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Ouachita National Forest Watershed Vulnerability Assessment, Southern Region (R8)<br />

Scenario<br />

2010<br />

Current<br />

2010<br />

Mngt<br />

resp*<br />

2040<br />

B1<br />

2040<br />

B1<br />

Mngt<br />

resp<br />

2080<br />

B1<br />

2080<br />

B1<br />

Mngt<br />

resp<br />

234 Assessing the Vulnerability of Watersheds to Climate Change<br />

2040<br />

A1B<br />

2040<br />

A1B<br />

Mngt<br />

resp<br />

2080<br />

A1B<br />

Risk<br />

High 88 82 93 85 93 85 105 96 105 96<br />

Moderate 46 40 42 43 42 43 44 43 45 43<br />

Low 56 68 55 62 55 62 41 51 40 51<br />

*Mngt resp – responsible management that brings roads and trail up to FS standards<br />

APPLICATION<br />

2080<br />

A1B<br />

Mngt<br />

resp<br />

This project is applicable at the sixth-level subwatershed scale. Conceivably, it is applicable at the fourth<br />

and fifth level scales as well. However, the risk levels would have to be reevaluated at the fourth-level<br />

basin scale.<br />

The information exists for application across the south – many forests have established aquatic thresholds<br />

by ecoregion. It is also applicable on the project level when used at the subwatershed scale.<br />

CRITIQUE<br />

What important questions were not considered?<br />

• This approach uses thresholds for fish. Other aquatic biota such as mussels are more sensitive to<br />

changes in sediment.<br />

• This particular exercise did not include water yield and regimen which could easily provide<br />

additional stress to aquatic biota.<br />

• The analysis is based on averages. Extreme events such as droughts or floods which would<br />

modify aquatic and riparian habitats were not taken into account.<br />

What were the most useful data sources?<br />

• TNC climate wizard<br />

− user friendly<br />

− multiple scenarios with multiple GCMs<br />

• WEPP climate generator<br />

− Individual sites are easily modified<br />

− A national application for the lower 48 states<br />

What were the most important data deficiencies?<br />

• The USLE R-factor. Given more time or knowledge, I would have recalculated those values.<br />

This was the weakest part of the analysis.<br />

What tools were most useful?<br />

• TNC climate wizard<br />

• WEPP climate generator<br />

• ArcView and ArcMap

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