Doctoral Dissertation Research: Exurban Land-Use Change, Watershed Management, and Surface-Water Quality

博士论文研究：远郊土地利用变化、流域管理和地表水质量

• 批准号: 0402498
• 负责人: Paul Robbins
• 金额: $ 0.72万
• 依托单位: Ohio State University Research Foundation -DO NOT USE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-03-15 至 2006-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0402498&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Exurban; Land

Rapid urban expansion is a form of urbanization common in the United States, yet its environmental impacts have received limited attention. From a spatial perspective, expansion begins in the exurban fringe, often by replacing agricultural land, yet differences in surface-water quality between exurban and agricultural environments are poorly understood. Numerous social institutions influence expansion's environmental impacts, one being watershed management. Significant resources are devoted to local watershed management, yet uncertainty remains concerning its effectiveness. This Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement project therefore aims to clarify surface-water quality differences between exurban and agricultural environments and the degree to which participatory and decentered watershed management, as opposed to state-centered management, influences exurban and agricultural surface water quality. The study will employ both quantitative biophysical and qualitative social data and methods. An ordinary least-squares regression analysis for 82 small watersheds in the Cleveland, Ohio, metropolitan area will be based on satellite imagery, aquatic bioassessments, and other spatial data, thereby forming a basis for quantifying relationships between aquatic biodiversity and land use. An intensive, historically based comparative case study of four watersheds will analyze the role watershed management plays in water quality. Data to be used in the project include the regression findings, additional high-resolution spatial data, a survey of Ohio watersheds groups, semi-structured interviews with key watershed stakeholders, and rankings and factor analyses evaluating stakeholder subjectivity. Working hypotheses are that (1) agricultural land use generally fosters relatively greater aquatic biodiversity than exurban land use, although notable variation results from particular local biophysical and social factors, and (2) participatory and decentered watershed management fosters greater aquatic biodiversity than more centralized management.Many Americans want the best possible environmental quality, but they also desire continued economic, population, and urban growth. Urban expansion, an issue of national economic and environmental importance, exemplifies this conundrum. Research findings are expected to help clarify the impacts of urban expansion on surface-water quality, offering additional scientific evidence to the ongoing debate concerning continued urban growth and environmental quality. This study also will shed light on which particular factors affecting water quality are most amenable to watershed management practices or other policy initiatives, thereby helping to determine where best to allocate limited watershed management resources. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement grant, this award will also provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.

快速的城市扩张是在美国常见的一种城市化形式，但其环境影响受到了有限的关注。 从空间的角度来看，通常通过更换农业土地来开始扩张，而在郊区和农业环境之间的地表水质差异却差不多。 许多社会机构会影响扩张的环境影响，其中一种是分水岭管理。 大量资源专门用于当地的分水岭管理，但有关其有效性的不确定性仍然存在。 因此，该博士学位论文研究改进项目旨在阐明外郊和农业环境之间的表面水质差异以及参与性和分散的分水岭管理而不是以国家为中心的管理的程度，从而影响了外表郊区和农业地表水质。 该研究将采用定量生物物理和定性社会数据和方法。 俄亥俄州克利夫兰82个小流域的普通最小二乘回归分析将基于卫星图像，水生生物评估和其他空间数据，从而构成量化水生生物变性和土地使用之间关系的基础。 一个基于历史的密集，基于四个流域的比较案例研究将分析流域管理在水质中的作用。 该项目中使用的数据包括回归发现，额外的高分辨率空间数据，对俄亥俄州流域小组的调查，与关键流域利益相关者的半结构化访谈以及评估利益相关者主观性的排名和因素分析。 工作假设是（1）农业土地利用通常比外部土地利用相比促进了相对较大的水生生物多样性，尽管特定的本地生物物理和社会因素显着差异，以及（2）参与性和不移民的水分管理促进了水生生物跨度更大的水生生物跨度，而不是更多的美国人，但仍希望继续增长的环境质量，但他们的经济质量也是如此，他们的经济性和素质的经济性和素材都有经济性。 城市扩张是国家经济和环境重要性的问题，体现了这一难题。 预计研究发现将有助于阐明城市扩张对地表水质量的影响，从而为持续的关于持续城市增长和环境质量的辩论提供了更多的科学证据。 这项研究还将阐明哪些影响水质的特定因素最适合流域管理实践或其他政策计划，从而有助于确定在哪里最好分配有限的流域管理资源。 作为博士学位论文研究的改进赠款，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生能够建立强大的独立研究职业。