Final Capstone Presentation
- 1. Development of a Field-Scale Research Facility to Assess the Effects of Sea Level Rise on Freshwater Bottomland Hardwood Forests Hudson Adams, Riley Garvey, Alyssa Knight, Rachel Mordovancey, Mattie Rourk, Alexa Schiazza Clemson University, Clemson, SC October 20, 2020
- 2. Outline ● Introduction ○ Background ○ Rationale ○ Objective(s) ○ Approaches ● Literature Review ● Materials and Methods ● Results ● Recommendations ● Acknowledgements
- 3. Introduction
- 4. Background Role of Wetlands ● Wetlands provide many important ecosystem services ○ Improving and protecting water quality ○ Providing fish and wildlife habitats ○ Storing floodwater ● Wetlands are some of the most productive ecosystems ● The overall global wetland value was estimated to be around 47.4 trillion dollars per year
- 5. Background Climate Impact on Wetlands ● Climate change, and the resulting sea level rise, affect the health and functionality of tidal wetlands. ● Sea level rise causes the inundation and potential displacement of these areas. ● Such stressors may disassemble the existing ecosystem of the wetland due to loss of vegetation, loss of habitat, and biogeochemical changes in the soil. ● Wetlands offer valuable ecosystem services such as erosion control, bioremediation, and flood protection. ● It is important to be able to predict how these services and ecosystems will be impacted as sea levels rise.
- 7. Background Project Scope ● Freshwater tidal wetlands are wetlands that are influenced by the tides but do not suffer from saltwater intrusion. ● In the lowlands of South Carolina these are both common and more distant from the coastline than expected in other areas due to the extremely gradual elevation changes. ● There are two types of freshwater tidal wetlands, marsh and forest, with the differences occurring due to the hydroperiod, or the period of time the wetland is covered by water. ● Ecosystem services can be negatively impacted by environmental/climate change, therefore it is important to monitor these changes.
- 8. Background Facility Location ● Located in the Santee Experimental Forest on the East Branch of the Cooper River ● Sites are bottomland hardwood forest
- 9. Rationale ● Between a field and a lab facility, a field research facility is needed because wetlands are so complex that if meaningful data is to be collected, all of the biogeochemical features would need to be incorporated into a lab research facility. Thus, a field facility is best in order to more easily bring together those complex ecosystem functions. ● Wetlands provide many ecosystem services such as improving water quality and storing flood water. If rising sea level affects the way they currently function, then they may lose some of these services. ● The models currently used to predict how ecosystem services will be affected are not useful, as freshwater tidal wetlands have not been adequately studied. ● The idea for this project is to create a mesocosm to gain critical data by
- 10. Hypothesis to be tested through the use of the designed facility: As sea level rises and hydroperiods change, these wetlands will shift in type and previously nontidal wetlands will become tidally influenced.
- 11. Objectives Mission The main objective of this project is to design and model a field scale research facility to study the impact of climate change on the ecosystem services provided by wetlands, in particular, to determine the effects of sea level rise on the hydrologic regime of a freshwater tidal wetland. Specific Objectives 1. To design impoundment/control water structures and drainage 2. To develop an operational plan 3. To develop a site plan for research site
- 12. Client Deliverables 1. Hydrogeomorphic Assessment – this is an integrated assessment of the land resource data providing a basis for the site selection a. A detailed analysis of the natural and man-made subcatchments within the floodplain that could be the mesocosms. This analysis will focus on utilizing the lidar data to delineate drainage areas and flow paths within the floodplain. b. This analysis will consider the current flow paths and hydrologic regimes. 2. Summary on the expected impacts of sea-level rise on the current hydrologic regime 3. Facility Operational Plan 4. Site Plan
- 13. Approaches Task 1 To determine a site location Task 2 To design the facility
- 14. Task 1: To determine a site location Sub-Tasks: ● To collect hydrological, Lidar, climate, and GIS data for the possible sites. ● To assess references, data, and similar project designs. ● To research sea-level rise modelling done by NOAA or another agency in the Charleston area. ● To explore water containment and management methods for both options. ● To determine biodiversity of local flora within each option. ● To identify size requirements and necessary site boundaries for both options. ● To choose an alternative to move forward into design.
- 15. Approaches Site Option 1: Tidally Influenced Sub-Catchment Channel ● Put a weir in “Channel A” to divert water to “Channel B” ● Put berm at tidally influenced intersection of “Channel B” ● Use main channel water to flood “Channel B” area Site Plan Site Map
- 16. Approaches Site Option 1: Tidally Influenced Sub-Catchment Channel A B C C A B
- 17. Approaches Site Option 2: Non-Tidal Controlled Rice Fields ● Retrofit existing berms in rice field plot ● Install a pump from Nicholson Creek to the chosen rice field plot ● Construct a weir on the opposite site of the rice field to let water escape when necessary Site Plan Site Map
- 18. Approaches Site Option 2: Non-Tidal Controlled Rice Fields A B C C A B
- 19. Task 2: To design a facility Sub-Tasks: ● To evaluate site planning considerations including site access, elevation, and wetland impact. ● To examine possible methods of passive flow/filling. ● To identify needs to maintain a healthy ecosystem such as water retention rate. ● To determine what additional infrastructure such as water control structures, pipe networks, pumps, and drainage systems will be required. ● To model hydrologic regimes and design plans by utilizing CAD, HEC-RAS, and SOLIDWORKS. ● To create a design plan draft. ● To develop a final site plan. ● To formulate a facility operations plan by determining how the water control system will run. ● To assess the cost of the designed field research facility.
- 20. Pre-/post-development modeling and structural drawings Developing tidal regime and operational plans CAD site development and plan set Task Management Team We collaborated as a group on all aspects of the project. To ensure that everything got done, each group member was assigned a different task to be in charge of: ● Hudson Adams ○ Structural Drawings using SolidWorks ● Riley Garvey ○ Pre-development modeling ● Mattie Rourk ○ Post-development modeling ○ Paper Format ● Alyssa Knight ○ Developing tidal regime ○ Operational Plans ● Rachel Mordavancy ○ Site development using CAD ● Alexa Schiazza ○ Plan Set
- 21. Ecology Climate Science Engineering TFW research center Maximizing use of existing infrastructure Efficiently capturing and manipulating water flows Diverse assemblage of endemic species
- 23. Literature Review Site Hydrology ● Most of the soils have high surface runoff and low infiltration rates. ● Average annual rainfall: 1370 mm ● The peak discharges for the Turkey Creek watershed: ○ 12.0 m3/s--2 year return period ○ 22.9 m3/s--5 year return period ○ 31.5 m3/s--10 year return period ○ 42.9 m3/s--25 year return period ○ 53.2 m3/s--50 year return period ○ 64.2 m3/s--100 year return period ● Vegetation: pine-hardwood forests. ● The area in the watershed lies 2 m-14 m above sea level.
- 24. Literature Review Parameters ● Going forward with the design, the research parameters that the facility will be used for are: ○ Vegetation response ■ which will monitor changes in vegetation structure, composition, and productivity including photosynthesis and transpiration ○ Soil response ■ which will monitor changes in soil biogeochemistry such as redox conditions, greenhouse gas emissions, carbon storage, nutrient cycling, also soil microbiology ○ Hydrologic response ■ which will monitor changes in hydrology and water quality
- 25. Literature Review Turkey Creek Water Table Data We will use Turkey Creek data in order to estimate Nicholson Creek flows off a relative size comparison since they are both type 3 streams
- 26. Literature Review Sea Level Rise How high should the water be raised? ● The relative sea-level rise trend in Charleston, SC is about 3.32 mm/year based on monthly mean sea level data spanning from 1901 to 2019. ● This was determined to be the equivalent to a 1.09 ft sea level rise over the span of 100 years.
- 27. Literature Review Sea Level Rise
- 28. Literature Review Mesocosm vs. Large-Scale Experiment Large Scale Experiment: ● Displayed an increase in temperature over time. ● An increase in dissolved oxygen over time. ● Larger scale experiments are harder to control. Mesocosm Experiment: ● Became colonized by macrophytes which caused shading. ○ Lower temperature over time. ● Mesocosms are often more optimal as they are more replicable and repeatable. Both: ● Retain nutrients. ● Showed an increase in pH.
- 29. Literature Review Mesocosm vs. Large-Scale Experiment How does the complexity of these two set-ups compare?
- 31. Materials and Methods Modeling ● To create location and watershed basin maps of the site using ArcGIS ● To measure site hydrologic features, specifically raised water levels, using HEC-RAS ● For site design and plan set development will be created using AutoCAD Civil3D ● To design and model hydraulic structures, such as a weir structure, using SolidWorks
- 32. Materials and Methods Site Needs ● Existing Conditions Evaluation ● Grading Needs (Fill Soils) ● Pump ● Hydraulic Structure: Weir ● Site Access Stair ● Electrical Instrumentation (Beyond Scope of Design)
- 33. Results
- 34. Results Site Selection A logistical regression model was used to determine the weight coefficient assigned to each observation based on the team’s ranking. Team Ranking: 1 - Poor 2 - Fair 3 - Good 4 - Great
- 35. Results Pre-Development Flow Model Utilizing HEC-RAS ● 1-year rain event ● Rice fields are naturally flooded from large storm events ○ after 3 hours of this storm, the average water depth on the site was 22 cm ● Berms are partially inundated - creating the need for increased height and proper grading
- 37. Results Existing Berm Conditions Utilizing AutoCAD
- 38. Results Berm Grading Utilizing AutoCAD ● Due to the deteriorated condition of the berms, reinforcement and a raised height is required. ● Berms will be 3’ top width with a 3:1 slope down to the existing grade.
- 39. Results Spillway Grading Utilizing AutoCAD ● The spillway is be designed to retain the low tide tide water level while the hydraulic weir will hold the high tide. ● 3:1 slope down from berms and 2% down the spillway through the berms
- 40. Results Pump Station Location ● Because the site is located in the Nicholson Creek flood plain, the pump cannot be placed within the wetland area. ● The station will be located off of Summerhouse Road adjacent to Nicholson Creek
- 41. Results Pump Station Site Grading Utilizing AutoCAD ● The road grade will be extended by 15’ to provide a 15’ ⨯ 15’ flat surface in order to place the pump station. ● Graded to the existing ground at 3:1 slope
- 42. Results Pipe Alignment Utilizing AutoCAD ● Carbon coated HDPE pipe will be utilized to pump water from Nicholson Creek to the rice field plot.
- 43. Results Pipe Alignment Profile Utilizing AutoCAD ● In order to avoid the ecological impact of burying the pipe, it will be run over the ground on stilts supported by pylons ● Because of the warm climate of Huger, SC, temperature related deflections of the pipe are of minimal concern.
- 44. Results Pipe Support ● The pylons will be supported with compacted fill material. ● At every turn in the pipe, an earthen berm will be placed to support the bend.
- 45. Results Hydraulic Design Utilizing SolidWorks ● Design includes a gate on the weir that is operated by a rack and pinion system powered by a small motor ● The gate will be operated on a time schedule to simulate the coming and going of the tide each day
- 46. Results Rack and Pinion System ● Pros: Easy to design and maintain ● Cons: If the rack is misaligned it may damage the entire gear box, Can be inaccurate if a higher quality is not bought and maintained but this is not an issue for this project.
- 47. Results Cost Assessment-Labor Team Member: Hudson Task Hours Meetings PowerPoint Solidworks Total Team Member: Riley Task Hours Meetings PowerPoint HEC-RAS Total
- 48. Results Cost Assessment-Labor Team Member: Alyssa Task Hours Meetings Statistics HEC-RAS Total Team Member: Rachel Task Hours Meetings PowerPoint AutoCAD Total
- 49. Results Cost Assessment-Labor Team Member: Mattie Task Hours Meetings PowerPoint HEC-RAS Paper Total Team Member: Alexa Task Hours Meetings PowerPoint HEC-RAS Paper Total
- 53. Recommendations
- 54. Recommendations ● We recommend implementing site option 2 - non-tidal controlled rice fields for the research facility, based on the criteria outlined in the results section as well as field observations ● Moving forward, we will provide more detailed recommendations for developing the facility on this site
- 55. Acknowledgements Sincerely, Alexa, Alyssa, Hudson, Mattie, Rachel, and Riley Dr. Darnault, Thank you for guiding us throughout this project and giving us helpful feedback on our presentation and paper. Dr. Xiao, Thank you for your help throughout the project process and giving us helpful feedback about our powerpoint. Dr. Trettin, Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work alongside you to develop a field-scale research facility to observe the effects global warming, specifically sea level rise, has on bottomland hardwood forests. We hope this project helps you and the USDA Forestry service devise a plan to implement in the future. Julie, Thank you for showing us around both the tidally influenced sub-catchment channel, and the non-tidal controlled rice fields. This site visit was extremely helpful in the completion of our project design.
- 56. Thank You!
Editor's Notes
- #2: RILEY GOOD AFTERNOON We are only reading (word for word) rationale, objectives, and approaches (esp. tasks). Everything else can be paraphrased “Our Capstone Design is on..” Good Afternoon
- #3: RILEY Dar-notes: Don’t deviate from the template he gave us - especially with the outline Introduce critically Just generally follow the template to a T
- #4: HUDSON
- #5: HUDSON Bring more number/figures into background Another slide about role of wetlands before this Then one about climate change impact on wetlands World map of wetlands, map of SC wetlands Go broader - give more of an outline of the impact of this project and the reason for its conception Put a dollar amount on ecosystem services to show how high their value is Use this to show why this facility will be impactful UPLOAD THE FLIPPIN FILES TO BOX
- #6: HUDSON World map of wetlands, map of SC wetlands Go broader - give more of an outline of the impact of this project and the reason for its conception Put a dollar amount on ecosystem services to show how high their value is Use this to show why this facility will be impactful UPLOAD THE FLIPPIN FILES TO BOX
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- #11: RILEY Show sketch in order to show the impact of sea level rise on the wetland
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- #13: RILEY Don’t include deliverables with objectives→ make its own slide NOt objectives - just deliverables DON’T SAY “JUST”
- #14: ALEXA
- #15: ALEXA Get rid of “tasks” in the heading - or say “task” and “sub-task” Tasks are what you use to meet the objectives Subtasks under objectives Make title objective 1, and then the tasks Approaches-->big tasks-->small tasks
- #16: ALEXA Add channel A and B labels
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- #18: ALYSSA “Retrofit” instead of “rehab” because Rachel is an idiot
- #19: ALYSSA “Retrofit” instead of “rehab” because Rachel is an idiot (Suck it Riley) Bring site map onto this slide and show where these pictures are from on the map - do same for channels
- #20: ALYSSA Add periods at the end of every sentence Add the word CAD To model/design ___ using cad….
- #21: HUDSON Make a circle in organization to make it seem like 1 team
- #22: RILEY MAKE CIRCLES and use same font We wanted to create a visual that outlines the different disciplines that are going into this project and how they intersect. The three main disciplines included are ecology, climate science, and engineering. Ecology and climate science intersect when we are ensuring a diverse assemblage of endemic species. Climate science and engineering intersect when we work to efficiently capture and manipulate water flows And engineering and ecology intersect when we are maximizing the use of existing infrastructure. And, of course, all of these intersect with the Tidal Freshwater wetland research facility
- #23: MATTIE
- #24: MATTIE This map displays the location of our site. The rice fields that we will use lie next to Nicholson Creek. Vegetation-reference Alexa and Alyssa’s slides with pictures showing vegetation
- #25: MATTIE Citation- google maps) -Put more information on the rivers - where the wetlands are Dont have the etc. or e.g.--say such as photosynthesis...
- #26: MATTIE WATER TABLE Where does this data belong? Say that it has to do with the sea level rise in the area we’re working Type 3 stream--at the base of a watershed so other waterways flow into it?
- #27: MATTIE
- #28: MATTIE Know what thermal expansion is--Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change its shape, area, volume, and density in response to a change in temperature, usually not including phase transitions.[1] This figures show how sea level rise can occur. This figure shows that as ice melts high water temperatures cause seawater to expand, increasing the volume and causing the sea level to rise. This figure shows how groundwater and marine inundation, or flooding, cause sea level rise. https://phys.org/news/2017-03-sea-honolulu-waikiki-vulnerable-groundwater.html
- #29: MATTIE This experiment is relevant to our project because it shows what the expected results of our own study would be, although the mesocosm used in this study is on a smaller scale.
- #30: MATTIE This figure demonstrates how complex the experiment in a large wetland compares to the mesocosm experiment. The large wetland differs because it factors in wildlife. Add symbol legend
- #31: HUDSON
- #32: HUDSON Add Logos of software Model hydrological structure, such as a weir Type of GIS maps Measure site hydrological features, specifically raised water leve Hydraulic not hudrologicl
- #33: HUDSON We will need to incorporate electrical components and grid tie-ins Factor in cost of off-site dirt
- #34: ALYSSA
- #35: ALYSSA JMP software used for model
- #36: RILEY As part of our project, we wanted to model the natural water flow prior to development, and we decided to use HEC-RAS to accomplish this. For this model, we utilized rain levels associated with a 1-year return period storm to show how the wetland is naturally flooded on a frequent basis. As you can see in this animation, the water easily inundates the rice fields during a one-year storm, filling our site to an average depth of 22 cm after three hours. This depth actually partially covers the berms in water, so We took this to mean that we would need to increase the height of the berms for this project and properly grade them, as Rachel will now discuss. Input, model, and output (including equations)
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