Journal
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
Volume 48, Issue 10, Pages -Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1029/2020GL092149
Keywords
GPP; light; productivity; rivers; streams
Categories
Funding
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Availability and Use Science Program
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The study found that water column processes limited productivity in 50% of the nation's river length and 80% of its surface area, with variations across ecoregions related to riparian forest cover. These findings facilitate large-scale predictions of stream and river ecosystem productivity and understanding of the processes controlling productivity across networks.
Solar radiation is a fundamental driver of ecosystem productivity, but widespread estimates of light available for primary producers in rivers are lacking. We developed a model to predict light available for river primary producers and used it to estimate river primary production across the contiguous United States (CONUS). Successively accounting for riparian and water column processes improved predictions of primary production as a function of light. We calculated the ratio of river width to riparian tree height and used this metric to predict whether riparian zones or water column processes most limit productivity for over 2 million reaches. Water column processes limited productivity for 50% of the nation's river length and 80% of its surface area, with variations across ecoregions related to riparian forest cover. Our findings facilitate large-scale predictions of stream and river ecosystem productivity, as well as understanding the processes controlling productivity across networks.
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