Streams in urbanizing landscapes: from syndrome diagnosis to watershed prescription

该项目将研究城市化景观中已开发土地的大小、分布和连通性的变化如何影响对接收溪流的水文和化学影响的大小和时间。研究景观变化的生态学家倾向于关注土地覆盖梯度的极端端点，然而美国东南部中等城市范围内的绝大多数流域只有25-35%的路面、屋顶、草坪和道路。在这些流域内，相对于接收溪流，发育表面的大小、邻近程度和连通性变化很大。该项目旨在回答不透水表面的安排如何加剧或减轻已开发表面积的影响。研究人员将比较具有相似开发水平但开发配置非常不同的流域的河流的污染物负荷。将制定量化土地利用变化的新指标。该项目将为城市社区如何以影响水资源供应和质量的方式重新配置和重新连接其流域提供新的见解。这项研究将与参与该地区水资源持续讨论的市、县和州官员合作进行。附属的教学人员将把这里产生的分析和结果转化为广泛分布的课程模块，让全州的高中生了解城市生态系统，以及我们在景观表面所做的事情是如何影响供水质量的。

This project will examine how variation in the size, distribution and connectivity of developed land within urbanizing landscapes influences the magnitude and timing of hydrologic and chemical impacts to receiving streams. Ecologists studying altered landscapes tend to focus on the extreme endpoints of land cover gradients, yet the vast majority of watersheds within the city limits of mid-size cities in the southeastern United States have only 25-35% of their surfaces in pavements, roofs, lawns and roads. Within these watersheds, the size, proximity and connectivity of developed surfaces relative to receiving streams varies tremendously. This project seeks to answer how the arrangement of impervious surfaces exacerbates or mitigates the effects of developed surface area. Researchers will compare pollutant loads for streams draining watersheds with similar levels of development but with very different development configurations. New metrics for quantifying land use change will be developed. This project will provide new insights into the way urban communities are reconfiguring and reconnecting their watersheds in ways that impact the supply and quality of water resources. The research will be conducted in collaboration with municipal, county and state officials engaged in ongoing discussions about water resources in the region. Affiliated teaching fellows will convert the analyses and results generated here into widely distributed curriculum modules that will allow high school students from throughout the state to learn about urban ecosystems and about how what we do on the landscape surface affects the quality of our water supplies.