Thursday, May 21, 2009 - 4:45 PM
634

Lessons from the Muskegon Watershed multi-model

Michael J. Wiley1, Bryan C. Pijanowski2, R. Jan Stevenson3, Catherine M. Riseng1, David W. Hyndman4, and John Koches5. (1) School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Dana Building, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1041, (2) Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, (3) Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, (4) Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, 206 Natural Science, East Lansing, MI 48824, (5) Grand Valley State University, Annis Water Resources Center, Muskegon, MI

The accelerating pace of landscape and climate modification makes predicting watershed vulnerability an important challenge facing 21rst century river conservationists.  River ecosystems are directly dependent on the interaction of climate with landscape physiography and land cover for their characteristic water and material budgets; these in turn shape and constrain biological communities and populations. The Muskegon River Ecological Modeling System (MREMS) links a Land Transformation Model (LTM2) to a series of hydrologic, loading, and biological models via a GIS-based valley segment classification framework.  The result is an open, multi- modeling system capable of exploring alternate land use and climate scenarios, and their resulting impact on hydrology, chemistry, and biological integrity/productivity in a spatially explicit framework.  The system is being used to both better understand and complex stressor-response relationships, and to help regional stakeholders visualize management options and set sub-basin priorities.


Web Page: climate, watershed, modeling