The global climate is changing and much of this is attributed to the greenhouse effect, which has been exacerbated by increased anthropogenic releases of greenhouse gases (GHGs). However, important GHGs, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4), are produced naturally in the soil during the metabolism of many soil microbial and plant communities. The generation rate of GHGs depends on many factors, including soil community composition, nutrient availability, temperature, and soil moisture. Predicted climate variability is expected to alter temperature and rainfall patterns, which can impact the factors regulating natural generation of GHGs. With changing fluxes of GHGs, the natural feedback loops between GHG generation and climate may change. Increased emissions from natural sources would exacerbate climate change, whereas decreased emissions may mitigate its impacts. Floodplains may be particularly susceptible to climate change, as their biogeochemical processing is driven by hydrology. For this study, ten mesocosms were installed on the floodplain of Stroubles Creek in southwest Virginia. A flood event was simulated in half of these mesocosms in both early spring and mid-summer, which represent extremes in soil moisture and primary productivity on the floodplain. Headspace gases were monitored for CO, N2O, and CH4. Efflux of CO2 and N2O was higher in summer than spring, and also increased following wetting events. Methane production was greater in the spring, with no detectable change with wetting. Increases in summer rainfall events could increase the release of important GHGs to the atmosphere, potentially at levels significant to climate change. / Master of Science

Severe flooding and excess nutrient pollution, exacerbated by heightened anthropogenic pressures (e.g., climate change, urbanization, land use change, unsustainable agricultural practices), have been detrimental to riverine systems and their estuaries. The degradation of riverine systems can negatively impact human and environmental health, as well as local, regional, and even global economies. Floods provide beneficial ecosystem services (e.g., processing pollutants, transferring nutrients and sediment, supporting biodiversity), but they can also damage infrastructure and result in the loss of human life. Meanwhile, eutrophication can cause anoxic dead zones, harming aquatic ecosystems and public health. To address the issues facing riverine systems, focus has shifted to watershed-scale management plans. However, it can prove challenging to quantify the cumulative impacts of multiple stream restoration projects within a single watershed on flooding and nutrient removal. Previous studies have quantified the effects of stream restoration on flood attenuation. However, our first study fills a substantial knowledge gap by evaluating the impacts of different floodplain restoration practices, varied by location and length, on flood attenuation and floodplain inundation dynamics at the watershed scale during more frequent storm recurrence intervals (i.e., 2-year, 1-year, 0.5-year, and monthly). We created a 1D HEC-RAS model to simulate the effects of Stage 0 restoration within a 4th-order generic watershed based on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. By varying the percent river length restored and location, we found that Stage 0 restoration, especially in 2nd-order rivers, can be particularly effective at enhancing flood attenuation and floodplain inundation locally and farther downstream. We addressed the water quality component by using a random forest machine learning approach coupled with artificial neural networks to find trends and predict nitrate removal rates associated with spatial, temporal, hydrologic, and restoration features. Our results showed that hydrologic conditions were the most important variable for predicting actual nitrate removal rates. Overall, both studies demonstrate the importance of hydrologic connectivity for flood attenuation, channel-floodplain exchange, and nutrient processing. / Maryland Department of Natural Resources; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office; Chesapeake Bay Trust / Master of Science / Severe flooding and nutrient pollution from sources such as urban and agricultural runoff have been detrimental to the health of rivers. The degradation of rivers can negatively impact human and environmental health, as well as local, regional, and even global economies. Floods can be both helpful, by providing water quality benefits and supporting wildlife, and harmful, causing damage and even loss of life. Excess nutrients, such as nitrogen, can create underwater zones void of life, with serious consequences for aquatic life and public health. To address the flooding and water quality issues facing rivers, focus has shifted to landscapelevel river network management plans. However, it can prove challenging to understand the impacts of multiple stream restoration projects within a larger river network on flooding and nutrient removal. We address the flooding component by using a model to simulate the effects of different floodplain restoration techniques on a medium-sized watershed that is generally based on streams that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. Our model simulated small, relatively frequent storm events that, on average, occur every two years to once a month. By varying restoration length and location, we found that restoration practices with lower streambanks can be particularly effective at slowing down floods, reducing their overall severity by allowing more water to access the floodplains. This was especially true when restoration occurred in smaller streams, and the effects were seen both locally and farther downstream. We address the water quality component by using a different model to find patterns and predict nutrient removal rates associated with different landscape, seasonal, storm event, and restoration features. Our results showed that the most important variable for predicting nutrient removal rates was whether a stream was experiencing normal flow or stormflow conditions. Overall, both studies demonstrate the importance of restoring rivers in a manner that encourages water to flow from the channel into the floodplains during smaller storm events, because this will reduce the severity of downstream flooding while simultaneously improving water quality.