2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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5/27/2021  |   2:00 PM - 3:30 PM   |  EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF THE CLEAN AIR ACT ON STREAM INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES   |  Virtual Platform

EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF THE CLEAN AIR ACT ON STREAM INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES

Acid deposition in the northeastern United States is an environmental problem affecting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. To protect these ecosystems, the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 were passed to achieve a national standard of ambient air quality. Long-term pH data at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) demonstrate that stream pH has increased; however, there is no comparable examination of stream macroinvertebrate recovery. To explore whether these communities have responded to the Clean Air Act Amendments, we synthesized data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) that contain both pH and stream macroinvertebrate measurements. We found that (1) evidence of acid rain recovery is limited to only 13% of sites, (2) in sites with invertebrate data, Ephemeroptera diversity was higher in slightly alkaline sites than in slightly acidic sites, and (3) many sites with temporally robust pH data did not have invertebrate data. These results suggest we lack sufficient invertebrate data to evaluate the impact of the Clean Air Act Amendments and underscores the importance of long-term invertebrate monitoring regimes.

  • Biodiversity
  • Stream
  • Stressor

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Presenters/Authors

Victoria Martinez Mercado (), Barry University , vicmer714@gmail.com;


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Emma Rosi (), Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, rosie@caryinstitute.org;


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Emily Bernhardt (), Duke University, emily.bernhardt@duke.edu;


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Audrey Thellman (), Duke University , audrey.thellman@duke.edu;


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