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Basin-level habitat characteristics of selected streams in central Nebraska
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Zelt, Ronald B. |
| Copyright Year | 1996 |
| Abstract | The goal of Stream-habitat characterization is to use identified'relations between habitat and other physical, chemical, or biological factors in interpreting water-quality conditions. Basin-level characterization of habitat is one component of the spatially hierarchical approach to stream-habitat description adopted by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The Central Nebraska Basins study unit is about 78,000 square kilometers in area and includes the Loup and Elkhorn River Basins as well as basins of smaller tributaries to the Platte River. Stream-basin habitat characteristics associated with nine fixed-sampling stations were computed from conventional and digital map data. Geographic information system software was the principal analytical tool used. Basin characterizations generally were limited to only that part of each stream basin contained within the study unit. Habitat characteristics analyzed included basin size and shape, elevation, relief, drainage-network characteristics, geology, physiography, soils, land use and cover, climate, runoff, and streamflow characteristics. The report presents a tabular summary of the basin-level habitat characteristics determined for the nine selected stream basins. INTRODUCTION Beginning in 1991, the U.S. Congress appropriated funds for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to commence full-scale implementation of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. The goals of the program include the identification, description, and explanation of major natural and human factors that affect water-quality conditions. Water-quality conditions include physical, chemical, and biological properties of the water resources under study (Leahy and others, 1990). Within NAWQA, the goal of stream-habitat characterization is to use identified relations among habitat and other physical, chemical, or biological factors in interpreting water-quality conditions (Meador and others, 1993). An understanding of the spatial and temporal patterns and extent of stream-habitat characteristics will aid investigators in achieving this NAWQA Program goal. The approach used by NAWQA for describing stream habitat is a modification of the spatially hierarchical approach presented by Frissell and others (1986). The modified approach includes four spatial levels of habitat characterization basin, stream segment, stream reach, and microhabitat (Meador and others, 1993). To improve the standardization of measurement techniques and the national consistency of data, procedural guidelines (Meador and others, 1993; J.C. Scott, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 1994) were provided for characterizing stream habitat for the NAWQA Program. These guidelines presented procedures for characterizing habitat at the basin and stream-segment scales using digital geographic information system (GIS) software and data, conventional maps, and aerial photographs. The Central Nebraska Basins (CNB) was among the initial 20 study-unit investigations begun as part of the full-scale NAWQA Program. The CNB study unit (fig. 1) consists of the area drained by the Platte River between the confluence of the North Platte and South Platte Rivers near North Platte downstream to its confluence with the Missouri River south of Omaha (Zelt and Jordan, 1993). The study unit is about 78,000 km2 in area and includes the Loup and Elkhorn River |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.3133/ofr96361 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1996/0361/report.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
