Authors
Magdalena Bieroza, Lukas Hallberg, John Livsey, Laura-Ainhoa Prischl, Maarten Wynants
Publication date
2024/3/4
Source
Environmental Science & Technology
Volume
58
Issue
11
Pages
4852-4858
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Description
Agricultural headwaters are positioned at the interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and, therefore, at the margins of scientific disciplines. They are deemed devoid of biodiversity and too polluted by ecologists, overlooked by hydrologists, and are perceived as a nuisance by landowners and water authorities. While agricultural streams are widespread and represent a major habitat in terms of stream length, they remain understudied and thereby undervalued. Agricultural headwater streams are significantly modified and polluted but at the same time are the critical linkages among land, air, and water ecosystems. They exhibit the largest variation in streamflow, water quality, and greenhouse gas emission with cascading effects on the entire stream networks, yet they are underrepresented in monitoring, remediation, and restoration. Therefore, we call for more intense efforts to characterize and …
Total citations
Scholar articles
M Bieroza, L Hallberg, J Livsey, LA Prischl, M Wynants - Environmental Science & Technology, 2024