Evaluating Hydraulic Habitat Suitability of Filamentous Algae Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 3
Abstract
The hydraulic habitat preference of the nuisance benthic alga Cladophora glomerata was investigated in a shallow river using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). Three separate ADCP surveys were completed over a 1-km channel segment during peak algal growth to correlate in situ velocity data with remotely sensed algal spatial cover. By pairing data from more than 60 transects and 3,500 ADCP ensembles, it was established that two distinct velocity distributions exist for Cladophora (). In algal covered areas, the velocity profile averaged , whereas it was found to be in uncovered locations. Groupings are considered to be optimal (former) and resource-limiting (latter) values. Corresponding shear velocities averaged 0.071 and . An upper threshold perhaps also exists at which Cladophora will not colonize, but we were unable to quantify it in this study. Based on our findings, the integration of ADCP and remote sensing appears to be a worthwhile pairing for benthological study.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some of the data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request, for collaborative purposes, including the following: site bathymetry, ADCP ensembles, algal cover, and the VBA program used to make velocity profile calculations.
Acknowledgments
We thank Frank Engel of the USGS Illinois Water Science Center for allowing the use of the SonTek beta version of the Velocity Mapping Toolbox (VMT). Likewise, Barry Biggs of the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, and Aroscott Whiteman of the USGS Montana-Wyoming Water Science Center were gracious enough to review versions of the draft manuscript. Finally, we thank Mike Suplee and Rosie Sada, long-standing colleagues at the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), for many fruitful discussions on stream and river periphyton, for collecting algal biomass data, and for completing microscopic observations to support the study.
K.F. conceived the approach for using ADCP to measure algal habitat suitability, completed acoustic surveys, and wrote scripts to postprocess and analyze the data. S.C. assisted in the data analysis and preparation of the manuscript. The use of trade names, trademarks, manufacturers, or otherwise in this paper does not necessarily constitute or imply our endorsement or recommendation.
References
Althouse, B., S. Higgins, and M. J. V. Zanden. 2014. “Benthic and planktonic primary production along a nutrient gradient in Green Bay, Lake Michigan, USA.” Freshwater Sci. 33 (2): 487–498. https://doi.org/10.1086/676314.
Bergeron, N. E., and A. D. Abrahams. 1992. “Estimating shear velocity and roughness length from velocity profiles.” Water Resour. Res. 28 (8): 2155–2158. https://doi.org/10.1029/92WR00897.
Biggs, B. J., D. G. Goring, and V. I. Nikora. 1998. “Subsidy and stress responses of stream periphyton to gradients in water velocity as a function of community growth form.” J. Phycol. 34 (4): 598–607. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1529-8817.1998.340598.x.
Biggs, B. J. F. 1996. “Hydraulic habitat of plants in streams.” Regul. River. 12 (2–3): 131–144. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1646(199603)12:2/3%3C131::AID-RRR385%3E3.0.CO;2-X.
Biggs, B. J. F. 2000. “Eutrophication of streams and rivers: Dissolved nutrient-chlorophyll relationships for benthic algae.” J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc. 19 (1): 17–31. https://doi.org/10.2307/1468279.
Biggs, B. J. F., and M. E. Close. 1989. “Periphyton biomass dynamics in gravel bed rivers: The relative effects of flows and nutrients.” Freshwat. Biol. 22 (2): 209–231. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.1989.tb01096.x.
Biggs, B. J. F., and C. W. Hickey. 1994. “Periphyton responses to a hydraulic gradient in a regulated river in New Zealand.” Freshwat. Biol. 32 (1): 49–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.1994.tb00865.x.
Biggs, B. J. F., V. I. Nikora, C. N. Gibbins, S. Fraser, D. R. Green, K. Papadopoulos, and D. M. Hicks. 2018. “Coupling unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and hydraulic surveys to study the geometry and spatial distribution of aquatic macrophytes.” J. Ecohydraulics 3 (1): 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/24705357.2018.1466666.
Biggs, B. J. F., V. I. Nikora, and T. H. Snelder. 2005. “Linking scales of flow variability to lotic ecosystem structure and function.” River Res. Applic. 21 (2–3): 283–298. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.847.
Biggs, B. J. F., and S. Stokseth. 1996. “Hydraulic habitat suitability for periphyton in rivers.” Regul. River. 12 (2–3): 251–261. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1646(199603)12:2/3%3C251::AID-RRR393%3E3.0.CO;2-X.
Biggs, B. J. F., and H. A. Thomsen. 1995. “Disturbance of stream periphyton by perturbations in shear stress: Time to structural failure and differences in community resistance.” J. Phycol. 31 (2): 233–241. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3646.1995.00233.x.
Blum, J. L. 1956. “The ecology of river algae.” Bot. Rev. 22 (5): 291–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02872474.
Borchardt, M. A. 1996. “Nutrients.” In Algal ecology: Freshwater bethic ecosystems, edited by R. J. Stevenson, and M. L. Bothwell, R. L. Lowe, 183–227. San Diego: Academic Press.
Borchardt, M. A., J. P. Hoffmann, and P. W. Cook. 1994. “Phosphorus uptake kinetics of Spirogyra Fluviatilis (Charophyceae) in flowing water.” J. Phycol. 30 (3): 403–417. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3646.1994.00403.x.
Brown, H. B. 1908. “Algal periodicity in certain ponds and streams.” B. Torrey Bot. Club 35 (5): 223–248. https://doi.org/10.2307/2479028.
Bureau of Reclamation. 2014. Pacific Northwest cooperative agricultural weather network (AgriMet). Washington, DC: Bureau of Reclamation.
Chow, V. T. 1959. Open-channel hydraulics. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Dodds, W. K.1991a. “Community interactions between the filamentous alga Cladophora glomerata (L.) Kuetzing, its epiphytes, and epiphyte grazers.” Oecologia 85 (4): 572–580. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00323770.
Dodds, W. K. 1991b. “Factors associated with dominance of the filamentous green alga Cladophora glomerata.” Water Res. 25 (11): 1325–1332. https://doi.org/10.1016/0043-1354(91)90110-C.
Dodds, W. K., and B. J. F. Biggs. 2002. “Water velocity attenuation by stream periphyton and macrophytes in relation to growth form and architecture.” J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc. 21 (1): 2–15. https://doi.org/10.2307/1468295.
Dodds, W. K., and D. A. Gudder. 1992. “The ecology of Cladophora.” J. Phycol. 28 (4): 415–427. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3646.1992.00415.x.
Ensminger, I., C. Hagen, and W. Braune. 2000. “Strategies providing success in a variable habitat: I. Relationships of environmental factors and dominance of Cladophora glomerata.” Plant Cell Environ. 23 (10): 1119–1128. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3040.2000.00596.x.
Flinders, C. A., and D. D. Hart. 2009. “Effects of pulsed flows on nuisance periphyton growths in rivers: A mesocosm study.” River Res. Applic. 25 (10): 1320–1330. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.1244.
Flynn, K. F. 2014. “Methods and mathematical approaches for modeling Cladophora glomerata and river periphyton.” Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts Univ.
Flynn, K. F., and S. C. Chapra. 2014. “Remote sensing of submerged aquatic vegetation in a shallow non-turbid river using an unmanned aerial vehicle.” Remote Sens. 6 (12): 12815–12836. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs61212815.
Flynn, K. F., S. C. Chapra, and M. W. Suplee. 2013. “Modeling the lateral variation of bottom-attached algae in rivers.” Ecol. Model. 267 (2013): 11–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2013.07.011.
Freeman, M. C. 1986. “The role of nitrogen and phosphorus in the development of Cladophora glomerata (L.) Kutzing in the Manawatu River, New Zealand.” Hydrobiologia 131 (1): 23–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00008320.
Gunawan, B., V. S. Neary, and P. Hill. 2017. “Comparing fixed-vessel and moving-vessel ADCP measurements in a large laboratory flume.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 143 (5): 06017001. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001272.
Gunawan, B., M. Sterling, and D. W. Knight. 2010. “Using an acoustic Doppler current profiler in a small river.” Water Environ. J. 24 (2): 147–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-6593.2009.00170.x.
Hondzo, M., and H. Wang. 2002. “Effects of turbulence on growth and metabolism of periphyton in a laboratory flume.” Water Resour. Res. 38 (12): 13–13-9. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002WR001409.
Horner, R. R., and E. B. Welch. 1981. “Stream periphyton development in relation to current velocity and nutrients.” Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 38 (4): 449–457. https://doi.org/10.1139/f81-062.
Horner, R. R., E. B. Welch, M. R. Seeley, and J. M. Jacoby. 1990. “Responses of periphyton to changes in current velocity, suspended sediment and phosphorus concentration.” Freshwat. Biol. 24 (2): 215–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.1990.tb00704.x.
Horner, R. R., E. B. Welch, and R. B. Veenstra. 1983. “Development of nuisance periphytic algae in laboratory streams in relation to enrichment and velocity.” In Periphyton of freshwater ecosystems, edited by R. G. Wetzel, 121–134. Hague, Netherlands: Dr. W. Junk Publishers.
Hoyle, J. T., C. Kilroy, D. M. Hicks, and L. Brown. 2017. “The influence of sediment mobility and channel geomorphology on periphyton abundance.” Freshwat. Biol. 62 (2): 258–273. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12865.
Huang, H. 2018. “A modified Simpson model for estimating random uncertainty of moving-boat ADCP streamflow measurements.” Flow Meas. Instrum. 61 (2018): 84–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2018.03.002.
Lamberti, G. A., and A. D. Steinman. 1993. “Research in artificial streams: Applications, uses, and abuses.” J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc. 12 (4): 313–384. https://doi.org/10.2307/1467618.
Larned, S. T. 2010. “A prospectus for periphyton: Recent and future ecological research.” J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc. 29 (1): 182–206. https://doi.org/10.1899/08-063.1.
Larned, S. T., V. I. Nikora, and B. J. F. Biggs. 2004. “Mass-transfer-limited nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by stream periphyton: A conceptual model and experimental evidence.” Limnol. Oceanogr. 49 (6): 1992–2000. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2004.49.6.1992.
Lohman, K., and J. C. Priscu. 1992. “Physiological indicators of nutrient deficiency in Cladophora (Chlorophyta) in the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, Montana.” J. Phycol. 28 (4): 443–448. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3646.1992.00443.x.
McIntire, C. D. 1966. “Some effects of current velocity on periphyton communities in laboratory streams.” Hydrobiologia 27 (3–4): 559–570. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00042713.
Mueller, D. S. 2012. “Best practice for calibrating SonTek RiverSurveyor M9/S5 compass.” Accessed November 27, 2019. https://hydroacoustics.usgs.gov/movingboat/pdfs/Best_Practice_for_Calibrating_SonTek_RiverSurveyor.pdf.
Mueller, D. S. 2015. “Velocity bias induced by flow patterns around ADCPs and associated deployment platforms.” In 2015 IEEE/OES Eleventh Current, Waves and Turbulence Measurement (CWTM). New York: IEEE.
Mueller, D. S., and C. R. Wagner. 2009. Measuring discharge with acoustic Doppler current profilers from a moving boat. Reston, VA: USGS.
Mueller, D. S., C. R. Wagner, M. S. Rehmel, K. A. Oberg, and F. Rainville. 2013. Measuring discharge with acoustic Doppler current profilers from a moving boat. Reston, VA: USGS.
Muste, M., K. Yu, T. Pratt, and D. Abraham. 2004a. “Practical aspects of ADCP data use for quantification of mean river flow characteristics; Part II: Fixed-vessel measurements.” Flow Meas. Instrum. 15 (1): 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2003.09.002.
Muste, M., K. Yu, and M. Spasojevic. 2004b. “Practical aspects of ADCP data use for quantification of mean river flow characteristics; Part I: Moving-vessel measurements.” Flow Meas. Instrum. 15 (1): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2003.09.001.
Nikora, V. I., D. G. Goring, and B. J. F. Biggs. 1998. “A simple model of stream periphyton-flow interactions.” Oikos 81 (3): 607–611. https://doi.org/10.2307/3546782.
Nowell, A. R. M., and P. A. Jumars. 1984. “Flow environments of aquatic benthos.” Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 15 (Nov): 303–328. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.15.110184.001511.
Palmer, C. M. 1977. Algae and water pollution.. Washington, DC: USEPA.
Parsapour-Moghaddam, P., and C. D. Rennie. 2018. “Calibration of a 3D hydrodynamic meandering river model using fully spatially distributed 3D ADCP velocity data.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 144 (4): 04018010. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001424.
Parsons, D. R., P. R. Jackson, J. A. Czuba, F. L. Engel, B. L. Rhoads, K. A. Oberg, J. L. Best, D. S. Mueller, K. K. Johnson, and J. D. Riley. 2013. “Velocity Mapping Toolbox (VMT): A processing and visualization suite for moving-vessel ADCP measurements.” Earth Surf. Process. Landforms 38 (11): 1244–1260. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3367.
Peterson, C. G., and R. J. Stevenson. 1992. “Resistance and resilience of lotic algal communities: Importance of disturbance timing and current.” Ecol. 73 (4): 1445–1461. https://doi.org/10.2307/1940689.
Poff, N. L., N. J. Voelz, J. V. Ward, and R. E. Lee. 1990. “Algal colonization under four experimentally-controlled current regimes in high mountain stream.” J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc. 9 (4): 303–318. https://doi.org/10.2307/1467898.
Robinson, P. K., and H. A. Hawkes. 1986. “Studies on the growth of Cladophora glomerata in laboratory continuous-flow culture.” Brit. Phycol. J. 21 (4): 437–444. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071618600650501.
Ruttner, F. 1953. Fundamentals of limnology. 3rd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Schlichting, H., and K. Gersten. 2000. Boundary-layer theory. Berlin: Springer.
Schönborn, W. 1996. “Algal aufwuchs on stones, with particular reference to the Cladophora-dynamics in a small stream (Ilm, Thuringia, Germany): Production, decomposition and ecosystem reorganizer.” Limnologica 26 (4): 375–384.
Shields, F. D., S. S. Knight, S. Testa, and C. M. Cooper. 2003. “Use of acoustic doppler current profilers to describe velocity distributions at the reach scale.” J. Am. Water Resour. As. 39 (6): 1397–1408. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-1688.2003.tb04426.x.
Shields, F. D., and J. R. Rigby. 2005. “River habitat quality from river velocities measured using acoustic doppler current profiler.” Environ. Manage. 36 (4): 565–575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-0292-6.
Sime, L. C., R. I. Ferguson, and M. Church. 2007. “Estimating shear stress from moving boat acoustic Doppler velocity measurements in a large gravel bed river.” Water Resour. Res. 43 (3): W03418. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005069.
Simpson, M. R. 2001. Discharge measurements using a broad-band acoustic Doppler current profiler. Reston, VA: USGS.
Smart, G. 1999. “Turbulent velocity profiles and boundary shear in gravel bed rivers.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 125 (2): 106–116. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(1999)125:2(106).
SonTek/YSI, Inc. 2000. Acoustic doppler profiler (ADP®) principles of operation. San Diego: SonTek/YSI.
SonTek/YSI, Inc. 2012. RiverSurveyor S5/M9 system manual firmware version 3.00. San Diego: SonTek/YSI.
Stevenson, R. J. 1983. “Effects of current and conditions simulating autogenically changing microhabitats on benthic diatom immigration.” Ecol. 64 (6): 1514–1524. https://doi.org/10.2307/1937506.
Stevenson, R. J. 1996. “The stimulation and drag of current.” In Algal ecology: Freshwater bethic ecosystems, edited by R. J. Stevenson, and M. L. Bothwell, R. L. Lowe, 321–340. San Diego: Academic Press.
Stevenson, R. J., M. L. Bothwell, and R. L. Lowe. 1996. Algal ecology: Freshwater benthic ecosystems. San Diego: Academic Press.
Stone, M. C., and R. H. Hotchkiss. 2007. “Evaluating velocity measurement techniques in shallow streams.” J. Hydraul. Res. 45 (6): 752–762. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2007.9521813.
Strahler, A. N. 1952. “Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography.” Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 63 (11): 1117–1142. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1952)63[1117:HAAOET]2.0.CO;2.
Suplee, M. W., V. Watson, W. K. Dodds, and C. Shirley. 2012. “Response of algal biomass to large-scale nutrient controls in the Clark Fork River, Montana, United States.” J. Am. Water Resour. As. 48 (5): 1008–1021. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-1688.2012.00666.x.
Szupiany, R. N., M. L. Amsler, J. L. Best, and D. R. Parsons. 2007. “Comparison of fixed- and moving-vessel flow measurements with an ADP in a large river.” J. Hydraul. Eng. 133 (12): 1299–1309. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(2007)133:12(1299).
Tett, P., C. Gallegos, M. G. Kelly, G. M. Hornberger, and B. J. Cosby. 1978. “Relationships among substrate, flow, and benthic microalgal pigment density in the Mechums River, Virginia.” Limnol. Oceanogr. 23 (4): 785–797. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1978.23.4.0785.
Townsend, S. A., E. A. Garcia, and M. M. Douglas. 2012. “The response of benthic algal biomass to nutrient addition over a range of current speeds in an oligotrophic river.” Freshwater Sci. 31 (4): 1233–1243. https://doi.org/10.1899/11-163.1.
Uehlinger, U. 1991. “Spatial and temporal variability of the periphyton biomass in a prealpine river (Necker, Switzerland).” Archive für Hydrobiol. 123 (2): 219–237.
USEPA. 2013. STORET data warehouse. Washington, DC: USEPA.
USGS. 2014. National water information system data available on the world wide web (water data for the nation). Washington, DC: USGS.
Watson, V., and B. Gestring. 1996. “Monitoring algae levels in the Clark Fork River.” Intermountain J. Sci. 2 (2): 17–26.
Whitford, L. A. 1960. “The current effect and growth of fresh-water algae.” Trans. Am. Microsc. Soc. 79 (3): 302–309. https://doi.org/10.2307/3223738.
Whitford, L. A., and G. J. Schumacher. 1961. “Effect of current on mineral uptake and respiration by a fresh-water alga.” Limnol. Oceanogr. 6 (4): 423–425. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1961.6.4.0423.
Whitton, B. A. 1970. “Biology of Cladophora in freshwaters.” Water Res. 4 (7): 457–476. https://doi.org/10.1016/0043-1354(70)90061-8.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 3 • March 2020
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 2, 2018
Accepted: May 7, 2019
Published online: Dec 24, 2019
Published in print: Mar 1, 2020
Discussion open until: May 24, 2020
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.