Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2004DE40B

Monitoring and Assessing the Nutrient Status and Overall Health of Freshwater Wetlands

Institute: Delaware
Year Established: 2004 Start Date: 2004-06-01 End Date: 2005-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $1,750 Total Non-Federal Funds: $3,500

Principal Investigators: Bruce Vasilas

Project Summary: Before we can effectively monitor wetlands for compliance with water quality standards, a number of questions must be addressed: (I) What are reasonable baseline levels for N and P in freshwater wetlands? (II) What is the relationship between water quality (nutrient enrichment) and overall ecological health of a wetland? (III) Taking into account the seasonal variability in hydrology and water quality in wetlands, are traditional procedures for evaluating nutrient levels in surface waters appropriate for wetlands? (IV) In lieu of directly monitoring N and P levels in wetlands, are there other indicators of water quality that could be used in rapid assessment procedures? Therefore, the objectives of this research are: (I) To develop an understanding of the nutrient dynamics in freshwater wetlands. (II) To establish baseline levels for N and P. (III) To develop monitoring protocols for N and P. (IV) To determine the relationship between disturbance and nutrient enrichment. (V) To determine the relationship between water quality, and biotic and abiotic characteristics of wetlands. (VI) To identify robust indicators of nutrient enrichment and overall ecological health for potential rapid assessment procedures. (VII) To evaluate the capacity of these wetlands to improve water quality.