3 5 2012 Natural Resource and Environmental Planning TOPIC 5 AQUATIC RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTS Aquatic Zones Types 1 Wetlands 2 Lakes 3 Streams 4 Coastal Zones 5 Oceans Functions Food Water Habitat Recreation Aesthetics 1 Wetlands Transitional zones Swamps salt marshes bogs Problematic definition since 1970s Delineation of boundaryy Economic issues Seasonal variations Current law wetlands cannot be drained farmed or built on 1 3 5 2012 Definition of Wetland EPA 40CFR 230 3 t The term wetlands means those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support and th t under that d normall circumstances i t d do support t a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions Wetlands typically include swamps marshes bogs and similar areas Diversity of Wetlands Cowardian Classification System 1979 USFWS System to ID and classify wetlands Marine Estuarine Riverine Lacustrine Palustrine 2 3 5 2012 Riverine Systems Riparian zones and wetlands 3 3 5 2012 Lacustrine Wetland System Importance Values Protection 6 earths surface All climatic zones 1780s US had 215M acres of wetlands 2004 US had 107M acres of wetlands 1980s no net loss wetland policy Section 404 of Clean Water Act 5 Agencies working to protect COE Navigation and WS EPA WQ USFWS Habitat NOAA Coastal resources NRCS Agricultural lands 4 3 5 2012 How do they protect Acquisition land use planning restoration Creation of new mitigation to lessen impacts Incentives to prevent degradation and destruction Disincentives to p prevent conversion to other uses Technical assistance education and research Association of State Wetlands Managers NPO Is it working 1950 1970 loss 458 000 acres year 1986 1997 loss 23 700 acres year 1998 2004 gain 32 000 acres year Created enhanced or restored Regulatory and non regulatory Unavoidable loss MUST be mitigated elsewhere 2 Lakes Formed due to tectonics volcanic craters glaciers river erosion meteor strikes man 3 main zones Littoral limnetic and profundal Thermal stratification seasonally Dissolved oxygen Nutrients Spring and Fall Overturn Uniform temperatures Uniform density Wind and wave agitate and overturn Nutrients dissolved oxygen and plankton distributed evenly 5 3 5 2012 Main Zones in a Lake Ecosystem Diversity of Lacustrine Systems 3 Streams Primary purpose drain land Ephemeral and perennial Tributary watershed Classification System y based on position in network of tributaries Horton Strahler Stream Order Rosgen detailed descriptions 6 3 5 2012 Physical Features of Rivers Channel Shape Q Sediment load Bed and bank materials Channel Pattern Meandering g Straight Braided Pools and Riffles Topography of bed Floodplains and Terraces Bankfull discharge Abandoned floodplains with downcutting into terraces 7 3 5 2012 Who lives in streams Producers aquatic plants photosynthesize Consumers herbivores and predators Decomposers p wastes recycle y Open systems Riparian zones crucial Impact of Riparian Vegetation 4 Coastal Zones Dynamic Dunes and Beaches Lots of sediment deposition some from inland sources Rocky Cliffs Pacific geology controlled resistant or eroding Barrier Islands Accumulations of coastal sediments Wind wave and current formed Resorts vulnerable Insurance high Coastal Barrier Resources Act 1972 prohibit spending federal on rebuilding Coral Reefs Largest biological construction Great Barrier Reef 1260 miles 8 3 5 2012 Estuarine Zones River ocean hybrid WL and salinity fluctuates with tides DO turbidity and nutrient high Grazer and decomposer p food chains Economically valuable Commercial and recreational fishing 56 B year 98 100 fish taken out of Gulf dependent on estuaries 45 Endangered Threatened dependent on coastal Flood and pollution control 14 acres of estuary equivalent to 1M waste treatment facility 9 3 5 2012 Willapa Bay WA North Lower Salmon River and Willapa River Salt Marsh Grass Cape Cod Human Development of Coastal Environments US population live in 17 land Worldwide 2 3 largest cities located near estuaries Post WWII development exploded Homes resorts factories power plants ports Fishing operations operations oil and gas wells wells sewage treatment Dredged harbors drained wetlands mined sediments 17 of the 20 fastest growing counties are coastal 19 of the 20 most densely populated counties are coastal Largest population growth in the next decade expected in FL CA WA and TX coastal regions 10 3 5 2012 So are there problems in coastal environments Destruction of estuarine habitat and coastal wetlands Damage and loss of life from storms c Erosion E i d Rise of Oceans e Pollution a b a Destruction of estuarine habitat and coastal wetlands Intertidal wetlands 6M acres in 1950 5 3 M acres in 2004 Canals saltwater intrusion wave erosion subsidence Dams reduce freshwater flux Pollutants from farm sewage factories d Rise of the oceans Exacerbation of all other problems Steady rise in SL over last 11 000 years Rate of rise increasing Climate change g CO2 increase due to fossil fuels Ice melting Expansion of water as it warms 11 3 5 2012 b Damage and loss of life from storms Development and wetland loss Reduces buffer zone Increases death and destruction c Erosion 26 30 coastal states report net loss in shoreline Barrier Islands on Gulf 25 ft year Long Island 100ft lost since 1950 Monterey Bay loses 5 10 ft year Do we cause accelerated erosion altered dynamics of coastal sediment deposition Dams stop replenishment to coastal zones Seawalls erosion accelerated in front collapse Groin limit sand naturallyy replenishing p g byy longshore current Oil gas and water abstraction subsidence LA 3 3 ft over last 100 years also TX CA 12 3 5 2012 e Pollution Linked to increasing use Development Recreation Ships at sea Oil and Gas Beach litter 400 ID Dead zones hypoxic 2ppm O2 8500 square miles in Gulf due to MS River Fertilizers plankton O2 depletion Dead Zones Sustainable Coastline Management Guide human activities that affect coastal Protect function for present and future Protect species living in them Allowing human communities to thrive Allowing human economies to thrive How to accomplish all this 13 3 5 2012 Coastal Zone Management Act CZMA 1972 Assisted development of voluntary partnerships Federal State Territory and Commonwealth Matching Funds Develop and implement plans to achieve national objectives of CZMA Objectives of CZMA 1972 Protect natural resources Manage coastal developments to