5/18/2015  |   10:30 - 10:45   |  103AB

THE NEON AQUATIC NETWORK: STANDARDIZING DEPLOYMENT OF AQUATIC INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS ACROSS CONTINENTAL ECOSYSTEMS The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a national-scale research platform for assessing the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species on ecosystem structure and function. NEON will collect data for 30 years to facilitate spatial-temporal analysis of environmental responses and rivers of ecosystem change, ranging from local through continental scales. Using standardized methods and designs, the data collected can be compared across a wide variety of ecosystems at multiple scales. Standardized quality assurance and quality control allow data to be processed efficiently and disseminated to users through an online data portal. This presentation will present the design and deployment of the aquatic instrumentation systems within the NEON network. The network is comprised of 36 1st/2nd order wadeable streams, large rivers, and lakes. When coupled with aquatic observational data, the aquatic network will produce 200+ low-level data products for each site, available to users.

Charles Bohall (Primary Presenter/Author), NEON, inc, cbohall@neoninc.org;


Michael Fitzgerald (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), NEON, inc, mfitzgerald@neoninc.org;


Jesse Vance (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), National Ecological Observatory Network, jvance@battelleecology.org;


Charlotte Roehm (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), NEON, inc, croehm@neoninc.org;


Keli Goodman (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) operated by Battelle, kgoodman@battelleecology.org;


Stephanie Parker (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Battelle, National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), sparker@battelleecology.org;
NEON Aquatic Ecologist and Research Scientist

Brandon McLaughlin (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), NEON, inc, bmclaughlin@neoninc.org;


Jenna Stewart (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), NEON, inc, jstewart@neoninc.org;

5/18/2015  |   10:45 - 11:00   |  103AB

NEON AQUATIC ORGANISMAL SAMPLING: STRATEGIES AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM YEAR ONE The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a national-scale research platform designed to assess the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species on ecosystem structure and function across 20 ecoclimatic domains from Alaska to Puerto Rico. Data collected from instrumentation and observations will be rigorously quality-checked and provided to the public via NEON’s web portal. NEON’s aquatic program includes 25 wadeable streams, 8 lakes, and 3 large rivers, as well as 10 STREON sites co-located with existing wadeable stream sites. Aquatic organismal sampling began in 2014 at three wadeable streams and four lakes using NEON standard sampling protocols. The lessons learned from the training process, the first round of protocol, and preliminary data quality at the these seven sites have been instrumental in updating and streamlining the NEON aquatic standard protocols and sampling strategy. An additional 20 sites will be sampled in 2015, with aquatic organismal sampling beginning at the remaining 19 sites in 2016. By 2017, full operational sampling will be in place at all 46 aquatic sites, including instrumentation, observational sampling, and the STREON experiment.

Stephanie Parker (Primary Presenter/Author), Battelle, National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), sparker@battelleecology.org;
NEON Aquatic Ecologist and Research Scientist

5/18/2015  |   11:00 - 11:15   |  103AB

HEATING UP FLATHEAD LAKE: MODELING THERMAL PROPERTIES UNDER A CHANGING CLIMATE Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the western US and is one of the most pristine water bodies in the world. Although possible increases in nutrient loading and the introduction of invasive species may shape the future of Flathead Lake, climate change is a guaranteed concern that could affect the biogeochemistry and ecology of Flathead Lake. We used a hydro-thermodynamic model (ELCOM) and climate projection models to investigate how climate change may alter the thermodynamics of Flathead Lake. After determining that the model simulates current thermal properties of the lake to a high degree of accuracy (R2=0.97), we tested if changes in climate could affect the overall heat budget, depth of stratification, length and strength of stratification, and investigated changes in thermal habitat of key lake biota. Warmer temperatures led to deeper thermoclines, whereas, increased wind speeds and higher wind direction variability lead to increased mixing events. Climate change will influence future lake thermal properties, and potentially impact the biogeochemistry and biotic habitats, despite the protections offered by the pristine and remote location of Flathead Lake.

Shawn Devlin (Primary Presenter/Author), Flathead Lake Biological Station- University of Montana, shawn.devlin@umontana.edu;


Bonnie Ellis (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Flathead Lake Biological Station-University of Montana, bonnie.ellis@umontana.edu;


Jack Stanford (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Flathead Lake Biological Station-University of Montana, jack.stanford@umontana.edu;

5/18/2015  |   11:15 - 11:30   |  103AB

COUPLED CHANGE: EXTREME WEATHER AND LAND USE IMPACTS ON WATER QUALITY AND DRINKING WATER UTILITIES Sustaining ecosystem services, like clean water will become an increasing challenge as human populations grow. This challenge is exacerbated by the interactive processes of land use change and climate change. Changes in storm intensity, frequency, and timing may interact with changes in land use and management to change the ambient concentrations of dissolved organic carbon ([DOC]) in streams. To assess the effects of these global change processes on stream [DOC], we assessed a 10+ year record of sub-daily [DOC] measurements from the Brandywine River. The Brandywine River is the drinking water supply for the city of Wilmington Delaware and [DOC] affects the city’s ability to sustainably supply water. Over this record, we observed a change in storm and low flow [DOC] as well as a shift in seasonality of DOC concentrations. Changing the timing and quantities of DOC in streams may affect ecosystem processes as well as affect the engineering processes linked to the provision of drinking water. The results of this research highlight the importance of understanding the impacts land use and climate change on water quality.

Thomas Parr (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Delaware, tbparr@udel.edu;


Shreeram Inamdar (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Delaware, inamdar@udel.edu;
Dr. Shreeram Inamdar is a Professor at the University of Delaware.

Matthew Miller (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), City of Wilmington, DE, mmiller@wilmingtonde.gov;

5/18/2015  |   11:30 - 11:45   |  103AB

THE 411 ON VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT – SPECIFIC LESSONS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE ASSESSMENTS IN STREAMS The broadening mandate for adaptation planning across federal agencies requires general adaptation goals to be translated into a specific approach for prioritizing and implementing adaptation actions. Vulnerability assessment can help this process by operationalizing the most basic units of vulnerability – exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity –to meet situation-specific needs. Using an example for streams, we illustrate an 8-step vulnerability assessment: (1) defining goals; (2) determining approach for assessing endpoints; (3) brainstorming variables to assess each vulnerability component; (4) conducting data inventory; (5) assessing data quality, availability and suitability; (6) conducting analyses; (7) soliciting feedback from stakeholders; and (8) finalizing results for implementation. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches can yield sufficient information to guide environmental management. An important application of qualitative approaches is the selection of exposure scenarios relevant to the system. Quantitative approaches are useful to produce comparative rankings of vulnerability to specific exposures or in modeling to explore threshold shifts in community composition, stream classification, and use designations. Often vulnerability assessments need to be a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches in order to address environmental management needs.

Britta Bierwagen (Primary Presenter/Author), US EPA, bierwagen.britta@epa.gov;


Susan Julius (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. EPA/ORD, Julius.Susan@epa.gov;


Anna Hamilton (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Tetra Tech Center for Ecological Sciences, Anna.Hamilton@tetratech.com;


Jonathan Witt (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), EPA, Witt.Jonathan@epamail.epa.gov;

5/18/2015  |   11:45 - 12:00   |  103AB

A FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING RELATIVE WETLAND VULNERABILITIES TO CLIMATE CHANGE The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development is developing an inventory of potential wetland responses to climate change and an associated framework for assessment of relative vulnerability. Relative vulnerabilities of wetland types and attributes could be used to inform adaptation planning and management in EPA wetlands programs. For phase one development of the framework, we used detailed quantitative inputs to estimate two of the major components of vulnerability - exposure and sensitivity. We quantified exposure as the magnitude of changes in groundwater depths, projected under historical and future climate scenarios, using the Penn State Integrated Hydrologic Model. Data were analyzed according to hydrogeomorphic wetland type for seven watersheds representing four ecoregions in Pennsylvania. We estimated sensitivity from the responsiveness of two attributes to changes in hydrology: a community composition metric (Floristic Quality Index) and wetland extent. Adaptive capacity is being considered through the potential for management actions within the context of the wetland programs being served. Relative vulnerability scores were linked to acreage profiles in a risk paradigm to provide additional management relevance.

Anna Hamilton (Primary Presenter/Author), Tetra Tech Center for Ecological Sciences, Anna.Hamilton@tetratech.com;


Denice H. Wardrop (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Penn State University, dhw110@psu.edu;


Michael Nassry (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Penn State University, Nassry@psu.edu;


Jordan M. West (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. EPA/ORD, West.Jordan@epa.gov;


Susan Julius (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. EPA/ORD, Julius.Susan@epa.gov;


Britta Bierwagen (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US EPA, bierwagen.britta@epa.gov;


Megan Holcomb (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. EPA/ORD, Holcomb.Megan@epa.gov;