Description

Groundwater’s ecological relevance in streams and rivers is often thought of in three central ways: hydrologically (Brunke and Gonser, 1997), thermally (e.g. Sullivan et al., 2021) or chemically (e.g. Brookfield et al., 2021). Due to climatic and landscape changes, these relationships can be impaired and even become negative. As we explore the site, the students will be asked to consider this context and elaborate on potential scenarios that may influence how patchy groundwater discharge habitats, as well as stream ecosystems, may be disrupted through changes to the groundwater-surface water connection.

Overall, the goal of these lessons is to promote the inclusion of groundwater-dependent stream habitats into the river practitioner's toolbox, prompt discussion into positive, negative, and dynamic effects of groundwater contribution to the stream, and encourage discussion as to how better to include groundwater into the stream habitat assessment process.

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