Poster Details
TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF STREAM ECOSYSTEM METABOLISM WITHIN A DRIFTLESS AREA STREAM, WISCONSIN, USA
The unglaciated, carbonate-sandstone landscape of the Driftless Area (Wisconsin, USA) is drained by many low-order streams that serve important socio-ecological functions and that are heavily impacted by human activity. Stream metabolism has yet to be quantified in the Driftless Area, but knowledge of it would aid in assessing stream health and condition in the region. In this study, I estimated stream metabolism of a headwater stream, Spring Coulee Creek, using a single-station, Bayesian statistical model of open-channel diel changes in oxygen, water temperature, and irradiance. Preliminary results indicate gross primary production (GPP) during the fall was 12.4 gO2 m-2 day-1, while during the same period ecosystem respiration (ER) was 16.4 gO2 m-2 day-1. During the winter the system was less productive with GPP at 5.9 gO2 m-2 day-1 and ER of 12.4 gO2 m-2 day-1. Spring and summer data are still being analyzed, but the ecosystem is expected to be very productive, potentially resulting in a seasonally autotrophic system. These results are helpful for understanding the impacts of seasonality and land use on stream metabolism, as well as for monitoring the impacts of climate change.
Phoenix Rogers (Primary Presenter/Author), The University of Alabama, parogers@crimson.ua.edu;