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River Habitat Quality from River Velocities Measured Using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler

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Abstract

Prior research has demonstrated the utility of metrics based on spatial velocity gradients to characterize and describe stream habitat, with higher gradients generally indicative of higher levels of physical heterogeneity and thus habitat quality. However, detailed velocity data needed to compute these metrics are difficult to obtain. Acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) may be used to rapidly collect detailed representations of river velocity fields. Herein we demonstrate use of ADCP to obtain ecologically relevant data and compute associated metrics. Data were collected from four reaches of the Little Tallahatchie River in northern Mississippi. Sampled reaches were selected to observe velocity regimes associated with three distinctly different conditions: downstream from a major flow obstruction (a low weir), downstream from the apices of each of two bends, and within an extremely long, straight reach created by channelization. Three-dimensional velocity data sets from each site were used to compute metrics of habitat quality proposed by others. A habitat metric based on the presence of rotational flow in the vertical plane proved to be the best discriminator among conditions within the sampled reaches. Two of four habitat quality metrics computed from these measured velocities were greatest for the sharpest meander bend. ADCP hold great potential for study of riverine physical aquatic habitats, particularly at the reach scale. Additional work is needed to develop generally applicable field protocols and data reduction tools. Specifically, guidelines for ADCP settings and configuration appropriate for a range of riverine site conditions must be developed. Advances in instrumentation are needed to allow collection of information in closer proximity to the free surface and solid boundaries.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge technical assistance provided by John Stofleth. Manufacturer’s names are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. P. D. Mitchell drew Figure 2. David Crowder, Elizabeth Nystrom, Don Jackson, Peter Whiting, and two anonymous reviewers read an earlier version of this article and made many helpful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Sedimentation Laboratory , US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service , PO Box 1157, 598 McElroy Drive, Oxford, Mississippi, 38655-1157

    F. Douglas Shields Jr

  2. Civil and Environmental Engineering Department , Imperial College , London, U.K.

    J. R. Rigby

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  1. F. Douglas Shields Jr
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  2. J. R. Rigby
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Correspondence to F. Douglas Shields Jr.

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Shields, F.D., Rigby, J.R. River Habitat Quality from River Velocities Measured Using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler. Environmental Management 36, 565–575 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-0292-6

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