Dissertation Research: The influence of development configuration on thermal pollution in urban streams

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Streams in urban watersheds are typically warmer at low flows and can experience higher temperatures during storm flows when run-off passes over hot paved surfaces. It's known that high temperatures can stress in-stream organisms, however our understanding of the relationship between development and altered stream temperature remains imprecise. Water temperature will be monitored at multiple locations to distinguish the importance of the spatial configuration of development, contrasting above-ground connectivity (e.g., impervious patch size, shape, location, shading) and below-ground connectivity (e.g., stormwater infrastructure, especially pipes). This will improve our understanding of the impact of urban development on heat pulses in streams, and more generally on stream ecosystems. Because these metrics will be linked more explicitly to hydrologic behaviors than many development proxies that are now commonly used, this research will help to better understand how urban watersheds function and how policies can ameliorate negative effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems. Collaborators in this research will include faculty and graduate student researchers at Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University, the Triangle J Council of Governments, and watershed managers working for Chapel Hill, Durham, Carrboro, and Raleigh. A local eighth grade class will be involved through the use of an outdoor classroom and the presentation of results during class times and members of Girl Scout Troop 514 will participate in fieldwork and a day of learning about thermal pollution through hands-on activities.