Patterns and controls of material export from land to the coastal ocean
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Rain gauging station near the top of a watershed
The amount and biogeochemical properties of materials exported from land to the ocean are controlled by the amount and pattern of rainfall, watershed area, topography, vegetation, soil properties, geology, biological processing, land use and perturbations, such as fire. The numerous watersheds of the SBC region differ considerably in these characteristics, which allow for informative spatial comparisons of terrestrial inputs to coastal waters and the factors that control them. Similarly, high seasonal and interannual variations in stream flows characteristic of the SBC region facilitate temporal comparisons in terrestrial runoff. Time series measurements of rainfall, stream discharge, and concentrations of dissolved and particulate constituents in a diverse array of watersheds that drain into the Santa Barbara Channel form a core component of SBC LTER's long-term research in coastal watersheds. Stream gauging stations located throughout the study region measure stream stage and water temperature year-round and ratings curves derived from stream channel cross sections and roughness are used to convert these measurements into discharge. Concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, and ammonium), dissolved and particulate organic nutrients, and total suspended solids are sampled during baseflow and stormflow conditions and are combined with discharge data to determine export fluxes. Data on rainfall and runoff collected from a subset of watersheds that vary in size and land use have been used to calibrate and validate a watershed scale hydrologic model for the SBC region that aids in evaluating how climate and land-use influence runoff into the coastal zone. To model the discharge of water, associated solutes, and sediments from the land to the ocean requires an integration of the interactions among land cover, land use, rainfall, vegetation microbial activity, and soil properties. Such integration is being done using a rainfall-runoff model, an ecohydrological model (RHESSys) and statistical relations among relevant parameters. These models will permit regionalization of our results and forecasts of changes as climate and land use occur. |
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PublicationsMelack, J. M. and A. P. Leydecker. 2005. Episodic variations in nutrient concentrations in coastal Californian streams. Ver Limnol. Verein. Limnol, 29: 1049-1053. (sbc-id: 303) Power, M. E., S. J. Kupferberg, S. D. Cooper and M. L. Deas. 2016. Rivers. in: Ecosystems of California – A source bookMooney, H. and E. Zavaleta, eds. University of California Press. (sbc-id: 1017) Strayer, D. L., R. E. Beighley, L. C. Thompson, S. Brooks, C. Nilsson, G. Pinay and R. J. Naiman. 2003. Effects of Land Cover on Stream Ecosystems: Roles of Empirical Models and Scaling Issues. Ecosystems, 6(5): 407-423. (sbc-id: 181) ThesesChen, X. . 2017. Factors affecting the streamflow and in-stream nitrate concentration in semi-arid areas: sub-surface flow-generation, vertical distribution of soil nitrate and drainage properties,and the connectivity of impervious areas. Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, . (sbc-id: 1297) Coombs, J. S. 2006. The impact of fire on hydrology and suspended sediment and nutrient export in sourthern California chaparral watersheds. M.S, University of California, (sbc-id: 330) Goodman, D. 2008. Effective estuarine management: A case study of a California estuary and its ecological and political characteristics. Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, (sbc-id: 537) Goodridge, B. M. 2014. Nitrogen dynamics in coastal California watersheds, beaches, and the nearshore ocean. Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, . (sbc-id: 1058) Hanan, E. 2016. Biogeochemical responses to fire in coastal chaparral ecosystems. Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, . (sbc-id: 1163) Robinson, T. H. 2006. Catchment and sub-catchment scale linkages between land use and nutrient concentrations and fluxes in coastal California streams. Ph.D., Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara. (sbc-id: 280) Shields, C. 2012. Ecohydrologic model uncertainty and application in an urban environment: the RHESSys model in Mission Creek. Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, . (sbc-id: 1057) ImagesRain gauging station near the top of a watershed
SBC student sampling stream water for analysis 
Stream flowing through an undeveloped canyon 
Variation in nitrate at the outflow of SBC streams in response to a winter rainfall event 
Sampling runoff in a stream on the Gaviota coast 
Sampling runoff in a channelized creek 
High flow along the Gaviota Coast 
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