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Research Accomplishments
Milestones
Restoration
An essential component of the Ecological Research Program is to work with states and tribes - as well as other federal organizations, local governments, and organizations - to restore degraded ecosystems. Scientists have developed better and more cost-effective tools and approaches for assessing the condition of ecological resources and assist with diagnosing potential causes of degradation and developing effective options for restoration.
National Land Cover Database
EPA played critical roles in the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium that developed - and recently updated - the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Based on remote sensing data, the NLCD is the sole source of consistently classified land cover for the United States. The database provides important metrics for assessing national ecological conditions and enables many ERP survey designs to be stratified by land cover type. The database contains accurate, detailed landscape maps; percent of impervious surface, which is extremely important for calculating water runoff and water quality; and percent canopy coverage of forested areas.
In 2007, the consortium released data for the years 2000-2001 (www.mrlc.gov), which estimate nationwide changes in land cover during the 1990s. Among ERP's contributions to this effort was its research on remote sensing and land cover, which reduced the time needed to process the data by one third. Emerging research shows that NLCD data may be the most economical and efficient source for determining imperviousness in watersheds. EPA regions, programs and labs, as well as other federal agencies, states, and tribes use the NLCD to identify and locate resources, assess changes in those resources over time, prioritize resources for protection and restoration, and determine the best methods for restoring the resources.
Landscape Metrics for the Great Lakes Wetlands
The Great Lakes ecosystem forms the largest aggregated surface water body system on Earth and serves approximately 39 million people in the U.S. and Canada. Although small in number and area, coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes provide specialized ecological functions and human services, making them a priority for conservation and restoration. The vastness of the Great Lakes ecosystem makes it difficult to monitor these coastal wetlands.
Using remotely sensed data, ERP developed landscape metrics to help determine indicators of the condition of Great Lakes coastal wetlands and to map invasive species in those wetlands. Using these metrics, ERP developed a protocol for mapping and assessing the habitats of wetland-invasive species. The protocol and indicators have been used to:
- Monitor near-shore habitat change in Great Lakes wetlands
- Provide long-term monitoring for coastal wetlands
- Train stakeholders to conduct similar analyses.
This work significantly reduced the cost of monitoring wetlands over large scales.
National Landscape Atlas
The National Landscape Atlas developed by ERP provides data important to ecological risk assessments such as predicting total nitrogen for a specific region. The atlas has more than 30 landscape metrics of the United States, including percentage of forest, percentage of agricultural crop land on steep slopes, road density, and forest density. The atlas is accessible to users through a Web-based data browser.
The release of the atlas marks the first time that landscape metrics calculated on this scale have been available on a nationwide basis. It enables access to these data to all users regardless of Geographic Information System (GIS) skills and capabilities. Using the atlas, federal, state, and local researchers and environmental planners will have immediate access to landscape metrics for incorporation in ecological assessments of any area of interest.
Estuarine and Great Lakes Coastal Indicators (EaGLe) Program
Under the EaGLE Program,
ERP-funded researchers have developed or refined 65 new coastal indicators. These indicators enable the monitoring of more habitats and aquatic ecosystems to determine current conditions, monitor improvements, and prevent future degradation. The EaGLe program advanced the science of indicators and their usage. As a result, scientists will be able to use indicators more effectively and efficiently - not only to identify problems, but also to help diagnose causes and determine solutions. EPA's regional and program offices, states and local environmental agencies are among the users of EaGLE indicators.
Landscape Atlas of Ecological Vulnerability
ERP is quantifying the potential impacts of land use on the ecology of the White River and Mississippi River, primarily as they relate to habitat vulnerability. ERP is also analyzing the impact of ecosystem change on water quality.
The landscape metrics developed under this project have been used by the state of Missouri and by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to evaluate impacts of various projects in the lower White River region on ecosystems, wildlife habitat, and water quality, and to evaluate parcels of real estate to acquire for wildlife refuges. Building on this project, ERP conducted a more comprehensive analysis of land use impacts on water quality in the Upper White River. The data produced in this analysis are being used by EPA's region 7 office in Kansas City for watershed management and planning.
Effectiveness of Riparian Buffers on Water Quality
In 2005, ERP completed a state-of-the-science report on the effectiveness of riparian buffers in reducing nitrogen pollution from non-point source in streams and rivers. The report is used by states and EPA to develop best management practices for reducing nitrogen. This research examined buffer characteristics including buffer width, soil type, hydrology and biogeochemistry to identify conditions that support the microbial and plant communities that reduce nitrogen flowing through the subsurface. The report is entitled Fate and Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Shallow Vegetated Aquatic Ecosystems (PDF) (177 pp, 14.1MB, About PDF).
Effectiveness of Stream Restoration on Water Quality
ERP completed the first comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of stream restoration to improve water quality in an urban watershed. By examining the Mine Bank Run site in Towson, Maryland, ERP identified effective restoration techniques that can be employed as best management practices. The research represents one of the
most intensive efforts to date to quantify the effects of stream restoration on nitrogen processing in urban streams. Municipal natural resource agencies such as Baltimore County have used this information to help develop regional stream restoration strategies to improve ecosystem health and water quality. This research also has contributed to efforts by EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program to model the effects of stream restoration on Bay ecosystem health.
Effectiveness of Small Wetlands on Water Quality in Agricultural Areas
ERP conducted an input/output evaluation of the effectiveness of small wetlands in reducing nutrients and sediments within streams and improving water quality. The study focused on rural/agricultural areas in the State of Delaware, the first such effort in the state. By working in collaboration with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, ERP was able to access sites on private lands to evaluate how small wetlands intercept and mitigate nutrients and sediment runoff.
The research represents the first pilot scale effort to address the question of how effective these small wetland systems, incorporated into agricultural settings, provide desired ecosystem services that impact water quality and the associated downstream ecosystem conditions. This information is being used to design a more extensive study not only in Delaware, but in Maryland as well with the goal of more definitively identifying the ability of these systems to reduce nutrients and sediments in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and understanding the processes that need to be maximized and enhanced to allow these systems to provide the desired ecosystem services and outcomes. Guidance documents that include design, construction and implementation of these systems into agricultural setting across the country are part of the outcomes of this research effort.