Synthesis and Interpretation of Surface-Water Quality and Aquatic Biota Data Collected in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, 1979–2009
Jastram JD, Snyder CD, Hitt NP, Rice KC. 2013. Synthesis and Interpretation of Surface-Water Quality and Aquatic Biota Data Collected in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, 1979–2009. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Scientific Investigations Report. 2013–5157. Reston, Virginia
Shenandoah National Park in northern and central Virginia protects 777 square kilometers of mountain terrain in the Blue Ridge physiographic province and more than 90 streams containing diverse aquatic biota. Park managers and visitors are interested in the water quality of park streams and its ability to support healthy coldwater communities and species, such as the native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), that are at risk in the eastern United States. Despite protection from local stressors, however, the water quality of streams in the park is at risk from many regional stressors, including atmospheric pollution, decline in the health of the surrounding forests because of invasive forest pests, and global climate change. In 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, undertook a study to compile, analyze, and synthesize available data on water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and fish within Shenandoah National Park. Specifically, the effort focused on creating a comprehensive water-resources database for the park that can be used to evaluate temporal trends and spatial patterns in the available data, and characterizing those data to better understand interrelations among water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish, and the landscape.Data from three primary sources, namely the Shenandoah Watershed Study, the Shenandoah National Park Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Program, and the Springs and Headwater Streams Study, were compiled and loaded into the National Park Service’s NPSTORET database. This effort yielded a comprehensive database containing nearly 1.3 million measurements of habitat characteristics, approximately 442,000 measurements of water-quality characteristics, and over 438,000 measurements of biological taxa (fish and aquatic macroinvertebrates), collected across 673 sites over a period of more than 30 years.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Jastram, John; Snyder, Craig; Hitt, Nathaniel; Rice, Karen
- Date of Issue
- 2013
- Units
- SHEN
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Aquatic Macroinvertebrates and Algae , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Fishes