1. An index of riparian quality useful for the management of streams and rivers is presented. The purpose of the index is to provide managers with a simple method to evaluate riparian habitat quality. The index is easy to calculate and can be used together with any other index of water quality to assess the ecological status of streams and rivers. It may also be a useful tool for defining ‘high...

Cottonwoods (Populus spp.) are adapted to riparian or floodplain zones throughout the Northern Hemisphere; they are also used as parents for fast-growing hybrid poplars. We review recent ecophysiological studies of the native cottonwoods Populus angustifolia James, P. balsamifera L., P. deltoides Marsh., P. fremontii S. Watson and P. trichocarpa T. & G. in North America, and P. nigra L. in Euro...

This research presents a time-effective approach for mapping streambed and riparian zone extent from high spatial resolution LiDAR derived products, i.e. digital terrain model, terrain slope and plant projective cover. Geographic object based image analysis (GEOBIA) has proven useful for feature extraction from high spatial resolution image data because of the capacity to reduce effects of refl...

[1] The effects of catchment size and landscape organization on runoff generation are poorly understood. Little research has integrated hillslope and riparian runoff investigation across catchments of different sizes to decipher first-order controls on runoff generation. We investigated the role of catchment sizes on riparian and hillslope dynamics based on hydrometric and tracer data observed ...

Riparian areas are critical interfaces between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Protecting and enhancing them by implementing streamside management zones (SMZs) is an essential practice of sustainable forestry. SMZs provide ecological functions including protection against non-point source pollution, promotion of water infiltration, contribution of beneficial nutrients and coarse woody debri...

Water quality in many stream catchments and river basins is severely impacted by nutrient enrichment as a result of agriculture. Water-resource managers worldwide are considering the potential role of riparian zones and floodplain wetlands in improving stream-water quality, as there is evidence at the site scale that such wetlands are efficient at removing nutrients from through-flowing water. ...

Contents 1. Introduction 1.1. Dynamical water quality models 1.2. Types of dynamical water quality models 1.3. Levels of model complexity 1.4. Representation of spatial structure 2. Overview of water quality models for the catchment scale 3. Ecohydrological model SWIM – a short description 4. Selected SWIM applications in the Elbe basin 4.1. Case study basin and subbasins 4.2. Model calibration...