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Learning how to protect water for
environmental and human needs in a
variable world
John S. Richardson University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, Canada
[email protected] http://faculty.forestry.ubc.ca/richardson/
Once upon a time …
Rivers and log transport – splash dams
What are our objectives for water? Do we know what we want?
Richardson JS & Thompson RM. 2009. Setting conservation targets for freshwater ecosystems in forested catchments. Pp. 244-263 In: Villard M-A & Jonsson B-G (Eds.) Setting Conservation Targets for Managed Forest Landscapes. Cambridge University Press.
Aquatic life – salmonids, etc. – globally most-endangered ecosystem and biodiversity
Human consumption – direct
Hydrological features – e.g. flood control
Agriculture – irrigated crops
Agriculture – livestock
Industry
Power generation – hydroelectric and others
Recreation
Amenity values
Policy
Science
Testing for effectiveness and efficiency; trials
Based on observations not usually collected specifically for an emerging issue
Richardson JS & Thompson RM. 2009. Setting conservation targets for freshwater ecosystems in forested catchments. Pp. 244-263 In: Villard M-A & Jonsson B-G (Eds.) Setting Conservation Targets for Managed Forest Landscapes. Cambridge University Press.
Policy
Science
Testing for effectiveness and efficiency; trials
Based on observations not usually collected specifically for an emerging issue
Richardson JS & Thompson RM. 2009. Setting conservation targets for freshwater ecosystems in forested catchments. Pp. 244-263 In: Villard M-A & Jonsson B-G (Eds.) Setting Conservation Targets for Managed Forest Landscapes. Cambridge University Press.
Need to react! What is the target? Measureable?
1. QUANTITY (supply)
2. QUALITY – temperature, water quality, habitat structure
3. CONTINUITY and habitat
1. QUANTITY
“Rivers in some of the world’s most populous regions are losing water, ...”
"The distribution of the world's fresh water, already an important topic," says Cliff Jacobs of NSF's Division of Atmospheric Sciences, "will occupy front and center stage for years to come in developing adaptation strategies to a changing climate.”
Of rivers examined, more than 70% were decreasing (period 1948 to 2004)
Including: Yellow River (China), Ganges (India), Niger (west Africa), Colorado (SW USA)
Rivers that were increasing were largely northern rivers, increased by glacier melt
Appear to be related to climate change (consistent with all predictions, but of course there is no way to test this directly)
NSF – National Science Foundation (USA)
“Water crisis closes Tofino businesses.Resort town is forced to ration drinking water, turn away visitors”Vancouver Sun, 30 August 2006
Headline
Carnation Ck
Lillooet R
Fishtrap Ck
Capilano R
Coquihalla R
Hydroclimatic regimes: examples
05
10
15
20
Carnation Creek
Q (
m3 s1
)
1980 1981 1982 1983
05
01
00
15
02
00
25
03
00
Capilano Creek
Q (
m3 s1
)
1980 1981 1982 1983
Carnation Creek
Capilano Creek
Dis
char
ge (
m3 s
-1)
Figures courtesy of Dr. Dan Moore, UBC
Coastal – rainfall-dominated
02
46
8
Fishtrap Creek
Q (
m3 s1
)
1980 1981 1982 1983
01
02
03
04
0
Coquihalla Creek
Q (
m3 s1
)
1980 1981 1982 1983
Fishtrap Creek
Coquihalla Creek
Dis
char
ge (
m3 s
-1)
Figures courtesy of Dr. Dan Moore, UBC
Interior – Snowmelt-dominated
02
00
40
06
00
80
0
Lillooet RiverQ
(m
3 s1)
1980 1981 1982 1983
Dis
char
ge (
m3 s
-1)
Lillooet River
Snowmelt and glaciermelt
Figures courtesy of Dr. Dan Moore, UBC
01
02
03
04
05
0
Q (
m3 s1
)
Nov Jan Mar May Jul Sep
1923-19461947-19761977-2005
Historic streamflow patterns for Capilano River during warm and cool PDO phasesD
isch
arge
(m
3 s
-1)
Figures courtesy of Dr. Dan Moore, UBC
Schindler, DW & WF Donahue. 2006. An impending water crisis in Canada’s western prairie provinces. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103: 7210-7216.
0 500 1000
km
Canada
Rocky Mountains
Pac
ific
Oce
an
Prairies
photo: Jim Wigington
Carnation Creek, Vancouver Island
picture courtesy of Dr. Peter Tschaplinski, BC Ministry of Forests and Range
Change in June-July-August average soil moisture content from 1960-1990 to 2070-2100 from HadCM3 IS92a
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climatechange/science/projections/soil_jja.html
Units: millimetres
-50 -20 -10 -5 +5
Nooksack Dace
Photo: Jordan Rosenfeld
Richardson JS, E Taylor, D Schluter, M Pearson & T Hatfield. 2010. Do riparian zones qualify as critical habitat for endangered freshwater fishes? Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 67:1197–1204.
Photo: Mike Pearson
Large predators
Large detritivores
0,0
+,0 +,+
0,+
Controlling for body size to separate size from functional roleBoth stonefly (Plecoptera) larvae
Species losses – local extinctions
Lecerf A, Richardson JS. Large invertebrates dominate the top-down control over stream ecosystem functioning. Manuscript in review
Experimental low flows
Measures Leaf litter decomposition Benthos Biofilms
Drs. Santiago Larrañaga & John Richardson
Some consequences of climate change for aquatic systems
The minimal water flows, and not the averages, are the impacts that are most difficult to plan for, and the most damaging for aquatic ecosystems
More dams and greater extraction – less water in lakes, reservoirs and rivers
Warmer water and higher concentrations of contaminants
Balancing allocations of water for ...
Power productionIrrigationHuman consumptionIndustrial useRecreationAquatic Ecosystemsetc.
2. QUALITY (temperatures, chemistry, structure)
photo: Rachael Dudaniec
Coastal giant salamander
A threatened species sensitive to elevated temperatures and changes in water quality –
changes can be due to forest harvest, urbanisation, being downwind of greater Vancouver, and global change
Cole JJ et al. 2007. Plumbing the global carbon cycle: Integrating inland waters into the terrestrial carbon budget. Ecosystems 10 : 171-184.
Inland waters
Inland waters
Land
Land
0.9
1.9 0.9
0.9
0.23
Ocean
Ocean
Sediment storage
0.75CO2 evasion
Values in Pg
Cole JJ et al. 2007. Plumbing the global carbon cycle: Integrating inland waters into the terrestrial carbon budget. Ecosystems 10 : 171-184.
Inland water components
StreamsLakesReservoirsWetlands RiversEstuariesGround waterTotal
CO2 efflux to the atmosphere
NA0.110.28NA0.210.120.010.75
Storage in sediments
0.23
Export to the ocean
0.9
Global inland water C fluxes. Mid-range estimates of annual global transport of carbon (Pg) through major inland water components
Year
PO
M (
g A
FD
M /
m2)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Exp
ort
(g
AF
DM
/d
/ m
2)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Co
nsu
mp
tion
(g
/ m
2 /
d)
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
Ave
rage
da
ily d
isch
arg
e (
L/s
)
0
100
200
300
400
500
1979 1980 1981 1982
range: 0.3 to 516 L/s
Richardson JS, Hoover TM & Lecerf A. 2009. Coarse particulate organic matter dynamics in small streams: towards linking function to physical structure. Freshwater Biology 54:2116-2126.
Modelling to study the roles of flow, retention potential, temperature, and leaf type
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Time
CP
OM
(g
AF
DM
/ m
2)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140roughness 0.9roughness 0.5roughness 0.1
Hemlock - retentiveness 0.25
Alder - retentiveness 0.75
Richardson JS, Hoover TM & Lecerf A. 2009. Coarse particulate organic matter dynamics in small streams: towards linking function to physical structure. Freshwater Biology 54:2116-2126.
3. CONTINUITY and habitat
Richardson JS, Zhang Y, Marczak LB. 2010. Resource subsidies across the land-freshwater interface and responses in recipient communities. River Research and Applications 26:55-66.
.Wipfli MS, Richardson JS & Naiman RJ. 2007. Ecological linkages between headwaters and downstream ecosystems: transport of organic matter, invertebrates, and wood down headwater channels. J. Am. Water Resources Assoc. 43:72-85.
Photo: Mark Wipfli, U of Alaska
Subsidies to downstream
Demonstration of downstream effects
What happens to the productivity and biodiversity of downstream ecosystems when these subsidies from upstream are eliminated or altered?
An important ecosystem service
Energy, nutrients, structure
Metapopulation dynamics
Populations connected by dispersal promotes recolonisation and genetic mixing
Metapopulation dynamics
Isolated populations may risk local extinction with no chance of new colonists
X
X
X
CONNECTION
Vulnerability of species’ populations in headwaters and springs – and recovery within a catchment
Fagan, WF. 2002. Connectivity, fragmentation, and extinction risk in dendritic metapopulations. Ecology 83:3243-3249.
X
X
flow
Richardson JS & Moore RD. 2009. Chapter 13 – Stream and riparian ecology. In Compendium of Forest Hydrology and Geomorphology in British Columbia. R.G. Pike et al. (editors). B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range Research Branch, Victoria, B.C. and FORREX Forest Research Extension Partnership, Kamloops, B.C. Land Management Handbook (TBD). URL: http://www.forrex.org/program/water/PDFs/Compendium/Compendium_Chapter13.pdf
Vertebrate use of freshwater riparian areas
Fish eaters (piscivores) eagle, mergansers, loons, osprey, kingfisher, mink, river otter, bears, herons, garter snake, etc.
Richardson JS & RJ Danehy. 2007. A synthesis of the ecology of headwater streams and their riparian zones in temperate forests. Forest Science 53:131-147.
Invertebrate eaters American dipper, harlequin duck, bats, water shrews, phaleropes, grebes, spotted sandpipers, marsh wrens, amphibians, flycatchers, swallows, etc.
© Mike Dunn
Microclimate: amphibians
Breeding sites: ducks, geese, grebes, swallows, osprey, wrens, amphibians, etc.
Structure: flycatchers, robins and other thrushes, swallows, eagles, shrew mole, etc.
Water: Beaver, muskrat, mountain beaver
Richardson JS, RJ Naiman, FJ Swanson & DE Hibbs. 2005. Riparian communities associated with Pacific Northwest headwater streams: assemblages, processes, and uniqueness. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 41:935-947.
Moore RD, DL Spittlehouse & A Story. 2005. Riparian microclimate and stream temperature response to forest harvesting – a review. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 41: 813-834.
Coot nest
© Jack Dodge
Vertebrate use of freshwater riparian areas
Vancouver Island, BC
30 m reserve10 m reserve
control
clearcut
50% basal area removal
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Amphibians SmallMammals
Birds Molluscs Arthropods
Cu
mu
lativ
e m
ea
n e
ffect
siz
e
(31) (69) (285) (2) (10)
Marczak LB, Sakamaki T, Turvey SL, Deguise I, Wood SLR & Richardson JS. 2010. Are forested buffers an effective conservation strategy for riparian fauna? An assessment using meta-analysis. Ecological Applications 20:126-134.
Meta-analysis of 397 studies of riparian zone effects compared to intact forest
Western toad
Loss of habitat
Loss of connections
Protected Areas and Special Management Zones
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/Docs/Mr/Mr112/page24.htm
Protection
~14% protected
Herbert MS, McIntyre PB, Doran PJ, Allan JD & Abell R. 2010. Terrestrial reserve networks do not adequately represent aquatic ecosystems. Conservation Biology 24:1002-1011.
Balancing human and ecosystem needs for water
Objectives of riparian
management
Maintain natural
functions
Objectives for riparian management
Fish habitat (large wood, geomorphology)
Shade (temperature, algae)
Nutrient uptake
Sediment interception
Litter input (& invertebrates)
Streambank integrity
Habitat for vertebrates and other organisms (wildlife in the broadest sense)
Corridors for dispersal
Aesthetics How much is “enough”?
Policy
Science
Testing for effectiveness and efficiency; trials
Based on observations not usually collected specifically for an emerging issue
Richardson JS & Thompson RM. 2009. Setting conservation targets for freshwater ecosystems in forested catchments. Pp. 244-263 In: Villard M-A & Jonsson B-G (Eds.) Setting Conservation Targets for Managed Forest Landscapes. Cambridge University Press.
Need science and other information to inform policy, and science to explore how things work and to rigorously test policy
1. Objectives and effectiveness
2. Recovery processes
3. Safety factors core habitats, extremes, climate change, landscape connections
fish, water, sediment, biodiversity, channel stability, ecosystem services, etc., etc.
time frame, point of reference, rare species, non-stationary world, etc.
North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA) – Ralph M. Parsons Company, California
For additional reading, see Nature – 20 March 2008
Perhaps increased trade in “virtual water” instead
What are our objectives for water? Do we know what we want?
Richardson JS & Thompson RM. 2009. Setting conservation targets for freshwater ecosystems in forested catchments. Pp. 244-263 In: Villard M-A & Jonsson B-G (Eds.) Setting Conservation Targets for Managed Forest Landscapes. Cambridge University Press.
Aquatic life, biodiversity and ecosystems
Human consumption – direct
Hydrological features – e.g. flood control
Agriculture – irrigated crops
Agriculture – livestock
Industry
Power generation – hydroelectric and others
Recreation
Amenity values
Final Messages
Quality – temperature, chemistry, and structure
Continuity – aquatic species have limited options
Quantity – extremes