Physical habitat in conterminous US streams and rivers, Part 1: Geoclimatic controls and anthropogenic alteration.

ABSTRACT: Anthropogenic alteration of physical habitat structure in streams and rivers is increasingly recognized as a major cause of impairment worldwide. As part of their assessment of the status and trends in the condition of rivers and streams in the U.S., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) quantify and monitor channel size and slope, substrate size and stability, instream habitat complexity and cover, riparian vegetation cover and structure, anthropogenic disturbance activities, and channel-riparian interaction. Like biological assemblages and water chemistry, physical habitat is strongly controlled by natural geoclimatic factors that can obscure or amplify the influence of human activities. We developed a systematic approach to estimate

SUBMITTER: Kaufmann PR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9389819 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature