scholarly journals An integrative assessment of aquatic ecosystem services based on guideline thresholds

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas F. S-Gelais ◽  
Jean-François Lapierre ◽  
Robert Siron ◽  
Roxane Maranger
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystem ◽  
Trophic Status ◽  
Fecal Contamination ◽  
List Type ◽  
Service Provisioning ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Aquatic Wildlife

AbstractEcologists typically associate water quality with trophic status where oligotrophic ecosystems have excellent water quality and presumably provide more aquatic ecosystem services. However water quality is perceived differently among worldviews. Aquatic ecosystem service provisioning to the public health and agriculture sectors is determined using specific guidelines. But are these guidelines related to trophic status? Here, we developed an integrative ecosystem service framework using guideline thresholds for drinking, swimming, irrigation, suitability for livestock and aquatic wildlife in canadian rivers of varying trophic status. Drinkability was the most sensitive ecosystem service, met in 37% of cases, whereas livestock was the least, provided in 99%. Trophic status is a fair proxy for ecosystem services limited by fecal contamination as nutrients are related to human and animal populations, but not to those limited by metals. Using quantitative thresholds to assess the safe provisioning of multiple ecosystem services provides clear guidance for supporting resource management.In a nutshellWater quality is a commonly used term in management, but the metrics that determine whether a river can safely provide various aquatic ecosystem services differ among worldviews.We propose an integrative approach based on guideline thresholds to evaluate the frequency with which rivers are drinkable, swimmable, suitable for irrigation, livestock, and aquatic wildlife and compared this suitability with trophic status.Trophic status is a fair proxy for ecosystem services limited by fecal contamination, but not for those limited by metals.Using and developing more guideline thresholds provides a concrete way to assess ecosystem service provisioning that could help serve management.

Evaluating Trophic Status as a Proxy of Aquatic Ecosystem Service Provisioning on the Basis of Guidelines

BioScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (12) ◽  
pp. 1120-1126
Author(s):  
Nicolas F ST-Gelais ◽  
Jean-François Lapierre ◽  
Robert Siron ◽  
Roxane Maranger
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystem ◽  
Trophic Status ◽  
Service Provisioning ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Aquatic Wildlife ◽  
Service Framework

Abstract Ecologists typically associate water quality with trophic status, where oligotrophic is considered excellent and presumably provides more aquatic ecosystem services. However, water quality is perceived differently among observers with different worldviews. For example, agriculture and public health sectors quantify the provisioning of aquatic ecosystem services on the basis of different guidelines, but are their guidelines breached more frequently with increasing productivity? We developed an integrative ecosystem service framework using Canadian guidelines as thresholds for drinking, swimming, irrigation, suitability for livestock and aquatic wildlife in rivers. Drinkability was the most sensitive ecosystem service, met in 23% of the sampling events, whereas livestock was provided in 99%. Trophic status is a fair proxy for ecosystem services limited by fecal contamination, because nutrients are related to human and animal populations but not to those limited by metals. Using guideline thresholds to assess the safe provisioning of multiple aquatic ecosystem services across diverse worldviews could facilitate understanding among different perspectives.

scholarly journals Irrigation and Ecosystem Services: development of an irrigation model for the LUCI ecosystem services framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Stuart Easton
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Irrigation Application

<p>Poor water quality is currently a major environmental issue worldwide and in New Zealand, where reactive Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorous (P) lost from agricultural fields are significant drivers of water quality degradation in rural catchments. Irrigation application to crops is essential to agricultural production however irrigation inputs can increase N and P losses to waterways via drainage and/or overland flow directly and as a result of reduced soil capacity to buffer rainfall events. Indirect nutrient losses are also increased following irrigation implementation due to amplified farming intensity. Furthermore, irrigation applications represent the world’s greatest consumptive use of water. Improving irrigation efficiency with regard to water use represents a synergistic opportunity for the improvement of a number of different ecosystem services including water quality, water supply, and food production.  Spatially explicit modelling of irrigation is needed to determine inefficiencies in water delivery and target these inefficiencies for management or mitigation at sub-field scales. A complimentary need exists for irrigation modelling within ecosystem service decision support tools so that nutrient and water movement can be accurately quantified in irrigated environments.   This thesis describes the development and implementation of SLIM – the Spatially-explicit LUCI Irrigation Model. SLIM adapts existing lumped hydrological and irrigation modelling techniques and practices to a fully distributed, spatially explicit framework, so that sub-field variations in water flows resulting from variable soil properties are accounted for. SLIM is generally applicable across New Zealand, using readily available national scale datasets and literature derived parameters. SLIM is capable of predicting irrigation depth and timing based on common management strategies and irrigation system characteristics, or can replicate irrigation applications where information is available. Outputs from SLIM are designed to assist irrigation management decisions at the field level, and to inform the hydrology component of the Land Utilisation and Capability Indicator (LUCI) ecosystem service assessment framework. Standalone SLIM outputs include time-series files, water balance plots, and raster maps describing the efficiency and efficacy of the modelled irrigation system.   SLIM has been applied in three different agroecosystems in New Zealand under surface, micro, and spray irrigation systems, each characterised by different levels of data availability. Results show that SLIM is able to accurately predict the timing of irrigation applications and provide usable information to inform irrigation application decisions. SLIM outputs emphasise the importance of soil variability with regard to water loss and risk of nutrient leaching. Opportunity exists for irrigation water use efficiency to be improved through targeted management at sub-field scales in New Zealand farming systems.</p>

scholarly journals Irrigation and Ecosystem Services: development of an irrigation model for the LUCI ecosystem services framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Stuart Easton
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Irrigation Application

<p>Poor water quality is currently a major environmental issue worldwide and in New Zealand, where reactive Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorous (P) lost from agricultural fields are significant drivers of water quality degradation in rural catchments. Irrigation application to crops is essential to agricultural production however irrigation inputs can increase N and P losses to waterways via drainage and/or overland flow directly and as a result of reduced soil capacity to buffer rainfall events. Indirect nutrient losses are also increased following irrigation implementation due to amplified farming intensity. Furthermore, irrigation applications represent the world’s greatest consumptive use of water. Improving irrigation efficiency with regard to water use represents a synergistic opportunity for the improvement of a number of different ecosystem services including water quality, water supply, and food production.  Spatially explicit modelling of irrigation is needed to determine inefficiencies in water delivery and target these inefficiencies for management or mitigation at sub-field scales. A complimentary need exists for irrigation modelling within ecosystem service decision support tools so that nutrient and water movement can be accurately quantified in irrigated environments.   This thesis describes the development and implementation of SLIM – the Spatially-explicit LUCI Irrigation Model. SLIM adapts existing lumped hydrological and irrigation modelling techniques and practices to a fully distributed, spatially explicit framework, so that sub-field variations in water flows resulting from variable soil properties are accounted for. SLIM is generally applicable across New Zealand, using readily available national scale datasets and literature derived parameters. SLIM is capable of predicting irrigation depth and timing based on common management strategies and irrigation system characteristics, or can replicate irrigation applications where information is available. Outputs from SLIM are designed to assist irrigation management decisions at the field level, and to inform the hydrology component of the Land Utilisation and Capability Indicator (LUCI) ecosystem service assessment framework. Standalone SLIM outputs include time-series files, water balance plots, and raster maps describing the efficiency and efficacy of the modelled irrigation system.   SLIM has been applied in three different agroecosystems in New Zealand under surface, micro, and spray irrigation systems, each characterised by different levels of data availability. Results show that SLIM is able to accurately predict the timing of irrigation applications and provide usable information to inform irrigation application decisions. SLIM outputs emphasise the importance of soil variability with regard to water loss and risk of nutrient leaching. Opportunity exists for irrigation water use efficiency to be improved through targeted management at sub-field scales in New Zealand farming systems.</p>

scholarly journals Weeds in Cover Crops: Context and Management Considerations

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Barbara Baraibar ◽  
Charles M. White ◽  
Mitchell C. Hunter ◽  
Denise M. Finney ◽  
Mary E. Barbercheck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
The United States ◽  
Service Provisioning ◽  
Herbicide Resistant

Cover crops are increasingly being adopted to provide multiple ecosystem services such as improving soil health, managing nutrients, and decreasing soil erosion. It is not uncommon for weeds to emerge in and become a part of a cover crop plant community. Since the role of cover cropping is to supplement ecosystem service provisioning, we were interested in assessing the impacts of weeds on such provisioning. To our knowledge, no research has examined how weeds in cover crops may impact the provision of ecosystem services and disservices. Here, we review services and disservices associated with weeds in annual agroecosystems and present two case studies from the United States to illustrate how weeds growing in fall-planted cover crops can provide ground cover, decrease potential soil losses, and effectively manage nitrogen. We argue that in certain circumstances, weeds in cover crops can enhance ecosystem service provisioning. In other circumstances, such as in the case of herbicide-resistant weeds, cover crops should be managed to limit weed biomass and fecundity. Based on our case studies and review of the current literature, we conclude that the extent to which weeds should be allowed to grow in a cover crop is largely context-dependent.

scholarly journals Impact of drought on water quality in the Youssef Ben Tachafine dam (Souss-Massa region, Morocco)

2020 ◽  
Vol 183 ◽  
pp. 02007
Author(s):  
Fatima Boudarfa ◽  
Elmahjoub Gallouli ◽  
Mohamed El hafa ◽  
Hassan Oulad Ali
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystem ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Trophic State ◽  
Trophic Status ◽  
Iron Nitrate ◽  
Biological Parameters ◽  
Direct Effects ◽  
The Impact

The Massa catchment area has been experiencing an acute rainfall deficit for several years, which has had direct effects on the filling level of the Youssef Ben Tachafine dam. The objective of this work is to study the impact of the drought on the physicochemical quality and the biological balance of this aquatic ecosystem. A monitoring and bi-monthly analyses of the physicochemical and biological parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, transparency, manganese, iron, nitrate, ammonium, silica, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a) were carried out from January to December 2019. The considerable drop in the level of the reservoir has had a major impact on the degradation of the water quality of the lake and its trophic status. The analysis of the results showed that the trophic state of the Youssef Ben Tachafine dam is between mesotrophic and hypereutrophic.

scholarly journals Using Meta-Analysis for Large-Scale Ecosystem Service Valuation: Progress, Prospects, and Challenges

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-63
Author(s):  
Robert J. Johnston ◽  
Dana Marie Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Riparian Buffer ◽  
Ecosystem Service Valuation ◽  
Validity Criteria ◽  
Meta Regression

AbstractThis article discusses prospects and challenges related to the use of meta-regression models (MRMs) for ecosystem service benefit transfer, with an emphasis on validity criteria and post-estimation procedures given sparse attention in the ecosystem services literature. We illustrate these topics using a meta-analysis of willingness to pay for water quality changes that support aquatic ecosystem services and the application of this model to estimate water quality benefits under alternative riparian buffer restoration scenarios in New Hampshire's Great Bay Watershed. These illustrations highlight the advantages of MRM benefit transfers, together with the challenges and data needs encountered when quantifying ecosystem service values.

scholarly journals Constraining natural and anthropogenic disturbances in the delivery of coastal ecosystem services

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sheron Y. Luk
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
New England ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Coastal Ecosystem ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Estuarine Ecosystem

Coastal ecosystems provide key services that benefit human wellbeing yet are undergoing rapid degradation due to natural and anthropogenic pressures. This thesis seeks to understand how disturbances impact salt marsh and estuarine ecosystem functioning in order to refine their role in coastal ecosystem service delivery and predict future resilience. Salt marsh survival relative to sealevel rise increasingly relies on the accumulation and preservation of soil organic carbon (SOC). Firstly, I characterized SOC development and turnover in a New England salt marsh and found that salt marsh soils typically store marsh grass-derived compounds that are reworked over centuries-to-millennia. Next, I assessed how two common marsh disturbances – natural ponding and anthropogenic mosquito ditching – affect salt marsh carbon cycling and storage. Salt marsh ponds deepen through soil erosion and decomposition of long-buried marsh peat. Further, the SOC lost during pond development is not fully recouped once drained ponds are revegetated and virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding marsh. Mosquito ditches, which were installed in ~ 90% of New England salt marshes during the Great Depression, did not significantly alter marsh carbon storage. In Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, a US National Estuary, we tested relationships among measures of estuarine water quality, recreational activity, and local socioeconomic conditions to understand how the benefits of cultural ecosystem services are affected by shifts in water quality associated with global change and anthropogenic activity. Over a 24-year period, water quality degradation coinciding with increases in Chlorophyll a is associated with declines in fishery abundance and cultural ecosystem service values ($0.08 – 0.67 million USD). In combination, incorporation of both anthropogenic and natural disturbances to coastal ecosystem functioning and service delivery can produce improved estimates of ecosystem service valuation for effective resource decision-making under future climate scenarios.

Are invasive species always negative to aquatic ecosystem services? The role of dark false mussel for water quality improvement in a multi-impacted urban coastal lagoon

2020 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 116108
Author(s):  
Raquel A.F. Neves ◽  
Clarissa Naveira ◽  
Igor Christo Miyahira ◽  
Samira G.M. Portugal ◽  
Natascha Krepsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Coastal Lagoon ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystem ◽  
Water Quality Improvement

scholarly journals Landscape Evolution and It’s Impact of Ecosystem Service Value of the Wuhan City, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13015
Author(s):  
Ru Chen ◽  
Chunbo Huang
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Landscape Change ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Wuhan City ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
The Impact

Rapid urbanization and industrialization and enhanced ecological protection measures have greatly influenced landscape change, which has exacerbated regional landscape competition and conflicts and indirectly affected the supply of ecosystem services. Clarifying the relationship between ecosystem service change and landscape change is useful for understanding the impact of ecosystem conversion on socio-economic development and providing a knowledge base for relevant policy decisions. In this study, we used remote sensing technology to process Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI imageries, combined with transformation analysis and kernel density analysis to study the spatial and temporal characteristics of land use change in Wuhan City from 1980 to 2020. We also estimated the ESV in the region using the improved unit area value equivalent method to reveal the trends of ESV changes in Wuhan. The results showed that land use changes in Wuhan during 1980–2020 occurred mainly in terms of decreases in farmland, forestland, and bare land, as well as increases in built-up land and water bodies. The built-up land was mainly concentrated in the main urban areas, but its area in each suburban area has increased in recent years. In contrast, farmland was mainly distributed in suburban areas, and its area has been decreasing in recent years due to the impact of urban expansion. However, the reduction is compensated for by the reclamation of ecological land such as grassland and forestland, which has aggravated the loss of ecosystem service values in the study area. In addition, human activities such as urban expansion have increased the demand for water resources, while also leading to ecological problems such as water scarcity and water quality degradation, which have caused serious losses to key ecosystem services in Wuhan city. Therefore, in order to alleviate the competition and conflicts in the landscape and mitigate the loss of ecosystem service values in this area, we have proposed some constructive suggestions for future urban planning and water quality improvements in Wuhan. The focus of these suggestions is on controlling the expansion of built-up land, as well as the conservation of ecological land and resource protection. Meanwhile, our findings can also provide reference information for land resource planning and ecological monitoring, and help researchers to understand the contribution of ecosystem service functions in relation to socio-economic development.

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