Abstract
Land use within a watershed is closely tied to stream water chemistry. Anthropogenic chemical inputs eventually make their way into streams, affecting fluvial ecosystems. Sources of these anthropogenic inputs change over time, especially when rural landscapes become increasingly urbanized. We studied the relationship between land use and stream water chemistry for Oswego County, New York, because riparian zones in this county have shifted to residential from agricultural and forested land uses. We extracted data from the New York State Department of Conservation (DEC) Department of Water (DOW) Monitoring Portal. Results show that residential land use contributes higher carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus to streams in Oswego County, New York. However, the data collected for sites in Oswego County are sparse, and thus our results may be misleading. We will conclude with recommendations to Oswego County for a sampling strategy that better encompasses the major waterways of the county.
Recommended Citation
Steates, Madison; Back, Thomas; and Yang, Suann
(2024)
"How Does Change in Land Use Impact the Water Chemistry Parameters in the Streams of Oswego County, NY?,"
Proceedings of GREAT Day: Vol. 15, Article 13.
Available at:
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/proceedings-of-great-day/vol15/iss1/13