Hydroecological Interfaces between Landscapes and Riverscapes

Abstract:

Investigating the links between in-stream flow, its variability and the consequences for stream biota has a long history. However, understanding of the importance of landscape scale hydrology in controlling the structure and function of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is much less developed. Such fundamental scientific understanding is required for integrated and sustainable management of landscapes and riverscapes that maintains both their ecosystem services and biological integrity at multiple scales. This talk will show how the spatial and temporal dynamics of hydro-ecological interfaces between riverscapes and landscapes can be quantitatively assessed through a number of novel, integrated approaches. Environmental tracers are useful tools to understand the functioning of ecohydrological systems at the landscape scale in terms of understand flow paths, sources of water and associated biogeochemical interactions. The use of a suite of novel approaches, such as high resolution LIDAR and GIS; multiple tracers; novel sensor technologies and their integration into tracer-aided models allows us to understand the complex connections and interlinkages between landscapes and riverscapes across scales. Finally, applying such approaches along hydroclimatic gradients in inter-site comparisons provides the opportunity to conceptualise findings from individual research sites within a global context and a large scale basis for understanding the effects of environmental change.