CURRENT RESEARCH

Differential Rates of Nitrate Retention in Two Watersheds in the Fernow Experimental Forest

Nitrogen saturation of several forested watersheds in the northeastern US has been documented and is largely the result of N deposition from anthropogenic inputs into the environment. Excess forest N has important implications for nutrient cycling within forests, as nitrate leaches from soils into stream environments draining these systems. Two watersheds in the Fernow Experimental Forest, WV (native hardwood and Norway spruce systems) exhibit differential patterns of nitrate retention, where the hardwood system leaks high levels to the stream and the spruce is near zero. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) constitutes a large pool of N in most soils, but its role in nutrient cycling is poorly understood. The goal of the present study is to investigate the role of vegetation and subsequent soil characteristics on the production and cycling of the different pools of N in forested ecosystems. This research will further understanding of the biogeochemistry of N cycling and the factors controlling N-saturation and the resulting loss of NO3- into streams.

Monitoring and Assessing Total Dissolved Solids as a Biotic Stressor in Mining-Influenced Streams

This research seeks to evaluate the response of aquatic life to total dissolved solids (TDS), a common water quality concern in the Central Appalachian headwater streams where coal mining occurs. Multiple covariate stressors often occur with TDS in mined watersheds. It is the objective of this research to measure aquatic life response in streams where such covariates are minimized and TDS is the primary stressor. The benthic macroinvertebrate community was chosen as the bioindicator for this purpose due to its proven effectiveness in representing the biological condition of streams in the ecoregion. Results of this research should provide a better understanding of critical TDS levels in these headwater streams.

Assessing effectiveness of restoration efforts in Central Appalachian coalfield streams

Continued permitting of coal mining in the central Appalachian region has become increasingly dependent on maintaining or restoring hydrologic and ecological function in streams affected by coal extraction. As mandated by the Clean Water Act (section 404), mining operations permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must mitigate streams impacted by valley fill activities. Assessment of stream ecosystem structure and function is essential to determining ecological condition and success of mitigation techniques employed on these streams. Traditional bioassessment techniques are cost-effective, efficient, and are often conceptually linked to ecosystem function, but effects of restoration practices on stream processes that drive hydrologic and ecological functions of streams are usually not measured directly.

This research is assessing the functional status of a range of restored streams using measures that are relatively simple to implement and relate directly to stream carbon dynamics. Based on measures of carbon dynamics, this research is (1) assessing the functional status of restored coalfield streams relative to forested reference streams and to streams not impacted by mining but with riparian vegetation canopies similar to mining-restored streams, (2) exploring relationships between structural and functional assessment metrics, (3) determining functional measures of carbon cycling that are best suited for use in functional assessment protocols for streams being restored in the central Appalachian coalfields, and (4) determining factors that affect carbon cycling measures in streams being restored in the central Appalachian coalfields.


_______________Forest Hydrology and Soils at Virginia Tech