habitat selection, the demonstrated method will be applicable to researchers interested in fields as diverse as nutrient mixing, sediment transport, and turbulence closure algorithms. This research will be conducted by researchers from Youngstown State University, a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI), who include the P.I., one undergraduate engineering student, one undergraduate ecology student, and one Youngstown City high school student. In addition to the objectives outlined above, this research will expose two undergraduate and one high school student to interdisciplinary research opportunities in STEM fields.Bruce HamiltonProgram DirectorEnvironmental Sustainability10/16/10