In a series of field and watershed scale studies, the genetic diversity of Escherichia coli in secondary habitats (e.g. soils and sediments) of an agricultural watershed was assessed in order to examine the dynamics of E. coli inhabiting these matrices and to determine their contribution to waterborne populations. Using replicated field plots, persistent subpopulations of E. coli were observed to be significantly affected by hillslope position due to inherent differences in soil texture and moisture content. The dynamics of E. coli populating tile drainage effluent in a working cultivated field were monitored and it was observed that putatively naturalized E. coli dominated the effluent after approximately 55 days following manure amendments. The contribution of tile drainage effluents to the waterborne E. coli population in an adjacent stream was exponentially related to tile discharge rates, regardless of whether the effluent was populated by manure-associated or naturalized E. coli strains. Streambed E. coli populations differed according to stream geomorphological features, with strains responding to sediment texture and water velocity distributions among the features. In a temporal study of sediment E. coli, population turnover was observed to be affected by sediment redistribution in highenergy stream reaches and was stabilized by immigration from adjacent catchment sources in low-energy stream reaches. Reach-specific connectivity between sediment and waterborne E. coli populations was observed in this watershed. Reach- and catchmentscale hyporheic processes are speculated to be occurring, which may be in part influenced by strain-dependent attachment behaviour of E. coli strains in disjoint stream reaches influenced by different catchment sources of E. coli. The attachment of waterborne E. coli to suspended particles was observed to be associated with land use, water quality and suspended particle variables. The relationship of land use type to particle attachment reinforces the hypothesis that strain-specificity in attachment behaviour can affect the transport of E. coli in fluvial systems. This work provides evidence that putatively naturalized strains in cultivated fields can contribute a large part to waterborne E. coli, and that reach-specific hydrological factors need to be considered when relating sediment- to waterborne E. coli in fluvial systems.

Cyberlearning has the ability to connect learners from diverse settings to educational resources regardless of the learners' proximities to traditional classroom environments. Prior research has shown that hybrid learning systems more effectively improve student learning than do either traditional or cyberlearning approaches used individually. The Online Watershed Learning System (OWLS) is an interactive cyberlearning system for use in hybrid education. It serves as the end user interface of the Learning Enhanced Watershed Assessment System (LEWAS), a watershed monitoring system for use in research and education. The LEWAS/OWLS has been integrated into 26 courses. Within the theoretical framework of situated learning, the OWLS uses data and imagery to situate users at the LEWAS site. The current research has the dual goals of developing the OWLS and evaluating its effectiveness within a hybrid learning environment as part of watershed monitoring education. Within goal 1, HTML5, CSS and JavaScript code (11,112 lines) were used to achieve platform independence, and student and faculty feedback suggests a hierarchy of cyberlearning interface features, where anywhere/anytime access is the most important class of features for these users followed by real-time data visualization, system background information and how-to-use information in descending order. For students at the community college freshmen, university senior and graduate levels, goal 2 investigated how much the OWLS increases student learning of environmental monitoring topics and motivates them to study these topics. For this goal, use of the LEWAS/OWLS increased learning and motivation for most students with the caveats that the these gains were not always statistically significant and that these gains may be caused by use of the LEWAS in general rather than by the OWLS component of it. Additional studies are needed to resolve these issues. Additionally, a pilot test of anonymous user tracking (11,231 page views) showed how it can be used to obtain general information about which groups of users are accessing a cyberlearning system, how they are accessing it, and how navigation through the system can be improved to better match user goals. The full results and their limitations are included along with areas for future work. / Ph. D. / Online learning has the ability to connect learners from diverse settings to educational resources regardless of the learners’ proximities to traditional classroom environments. The Online Watershed Learning System (OWLS), which runs in any modern web browser on desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones, is an interactive online learning system for use in learning settings that combine online and traditional classroom components. The OWLS delivers integrated video, weather data and water quantity and quality data collected by the Learning Enhanced Watershed Assessment System (LEWAS) to users. The goals of this research were 1) to develop the OWLS and 2) to evaluate its effectiveness as part of watershed monitoring education. Within goal 1, student and faculty feedback suggests that anywhere/anytime access to the OWLS and near-current data availability are two of the OWLS most important features. For students at the community college freshmen, university senior and graduate levels, the results for goal 2 indicate that use of the LEWAS/OWLS increased learning and motivation for most students. However, the statistical results were not always conclusive and further research in this area is needed.

Master of Science / Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering / Philip L. Barnes / Wichita, Kansas water supply is derived from multiple sources. Unfortunately, these sources are not expected to meet the future needs of the population. This predicted water shortage led to the development of the Equus Beds Recharge Project, to investigate artificial recharge as a solution to meet future water demands. This project focuses on the Little Arkansas River as a source of this recharge water. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment set a daily 3[Mu]g/L standard for the recharged water as opposed to surface waters used directly for drinking water which can't exceed a yearly average atrazine concentration of 3[Mu]g/L. During 2005, five sub-watersheds within the Little Arkansas River watershed were instrumented to collect water quality samples and measure flow rate to calculate daily contaminant loadings. Three of the sub-watersheds used atrazine best management practices (BMPs) applied to grain sorghum while the remaining two sub-watersheds maintained existing farm practices. During 2007, monitoring continued and additional atrazine BMPs were applied to corn grown in the treated sub-watersheds. During both 2006 and 2007, water quality monitoring was used to examine water quality parameters throughout the entire watershed. Watershed-scale monitoring allowed for pollutant transport patterns to emerge both spatially and temporally and indicated potential sources of the pollutants. In this particular study, atrazine and sediment loss were the two most important water quality parameters. Results from this study showed that by using BMPs the concentration of atrazine was decreased by greater than 40% in 2006 when compared to the atrazine concentration from those areas without BMPs. A 5% reduction was seen in 2007, which was due to differences in precipitation and runoff between the two years. There was no reduction in sediment losses between the treated and untreated watersheds during 2006, leading to the conclusion that additional practices would be needed to reduce sediment losses as well as any pollutants associated with sediment loss (ex nutrients absorbed to the sediments). During 2007, sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus were 66%, 60%, and 55% lower respectively in the treated versus untreated sub-watershed. These 2007 differences were related to rainfall pattern differences in the sub-watersheds.

O presente trabalho teve por objetivos a aplicação do modelo SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) na simulação da produção de sedimentos e do volume de escoamento superficial na microbacia hidrográfica do Ribeirão do Marins, localizada em Piracicaba, SP, e a simulação de cenários alternativos de uso do solo para exemplificar o modelo e verificar as possibilidades de cobertura do solo. Para alimentação do modelo são necessários dados espacializados, os quais foram manipulados com o auxílio do Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG). A interface SWAT-SIG extrai os dados para caracterizar cada sub-bacia dos Planos de Informações (PI’s): Modelo Numérico do Terreno (MNT), solo e uso do solo, e do banco de dados do modelo. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados aos dados observados no posto hidrossedimentométrico localizado na microbacia, e submetidos a análise estatística para verificação da eficiência da simulação. Os cenários alternativos gerados foram divididos em dois grupos. No primeiro, foram criados seis cenários de acordo com o tipo de solo encontrado na microbacia: litólico e podzólico. Esse critério foi adotado com o objetivo de observar a produção de sedimentos e volume de escoamento superficial em cada tipo de solo combinados com os três usos encontrados na microbacia, com a finalidade de observar as respostas de cada solo, e possivelmente indicar uma melhor combinação solo/uso. No segundo, foram gerados sete cenários de uso do solo de acordo com a suscetibilidade do solo à erosão. Esse grupo foi criado com o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento da produção de sedimentos e do volume de escoamento superficial, nas áreas mais suscetíveis à erosão. As simulações dos cenários alternativos foram comparadas com os resultados encontrados no cenário atual. A utilização da interface SWAT-SIG permitiu avaliar os dados simulados em relação aos dados coletados no posto hidrossedimentométrico, os resultados obtidos foram satisfatórios, pois os dados simulados acompanharam os dados observados. Permitiu também, gerar cenários alternativos para verificar os efeitos da cobertura do solo na produção de sedimentos e no volume de escoamento superficial na microbacia. Comparando as simulações dos cenários alternativos, foi possível observar que quando no uso do solo predominava o cultivo da cana-de-açúcar, a produção de sedimentos e o volume de escoamento superficial aumentaram consideravelmente em relação ao cenário atual. No entanto, quando a vegetação nativa predominava, ocorria um decréscimo. Com base nas simulações de cenários é possível concluir que a MHRM é muito suscetível aos processos erosivos. Os resultados obtidos ressaltaram a necessidade de reconhecer nas bacias hidrográficas as áreas sensíveis aos processos erosivos, onde são necessárias práticas de controle da erosão ou mudanças na cobertura do solo, e não somente a proteção aos corpos d’água através da implantação da mata ciliar. Também é possível concluir que no contexto deste trabalho, o modelo não possui sensibilidade de reconhecer pequenas áreas em meio de áreas maiores. / The present work had as objectives to apply the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model in the simulation of sediment production and runoff volume in the Ribeirão do Marins watershed, located in Piracicaba, SP, and to simulate alternative sceneries of soil use to exemplify the model and to study the possibilities of soil covering. To feed the model, it is necessary specialized data, which were manipulated with the aid of GIS’s (Geographical Information System). The SWAT-GIS interface extracts the data to characterize each sub-basin with Information Plans (IP's): Digital Elevation Model (DEM’s), soil and soil use, and from the model database. The results were compared to the data observed at the gauge station located in the watershed, and submitted to statistical analysis for validation of the simulation efficiency. The generated alternative sceneries were divided in two groups. In the first one, six sceneries were created in conformity with the soil type found in the watershed: litholic and podzolic. This criterion was adopted with the objective of observing the sediment production and the runoff volume in each soil type combined with the three soil usages found in the watershed with the purpose of observing each soil response, and the prospect to indicate a better soil/management combination. In the second one, seven sceneries of soil exploitation were generated in conformity with the susceptibility of the soil to erosion. This group was created with the objective to evaluate the behavior of sediment production and runoff volume in the areas most susceptible to erosion. The simulations of the alternative sceneries were compared with the results found in the current scenery. The use of the interface SWAT-SIG allowed to evaluate the simulated data in relation to the data collected in the gauge station, the obtained results were satisfactory, because the simulated data accompanied the observed data. Also allowed, to generate alternative sceneries to verify the effects of the covering of the soil in the production of sediments and in the volume of superficial drainage in the watershed. Comparing the simulations of the alternative sceneries, it was possible to observe that where sugarcane cultivation prevailed as major soil use, sediment production and runoff volume increased considerably in relation to the current scenery. However, when the native vegetation prevailed, there was a decrease in these factors. Based on the simulations of sceneries, it is possible to conclude that WRM is very susceptible to erosive processes. These results emphasized the need to recognize in watershed the sensitive areas to erosive processes, where it is necessary erosion control practices or changes in soil covering besides protecting bodies of water through the implantation of riparian forest. It is also possible to conclude that in the context of this work, model shows no sensibility to recognize small areas within larger ones.

O presente trabalho teve por objetivos a aplicação do modelo SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) na simulação da produção de sedimentos e do volume de escoamento superficial na microbacia hidrográfica do Ribeirão do Marins, localizada em Piracicaba, SP, e a simulação de cenários alternativos de uso do solo para exemplificar o modelo e verificar as possibilidades de cobertura do solo. Para alimentação do modelo são necessários dados espacializados, os quais foram manipulados com o auxílio do Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG). A interface SWAT–SIG extrai os dados para caracterizar cada sub-bacia dos Planos de Informações (PI’s): Modelo Numérico do Terreno (MNT), solo e uso do solo, e do banco de dados do modelo. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados aos dados observados no posto hidrossedimentométrico localizado na microbacia, e submetidos a análise estatística para verificação da eficiência da simulação. Os cenários alternativos gerados foram divididos em dois grupos. No primeiro, foram criados seis cenários de acordo com o tipo de solo encontrado na microbacia: litólico e podzólico. Esse critério foi adotado com o objetivo de observar a produção de sedimentos e volume de escoamento superficial em cada tipo de solo combinados com os três usos encontrados na microbacia, com a finalidade de observar as respostas de cada solo, e possivelmente indicar uma melhor combinação solo/uso. No segundo, foram gerados sete cenários de uso do solo de acordo com a suscetibilidade do solo à erosão. Esse grupo foi criado com o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento da produção de sedimentos e do volume de escoamento superficial, nas áreas mais suscetíveis à erosão. As simulações dos cenários alternativos foram comparadas com os resultados encontrados no cenário atual. A utilização da interface SWAT-SIG permitiu avaliar os dados simulados em relação aos dados coletados no posto hidrossedimentométrico, os resultados obtidos foram satisfatórios, pois os dados simulados acompanharam os dados observados. Permitiu também, gerar cenários alternativos para verificar os efeitos da cobertura do solo na produção de sedimentos e no volume de escoamento superficial na microbacia. Comparando as simulações dos cenários alternativos, foi possível observar que quando no uso do solo predominava o cultivo da cana-de-açúcar, a produção de sedimentos e o volume de escoamento superficial aumentaram consideravelmente em relação ao cenário atual. No entanto, quando a vegetação nativa predominava, ocorria um decréscimo. Com base nas simulações de cenários é possível concluir que a MHRM é muito suscetível aos processos erosivos. Os resultados obtidos ressaltaram a necessidade de reconhecer nas bacias hidrográficas as áreas sensíveis aos processos erosivos, onde são necessárias práticas de controle da erosão ou mudanças na cobertura do solo, e não somente a proteção aos corpos d’água através da implantação da mata ciliar. Também é possível concluir que no contexto deste trabalho, o modelo não possui sensibilidade de reconhecer pequenas áreas em meio de áreas maiores. / The present work had as objectives to apply the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model in the simulation of sediment production and runoff volume in the Ribeirão do Marins watershed, located in Piracicaba, SP, and to simulate alternative sceneries of soil use to exemplify the model and to study the possibilities of soil covering. To feed the model, it is necessary specialized data, which were manipulated with the aid of GIS’s (Geographical Information System). The SWAT-GIS interface extracts the data to characterize each sub-basin with Information Plans (IP's): Digital Elevation Model (DEM’s), soil and soil use, and from the model database. The results were compared to the data observed at the gauge station located in the watershed, and submitted to statistical analysis for validation of the simulation efficiency. The generated alternative sceneries were divided in two groups. In the first one, six sceneries were created in conformity with the soil type found in the watershed: litholic and podzolic. This criterion was adopted with the objective of observing the sediment production and the runoff volume in each soil type combined with the three soil usages found in the watershed with the purpose of observing each soil response, and the prospect to indicate a better soil/management combination. In the second one, seven sceneries of soil exploitation were generated in conformity with the susceptibility of the soil to erosion. This group was created with the objective to evaluate the behavior of sediment production and runoff volume in the areas most susceptible to erosion. The simulations of the alternative sceneries were compared with the results found in the current scenery. The use of the interface SWAT-SIG allowed to evaluate the simulated data in relation to the data collected in the gauge station, the obtained results were satisfactory, because the simulated data accompanied the observed data. Also allowed, to generate alternative sceneries to verify the effects of the covering of the soil in the production of sediments and in the volume of superficial drainage in the watershed. Comparing the simulations of the alternative sceneries, it was possible to observe that where sugarcane cultivation prevailed as major soil use, sediment production and runoff volume increased considerably in relation to the current scenery. However, when the native vegetation prevailed, there was a decrease in these factors. Based on the simulations of sceneries, it is possible to conclude that WRM is very susceptible to erosive processes. These results emphasized the need to recognize in watershed the sensitive areas to erosive processes, where it is necessary erosion control practices or changes in soil covering besides protecting bodies of water through the implantation of riparian forest. It is also possible to conclude that in the context of this work, model shows no sensibility to recognize small areas within larger ones.

Watershed monitoring programs generally do not have perfect data collection success rates due to a variety of field and laboratory factors. A major source of error in many stream-gaging records is lost or missing data caused by malfunctioning stream-side equipment. Studies estimate that between 5 and 20 percent of stream-gaging data may be marked as missing for one reason or another. Reconstructing or infilling missing data methods generate larger sets of data. These larger data sets generally generate better estimates of the sampled parameter and permit practical applications of the data in hydrologic or water quality calculations. This study utilizes data from a watershed monitoring program operating in the Northern Virginia area to: (1) identify and summarize the major reasons for the occurrence of missing data; (2) provide recommendations for reducing the occurrence of missing data; (3) describe methods for infilling missing chemical data; (4) develop and evaluate methods for infilling values to replace missing chemical data; and (5) recommend different infilling methods for various conditions. An evaluation of different infilling methods for chemical data over a variety of factors (e.g., amount of annual rainfall, whether the missing chemical parameter is strongly correlated with flow, amount of missing data) is performed using Monte Carlo modeling. Using the results of the Monte Carlo modeling, a Decision Support System (DSS) is developed for easy application of the most appropriate infilling method. / Master of Science

A dissolução de minerais de fósforo constitui fonte natural deste elemento nos corpos d\'água, mantendo uma concentração da ordem de µgL-1, suficiente para sustentar o equilíbrio bioquímico nesses sistemas. Uma evidência da influência do homem, é o aumento das concentrações de fósforo no ambiente aquático, contribuindo para o fenômeno da eutroficação. A área de estudo é um setor da região metropolitana de São Paulo, nos municípios de Diadema e São Bernardo do Campo, bacia do Ribeirão dos Meninos. Os corpos d\'água avaliados foram o Córrego da Linha Camargo, Córrego da Av. Juscelino Kubitschek (drenos de área residencial), Córrego Pindorama (dreno de área industrial) e Ribeirão dos Couros (dreno de área mista). Foram determinados nos corpos d\'água fósforo total dissolvido, cloreto, sódio, ferro, cálcio e pH. Os córregos que drenam as áreas com ocupação residencial apresentaram máximos de concentração para fósforo no período da manhã, em 100% dos eventos avaliados. Na área industrial (Córrego Pindorama), os máximos ocorrem no período da tarde (67% de freqüência), por vezes estendendo-se para a noite (20%). Para a área de ocupação mista (Ribeirão dos Couros), os resultados são semelhantes ao Córrego Pindorama, sugerindo ser o setor industrial da região, regente quanto à contaminação do rio por estes compostos. Quanto aos outros parâmetros estudados, somente a dinâmica de variação do íon sódio assemelha- e à do fósforo. Os resultados indicaram que o comportamento dos compostos dissolvidos de fósforo é dependente do padrão de ocupação da área drenada, podendo ser utilizado como parâmetro para definição do tipo de atividade antrópica predominante de uma região. Para ambientes urbanos, onde a ocupação do solo está relacionada à organização social humana, foi demonstrado pelo estudo de alguns casos que o comportamento dos compostos dissolvidos de fósforo é característico, e dependente da área drenada pelos corpos d\'água. / The leaching of phosphate from rocks is the natural process that supplies to the water bodies steady state concentrations of phosphorus at the µg.L-1 level which supports biochemical processes in these systems. Higher phosphorus contents are an evidence of anthropogenic action that ultimately generates the phenomenon of eutrophication. The study area was chosen at Diadema and São Bernardo do Campo counties which are included in São Paulo City metropolitan region. Monitoring points were set at the urban creeks: Linha Camargo and Avenida Juscelino Kubstchek (residencial districts), Pindorama (industrial district) and Couros (mixed use district) all of them subsidiaries of the Meninos River (a major component of the Tietê River basin). Total dissolved phosphate, chloride, sodium, calcium and iron ions together with pH were monitored periodically over a whole year. The dissolved phosphate concentration exhibits peaks at the morning in the streams from residential districts, in 100% of the samples taken. In creeks of industrial districts afternoon peaks are more frequent (67%), sometimes extending to the evening (20%). The stream situated in the mixed use district showed figures similar to those of the industrial one, indicating industrial activity as the prevailing discharging agent. Among the other parameters measured only the sodium ion showed behavior correlated to the phosphate. The collected data lead to the conclusions that the dissolved phosphate concentrations in urban streams are related to the land use patterns of the drained area and that this parameter can be taken as a means of evaluating the dominant anthropogenic activity at an urban district. At urban places, where the land use pattern is related to the social organization, some case studies conducted in this thesis have shown that the behavior of dissolved phosphate concentrations in streams of water is characterized by human occupation pattern in the drained basins.

A dissolução de minerais de fósforo constitui fonte natural deste elemento nos corpos d\'água, mantendo uma concentração da ordem de µgL-1, suficiente para sustentar o equilíbrio bioquímico nesses sistemas. Uma evidência da influência do homem, é o aumento das concentrações de fósforo no ambiente aquático, contribuindo para o fenômeno da eutroficação. A área de estudo é um setor da região metropolitana de São Paulo, nos municípios de Diadema e São Bernardo do Campo, bacia do Ribeirão dos Meninos. Os corpos d\'água avaliados foram o Córrego da Linha Camargo, Córrego da Av. Juscelino Kubitschek (drenos de área residencial), Córrego Pindorama (dreno de área industrial) e Ribeirão dos Couros (dreno de área mista). Foram determinados nos corpos d\'água fósforo total dissolvido, cloreto, sódio, ferro, cálcio e pH. Os córregos que drenam as áreas com ocupação residencial apresentaram máximos de concentração para fósforo no período da manhã, em 100% dos eventos avaliados. Na área industrial (Córrego Pindorama), os máximos ocorrem no período da tarde (67% de freqüência), por vezes estendendo-se para a noite (20%). Para a área de ocupação mista (Ribeirão dos Couros), os resultados são semelhantes ao Córrego Pindorama, sugerindo ser o setor industrial da região, regente quanto à contaminação do rio por estes compostos. Quanto aos outros parâmetros estudados, somente a dinâmica de variação do íon sódio assemelha- e à do fósforo. Os resultados indicaram que o comportamento dos compostos dissolvidos de fósforo é dependente do padrão de ocupação da área drenada, podendo ser utilizado como parâmetro para definição do tipo de atividade antrópica predominante de uma região. Para ambientes urbanos, onde a ocupação do solo está relacionada à organização social humana, foi demonstrado pelo estudo de alguns casos que o comportamento dos compostos dissolvidos de fósforo é característico, e dependente da área drenada pelos corpos d\'água. / The leaching of phosphate from rocks is the natural process that supplies to the water bodies steady state concentrations of phosphorus at the µg.L-1 level which supports biochemical processes in these systems. Higher phosphorus contents are an evidence of anthropogenic action that ultimately generates the phenomenon of eutrophication. The study area was chosen at Diadema and São Bernardo do Campo counties which are included in São Paulo City metropolitan region. Monitoring points were set at the urban creeks: Linha Camargo and Avenida Juscelino Kubstchek (residencial districts), Pindorama (industrial district) and Couros (mixed use district) all of them subsidiaries of the Meninos River (a major component of the Tietê River basin). Total dissolved phosphate, chloride, sodium, calcium and iron ions together with pH were monitored periodically over a whole year. The dissolved phosphate concentration exhibits peaks at the morning in the streams from residential districts, in 100% of the samples taken. In creeks of industrial districts afternoon peaks are more frequent (67%), sometimes extending to the evening (20%). The stream situated in the mixed use district showed figures similar to those of the industrial one, indicating industrial activity as the prevailing discharging agent. Among the other parameters measured only the sodium ion showed behavior correlated to the phosphate. The collected data lead to the conclusions that the dissolved phosphate concentrations in urban streams are related to the land use patterns of the drained area and that this parameter can be taken as a means of evaluating the dominant anthropogenic activity at an urban district. At urban places, where the land use pattern is related to the social organization, some case studies conducted in this thesis have shown that the behavior of dissolved phosphate concentrations in streams of water is characterized by human occupation pattern in the drained basins.