Few monitoring agencies have collected adequate time-series data to support analyses of long-term trends or shifts in the biological, thermal, and hydrological regime of minimally disturbed, free-flowing freshwater streams. Such data are necessary to further our understanding of how changing conditions will affect these sites, their ability to be used in assessments and to inform various entities on the relative importance of climate change compared to other stressors. To help address these data gaps, the EPA has been collaborating with states and EPA regional offices to develop connected regional monitoring networks in the northeast, mid-Atlantic, and southeast. This presentation described how the monitoring network sites were selected, the biological, temperature and flow data that are being collected at these sites, the methods being used to collect the data, plans for sharing the data, and possible avenues for future research.

Presented by Dr. Britta Bierwagen

Britta Bierwagen received her B.S. from the College of William and Mary in chemistry and biology and PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. In 2003, she joined EPA as a postdoc in the Global Change Research Program and has remained with National Center for Environmental Assessment since.