Title | Optimizing wetland restoration to improve water quality at a regional scale |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2019 |
Authors | Singh, NK, Gourevitch, JD, Wemple, BC, Watson, KB, Rizzo, DM, Polasky, S, Ricketts, TH |
Journal | Environmental Research Letters |
Volume | 14 |
Issue | 6 |
Pagination | 064006 |
Date Published | 2019/06 |
Abstract | Excessive phosphorus (P) export to aquatic ecosystems can lead to impaired water quality. There is a growing interest among watershed managers in using restored wetlands to retain P from agricultural landscapes and improve water quality. We develop a novel framework for prioritizing wetland restoration at a regional scale. The framework uses an ecosystem service model and an optimization algorithm that maximizes P reduction for given levels of restoration cost. Applying our framework in the Lake Champlain Basin, we find that wetland restoration can reduce P export by 2.6% for a budget of $50 M and 5.1% for a budget of $200 M. Sensitivity analysis shows that using finer spatial resolution data for P sources results in twice the P reduction benefits at a similar cost by capturing hot-spots on the landscape. We identify 890 wetlands that occur in more than 75% of all optimal scenarios and represent priorities for restoration. Most of these wetlands are smaller than 7 ha with contributing area less than 100 ha and are located within 200 m of streams. Our approach provides a simple yet robust tool for targeting restoration efforts at regional scales and is readily adaptable to other restoration strategies. |
URL | https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab1827 |
DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/ab1827 |
Short Title | Environ. Res. Lett. |
Refereed Designation | Refereed |
Optimizing wetland restoration to improve water quality at a regional scale
Status:
Published
Attributable Grant:
BREE
Grant Year:
Year4
Acknowledged VT EPSCoR:
Ack-Yes