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Ecological Research as Education Network (EREN) is an NSF supported
Research Coordination Network Project. Laurel Anderson of
Ohio Wesleyan University, OH is the main PI of the project. Macalester
College has been involved as a Core Network Participant since the
inception of EREN. The EREN website http://www.erenweb.org/ provides more details on the network and the research projects involved. My lab is currently involved in one of the collaborative projects - RBAST: Riparian Buffers Affect Stream Temperatures – Phases I & II. The Project Coordinator is Dr. Jeff Simmons of Mount Saint Mary's University in Maryland (simmons@msmary.edu). |
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INTRODUCTON TO THE RBAST STUDY
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The temperature regime of a stream is complex and spans a wide range of
scales both spatially and temporally. The scale determines the type of
impact temperature can have on biota. For example, fine-scale
fluctuations (e.g., diurnal) have immediate effects on biochemical
processes like photosynthesis. Moderate scale temperature variability
as measured by daily mean temperatures can dictate what species are
present or cause chronic stress. Seasonal and annual temperature
variations can be summarized by mean annual temperature or growing
season length and affect ecosystem-scale processes like NPP. In this study we compare the stream temperature of forested stream reaches with paired stream reaches that have no canopy cover. Using continuously-recording data loggers allows us to document both fine scale temperature fluctuations (diurnal) and eventually larger scale temperature variations (interseasonal and interannual). |
| CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MY LAB'S WORK ON THIS PROJECT |