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“We became involved in urban stream research because we saw a gap in our knowledge of the ecology of these systems.”
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The paper is a review of what we knew about the ecology of
urban streams a few years ago. We happened to be getting our
feet wet in an area that has exploded in terms of research and
policy. The scientific community has come to realize we know
very little about the effects of the cities we build on the
ecosystems they are built upon—and urbanization is not
slowing. This knowledge, however, will be critical in our
attempt to maintain the integrity of ecosystems we rely on
while we continue to grow. This realization is reflected in
the commitment to urban ecology seen in the NSF and other
funding agencies. We were in the very front of that wave and
we tried to bring together what was known about urban effects
on streams as a springboard for future research.
Does it describe a new discovery or a new methodology
that's useful to others?
It is a review of what we know about the effects of
urbanization on a lot of aspects of stream ecosystems—as
many as we could identify. It therefore covers a lot of ground
and pulls a lot of things together in one place. In that way,
we think it has been useful for those entering the field or
looking for existing information on the field.
Could you summarize the significance of your paper in
layman’s terms?
Ah, yes, the "how would I explain this to my
father" question. The paper reviews what is known about
the effects of urbanization on the physical, chemical, and
biological components of streams. It highlights the pervasive
effects of pavement and other impervious surfaces, as well as
point and non-point pollution from urbanization. It also
identifies a few gaps that exist in our knowledge.
How did you become involved in this research, and were
there successes or failures along the way?
We became involved in urban stream research because we saw
a gap in our knowledge of the ecology of these systems. We
were doing research on streams near Atlanta, GA, where urban
growth rates are stunning. We recognized that future
management of water resources in such areas required both a
synthesis of existing scientific information as well as
further research in the gaps identified. Yet scientific
information alone is not going to improve urban stream
conditions; finding ways to implement the policies and
practices suggested by scientific research is proving to be a
much more difficult task.
If applicable, what are the social or political
implications of your research?
Briefly, the research provides a concise review to the
field of urban stream ecology. It will, hopefully, be a
valuable resource to anyone interested in urban streams—from
a high school science project student to the water managers
tasked with managing urban streams. It will hopefully also be
useful for policy makers, charged with the protection of our
freshwater systems, as it lays out many of the factors
responsible for impacts on urban streams.
Mike Paul
Senior Scientist
Tetra Tech, Inc.
Owings Mills, MD, USA
Judy Meyer
Research Professor
Institute of Ecology
University of Georgia
Athens, GA, USA
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