Evaluating the influence of historical and current land cover on sediment and nutrient transport

Alterations to historical land cover along with the spatial variability of current land cover can directly impact groundwater flow and the water quality of streams. As human population grows, land cover will continue to be altered, enhancing its importance. This study examines how changing land cover affects recharge to groundwater and groundwater transport to streams. The impact of historical and current land cover on hydrology in the Jordan River Watershed was modeled. The geometry of the sediment deposited within the Jordan River was studied using Ground Penetrating Radar to correlate changes in sedimentation to past land cover and climate change. Ground Penetrating Radar combined with sediment cores aided in the interpretation of certain sediment packages. The last part of the study examines total dissolved Phosphorous and Nitrate groundwater inputs from land cover by modeling the transport of nutrients through the Sycamore Creek Watershed. Nutrient loading for different land covers and in-stream processing for Total Dissolved Phosphorous and Nitrate were optimized to match measured stream data.