2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
5/22/2019 | 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM | HYDROCLIMATIC DROUGHT EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL HABITAT FEATURES OF HEADWATER STREAMS IN THE SIERRA NEVADA OF CALIFORNIA | 250 AB
HYDROCLIMATIC DROUGHT EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL HABITAT FEATURES OF HEADWATER STREAMS IN THE SIERRA NEVADA OF CALIFORNIA
Hydroclimatic change in mountainous regions exhibits extremes of flow regime from winter floods produced by atmospheric river storms to prolonged and severe drought conditions. In the Sierra Nevada of California we selected 24 headwater streams to monitor over a period of 8 years that provided opportune conditions to examine these extremes. Twelve third-order catchments each with nested tributaries covered a varied geography of clines in elevation (1200-3600 m), aspect (N-S), and geology (volcanic, granitic). Stage and temperature sensors showed that even during low drought flows water temperatures were stable or even cooled somewhat in some of the smaller streams. Increased dissolved minerals suggest that groundwater inflow buffers against drought in some streams while others become intermittent. As drought persists, lotic habitat disappears as riffles contract, while algae and organic matter accumulate, and rocky substrates become more embedded. Geography of benthic invertebrate communities indicate distinct differences between volcanic northern and granitic southern streams. Drought depletes diversity but communities are more stable in high flows. The results highlight the mixed resistance and vulnerabilities of high mountain headwater stream habitats to the effects of prolonged drought as forecast for this and other regions.
- Geomorphology
- Groundwater
- Temperature
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Presenters/Authors
David B. Herbst
(), Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, and Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, University of California Santa Barbara, herbst@lifesci.ucsb.edu;
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R. Bruce Medhurst
(), Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, ebbnflow@yahoo.com;
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Aleksandra Karapetrova
(), Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, aleksandra.karapetrova@gmail.com;
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