WATER QUALITY IN A FRAGMENTING FORESTED LANDSCAPE

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: MCINTIRE-STENNIS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0225015
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2011
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2015
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
51 COLLEGE RD SERVICE BLDG 107
DURHAM,NH 03824

Performing Department
Natural Resources and the Environment

Non Technical Summary
The role of local forests in providing clean water is vital in New Hampshire, where almost half the population relies on private (individual) wells as a water source, and much of the remaining population relies on small public water supplies that provide water from wells and small local rivers. Only a few of the larger cities in New Hampshire rely on large reservoirs with extensive forested lands that are protected from development. In the rest of the state, drinking water quality can be affected by changes in land use and forest management practices on private forest lands. The US Forest Service has recently shown that watersheds in southeastern NH are among the most threatened in the country for degradation of water quality caused by changes in forest cover and forest management practices, and this project will document that risk to water quality. The research will examine the impacts of land use change, forest cover, and forest fragmentation on water quality of streams, groundwater, and vernal ponds in sub-basins of the Lamprey River and nearby watersheds that exhibit a wide range of human population density and forest cover. To disseminate the results of the project, working relationships will be developed with one or more towns in the Lamprey basin, emphasizing the applicability of project results to protection of town drinking water supplies and local aquatic resources. This will likely involve work with Conservation Commissions or the Seacoast Watershed Alliance, which includes over 70 towns working on the common issues they face with nitrogen pollution entering Great Bay.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
112	0320	1190	100%

Knowledge Area
112 - Watershed Protection and Management;

Subject Of Investigation
0320 - Watersheds;

Field Of Science
1190 - Limnology;

Keywords

watershed management

water resources

land use land cover change

water quality

nutrient chemistry

nitrate

phosphate

dissolved organic matter

Goals / Objectives
The goal of this project is to document the effects of changing forest cover and forest fragmentation on water quality of surface waters (streams, rivers, and vernal ponds) and groundwater in southeastern New Hampshire. Objective 1: Document historic and ongoing patterns of population density, land use, land cover, and forest fragmentation in each of the study sub-watersheds of the Lamprey River basin. Objective 2: Document impacts of past and ongoing land use change and forest fragmentation on water quality in surface waters, groundwater, and vernal ponds. Objective 3: Develop a public education campaign to inform New Hampshire residents of the goods and services that local forested ecosystems provide, with an emphasis on water quality in the Lamprey River watershed. Outputs will include peer-reviewed publications; stakeholder engagement through public meetings, informational fliers, and seminars; and working with management agencies to implement strategies to reduce water quality degradation.

Project Methods
Objective 1: Initial analysis of landscape fragmentation will be performed using standard geographic information systems (GIS) software in ArcGIS 9. Indices including perimeter to area ratio and shape factor will be evaluated to determine the relationship between land cover type and fragmentation. If necessary, additional fragmentation factors will be computed using software packages such as Fragstats. Data layers for forest cover and fragmentation will be developed so that a range of sub-watersheds in the Lamprey can be established that vary in forest cover as well as the extent of fragmentation of the forest cover. Objective 2: Impacts of land use change and forest fragmentation on stream chemistry will be assessed by measuring stream chemistry monthly at the mouth of 12 sub-watersheds of the Lamprey River that span a range of development and fragmentation. Groundwater chemistry will be measured annually in homeowner or shallow riparian wells in each of the 12 sub-watersheds. Water chemistry of vernal pools found in each of the 12 sub-watersheds will also be measured. Because vernal pools typically last for 4-6 months, we anticipate that samples will be taken at approximately 6-8 week intervals. Samples will be analyzed for pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen using field meters. Anions and cations (NO3, SO4, Cl, Na, K, Ca, and Mg) will be analyzed with ion chromatography (Dionex ion chromatographs with micromembrane suppression). Phosphorus (total and PO4), NH4, and SiO2 will be measured using colorimetric analysis with a Westco Smart Chem robotic analyzer or Lachat Quikchem. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) will be analyzed using a Shimadzu TOC-V carbon analyzer with nitrogen module. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) will be estimated as the difference between TDN and inorganic nitrogen. Objective 3: The project will develop a public education campaign on the services that New Hampshire's forested ecosystems provide. Specific goals are to: 1. Enhance the NH Water Center website to describe what ecosystem services are, and provide specific information on well-known watersheds in New Hampshire (e.g., Lamprey River Watershed) and the water quality issues faced by citizens in these basins. 2. Develop a set of fact sheets on land use and water quality issues geared for local town officials. 3. Develop working relationships with one or more towns in the Lamprey basin, emphasizing the applicability of our results to issues of land use and development.

Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences included students, local communities and decision-makers concerned with water quality problems associated with forest loss. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Opportunities for training and professional development included involvement of three post-doctoral researchers (Alison Appling, Adam Wymore and Ashley Coble), one PhD student (Lauren Koenig), one Master's student (Bianca Rodriguez), and 7 undergraduate hourly employees (Wiley Little, Tom Brigham, Shannen Miller, Colleen Dunphy, John Ciaburri, Casey McGrath and James Casey) in the research. Matthew Bosiak and Katie Swan have received their Bachelor degrees and have worked in the UNH Water Quality Analysis Laboratory as technicians. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Dissemination of findings occurred through presentations at the following regional, national and international meetings during the previous year: Appling, A., Leon, M. and McDowell, W.H. 2015. Optimizing watershed flux estimates: the R package 'loadflex'. Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) Annual Meeting. Milwaukee, WI. McDowell, W.H. 2015. Freshwater Science: Lessons Learned and Looking Ahead. Plenary Address, First Annual Symposium on Aquatic Science, University of Maine, Orono, Maine. McDowell, W.H. 2015. Aquatic sensor networks: Is there regional coherence in the response of stream chemistry to seasonal and hydrologic drivers? International Conference on Hydrology and Ecology. Vienna, Austria. McDowell, W.G., Webster, K, Nelson, S, McDowell, W.H. and Haney, J. 2015. Regulation and results: biotic and abiotic changes to northeastern lakes following tightening of air emissions rules. SFS Annual Meeting. Milwaukee, WI. McDowell, W.H., Potter, J, Snyder, L, Daley, M., Appling, A., Koenig, L, Rodriguez-Cardona, B., Wymore, A. and Brereton, R. 2015. Using a sensor network to understand drivers of nutrient and organic matter concentrations at multiple spatial and temporal scales. SFS Annual Meeting. Milwaukee, WI. McDowell, W.H., Potter, J., Nelson, S.J. 2015. DOC concentrations of New England (USA) lakes: Is there a response to changing atmospheric deposition? Acid Rain 2015. Rochester, NY. Potter, J, McDowell, W.H. and Snyder, L. 2015. Patterns and drivers of specific conductance in New Hampshire rivers. SFS Annual Meeting. Milwaukee, WI. Rodriguez-Cardona, B. and McDowell, W.H. 2015. Influences of DOC on nitrate uptake in suburban streams. SFS Annual Meeting. Milwaukee, WI. Rueegg, J., Sheehan, K., Baker, C., Daniels, M., Dodds, W., Farrell, K., Flinn, M., Gido, K., Harms, T., Jones, J., Koenig, L., Kominoski, J., McDowell, W.H., Bowden, W., Rosemond, A.D., Trentman, M., Whiles, M., Wollheim, W. and Parker, S.P. 2015. Baseflow patterns of geomorphic heterogeneity in stream networks across biomes. SFS Annual Meeting. Milwaukee, WI. Snyder, L. 2015. NH EPSCoR Intensive Aquatic Sensor Network. Joint NEAEB/NH Water & Watershed Conference: Partnerships for Environmental Progress. Bartlett, NH. Wymore, A., Kalbitz, K., Daley, M., Koenig, L., Miller, S. and McDowell, W.H. 2014. Identifying the Sources of Dissolved Organic Matter in Streams Using Elemental Analysis Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectroscopy (EA-IRMS) Across a Land Use Gradient. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. San Fancisco, CA. Wymore, A., Rodriguez-Cardona, B. and McDowell, W.H. 2015. Patterns of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) production and consumption with the addition of nitrate (NO3): Insights into the controls on DON cycling. SFS Annual Meeting. Milwaukee, WI. Zeglin, L., Cooper, S, Utz, R., Ardon-Sayao, M., Bixby, R., Burdett, A., Dodds, W., Griffiths, N.A., Harms, T., Johnson, L., Johnson, S., Jones, J., Kominoski, J., McDowell, W.H., Rosemond, A.D., Trentman, M., Follstad Shah, J., Van Horn, D. and Ward, A. 2015. Synthesis of stream ecosystem responses to nutrient enrichment at multiple trophic levels. SFS Annual Meeting. Milwaukee, WI. Dissemination to local audiences included the following public and classroom presentations during the previous year: Appling, A. 2015. Patterns and drivers of diel solute cycles in headwater streams. Annual Lamprey River Science Symposium (LRSS). University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. Daley, M.L. 2014. Water Quality Research in the Lamprey River Hydrologic Observatory. Presentation to University of New Hampshire undergraduate class: Studio Soils. Daley, M.L. 2014. Presented Great Bay N Sources and Transport project results to members of the Water Integration for Squamscott-Exeter (WISE) and Green Infrastructure (GI) NERRS Science Collaborative projects to facilitate collaboration on water resource issues. Daley, M.L. 2014. Great Bay watershed management. Presentation to University of New Hampshire class: Watershed Water Quality Management. Daley, M.L. 2014. Presented Great Bay N Sources and Transport project results to the PREP management committee. Kittery, ME. Daley, M.L. 2015. Non-point nitrogen sources and transport in the Great Bay watershed. Annual LRSS. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. Daley, M.L. 2015. Non-Point Nitrogen Sources and Transport in the Great Bay watershed. Southeast Watershed Alliance Quarterly Meeting. Lee, NH. Daley, M.L. 2015. Forests, Farms, and People: How different sources contribute nitrogen to Great Bay. 2015 NH Farm & Forest Exposition. February 9, 2015. Manchester, NH. Koenig, L. 2015. Served as the instructor for the STEM mini-course offered August 24-28th through the CONNECT program at UNH (http://www.unh.edu/connect/). The objective of the course is to provide an opportunity for incoming freshmen that come from groups with historically low retention in STEM majors (e.g. low-income, multicultural, first-generation college students) to build community, discover college resources, and bolster skills that are needed to succeed in their academic programs (e.g. writing of lab/research reports, basic math and statistics for analyzing scientific data). There were 7 students in the class, but the broader CONNECT program serves approximately 100 students. McDowell, W.H. 2015. Do sensors matter? Improved precision in flux estimates with continuous data. Annual LRSS. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. McDowell, W.H. 2015. Served on a panel discussion: "Building a Scholarly Agenda" University of New Hampshire Research and Engagement Academy. Durham, NH. January, 23 2015. Snyder, L. 2015. Enhanced protocols for managing a network of modern water quality sensors. Poster. Annual LRSS. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. McDowell, W.H. 2015. EPA TIME/LTM New England 2015. EPA Clean Air Act Cooperators meeting, Montpelier, VT. Shattuck, M.D. 2015. Led field trip for undergraduate and graduate students to sites in the Lamprey River Hydrologic Observatory. Shattuck, M.D. 2015. Water Quality Research in the Lamprey River Hydrologic Observatory. Presentation to University of New Hampshire undergraduate class: Studio Soils. Wymore, A. 2015. Identifying sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in streams using EA-IRMS and Py-GC/MS across a land-use gradient. Annual LRSS. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. Dissemination to a broader public audience occurred through the following press releases in the previous year: Daley, M.L. 2015. Understanding Nitrogen Sources in the Great Bay Watershed. Great Bay Matters. Spring/Summer 2015. http://greatbay.org/documents/gbmspring2015.pdf Humphries, C. 2014. The city is an ecosystem, pipes and all. What scientists are finding when they treat the urban landscape as an evolving environment of its own. McDowell, W.H. interviewed. Published in The Boston Globe on 11/7/14. http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2014/11/07/the-city-ecosystem-pipes-and-all/HjLVemBs9nPiuE53PjPSLK/story.html. McDowell, W.H. 2014. Interviewed for the "University of Maryland professor tailors watershed test to urban areas like College Park" press release. The Diamondback. The University of Maryland's Independent Student Newspaper. 9/23/14. http://www.diamondbackonline.com/news/article_5128a2e2-42b5-11e4-b909-001a4bcf6878.html. McDowell, W.H. 2014. Spoke with Courtney Humphries, a science writer and frequent contributor to the Boston Globe's Ideas section, on the overall idea of urban evolution and the geology of cities. 10/6/14. McDowell, W.H. 2015. Interviewed by Nick Reid, a reporter from the Concord Monitor, on the Suncook River avulsion in Epsom, NH which resulted from the Mother's Day 100 year flood in 2006. Interviewed on 7/20/15. Dissemination to local communities also occurred through invited meetings with US Senate staff members, US EPA, NH DES, local environmental consultants, and local town officials. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The impacts of forest fragmentation and land use on water quality have been assessed through continued long-term sampling of a forested suburban watershed, the Lamprey River in southeast New Hampshire. Results show there is considerable variability in stream water nitrogen concentrations at weekly to sub-daily time scales, with values ranging from well below thresholds for impairment of the Great Bay estuary to values well above the threshold. There is no statistically significant change in nitrate concentrations over the entire period of record (2000-2014), but weekly nitrate concentrations increased during the first 10 years (2000-2009) of monitoring, declined to 0.11-0.12 mg N/L in 2010-2012 and in 2014 the highest annual average nitrate concentration to date was recorded (0.18 mg N/L). The spatial variability of nitrate concentration throughout the Lamprey watershed is negatively correlated with forest cover. Incremental forest loss and conversion to developed lands results in corresponding increases in nitrogen concentrations, as forest is the land cover that best reduces nitrogen pollution and human waste, fertilizers and animal waste are sources of nitrogen that increase in developed and agricultural land areas. When forests are converted to development, sodium and chloride concentrations in groundwater and stream water also increase as a result of deicers used on roads, parking lots and driveways to maintain "free and clear" roads during winter months. This information on the effects of forests, and forest loss, on water quality has been critically important in local management discussions and decision-making. The information has been eagerly sought by communities, state agencies, and private consultants as they assess the impacts of land use change on water quality.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Appling, A.P., Leon, M.C. and McDowell, W.H. 2015. Reducing bias and quantifying uncertainty in watershed flux estimates: The R package loadflex. Ecosphere. Accepted.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Flint, S.F. and McDowell, W.H. 2015. Effects of headwater wetlands on dissolved nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in a suburban New Hampshire watershed. Freshwater Science 34:456-471.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Kaushal, S.S., McDowell, W.H., Wollheim, W.M., Newcomer Johnson, T.A., Mayer, P.M., Belt, K.T. and Pennino, M.J. 2015. Urban Evolution: The Role of Water. Water. 7:4063-4087. doi: 10.3390/w7084063.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pellissier, P.A., S.V. Ollinger, L.C. Lepine, M.W. Palace, and W.H. McDowell. 2015. Remote sensing of foliar nitrogen in cultivated grasslands of human dominated landscapes. Remote Sensing of Environment. 167:88-97.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2015 Citation: Rodriguez-Cardona, B., Wymore, A.S. and McDowell, W.H. 2015. Nitrate uptake kinetics in streams: Is carbon the driver? JGR-Biogeosciences. Accepted pending revisions.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Wymore A.S., Rodriguez-Cardona B. and McDowell, W.H. 2015. Direct response of dissolved organic nitrogen to nitrate availability in headwater streams. Biogeochemistry. Published online DOI 10.1007/s10533-015-0153-9.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Rodriguez-Cardona, B. 2015. Nitrate uptake kinetics in streams: Is carbon the driver? M.S. Dissertation, Department of Natural Resources & the Environment, College of Life Science and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 67 pages.

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Target audiences included students, local communities and decision-makers concerned with water quality problems associated with forest loss. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Opportunities for training and professional development included four Master's students (Anna Meyer, Bianca Rodriguez, Nicholas Shonka and Marleigh Sullivan) and 6 undergraduate hourly employees (Matthew Bosiak, Katie Swan, Shannen Miller, Sarah Tierney and Jessica Pierce and Thomas Brigham). Matthew Bosiak and Katie Swan have received their Bachelor degrees and now work in the water quality analysis laboratory as technicians. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Dissemination of findings occurred through presentations at the following regional, national and international meetings: Appling, A.P. McDowell, W. H., Potter, J. D., Nelson, S. J., Kahl, J. S. 2014. From the frying pan into the fire? Lake greenhouse gas responses to acid rain recovery. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting. Portland, OR. May 2014. Rodriguez-Cardona, B. and McDowell, W.H. 2014. Nitrate uptake kinetics in suburban streams of New Hampshire. NH Water and Watershed Conference. Plymouth, NH. March 21, 2014. Bucci, J. P., I. Sidor, A. Walant, M. Daley, J. Potter, W. McDowell. 2014. Detection of a Mitochondrial DNA Biomarker in Surface Water within Suburban Streams Impacted by Animal Fecal Waste: Does Flow Matter. American Society for Microbiology 2014 General Meeting. Boston, MA. May 2014. Daley, M.L., J.D. Potter, A. Kobylinski, C. French, S. Miller, C. Keely, J. Bucci, W.H. McDowell. 2014. Collaborative science to identify non-point nitrogen sources in a coastal New England watershed and reduce nitrogen delivery to an impaired estuary. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting. Portland, OR. May 2014. McDowell, W.H., Potter, J. D., Daley, M. L., Snyder, L., Mulukutla, G. 2014. Using sensors and sensor networks to quantify ecosystem services in developed and rural watersheds. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting. Portland, OR. May 2014. Potter, J.D. Snyder, L., Mulukutla, G., McDowell, W. H. 2014. Addressing anthropogenic effects on aquatic biogeochemistry using a distributed sensor network in New Hampshire. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting. Portland, OR. May 2014. Rodriguez-Cardona, B., McDowell, W. H. 2014. Nitrate uptake kinetics in suburban streams of New Hampshire. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting. Portland, OR. May 2014. Shonka, N. 2014. Water quality sensors provide insight into the suspended solids dynamics during high flow events in the Lamprey River, NH. NH Water and Watershed Conference. Plymouth, NH. March 21, 2014. Shonka, N. and McDowell, W.H. 2014. Using In-situ water quality sensors to provide insight into the suspended solids dynamics of high flow storm events in the Lamprey River, New Hampshire. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting. Portland, OR. May 2014. Wymore, A. S., Mineau, M. M., Potter, J. D., Marks, J. C., McDowell, W. H. 2014. Leaf litter leachate controls bacterial communities and ecosystem processing rates. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting. Portland, OR. May 2014. Dissemination to local audiences included the following public and classroom presentations: Daley, M.L. 2014. Water Quality Research in the Lamprey River Hydrologic Observatory. Presentation to University of New Hampshire undergraduate class: Studio Soils. October 25, 2013. Daley, M.L. 2013. Presentation on "What it's like to be a scientist and how I became a water quality scientist" to 40 6-8th graders from Epping Middle School. Durham, NH. November 15, 2013. Daley, M.L. 2013. Presented preliminary Great Bay N Sources and Transport NERRS Science Collaborative project results to Durham-UNH Integrated Permit and Planning Technical Advisory Committee. Oct 29, 2013. Daley, M.L. 2014. Presented preliminary Great Bay N Sources and Transport project results to members of the Water Integration for Squamscott-Exeter (WISE) NERRS Science Collaborative project. Durham, NH. January 17, 2014. Daley, M.L. 2014. Presented preliminary Great Bay N Sources and Transport NERRS Science Collaborative project results to members of the Great Bay Stewards. Durham, NH. Jan 31, 2014. Daley, M.L. 2014. Presented preliminary Great Bay N Sources and Transport NERRS Science Collaborative project to members of the The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Durham, NH. February 26, 2014. Daley, M.L. 2014. Shared preliminary Great Bay N Sources and Transport NERRS Science Collaborative project results with Brian Giles and Mitch Kalter who are representatives of the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership serving as ad hoc science advisory committee members of the NH Shoreland Advisory Committee. April 16, 2014. Daley, M.L. 2014. Presentation and field trip on "What it's like to be a scientist and how I became a water quality scientist" with 20 3rd graders from the Maple Street Magnet School Rochester NH. June 18, 2014. Daley, M.L. 2014. Research on nitrogen in the Great Bay watershed: Learn how diffuse sources of nitrogen pollution travel from our communities to the Great Bay. Scheduled for Contemporary Coastal Issues sail on the Gundalow in Portsmouth, NH on July 23, 2014 but sail was cancelled last minute due to thunderstorms. Will reschedule. Daley, M.L. 2014. Led field trip for undergraduate and graduate students to sites in the Lamprey River Hydrologic Observatory. September 16, 2014. Koenig, Lauren. 2014. Co-lead the NH Envirothon Aquatics portion (training day). Approximately 75 middle to high school students and 5-10 secondary education teachers in attendance from across NH. Sanborn Farm, Pittsfield, NH. April 5, 2014. Koenig, Lauren. 2014. Served as an instructor for the STEM mini-course offered August 25-29, 2014 through the CONNECT program at UNH (http://www.unh.edu/connect/). The objective of the course is to help incoming freshmen that come from groups with historically low retention in STEM majors build skills that are needed to succeed in their academic programs. There were 12 students in the class, but the broader CONNECT program serves approximately 100 students. McDowell, William H. July 22, 2014. Interviewed by NHPR for The Exchange talk show with Laura Knoy about the continued recovery of New England's lakes after several decades of pollution. McDowell, William H. September 12, 2014. Interviewed live by John Dankosky from Connecticut Public Radio along with Dr. Kaushal on "Understanding the Urban Ecosystem". http://sciencefriday.com/segment/09/12/2014/understanding-the-urban-ecosystem.html. Shonka, N. 2014. Sensing Suspended Solids: Using in-situ water quality sensors to provide insight into the suspended solids dynamics of high flow storm events in the Lamprey River. Climate change poster session with William Hohenstein, USDA Climate Change Program Director, and David Hollinger, Hub Leader, Northeast Regional Hub for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change. University of New Hampshire. Durham, NH. May 13, 2014. Shonka, N., Potter, J., Daley, M., McDowell, W., Snyder, L. and Mulukutla, G. 2014. New Hampshire EPSCoR Intensive Aquatic Sensor Network: The Data are Flowing Fast. Climate change poster session with William Hohenstein, USDA Climate Change Program Director, and David Hollinger, Hub Leader, Northeast Regional Hub for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change. University of New Hampshire. Durham, NH. May 13, 2014. Swan, K. 2013. Spoke to students from the Stream Safari program at McLaughlin Middle School in Manchester, NH on "Why I became a scientist, what I do each day for work and how scientists monitor stream quality". November 13, 2013. Dissemination to a broader public audience occurred through the following press releases: McDowell September 10, 2014. UNH Scientists Find Urban Ecosystems "Evolve," Require Sustainable Management. University of New Hampshire press release. September 10, 2014.http://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2014/09/ds10evolve.cfm#ixzz3D10ttLHP. McDowell, W.H. 2014. A river runs through it: U.S. cities' waterways show consistent patterns of evolution. NSF press release. September 10, 2014. http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=132583&org=NSF. Dissemination to local communities also occurred through invited meetings with US Senate staff members, US EPA, NH DES, local environmental consultants, and local town officials. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The impacts of forest fragmentation and land use on water quality will continue to be assessed through long-term sampling of a forested suburban watershed, the Lamprey River in SE New Hampshire.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The impacts of forest fragmentation and land use on water quality have been assessed through continued long-term sampling of a forested suburban watershed, the Lamprey River in SE New Hampshire. Results show there is considerable variability in stream water nitrogen concentrations at weekly to sub-daily time scales, with values ranging from well below thresholds for impairment of the New Hampshire Great Bay estuary to values well above the threshold. Incremental forest loss results in corresponding increases in nitrogen concentrations, as forest is the land cover that best reduces nitrogen pollution. When forests are converted to development, sodium and chloride concentrations in stream water increase as a result of deicers used on roads, parking lots and driveways to maintain "free and clear" roads during winter months. This information on the effects of forests, and forest loss, on water quality has been critically important in local management discussions and decision-making. The information has been eagerly sought by communities, state agencies, and private consultants as they assess the impacts of land use change on water quality.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Kaushal, S.S., W.H. McDowell, and W.M. Wollheim. 2014. Tracking evolution of urban biogeochemical cycles: past, present, and future. Biogeochemistry 121:1-21.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Koenig, L.E., A.J. Baumann, and W.H. McDowell. 2014. Improving automated phosphorus measurements in freshwater: an analytical approach to eliminating silica interference. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods. 12:223231. DOI: 10.4319/lom.2014.12.223. March 2014.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2014 Citation: McDowell, W.H. 2014. NEON and STREON: opportunities and challenges for the aquatic sciences. Freshwater Science. 2014. 34(1). DOI: 10.1086/679489. Accepted.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Meyer, A. 2014. Response of ammonium uptake to carbon availability in an agriculturally influenced first order stream. M.S. Dissertation, Department of Natural Resources & the Environment, College of Life Science and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 50 pages.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Shonka, N. 2014. Water quality sensors provide insight into the suspended solids dynamics of high flow storm events in the Lamprey River. M.S. Dissertation, Department of Natural Resources & the Environment, College of Life Science and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 93 pages.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Sullivan, M. 2014. Groundwater nitrogen attenuation in suburban and urban riparian zones. M.S. Dissertation, Department of Natural Resources & the Environment, College of Life Science and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 94 pages.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Heffernan, J.B., P.A. Soranno, M.J. Angilletta, L.B. Buckley, D.S. Gruner, T.H. Keitt, J.R. Kellner, J.S. Kominoski, A.V. Rocha, J. Xiao, T.K. Harms, S.J. Goring, L.E. Koenig, W.H. McDowell, H. Powell, A.D. Richardson, C.A. Stow, R. Vargas, K.C. Weathers. 2014. Macrosystems ecology: understanding ecological patterns and processes at continental scales. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 12, 5-14.

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Target audiences included students, local communities and decision-makers concerned with water quality problems associated with forest loss. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Opportunities for training and professional development included six Master’s students and 6 undergraduate hourly employees. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Dissemination of findings occurred through presentations at the following national and international meetings: Koenig, L. E.; Baumann, A. J.; McDowell, W. H. 2013. Improving automated phosphate analysis to eliminate silicate interference. (Abstract ID: 8116). Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science, Jacksonville, FL, May 2013 McDowell, W.H. 2012. Consequences of climate and land use change for ecosystems and ecosystem services in New Hampshire. Invited symposium presentation, Ecosummit, Ecological Society of America, Columbus, OH, October, 2012. McDowell, W.H. 2012. Management of urbanizing watersheds: Central tendencies, outliers, and the art of the possible. Invited presentation, AGU Annual fall meeting, San Francisco, CA. December, 2012. McDowell, W.H. 2013. Soils and stream chemistry: When, where and why are they linked? European Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, Vienna, Austria April 2013 (invited keynote presentation). Dissemination to local to regional audiences included the following public and classroom presentations: Cripps, M.L. and Daley, M.L. 2013. Ossipee watershed: ten years of water monitoring. Presentation to Green Mountain Conservation Group (GMCG) Research Committee, Watershed Management Plan Steering Committee, Water Quality Monitoring Volunteers and GMCG Board, Freedom Village, NH. May 2013. Daley, M.L. 2012. Water Quality Research in the Lamprey River Hydrologic Observatory. University of New Hampshire Approach to Research class. Durham, NH. October 2012. Daley, M.L. and McDowell, W.H. 2012. Addressing Nitrogen Issues in Great Bay – Non-Point Nitrogen Sources. Co-sponsored by the Oyster River Local Advisory Committee and the Oyster River Watershed Association. Madbury, NH. November 8, 2012. Daley, M.L. 2012. Ten Years of Water Quality data in the OssipeeWatershed. Green Mountain Conservation Group Community Forum – Looking at 10 Years of Data. Chocorua Village, NH. November 2012. Daley, M.L. 2012. Watershed management in practice: Great Bay. University of New Hampshire Watershed Water Quality Management class. Durham, NH. December 2012. Daley, M.L. 2012. Nitrogen in the Great Bay Watershed: Point and Nonpoint Sources (with specifics for the Lamprey River). Newmarket Community Forum on the Health of the Great Bay Estuary. Newmarket, NH. February 19, 2013. Daley, M.L. and McDowell, W.H. 2013. Non-Point Nitrogen Sources and Transport Pathways in the Great Bay Watershed. NH Water and Watershed Conference. Plymouth, NH. March 2013. Daley, M.L. 2013. Water Quality: How do you know if it is good or bad? Kingston, NH High School presentation to 180 high school students (9 groups of 20, 20 min each). June 4, 2013. Daley, M.L. 2013. Non-point nitrogen research in the Lamprey and Great Bay watershed. Great Bay boat tour with the NH House of Representatives Resources, Recreation and Development Committee. June 15, 2013. Daley, M.L. 2013. Research on nitrogen in the Great Bay watershed: Learn how diffuse sources of nitrogen pollution travel from our communities to the Great Bay. Scheduled for Contemporary Coastal Issues sail on the Gundalow in Portsmouth, NH on August 28, 2013. Sail was cancelled last minute due to fog. Will reschedule. Kobylinski, A. 2013. Gave tour of Thompson Farm AIRMAP facility and demonstrated precipitation collection form a wet-only collector on top of an 80 foot tower to 10 senior environmental chemistry students from Phillip’s Exeter Academy. Durham, NH. April 16, 2013. Koenig, L. 2013. Led 27 Dover High School students on a field trip to assess water quality in an urban stream draining the University of New Hampshire and to tour the UNH Water Quality Analysis Laboratory. McDowell, W.H. 2012. Hydrofracking, energy, and water quality. Active retirement Association, Durham. NH. October 21, 2012. McDowell, W.H. 2012. Groundwater and Surface Water Contamination in Suburban Basins. Active Retirement Association, Durham, NH. October 28, 2012. McDowell, W.H. 2013. Overview of the EPSCoR aquatic sensor network. Annual Lamprey River Science Symposium. Durham, NH. January 11, 2013. McDowell, W.H. and M.L. Daley. 2013. Nonpoint nitrogen sources and transport in New Hampshire’s Great Bay watershed. Presented at Nitrogen in Stormwater: Sources and Solutions Workshop, NH DES, Portsmouth, NH May 2013. Shared Great Bay N stormwater presentation with Carl Delo from EPA. Wollheim, W.W., A. Price, R. Careyu, G. Mulukutla, and W.H. McDowell. Storm event nutrient monitoring in river networks. Presented at Nitrogen in Stormwater: Sources and Solutions Workshop, NH DES, Portsmouth, NH May 2013. McDowell, W.H. 2013. Soils and stream chemistry: When, where and why are they linked? University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands. April 2013. McDowell, W. G.; Rosemond, A. D.; McDowell, W. H.; Byers, J. E. 2013. Impacts, dead or alive: Effects of mass mortality of an abundant invasive species on ecosystem function. (Abstract ID: 7715). Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science, Jacksonville, FL, May 2013. McDowell, W.H. 2013. Linkages between organic matter and carbon levels in surface waters and soils. UNESCO IHE Ecohydrology. June 2013. Price, A. J.; Wollheim, W. M.; Mulukutla, G.; and McDowell, W. H. 2013. Headwater catchment nitrogen flux and storm response among land use types through seasons. (Abstract ID: 8050). Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science, Jacksonville, FL, May 2013. Smith, Thor E., McDowell, William H., Wollheim, Wilfred M., Daley, Michelle, Mulukutla, Gopal, Baumann, Adam J., Snyder, Lisle, and Price, Allison. 2013. Sampling the Lamprey River watershed across space and time; New data collection efforts toward understanding nitrogen sources. The Geologial Society of America Northeastern Section - 48th Annual Meeting. Omni–Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. March 2013. Abstract accepted but not presented due to federal employee travel restrictions. Wymore, A.S., Z.G. Composn, P. Kein, C.M. Liu, W.H. McDowell, L.B. Price, T.G. Whitham, and J.C. Marks. 2012. Leaf litter phytochemistry influences stream fungi:bacterial ratios, microbial community structure and ecosystem-level processes. Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Sciences, Louisville, KY. May 2012. Dissemination to local communities also occurred through invited meetings with US Senate staff members, US EPA, NH DES, local environmental consultants, and local town officials. Dissemination to a broader public audience occurred through the following press releases: Daley, M.L. 2013. Clean water: It’s everyone’s responsibility to reduce pollution and properly manage New Hampshire’s land areas to protect our water resources. Blog June 18, 2013. http://ecosystemsandsociety.blogspot.com/2013/06/clean-water-its-everyones.html Daley, M.L. 2013. Dogs who really know their business: Trained to find human waste in waterways. Foster’s. Aug 2, 2013. http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130802/GJNEWS_01/130809822 Koenig, L. 2013. Upstream Impact: Graduate Students Inspire the Next Generation of STEM Scholars. UNH Today. May 30, 2013. http://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2013/05/upstream-impact?utm_source=Team+Update%3A+Ecosystems+and+Society+05%2F31%2F2013&utm_campaign=Team+Update&utm_medium=email McDowell, W.H. 2012. Research Profile: Bill McDowell – Protecting Water Quality for Now and the Future. Campus Journal. University of New Hampshire. October 31, 2012. Snyder, L. 2013. New Hampshire Pubic Radio “Statewide Project Looks At Ecosystems and Climate Change.” August 21, 2013. http://nhpr.org/post/statewide-project-looks-ecosystems-and-climate-change What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The impacts of forest fragmentation and land use on water quality will continue to be assessed through long-term sampling of a forested suburban watershed, the Lamprey River in SE New Hampshire.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The impacts of forest fragmentation and land use on water quality have been assessed through continued long-term sampling of a forested suburban watershed, the Lamprey River in SE New Hampshire. Results show there is considerable variability week to week in stream water nitrogen concentrations, with values ranging from well below thresholds for impairment of the Great Bay estuary to values well above the threshold. Incremental forest loss results in corresponding increases in nitrogen concentrations, as forest is the land cover that best reduces nitrogen pollution. When forests are converted to development, sodium and chloride concentrations in stream water increase as a result of deicers used on roads, parking lots and driveways to maintain “free and clear” roads during winter months. This information on the effects of forests, and forest loss, on water quality has been critically important in local management discussions and decision-making. The information has been eagerly sought by communities, state agencies, and private consultants as they assess the impacts of land use change on water quality.

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Baillio, J. 2012. Controls on variability of dissolved greenhouse gas concentration and emissions from small streams in southeastern New Hampshire. M.S. Dissertation, Department of Natural Resources & the Environment, College of Life Science and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 111 pages.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Parham, L. 2012. Spatial and temporal variation in degradation of dissolved organic carbon on the main stem of the Lamprey River. M.S. Dissertation, Department of Natural Resources & the Environment, College of Life Science and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 66 pages.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Hope, A.J., W.H. McDowell, W.M. Wollheim. 2013. Ecosystem metabolism and nutrient uptake in an urban, piped headwater stream. Biogeochemistry. September 2013. DOI 10.1007/s10533-013-9900-y

Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The impacts of forest fragmentation and land use on water quality have been assessed through continued long-term sampling of a forested suburban watershed, the Lamprey River in SE New Hampshire. The primary output of the project is the dissemination of findings that quantify the impacts of forest loss on water quality. Dissemination of findings occurred through presentations at the following national and international meetings: McDowell, W.H. and M.L. Daley, Net Manageable Nitrogen: Definition and Rationale for a new approach to nitrogen management in moderately impacted watersheds, National Academy Keck Futures Initiative Ecosystem Services Conference, Irvine, CA, November, 2011; AGU Annual meeting, San Francisco, December, 2011. Argerich, A., et al. Temporal trends in stream N concentrations and biogeochemical responses to disturbances in long term reference watersheds. NCWQM, Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon April 2012. Greathouse, E.A. et al. Current status of StreamChemDB, a proposed web-accessible database of stream chemistry. NCWQM, Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon April 2012. Argerich, A. et al. Effects of forest disturbances on stream nitrate concentrations. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, Portland, Oregon. August, 2012. Argerich, A. et al. Effects of forest disturbances on stream nitrate concentrations in sites participating in StreamChemDB. LTER All Scientists Meeting, Estes Park, CO, September 2012. Dissemination to local to regional audiences included the following public and classroom presentations: Daley, M.L. Watershed management in practice: Great Bay. UNH Water Quality class. Durham, NH. December 2011. Daley, M.L. and McDowell, W.H. Nitrogen Research in the Lamprey and Great Bay watershed. Great Bay Dialogue. Greenland, NH. December 2011. Daley, M.L. McDowell, W.H., et al. Detecting non-point nitrogen sources and transport pathways in the Great Bay watershed and engaging decision makers in the science. Annual Lamprey River Science Symposium. Durham, NH. January 2012; also Southeast Watershed Alliance quarterly meeting. Newington, NH. February 2012. Daley, M.L. and McDowell, W.H. Non-Point Nitrogen Sources and Transport Pathways in the Great Bay Watershed. NH Water and Watershed Conference. Plymouth, NH. March 2012. Daley, M.L. and McDowell, W.H. Nitrogen in the Great Bay and Lamprey Watershed. Lamprey River Advisory Committee. Raymond, NH. March 2012. Daley, M.L. and McDowell, W.H. Nitrogen challenges in the Great Bay watershed. First UU Church of Exeter, NH. May 2012. Daley, M.L. Nitrogen Drivers in the Great Bay watershed. Non-point source nitrogen pathways. Boat Tour of Great Bay. NEIWPCC Annual NPS Conference. Portsmouth, NH. May 2012. Daley, M.L., McDowell, W.H., et al. Nitrogen Sources Collaborative Advisory Board Lab Tour and Field Trip. Durham NH. July 2012. Daley, M.L. Urbanization and Suburbanization in NH watersheds. UNH Water Quality class. Durham, NH. September 2012. Dissemination to local communities also occurred through invited meetings with US Senate staff members, US EPA, NH DES, local environmental consultants, and local town officials. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals: William H. McDowell, PI Michelle L. Daley, Research Scientist Partner organizations: US Geological Survey NH DES Lamprey River Watershed Association Opportunities for training and professional development included 3 ongoing and 2 incoming graduate students. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audience: local communities and decision-makers concerned with water quality problems associated with forest loss. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
Results show there is considerable variability week to week in nitrogen concentrations, with values ranging from well below thresholds for impairment of the Great Bay estuary to values well above the threshold. Incremental forest loss results in corresponding increases in nitrogen concentrations, as forest is the land cover that best reduces nitrogen pollution. This information on the effects of forests, and forest loss, on water quality has been critically important in local management discussions and decision-making. The information has been eagerly sought by communities, state agencies, and private consultants as they assess the impacts of land use change on water quality.

Publications

• Dodds, W.K., C.T. Robinson, E.E. Gaiser, G. J.A . Hansen, H. Powell, J.M. Smith, N. B. Morse, S.L. Johnson, S. V. Gregory, T. Bell, T.K. Kratz, and W.H. McDowell. 2012. Surprises and insights from long-term aquatic data sets and experiments. BioScience 62:709-721.
• Morse, N.B, W.M. Wollheim, J.P. Benstead and W.H. McDowell. 2012. Effects of suburbanization on foodweb stoichiometry of detritus-based streams. Freshwater Science 31:1202-1213. 2012.
• Collins, S.L, S.R. Carpenter, S.M. Swinton, D.E. Orenstein, D.L. Childers, T.L. Gragson, N.B. Grimm, J.M. Grove, S.L. Harlan, J.P. Kaye, A.K. Knapp, G.P. Kofinas, J. J. Magnuson, W.H. McDowell, J.M. Melack, L.A. Ogden, G. P. Robertson, M.D. Smith, A.C. Whitmer. 2011. An integrated conceptual framework for long-term social-ecological research. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 9:351-357.
• McDowell, W.H. 2011. Impacts of hurricanes on forest hydrology and biogeochemistry. Chapter 32 in Levia, D.F., Carlyle-Moses, D.E. and Tanaka, T. (Eds.), Forest Hydrology and Biogeochemistry: Synthesis of Past Research and Future Directions. Ecological Studies Series, No. 216, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany