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Sensitivity of Riparian Buffer Designs to Climate Change—Nutrient and Sediment Loading to Streams: A Case Study in the Albemarle-Pamlico River Basins (USA) Using HAWQS

Author

Listed:
  • Santosh R. Ghimire

    (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

  • Joel Corona

    (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water, Washington, DC 20460, USA)

  • Rajbir Parmar

    (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

  • Gouri Mahadwar

    (Former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ORISE Participant, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117, USA)

  • Raghavan Srinivasan

    (Blackland Research and Extension Center and Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M Agrilife Research and Texas A&M University, Temple, TX 76502, USA)

  • Katie Mendoza

    (Blackland Research and Extension Center and Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M Agrilife Research and Texas A&M University, Temple, TX 76502, USA)

  • John M. Johnston

    (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, Athens, GA 30605, USA)

Abstract

Riparian buffer zones (RBZs) provide multiple benefits to watershed ecosystems. We aimed to conduct an extensive sensitivity analysis of the RBZ designs to climate change nutrient and sediment loadings to streams. We designed 135 simulation scenarios starting with the six baselines RBZs (grass, urban, two-zone forest, three-zone forest, wildlife, and naturalized) in three 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code watersheds within the Albemarle-Pamlico river basin (USA). Using the hydrologic and water quality system (HAWQS), we assessed the sensitivity of the designs to five water quality indicator (WQI) parameters: dissolved oxygen (DO), total phosphorous (TP), total nitrogen (TN), sediment (SD), and biochemical oxygen demand (BD). To understand the climate mitigation potential of RBZs, we identified a subset of future climate change projection models of air temperature and precipitation using EPA’s Locating and Selecting Scenarios Online tool. Analyses revealed optimal RBZ designs for the three watersheds. In terms of watershed ecosystem services sustainability, the optimal Urban RBZ in contemporary climate (1983–2018) reduced SD from 61–96%, TN from 34–55%, TP from 9–48%, and BD from 53–99%, and raised DO from 4–10% with respect to No-RBZ in the three watersheds. The late century’s (2070–2099) extreme mean annual climate changes significantly increased the projected SD and BD; however, the addition of urban RBZs was projected to offset the climate change reducing SD from 28–94% and BD from 69–93% in the watersheds. All other types of RBZs are also projected to fully mitigate the climate change impacts on WQI parameters except three-zone RBZ.

Suggested Citation

  • Santosh R. Ghimire & Joel Corona & Rajbir Parmar & Gouri Mahadwar & Raghavan Srinivasan & Katie Mendoza & John M. Johnston, 2021. "Sensitivity of Riparian Buffer Designs to Climate Change—Nutrient and Sediment Loading to Streams: A Case Study in the Albemarle-Pamlico River Basins (USA) Using HAWQS," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-28, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:22:p:12380-:d:675559
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eugenia Kalnay & Ming Cai, 2003. "Impact of urbanization and land-use change on climate," Nature, Nature, vol. 423(6939), pages 528-531, May.
    2. Detlef Vuuren & Jae Edmonds & Mikiko Kainuma & Keywan Riahi & Allison Thomson & Kathy Hibbard & George Hurtt & Tom Kram & Volker Krey & Jean-Francois Lamarque & Toshihiko Masui & Malte Meinshausen & N, 2011. "The representative concentration pathways: an overview," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 109(1), pages 5-31, November.
    3. Johnston, John M. & McGarvey, Daniel J. & Barber, M. Craig & Laniak, Gerry & Babendreier, Justin & Parmar, Rajbir & Wolfe, Kurt & Kraemer, Stephen R. & Cyterski, Michael & Knightes, Chris & Rashleigh,, 2011. "An integrated modeling framework for performing environmental assessments: Application to ecosystem services in the Albemarle-Pamlico basins (NC and VA, USA)," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(14), pages 2471-2484.
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    Cited by:

    1. Horea Olosutean & Maria Cerciu, 2022. "Water Sustainability in the Context of Global Warming: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-14, July.
    2. Santosh R. Ghimire & Adam C. Nayak & Joel Corona & Rajbir Parmar & Raghavan Srinivasan & Katie Mendoza & John M. Johnston, 2022. "Holistic Sustainability Assessment of Riparian Buffer Designs: Evaluation of Alternative Buffer Policy Scenarios Integrating Stream Water Quality and Costs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-33, September.

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