NRI Benthic Invertebrate Monitoring Program Ecological Integrity of Arctic Streams
Objectives: To assess and identify the extent of long-term biological impairment from multiple stressors in the streams and rivers of the South-Baffin region of Nunavut. Outline: Arctic freshwater streams and rivers are highly specialized systems that are susceptible to a wide variety of anthropogen...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.551.2688 http://andrewmedeiros.com/benthic_monitoring.pdf |
| Summary: | Objectives: To assess and identify the extent of long-term biological impairment from multiple stressors in the streams and rivers of the South-Baffin region of Nunavut. Outline: Arctic freshwater streams and rivers are highly specialized systems that are susceptible to a wide variety of anthropogenic disturbances. The examination of bio-indicators that respond to changes in temperature, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and pollutants can thus be used to infer the overall health of these systems. In order to establish a long-term monitoring program to assess the ecological integrity of these systems, these indicators are used to determine any deviation from the established baseline conditions. Since most monitoring protocols in use are based off of research in southern temperate systems, the assessment of Arctic tundra streams requires the development of predictive reference model. As there are also no measures of what a ‘pristine ’ habitat is, a reference condition approach is necessary to determine the baseline conditions of the benthic invertebrate communities of undisturbed streams. While the reference condition approach will require a large sampling commitment for the initial assessment phase, it will allow for the selection of parameters to use in an index which is ecologically significant as well as and based off of the predictive model developed from the reference conditions of ‘pristine ’ tundra streams. Thus, comparing ‘pristine ’ and ‘disturbed’ |
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