Abstract
The Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) functional assessment method is predicated on the ability of hydrogeomorphic wetland classification and visual assessment of alteration to provide reference standards against which functions in individual wetlands can be evaluated. The effectiveness of this approach was tested by measuring nitrogen cycling functions in forested wetlands in an urbanized region in New Jersey, USA. Fourteen sites represented three HGM classes and were characterized as “least disturbed reference” or “non-reference” based on initial visual assessment. Water table levels and in situ rates of net nitrogen mineralization, net nitrification, and denitrification were measured over one year in each site. Hydrological alterations, resulting in consistently low or flashy water table levels, were not correlated with a priori designations as reference and non-reference. Although the flat-riverine wetland class had lower net nitrification and higher denitrification rates than riverine or mineral flat wetland classes, this difference was attributable to the lack of hydrologically-altered wetlands in the flat-riverine class, and thus more consistently wet conditions. Within all HGM classes, a classification based on the long-term hydrological record that separated sites with “normal,” saturated hydrology from those with “altered,” drier hydrology, clearly distinguished sites with different nitrogen cycling function. Based on these findings, current practices for designating reference standard sites to judge wetland functions, at least in urbanized regions, are ineffective and potentially misleading. At least one year of hydrological monitoring data is suggested to classify wetlands into groups that have different nutrient cycling functions, particularly in urban landscapes.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Robert Hamilton, IV, Dave Lewis, Manisha Patel, Dave Berry, Ryan Sklar, Seth Davis, Ann Lang, Adira Rybandt, Tammy Gotsch, and Kim Spiegel for assistance with field data collection and laboratory analyses and Monica Palta for assistance with data analysis. We also thank Peter Groffman, Tamar Barkay, and Wei-Xing Zhu for helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. Funding was provided by USGS/NIWR Grant 00HQR0088 and the New Jersey Water Resources Research Institute. E. Stander was also supported on an EPA STAR Graduate Fellowship for a portion of this study. This document has been subjected to the agency’s peer and administrative review and approved for publication. Use of trade, brand, or firm names in this report is for identification purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Stander, E.K., Ehrenfeld, J.G. Rapid Assessment of Urban Wetlands: Do Hydrogeomorphic Classification and Reference Criteria Work?. Environmental Management 43, 725–742 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9211-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9211-6