Projects per year
Abstract
Floods are a key component of the flow regime of many rivers and a major structuring force of stream communities. Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency of extreme rainfall (i.e. return intervals >100 years) leading to extensive flooding, but the ecological effects of such events are not well understood. Comparative studies of flood impacts are scarce, despite the clear need to understand the potentially contingent responses of multiple independent stream systems to extreme weather occurring at meso- and synoptic spatial scales. We describe the effect of an extreme rainfall event affecting an area >100 000 km2 that caused extensive flooding in SE Alaska. Responses of channel morphology and three key biological groups (meiofauna, macroinvertebrates and fish) were assessed in four separate and recently deglaciated stream catchments of contrasting age (38-180 years) by comparing samples taken before and after the event. Ecological responses to the rainfall and subsequent flooding differed markedly across the four catchments in response to variations in rainfall intensity and to factors such as channel morphology, stream sediment composition and catchment vegetation type and cover, which were themselves related to stream age. Our study demonstrates the value of considering multiple response variables when assessing the effects of extreme events, and highlights the potential for contrasting biological responses to extreme events across catchments. We advocate more comparative studies to understand how extreme rainfall and flooding affects ecosystem responses across multiple catchments.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2523-2534 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Freshwater Biology |
Volume | 60 |
Issue number | 12 |
Early online date | 30 Jul 2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2015 |
Keywords
- Channel geomorphology
- Climate change
- Floods
- Glacial recession
- Invertebrates
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aquatic Science
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Dive into the research topics of 'Stream ecosystem responses to an extreme rainfall event across multiple catchments in southeast Alaska'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 3 Finished
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Assessing the effects of EXtreme summer flooding on STREAM ecosystem successional processes (EXSTREAM).
Milner, S. (Principal Investigator)
Natural Environment Research Council
25/09/14 → 31/08/16
Project: Research Councils
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Evolution of NITrogen BUFFERing capacity of land water interfaces along hydrosystems of different age (NITBUFFER)
Milner, S. (Principal Investigator) & Bartlett, R. (Co-Investigator)
Natural Environment Research Council
1/01/10 → 30/09/13
Project: Research Councils
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The influence of major FLOOD disturbance on River EcoSystem Evolution Trajectories in recently deglaciated terrain (FLOODRESET)
Milner, S. (Principal Investigator)
Natural Environment Research Council
1/08/06 → 31/10/08
Project: Research Councils