A Statistical Analysis Comparing Water Chemistry Parameters in the Kayaderosseras Creek Watershed with Land Use Patterns
Daniel de la Puente Ranea, Visiting Graduate Student; Catherine Berheide, Professor of Sociology; and Judith Halstead, Professor of Chemistry

The relationships between land use patterns, geology and major solute concentrations in stream water were investigated for the Kayaderosseras Creek watershed (484 km2) in Saratoga County, NY.   A statistical analysis of water parameters indicated that the eight sites can be divided into three distinct groups. One group consisted of tributaries that are farther upstream near the headwaters of the watershed and which had the lowest values for all parameters. A second group of streams had intermediate values and the third group of tributaries, further downstream and adjacent to highways and development, showed higher solute concentrations.  Subwatersheds corresponding to each sampling site were delineated and land use patterns were determined for each of the eight subwatersheds using GIS.   The chemistry of the tributaries within the study area was explained by the percentage of urban development present in the tributary subwatershed, whose influence on stream quality is postulated to occur in three different ways: a natural spring water contribution, a road salt contribution, and an urban runoff contribution. The urban run off contribution may be due to municipal sewage pipe leaks, septic system leaks, lawn fertilizers and other anthropogenic sources.

Capturing and Preserving Historical Aerial Photography: Creating a GIS Database of Local Watershed Imagery
Joe Eisenberg '09 and Alex Chaucer, GIS Instructional Technologist

Aerial photography captures an important historic record of the surface of the earth at a specific date.  This snapshot in time can yield valuable information about both physical and human geographic activity, which in turn can help to inform research in environmental studies, biology, history, sociology, economics, anthropology, and other disciplines.  This project took a collection of over one thousand historic aerial photos from Saratoga County Soil and Water, taken between 1942 and 1986, and developed a digital system of access for local watershed research projects.

Impacts of Turbidity on Fish Foraging Efficiencies
Peter Liepzig-Scott '09 and Karen Kellogg, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies

Many human activities (e.g., agriculture, dredging, deforestation, construction, etc.) increase the suspended matter in surface waters (turbidity) and reduce water clarity.  Despite the fact that increasing turbidity is one of the most pressing issues for fresh- and saltwater fish communities worldwide, the study of the impacts of turbidity has been largely oversimplified to include only mortality levels.  In this study, we examined the foraging efficiencies of two visually orienting fish species, Etheostoma olmstedi (tessellated darter) and Lepomis macrochirus (bluegill sunfish), under varying turbidity regimes. Bluegills inhabit the water column in surface waters, and we found that these fish forage less efficiently at very low and very high turbidity levels.  Tessellated darters are benthic dwellers, and we found that their foraging efficiency is consistent across turbidity levels.

Landscape Migration Dictates Species Migration
Claire Superak '11 and Josh Ness, Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies

In terrestrial systems, landscape history influences susceptibility to invasion by nonnative species. We tested the hypothesis that riparian invasions of Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) are disproportionately common and severe in portions of the Upper Hudson watershed where channel migration has occurred in last half century. We used USGS topographic maps to identify areas where new riparian habitat has been created in the Kayaderosseras and Battenkill river systems.  Knotweed has colonized all disturbed sites, and the proportion of the newly created habitat that was invaded increased with the extent of the channel migration. Invasions in undisturbed sites were more rare.  The histories of channel migration can indicate availability of susceptible habitat for invasion by Japanese knotweed and potentially other invasive species.