Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2014MD317B

Impacts of Stormwater Management on Greenhouse Gas Fluxes from Urban Streams (Graduate Fellowship)

Institute: Maryland
Year Established: 2014 Start Date: 2014-03-01 End Date: 2014-09-30
Total Federal Funds: $6,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $12,000

Principal Investigators: Kaye Brubaker

Project Summary: Stormwater management may simultaneously reduce hypoxia and greenhouse gas production in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Urbanization increases nutrient loading and contributes to coastal eutrophication, however stormwater management strategies that reduce nutrient loads may also reduce the production of greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). In agricultural streams, nitrogen loading has been shown to stimulate GHG production. Interactions between water quality and GHG production in streams have not been fully explored in urban watersheds. This project examines the impact of urban stormwater management on potentially reducing GHG emission from headwater streams.