Recognizing Agricultural Headwaters as Critical Ecosystems

Sammanfattning

Agricultural headwaters are positioned at the interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and, therefore, at the margins of scientific disciplines. They are deemed devoid of biodiversity and too polluted by ecologists, overlooked by hydrologists, and are perceived as a nuisance by landowners and water authorities. While agricultural streams are widespread and represent a major habitat in terms of stream length, they remain understudied and thereby undervalued. Agricultural headwater streams are significantly modified and polluted but at the same time are the critical linkages among land, air, and water ecosystems. They exhibit the largest variation in streamflow, water quality, and greenhouse gas emission with cascading effects on the entire stream networks, yet they are underrepresented in monitoring, remediation, and restoration. Therefore, we call for more intense efforts to characterize and understand the inherent variability and sensitivity of these ecosystems to global change drivers through scientific and regulatory monitoring and to improve their ecosystem conditions and functions through purposeful and evidence-based remediation.

Nyckelord

Agricultural land use; stream networks; hydrology; stream chemistry; stream ecology

Publicerad i

Environmental Science and Technology
2024, volym: 58, nummer: 11, sidor: 4852-4858
Utgivare: AMER CHEMICAL SOC

SLU författare

• Bieroza, Magdalena

  • Institutionen för mark och miljö, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Hallberg, Lukas

  • Institutionen för mark och miljö, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Livsey, John

  • Institutionen för mark och miljö, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Prischl, Laura-Ainhoa

  • Institutionen för mark och miljö, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Wynants, Maarten

  • Institutionen för mark och miljö, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Globala målen (SDG)

SDG6 Rent vatten och sanitet för alla
SDG15 Ekosystem och biologisk mångfald

UKÄ forskningsämne

Miljö- och naturvårdsvetenskap

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c10165

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/129192