Journal article
Small Ponds in Headwater Catchments Are a Dominant Influence on Regional Nutrient and Sediment Budgets
Geophysical research letters, Vol.46(16), pp.9669-9677
08/28/2019
DOI: 10.1029/2019GL083937
Abstract
Small ponds—farm ponds, detention ponds, or impoundments below 0.01 km2—serve important human needs throughout most large river basins. Yet the role of small ponds in regional nutrient and sediment budgets is essentially unknown, currently making it impossible to evaluate their management potential to achieve water quality objectives. Here we used new hydrography data sets and found that small ponds, depending on their spatial position within both their local catchments and the larger river network, can dominate the retention of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment compared to rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Over 300,000 small ponds are collectively responsible for 34%, 69%, and 12% of the mean annual retention of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment in the Northeastern United States, respectively, with a dominant influence in headwater catchments (54%, 85%, and 50%, respectively). Small ponds play a critical role among the many aquatic features in long‐term nutrient and sediment loading to downstream waters.
Plain Language Summary
Reservoirs created by river damming have extensive impacts on downstream water quality but are not necessarily the most important elements of a diverse aquatic landscape. Many more small ponds have been constructed to serve important human needs ranging from farm irrigation in agricultural areas to flood control and trapping of nutrients and fine sediment in urban areas. The number of human‐influenced small ponds is projected to rise worldwide, yet their role in the delivery of nutrients and sediment from headwaters to oceans is currently unresolved. Here we used new data sets and found that small ponds are collectively responsible for trapping a substantial amount of the nutrients and sediment that are exported annually from headwaters. These findings support the need to jointly consider features such as urban detention ponds, farm ponds, and beaver ponds in managing headwaters to decrease long‐term nutrient and sediment loading to downstream waters and sensitive coastal areas.
Key Points
Small ponds located in headwater catchments dominate nutrient and sediment retention compared to streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs
Small ponds located directly adjacent to streams or away in upland positions have distinct effects on nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment
Finer‐scale small streams are minor net sources of phosphorus and major net sources of sediment where soil erodibility is high
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Small Ponds in Headwater Catchments Are a Dominant Influence on Regional Nutrient and Sediment Budgets
- Creators
- Noah M. Schmadel - United States Geological SurveyJudson W. Harvey - United States Geological SurveyGregory E. Schwarz - United States Geological SurveyRichard B. Alexander - United States Geological SurveyJesus D. Gomez-Velez - Vanderbilt UniversityDurelle Scott - Virginia TechScott W. Ator - United States Geological Survey
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Geophysical research letters, Vol.46(16), pp.9669-9677
- DOI
- 10.1029/2019GL083937
- ISSN
- 0094-8276
- eISSN
- 1944-8007
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- DOI | U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/28/2019
- Academic Unit
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984962532802771
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